Free Pig City by Louis Sachar Page A

Tiffany.
    Laura waited for everyone to gather, then told them all for the last time that she didn’t write it, and she didn’t know who did.
    â€œIt has to be someone who knows about Pig City,” said Kristin.
    â€œYolanda!” declared Debbie. “Because of what we did to her.”
    â€œMaybe,” said Laura. “But she didn’t find out until just before class started. I don’t know if she had time.”
    â€œHow about Karen?” said Tiffany. “She knows about us, too. And we wouldn’t let her join.”
    â€œYolanda or Karen could have told somebody else,” said Aaron. “It could be anybody.”
    â€œIt doesn’t have to be somebody who knows anything about us,” said Nathan. “I mean, Laura’s been writing stuff about pigs every day. Maybe it’s just someone who’s sick of seeing how great pigs are. I mean –”
    â€œSpit it out,” said Debbie.
    â€œWhatever happened with Gabriel?” asked Tiffany.
    â€œMr. Doyle might have written it,” said Laura.
    â€œMr. Doyle?” they all said together.
    â€œYes, Mr. Doyle,” Laura answered. “He’s trying to trick me into admitting that I’m the one who’s been writing all the pig messages, by making me deny that I wrote ‘Pigs Stink.’”
    â€œThat makes sense,” said Nathan.
    â€œNot to me it doesn’t,” said Kristin.
    â€œI want to know what Gabriel knows,” said Tiffany.
    â€œWhy Gabriel?” asked Aaron.
    â€œLaura was going to ask him to join,” Tiffany explained. “Each of us was supposed to ask a boy. I asked Nathan, Allison asked you, and Laura was supposed to ask Gabriel.”
    â€œI told you,” said Laura. “I changed my mind.”
    â€œBut you never said why,” said Tiffany.
    â€œYes, she did,” said Allison. “She said she hated him.”
    â€œBut she said that before, too,” Tiffany pointed out.
    â€œIt could have been Gabriel,” Laura admitted. “It could have been like Nathan said. Gabriel got tired of seeing all the pig messages, so he changed ‘Pigs Think’ to ‘Pigs Stink’ because he thought it was funny.”
    â€œThat’s right!” exclaimed Nathan. “That’s what I said. Or at least what I meant to say.”
    â€œWell in that case, it could be anybody,” said Tiffany.
    â€œIt could even have been one of us,” Nathan whispered.
    They looked at each other suspiciously.
    Laura wondered about Debbie. There was something about Debbie that bothered her. She remembered how Debbie knew Yolanda’s note was written to Jonathan before anyone told her.
    â€œLook!” exclaimed Kristin.
    Everyone turned.
    Yolanda and Jonathan were walking across the playground together,
holding hands
.

24
A Turkey Playing Football
    â€œNathan’s so cute,” said Tiffany. “Every time he sees me, he touches his nose with his fist.”
    â€œSo, we all do that,” said Allison.
    â€œBut Nathan’s so cuuute!” said Tiffany.
    Laura and Allison laughed. They were walking home from school. The Mystery of the Altered Message was never solved.
    â€œDo you think Yolanda did it on purpose?” Laura asked.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” asked Allison.
    â€œRemember Debbie said that Yolanda’s been in love with Jonathan since the fourth grade. Then yesterday, Karen said Yolanda
told
her to ask me if she could join Pig City. Yolanda knew what would happen.”
    â€œShe knew you’d put her note in Jonathan’s desk,” said Allison. “She wanted you to do it!” She covered her mouth with her hand, then took it away. “Remember how quickly she chose Jonathan?”
    â€œShe might have done it all on purpose,” said Laura, “without even realizing she was doing it.”
    â€œOoh, I just got a chill down my back,” said Tiffany. “It’s