The Dogsbody: A queer seaside revenge tale

The Hard Boys were the semi official bullies of Gattrill College, a private high school in Sydney. Sal Cattaneo was their undisputed leader because he finally broke the spirit of the school rebel, the gay student Martin, who had outraged the upholders of school tradition by rebelling against its toxic culture and revealing the embarrassing truth about its founder. Under Sal’s relentless bullying, Martin spiralled into depression and never finished school, never achieving his dream of university.

Years later Sal and his fellow bullies are rich and successful, and they have a reunion in a luxury resort for the wedding of Sal's boss to the former leader of the Mean Girls, the female bullies of Gattrill College.

They don't recognise the resort's maintenance man as Martin.

Unexpectedly, Sal desperately needs Martin's help or he will lose an important promotion. It seems fate has delivered Martin the perfect revenge.

But Martin finds Sal, unlike his colleagues, is a changed man, considerate and deeply regretful for his actions in school. Although he is touched by this redemption, it is too little, too late for Martin, who plans for Sal to lose much more than just the promotion.

Content warning: Homophobic slurs, swearing