Girls Just Wanna Have Pugs Page 12

  * * *

  At home, I decided that since the emergency meeting was about something so upsetting, I would at least make the snacks good. Micki helped me bake some brownies, and when Mom saw what we were doing, she revealed that she’d been keeping the ingredients for Rice Krispies Treats hidden in the back of the cabinet. So she made those for us, too.

  Taz showed up first. Mom had set up the brownies, the Rice Krispies Treats, some chips, and juice on our kitchen island, and Taz was delighted. I heard another knock and opened the door to find Lucy.

  “Hey, why’d you knock?” I asked. “You could have just come in.”

  Lucy shrugged. “Sorry.” She walked inside like everything was normal. But even though I wanted to believe that it was, I could still feel that something was off.

  “Check out this spread,” Taz said, piling her plate high with snacks. Lucy grabbed a plate and added a brownie and some chips.

  “When you guys are ready, we can head to my room and start the meeting,” I said. “I know it’s later than we usually meet and we all have homework.”

  I grabbed two Rice Krispies Treats for myself—they are totally my Kryptonite—and led my friends back to my room. Everyone sat in their usual places, and I opened up my meeting notebook.

  I cleared my throat, feeling strangely nervous. “So of course, the first thing we have to talk about is what we’re going to do next.” When nobody said anything, or even crunched a chip, for several long seconds, I went on. “Because Mrs. Galanis, Charlotte Willis, Mr. and Mrs. Waters, Mina Boscowitz, and Mr. Dana all fired us yesterday.”

  When still no one said anything, I continued. “I think the first thing we need to do is officially inform the clients we still have about what happened with Charlie.”

  “It’s all over the building,” Taz said.

  “I know,” I said, and let out a small sigh. “But I think Mrs. Galanis was also partially mad that I didn’t explain what had happened right away. When I got to her apartment, it was right after we’d found Charlie, and I was all flustered and didn’t have an explanation prepared or anything. I decided to take a different tack when I went to the next apartment, which was the Thompsons. I told Sarah right away.”

  “How did she react?” Taz asked.

  “She said she was just glad that we’d found Charlie.”

  “What did you tell her?” Lucy spoke for the first time.

  “What?”

  “What did you tell her?” she repeated. Her voice sounded oddly flat. “Mrs. Thompson?”

  “I told her the truth. That one of our dogs had gotten loose, and that we organized up and found him.”

  “I see. You didn’t tell her that the dog walker who lost him was disorganized and scattered? That she made a really big mess for everyone?”

  My whole body went cold.

  Suddenly I understood just why Lucy had been so frosty to me for the past few days.

  “I heard you,” Lucy said, confirming what I already knew. “When we were all out looking that first night, I heard what you said to Taz about me. My best friend …”

  Lucy’s voice broke on the last two words, and at the exact same time, my heart broke.

  But I also started to feel really hot all over. I realized I was also really, really mad.

  The voice that had been echoing in my head for the last forty-eight hours repeated, but it was loud this time.

  I didn’t do anything wrong! Why should I have to be the one to feel bad here?

  “I’m really sorry I said that,” I told Lucy. “But, Lucy, you did mess up. You put Charlie in danger. You put the business in danger.”

  Lucy didn’t meet my eyes or say anything back.

  “Well, this is awkward,” Taz said after a long—in fact, truly awkward—silence.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucy finally said. “It was an accident.”

  “What did happen with Charlie?” I asked.

  Lucy looked down at the floor and spoke in a rush. “I decided to take a different route with him, because there was some construction blocking the way to Riverside Park. Charlie noticed another dog up ahead, and before I knew it, he’d shot forward and I dropped the leash. I leaned over to pick it up, and by the time I looked up again, Charlie was racing down the block. I chased him, but he was going way too fast and there were too many people between us. I ran as fast as I could—but—but then I lost sight of him.” Lucy put her face in her hands. “He was just … gone.”

  Another long, terrible silence filled the room.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucy said again. “I haven’t been able to sleep since it happened. That’s why I stayed home from school again today, so I could sleep in a little.”

  “I know you feel awful,” I said. I felt bad for my friend, too. But there was also the fate of Four Paws to consider. I cleared my throat. “As hard as this is, I think we need to face some hard facts right now. Tomorrow I plan to visit our remaining clients and the clients we lost. I’ll tell them about Charlie—even if they already know—to be transparent. And I’ll tell them that their dogs are still safe to walk with us. Because, Lucy, I don’t think you should walk the dogs anymore.”

  I didn’t know that I’d been about to say it until I was talking. But this was the only way to move forward. How would the clients trust us otherwise?

  Lucy’s eyes met mine for the first time, and I could see that hers were red, like she’d been crying.

  “Are you firing me?” Lucy asked in a small voice.

  “Yes,” I said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s probably a smart idea,” Lucy said, standing up. Before I knew it she was walking out of my room. We both heard the front door of my apartment slam behind her.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Taz said.

  “I’m trying to save the business,” I said.

  Taz stood up. “I get that. But you might want to think about the price you’re willing to pay for it.”

  Then Taz left, and I was sitting alone. Three half-eaten snack plates sat on my floor, the only sign that my friends had been right here with me, just a few minutes ago.

  After sitting frozen for a few more minutes, I made myself get up, clean up the remainders of the snacks, and take them to the trash in the kitchen. Thankfully, Mom and Micki were in their respective rooms, so there was no one around to ask me why I looked so upset. I came back to my room, raced through my homework, and got ready for bed.

  But of course I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, thinking about the fact that I’d fired Lucy from Four Paws. What did that mean for our friendship? And had I lost Taz’s friendship, too? They were my two best friends, and I couldn’t imagine life without them. It was almost too much to think about.

  I also wondered what exactly I would say to our clients tomorrow to make things better. If I could make things better.

