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asked him.
    “I give up, what?” he asked, happy to play along.
    “I was elected Secretary of Trash,” she said proudly.
    “That sounds very interesting,” he said. “Do you enjoy that?”
    “Yes, it’s lots of fun,” said Angeline.
    “Good,” he said. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
    “Well, see, when everyone else goes to recess, I stay inside and collect the garbage. I didn’t think I’d win but Philip Korbin nominated me and Christy Mathewson seconded the nomination.”
    His face reddened. “You do
what?
” he demanded.
    “I collect the garbage—just like you.”
    He felt like his insides were being ripped apart.
    “I thought you might be able to give me a few pointers,” she said.
    “No,” he told her as he stood up.
    “You know,” Angeline continued. “Like is it better to crumple up the paper before you throw it in the wastepaper basket?”
    “No!” he repeated, much louder this time.“No, I’m not giving you any pointers and no, you are not going to be a garbage collector!”
    Angeline started to cry. “But—”
    “No!” he shouted. He was furious. “That isn’t what you are going to school for. Someday, Angeline, you’ll be a doctor, or a lawyer, but not a garbage collector.”
    “You never know,” she whimpered.
    “Oh yes I do!” he shouted. She was afraid he was going to hit her. She’d never seen him so angry. “Tomorrow I want you to tell your teacher—Mrs. Hardlick or Mr. Bone or whatever you want to call her—that you are not going to pick up anybody’s garbage except your own.”
    Angeline buried her face in a throw pillow. “I’ll see if I can resign,” she said.
    “If your teacher doesn’t like it, tell her to talk to me!” he told her. He looked at her crying into the sofa, then walked away into the kitchen.
    She sat up. “It isn’t fair!” she cried, and headed for the bathroom. “That’s what you do!” She slammed the bathroom door. Then she opened it and slammed it again.
    Abel turned on the kitchen sink and splashed water in his face. “I can’t even talk to her,” hemuttered. He sighed as he thought of her crying in the bathroom. He sadly began preparing dinner.
    “Do you want a milkshake with dinner?” he called. He knew she loved milkshakes. “Strawberry!”
    She walked into the kitchen. Her eyes were red from crying. “No thank you,” she said. “I’ll have a glass of salt water, please.”
    “
Salt water
,” he thought. He wanted to ask her why she liked to drink salt water, but he didn’t know how.

Nine
Garbage
    Christy Mathewson had her ears pierced. She came to school with little gold posts sticking through them.
    “They’re real gold,” she said to the circle that had gathered around her. “If it wasn’t real gold, my ears would turn green.”
    Angeline wanted to see too, but she was outside the circle. She either wanted to see Christy’s gold earrings or else she wanted to see her ears turn green.
    “I have to leave them in for two weeks,” Christy said. “I can’t take them out for anything, or else the holes will close up.”
    “Big deal,” said Philip as he pushed his waythrough the circle. “I wish your mouth would close up.”
    “Drop dead,” said Christy.
    Angeline tried to peek through the hole in the circle made by Philip but it quickly closed up, just like Christy said her ears would if she removed her earrings.
    “Why don’t you get your nose pierced, too?” said Philip. “That would look real good.”
    “Why don’t you shut up,” said Judy Martin.
    Pretty soon the circle broke up and Christy was talking only with Judy Martin, mostly about what a creep Philip was, although they also thought he was kind of cute, but in a creepy sort of way.
    Angeline walked up to them. “May I see your earrings, Christy?” she asked.
    Judy Martin replied before Christy could say anything. “Get lost, Freak. Can’t you see we’re busy?”
    Angeline flushed. She turned and quickly went to her desk.