End of the Alphabet Read Online Free PDF Page B

yell when I told her.
    I was right, she did. ‘Bastard!’ she said. ‘You know, Ruby, it’s lucky we’ve got unions. I’d be working for four dollars an hour if we didn’t have the union.’
    It was great to have her on my side again, but I didn’t want her lecture on unions. ‘Are you going on strike?’ Ouch! Shouldn’t have said that. I thought strike would be a dirty word with her right now.
    But she just shrugged. ‘The bosses are still talking. While there’s talk, there’s hope. We don’t want to strike.’
    She told me what to say to Mr Vine. ‘And don’t work for five dollars, Ruby. That’s outrageous.’
    The afternoon turned into evening. Max stayed in his room — the small room. Calvin played rugby outside with the kids. I cooked the dinner and Mum vacuumed the lounge. Max had left the remains of his after-school snack on the bench.
    I thought about that while I worked. In the end, I cleaned it up. As soon as I’d done it, I wished I hadn’t. Ruby Yarrow — servant to her brother Max.
    He was still giving us all the silent treatment. Calvin ignored him. Mum did too, which surprised me. Mum and Calvin were good again. Thank goodness.
    I set the alarm on my phone for 5.30. I was going to work in the morning. I was on my way to Brazil.
    I managed to shut the phone up before it woke the kids. Five-thirty in the morning is a stupid time to be awake. I lay there for a bit. Should I go to work?
    Brazil. I really wanted to be on that trip. None of the other kids would be able to read once we got to Brazil. I’d be the same as everybody else.
    I got out of bed.
    I arrived at the superette at one minute to six. Old Grumble-guts let me in. ‘There’s the broom. There’s the mop and bucket. The toilet’s through here. Get started.’
    I felt sick. I couldn’t argue with him about the money. I just couldn’t. It’d be all right — he’d probably pay me more when he saw that I was a good worker.
    I picked up the broom. And heard Tia’s voice in my head:
You let them walk all over you, and you cave every time.
    Mr Vine wouldn’t change his mind. He’d take everything he could.
    ‘Get moving!’ he growled. ‘I haven’t got all day, and I’m not paying you to stand around like an idiot.’
    I looked straight at him. What did it matter if he told me to get out? I’d find another job. ‘Mr Vine, five dollars an hour isn’t enough. You have to pay the legal youth rate.’ Which was what Mum had told me to say.
    His face went red. ‘Five bucks and that’s it. Take it or leave it.’
    ‘I’ll leave it.’ I tapped my foot on the floor. ‘Clean your own floor. It sure needs it.’ I turned and walked away.
    It was sunny outside. I stopped to breathe in the clean morning air. Stupid man.

Chapter Eight
     
     
    The interview list for the Brazil trip was in the morning notices. ‘Girls are on Monday,’ Megan said. ‘I’m in the morning and you’re at 2.50 after Amanda Trask.’
    There were twenty-two girls on the list, and twenty-eight boys. They would choose fifteen girls and fifteen boys. ‘I’m glad there aren’t as many girls,’ Megan said. ‘We’ve got a better chance of being picked.’
    I looked at Wiremu. They’d pick him for sure.
I’d
pick him. He was good at sport, good at art, he won prizes for public speaking. He looked pretty cool too. He winked at me. ‘Let’s make sure they choose all five of us!’ He did a strong-man pose. ‘The fantastic five from 10JW take on Brazil!’
    Megan shoved him. ‘Stop it! You’re making me nervous.’
    I swallowed. I was nervous too. Damn — when had the butterflies got into my gut? I
knew
they wouldn’t pick me, so why worry? But I knew why. It was because the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go.
    Tia asked if I’d taken Mr Vine’s job.
    ‘The cleaning job?’ Carly asked. ‘That notice has been in his window for weeks. Mum reckons he never cleans his floors. She doesn’t like him.’
    ‘She’s right.