Pig City by Louis Sachar Page B

blacktop. She went out to meet them and raised her fist to her nose.
    Allison returned the salute. Tiffany didn’t. Something was wrong. Tiffany looked very scared and confused.
    Laura wondered if Monkey Town had gotten to her already. “Are you all right?” she asked.
    â€œI don’t know what to say to him!” Tiffany complained, pulling at her hair. “How can I even look at him?”
    â€œLook at who?” asked Laura.
    â€œNathan!” Tiffany exclaimed. “Who else?”
    Laura laughed.
    Allison shrugged. “She started out perfectly normal, or at least, normal for Tiffany. Then the closer we got to school, the crazier she got. She’s afraid to see Nathan, after you know, what they did.”
    â€œIt’s not funny!” Tiffany insisted. “Tell me what to say to him, Laura.”
    â€œI don’t know,” Laura replied. “
I wouldn’t understand
, remember?”
    â€œJust talk to him like you always did,” said Allison. “Say what you used to say.”
    â€œI can’t remember what I used to say,” complained Tiffany.
    Debbie and Kristin approached. Everyone saluted. Tiffany missed. Her fist hit her eye.
    â€œDid anybody else get a call from Monkey Town?” Laura asked.
    â€œMonkey Town?” questioned Debbie.
    Laura told them about the phone call.
    â€œBacon and eggs?” asked Kristin. “What does that mean?”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Laura. “But it doesn’t sound good.”
    Tiffany gasped.
    Everyone turned around.
    It was Nathan. He and Aaron were approaching. Nathan’s face was as red as a beet.
    They all saluted. Tiffany punched herself in the nose.
    â€œHi, Tiffany,” said Nathan.
    â€œHi, Nathan,” said Tiffany.
    â€œHi,” said Nathan. “How’s your hamster?”
    â€œFine, thank you,” said Tiffany, “and yours?”
    â€œFine, thank you,” said Nathan, even though he didn’t own a hamster.
    Laura repeated her news about Monkey Town for Nathan’s and Aaron’s benefit. “We all have to be very careful,” she warned.
    As they lined up for class, Tiffany pulled Laura aside. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” she said. “Wetalked just like always.”
    â€œI guess you’re both too busy worrying about Monkey Town to worry about each other,” said Laura.
    â€œMonkey Town?” asked Tiffany. “What’s that?”
    They went inside. Nobody laughed at the message on the blackboard. Nobody knew what it meant.
    MONKEY ARE
    Â Â Â Â MARVELOUS
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â MAGNIFICENT
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â AND MUSTARD!
    â€œMustard!” exclaimed Karen.
    â€œIs something bothering you, Karen?” asked Mr. Doyle.
    â€œUh, no, Mr. Doyle. Um, I don’t like mustard.”
    â€œDo you like ketchup?” he asked.
    â€œIt’s okay.”
    â€œGood, I’m glad you have something to put on your hot dog.” He erased the board and put the number 9 next to the rectangle under the word DICTIONARY.
    â€œThere’s an egg in my desk!” Kristin announced.
    Several kids laughed.
    â€œKristin?” said Mr. Doyle.
    She showed him the egg.
    Laura found an egg in her desk, too. It washard-boiled, without the shell.
    â€œHey, I got one, too,” said Aaron. He held up his egg.
    â€œDoes anybody else have an egg?” asked Mr. Doyle.
    Everybody looked inside his or her desk. Five people raised their hands and eggs: Debbie, Nathan, Tiffany, Allison, and Laura. The entire population of Pig City had been
egg-laid
.
    They brought their eggs to Mr. Doyle. He asked them how the eggs got in their desks, but they all said they didn’t know. They returned to their seats.
    â€œAll right,” said Mr. Doyle. “We’ve had enough silliness for one morning. Now, I want to know where these eggs came from!”
    Gabriel raised his