When Abigail Perce got in trouble she usually knew it. She knew it when she had tried learning to rollerblade without a helmet or knee pads or elbow pads, which actually worked for approximately 14 seconds. She knew when she had brought what she thought was a harmless snake from the backyard into the house. Apparently it was a harmless snake but, by the way Mrs. Perce screamed, it might as well have been a black mamba. She knew it when she snuck out of bed one night with her cousin Alice to eat spoonfuls of sugar. She even knew it when she committed the horrid crime of cutting the “Do not remove” tag off, Mrs. Perce’s pillow. While the FBI didn’t storm the house like Abby thought they would, she accidentally cut part of the pillow off making a big hole. So Abby knew she was done for when she ended up after school with Emma’s necklace. Now Abby didn’t really know how she ended up with it. She had first seen it on the floor of the school halls and had picked it up. She had been planning to give it back, but somehow she forgot and it ended up in her pocket. So that’s how the necklace ended up in front of Abby on the floor in her room while Sophie tried to take a hanger out of Abby’s hair. Now Abby was technically supposed to be doing her homework and then technically supposed to clean her room for Sabbath but then when Sophie and her mom made a surprise visit and things got off schedule. Then Abby’s braid got loose and somehow a hanger got caught in it. No one knew how it got there, including Abby.

“Ow!” Abby yelped. “Are you helping my hair, or are you destroying it?”

Sophie ignored Abby and kept working away at the hair.

“Where did you get all this hair, Abby?” Sophie said, moving few strands of hair. Abby unsuccessfully blew a curl out of her face.

“Well, my dad always says I got my hair from him, but considering he hardly has any, I find that unlikely.”

Sophie, finally deciding that this was going to take too long, snapped the easily breakable plastic hanger and after moving a few strands of hair, she got it out. Sophie smiled triumphantly. Abby was a little less enthusiastic.

“Rats,” she stated, “this was my favorite hanger.”

Sophie raised her eyebrow in surprise.

“How does one actually have a favorite hanger when they all look the same?”

“Please do not judge me, Sophie. I am in a moment of deep grief,” Abby said dramatically, like a really bad actress on a really bad TV show. Sophie playfully rolled her eyes.

“Forgive me, miss drama queen but I think you have bigger problems what with Emma’s necklace and all.” Sophie said, nodding towards Emma’s necklace. Abby picked the necklace up and looked at it carefully.

“Do you think Emma will be mad at me?” Abby asked Sophie.

“Oh, I don’t think she will be mad,” Sophie said, “I think she will be furious.”

“Very encouraging,” Abby said sarcastically. “I better write a goodbye note to my parents before school on Monday. It’s very sad that my life has to end in this tragic way after all the great things I have accomplished. I had so much to live for.”

Sophie chuckled

“And what, if I may ask were those things, Abigail Perce?”

“Um, uh, well, I didn’t mean I knew all of them right now.” Abby said putting a pillow over her head, making her voice muffled and a little stuffy sounding. Sophie coughed, though the cough sounded more like a disguised laugh. Abby lifted the pillow off her head and frowned.

“Are you laughing at me?” she asked

Sophie sucked in her laughter and put on a half straight face. A very I’m-going-to-try-not-to-laugh-but-I-really-want-to face.

Abby frowned again and put the pillow back over her head.

“How on earth did I get myself in this mess? Emma is going to kill me.”

“Don’t worry,” Sophie said. “You’re going to be fine. Definitely. Probably. Almost. Sort of.”

Abby removed the pillow again and glared at her best friend.

“Very supportive,” she said trying to maintain her composure of seriousness which lasted only for a moment before both of them were laughing so hard they could hardly breathe.