Pig City by Louis Sachar Page A

start.
    He sang:
    â€œ
I am such a stupid jerk,
    Stupid jerk, stupid jerk,
    I am such a stupid jerk,
    I don’t have a brain.”
    That verse was written by Laura. She didn’t dare look at Tiffany. If she did, she knew they’d both crack up.
    Allison listened serenely to Aaron’s serenade.
    â€œ
I just love to pick my nose,
    Pick my nose, pick my nose,
    I just love to pick my nose,
    It is so much fun.”
    That was Tiffany’s verse. The last one was Allison’s.
    â€œ
I’m in love with every girl,
    Every girl, every girl,
    I’m in love with every girl,
    In Mr. Doyle’s class.”
    Laura turned off the recorder. Allison clapped her hands.

19
A Dress for Gabriel
    Laura quickly gobbled down her dinner, hardly pausing for a breath of air. “May I be excused?” she asked.
    â€œWe don’t have a daughter,” said her father. “We have a vacuum cleaner.”
    Laura laughed.
    â€œYou know, you really shouldn’t eat so fast,” said her mother. “It’s not good for the digestion.”
    â€œToo late now,” said Laura.
    â€œYou may be excused,” her father told her.
    She rinsed off her plate in the sink, then stuck it in the dishwasher. She hurried to the back of the house to get ready for Gabriel. She went into her sister’s old room.
    When her sister had moved into her own apartment, she left a lot of old clothes behind. Most of them were pretty tacky. Laura thought they’d be perfect for Gabriel.
    She rummaged through the dresses hanging in the closet. She took out a frilly white one and held it up in front of her, trying to imagine how it would look onGabriel. She shook her head.
    She stuck her head back in the closet, then gasped with delight. She saw the perfect dress for Gabriel.
    It was a Hawaiian muumuu. It was bright pink with lots of big yellow and purple flowers.
    He’ll look so
pretty
in it, she thought.
    She brought it to her room and laid it delicately on her bed. She dragged her desk chair to her closet, stood on it, and got her camera down from the shelf.
    It was the type of camera that developed the pictures itself in sixty seconds. She checked to make sure it was loaded.
    Her eyes turned to the muumuu. “Just divine,” she said out loud. It was large enough that Gabriel could wear it over his clothes. He would just have to roll up his pant legs and shirt sleeves so they wouldn’t show, and take off his shoes and socks.
    She wondered why the dress was called a muumuu. Maybe because it’s big enough for a cow! she thought. Moo moo. She smiled at her joke. She’d have to remember to tell it to Gabriel.
    She made sure her parents weren’t watching, then brought the camera and the dress out back to the Dog House. She draped the dress over the television and put the camera on top of it. She returned to her room and waited.
    Gabriel stood outside the front door.
Maybe
, he hoped. What if Laura found out he really didn’t know anything about Pig City? He wondered what she meant by insurance. Somehow, he had to get her to explain it all to him, then act like he already knew it. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe … Laura, Laura, Laura, Laura, Laura. He rang the doorbell.
    â€œI got it!” Laura shouted. She ran down the hall, past her mother. She stopped just before the door. She took off her cap, wiped her hair back off her face, then put the cap back on. She opened the door.
    â€œHi,” said Gabriel.
    She was glad Gabriel knew all about Pig City. She wouldn’t have to go through a lot of explanations. “C’mon, let’s go to the Dog House.”
    â€œTo the Dog House,” said Gabriel.
    They went through the living room, which was a big mistake. Her parents stopped them and asked her to introduce him to them, and then everybody said how nice it was to meet each other. Laura waited impatiently.
    They went out the back door. “Yep, there’s the Dog