Al Capone Does My Shirts

Nobody knows how things will turn out, that's why they go ahead and play the game...You give it your all and sometimes amazing things happen, but it's hardly ever what you expect.

Now I understand. When you love someone, you have to try things even if they don't make sense to anyone else.

Life is amazing, isn't it? You can't ever tell what will happen. Nobody knows until they go ahead and play the game.

You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to.

I haven’t seen you for three whole months,” I say. “Two months, twenty-two days, twenty-two days,” Natalie calls out.

What they say about females being the weaker sex is the biggest lie in the world.

It doesn’t matter that I weigh more than both of them put together. I know when I’m beat. I let Natalie open the door.

I’m big as a linebacker, and a seven-year-old girl treats me like her errand boy. Does she smell weakness on me?

Sure. I’ve been to hundreds of morgues. Thousands of them, in fact.

She ignores me. Clearly there’s no stopping her until she’s read every last word.

Oh, we have everyone who is bad. Except Bonnie and Clyde on account of their being dead,” she says.

What is this guy . . . nuts?

My face turns red just seeing her. She’s a looker. If Pete were here, he’d whistle.

What else can she do?” she asks. “She’s not a trick monkey.” “She’d never make it as a trick monkey. She only has one trick,” Piper says. “487 times 6,421 is 3,127,027,” Nat says.

When’s your birthday, Piper?” I ask. “November sixteenth.” “1922?” “Yep.” “Natalie, what day of the week was Piper born?” “Thursday,” Nat says without looking up. “That right?” I ask Piper. Piper doesn’t answer, but her eyes open wider.

He’s the one ought to have his head examined.

We are all born with the ability to make our own choices. But once you make the wrong choice, other people make your decisions for you. 18.

This is the right thing to do, I tell myself. But I don’t believe it. This is another one of my mother’s crazy ideas. I feel sick to my stomach. I want to pull my hand away, but I don’t. I keep walking. Good Moose. Obedient Moose. I always do what I’m supposed to do.

I feel like marching into my parents’ room and shaking my mom. How could you send her to that place without her blanket?

Change is hard. It’s hard for you, it’s hard for me, it’s murder on your sister.” His voice breaks.

The convicts wash my shirts, as in murderer convicts and kidnapper convicts, and then I’m supposed to wear them?

They darn socks too?” “Yes, as a matter of fact. Do a better job than your mom too. Though don’t you dare tell her I said that.” “Murderers outsew my mother?” “Apparently so.” My dad laughs.

Sometimes it seems easier to be Natalie. People force her to do stuff. I have to force myself.

It’s like a prison. Okay, it is a prison. There’s the problem right there.

voice comes out high like a girl’s. I never know whether I’m going to sound like Mickey Mouse or the giant on top of the beanstalk.

I’m not the only kid who lives here. There’s my sister, Natalie, except she doesn’t count.

You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you’re me. I came here because my mother said I had to.