The routine goes like this. I get off the school bus in the morning with a brown paper bag full of brownies. Instead of going directly into school, I look around to make sure no one is paying attention, and then I take a sharp right, then a sharp left, and walk twenty feet down an alley to the Dumpsters behind the cafeteria. Then I wait for Evan Forbes to show up.
The Dumpsters are the stinkiest part of the school. I don’t mind stinky stuff as much as other people do, because bad smells are a sign that some science is happening. In fact, spending so much time around the Dumpsters got me thinking. So why does stuff stink in the first place?
Here is what my research has turned up:
1. Stuff that stinks is usually stuff you shouldn’t eat. So stinkiness may be nature’s way of telling you to stay away so you won’t eat something and immediately croak.
2. Some stinky things are actually okay to eat, like Limburger cheese, which stinks because of the bacteria that’s used to make it. It’s called Brevibacterium linens, which is the same bacteria that makes people stink if they haven’t taken a shower in a while.
3. Just because it’s okay to eat Limburger cheese doesn’t mean I’m going to.
4. I mean, have you ever smelled that stuff?
5. A lot of stinky stuff is in the process of decomposing. Tissues are breaking down and bacteria are eating everything they can get their hands on, which produces the gas that makes us plug our noses.
6. Bacteria are responsible for a lot of the world’s stinkiness.
So maybe I’m being bullied into making brownies every day, but at least I’m getting to learn some interesting new science facts.
On Monday I stood by the Dumpsters, holding a bag with a dozen marshmallow brownies. I hoped Evan liked marshmallows. When I heard someone walking down the alley toward the Dumpsters, I automatically started worrying that Evan Forbes hated marshmallows, and my stomach started hurting like crazy because I thought this might be the day that he finally clobbered me.
It was only a matter of time.
“Mac?”
The voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Evan’s.
Mr. Reid came around the corner of the Dumpsters. “What are you doing back here, Mac? This area is off-limits to students.”
“I was—uh—I was—just waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
“For a friend of mine.” I held out the bag. “I wanted to give him some of the brownies I made this weekend. Me and Ben are working on a recipe for this contest. If we win, we’re going to each get five thousand dollars. I was thinking I might use my five thousand dollars to buy a chemistry set. Do you know anything about chemistry sets, Mr. Reid? Because I sure could use some advice—”