  Lucy was back at school the next day. But in class, she seemed too busy catching up and taking notes to talk to me, and then at lunch she, Brooke, Misty, and Declan went off to practice lines, so Taz and I ate together. We didn’t talk about Four Paws at all, but I could feel the tension between us.

  At rehearsal, Lucy and I finally interacted. We didn’t exactly chat, but she did respond to me when I asked, “Do you know where Mr. Cornell is?”

  “I think he went to the restroom,” Lucy replied shortly.

  “Okay,” I said.

  And that was that.

  Mr. Cornell was clearly relieved to have Lucy back as Emily. She must have practiced her lines on her days off, because she was better than ever.

  Unfortunately, Our Town is a play that really gives you all the feels, so trying to stay focused on what was best for Four Paws was kind of tough while Lucy gave heartbreaking speeches. Her character dies—it’s a pretty intense play, really—and comes back as a ghost to visit her family.

  As Micki and I listened backstage, Lucy gave her big monologue.

  “Goodbye, goodbye, world. Goodbye, Grover’s Corners … Oh, earth, y
ou’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you.”

  Before I knew it, I felt tears pricking my eyes, and I blinked hard to try to chase them away. Lucy was really killing that scene. I’d wanted to tell her so, but there was so much awkwardness between us. I heard a small ruff and looked down at Sparky. Declan’s dad had dropped her off again today, and I was glad she was there. I picked her up and cuddled her soft fur to my face. Then I opened up the side stage door that led outside, being sure to leave it propped open so we could get back in. After she made her business, I sat down in the grass beside Sparky. She ambled up into my lap, and I found myself blinking back tears again. I picked her up again for a much-needed puppy hug.

  Oh, how I wanted a dog of my own, instead of having to borrow moments with other people’s dogs. Right at that moment, my life felt massively, completely unfair.

  Because there was one other thing that this play was forcing me to realize. I was worried that Lucy and Declan seemed to like each other in real life, and it was making me jealous. I hadn’t wanted to admit to myself that I was acting differently because of it.

  I scooped up Sparky, tried to put on a brave face, and went back in to rehearsal.

  I couldn’t control the fact that Lucy was mad at me, that she and Declan might have crushes on each other, or that I wasn’t allowed to have a dog of my own.

  What I could do was save Four Paws.

  * * *

  That evening, as planned, I went knocking on doors all around the Burgundy to talk to our remaining clients about Charlie. I had written an apology speech down in my notebook and knew what to say—that we understood their hesitation, but we wanted a second chance. Still, it was awkward to have to go visit people and tell them you still wanted them to trust you … even though one of your dog walkers lost a dog.

  It was also harder than I thought it would be to tell people about Lucy being fired.

  When I went to try to get Charlotte Willis back as a client, was I imagining her judging look when I told her that I had fired my best friend? Of course, I didn’t say it like that. I tried to be professional. And thankfully Charlotte agreed to give us one more chance. And so did Mr. Dana.

  But I didn’t even try with Mrs. Galanis. I couldn’t get past the pit in my stomach when I remembered her tone the day we found Charlie.

  A lot of clients weren’t home, so eventually I decided to call it a night. There had to be an easier way to reach all of them, I thought as I walked up the stairs back to my floor. Maybe we could send a mass message out on the app, but that felt sort of impersonal.

  Sarah was coming back from the laundry room when I arrived on my floor. She waved at me. “Hey, Kat—I know it’s later than you usually take him, but would you be willing to walk Meatball?” she asked.

  “Of course!” I said, feeling my spirits lift, and I followed her inside.

  Meatball came running, as usual. He almost tripped over his own short little legs, he was running so fast. I knelt down and accepted the massive face licking from my favorite furry boy. Then I stood up and got his harness off the hook by the door.

  “You have your key?” Sarah asked me, setting down the laundry basket.

  “I do. We’ll be back in a few,” I told her.

  It was hard to get Meatball into his harness since he was still wriggling all over the place in excitement.

  We only walked for a few minutes before Meatball got down to making his business. I knew I should get him back to the Thompsons, but I spotted a bench, so I picked him up and sat with his warm, furry little body close to me. Just five more minutes, that’s all I would borrow. I held on to him with one hand and felt his little heart beating beneath my fingers. I closed my eyes and wished, like I had with Sparky earlier that day, that I could hug him like this whenever I needed. But then I stood up, and Meatball and I headed back home.

  As we were walking through the lobby, Marcel stopped me. “Hey, Kat—do you have a second?”

  I froze. I’d felt awkward around Marcel ever since he’d been clued in to our Four Paws mishaps. “Sure.” I walked over to the tall desk he sometimes sat behind.

  “I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with your business. Since the whole Charlie incident.”

  “Thanks, Marcel. I’ve been trying to get everyone back. I’m just glad we found Charlie and it all worked out okay.”

  “I think it was really great how you kids organized and found him so fast,” he told me. “And I’d like to help you. I asked Mr. Peters about it, and he said you could come and make a presentation at the next Tenants’ Association meeting.”

  “Really?” I said. I’d heard my parents talk about the Tenants’ Association at the Burgundy. At those meetings, a lot of important building decisions got made.

  Marcel nodded. “There will be lots of new tenants there this month, since the renovations on the ninth floor are finally complete. It might be a great chance for you to get some new clients, and maybe impress some old ones.”

  I gripped Meatball’s leash tightly. “Oh my goodness, Marcel—that’s so great. I don’t know what to say, except, thank you!” My mind was already racing about my presentation. I had so many ideas …

  “You’re welcome. I like to see young people working hard instead of just playing video games or wasting time online.”

  I didn’t like public speaking very much, but this was important to Four Paws. “When is the next meeting?” I asked him.

  “This Saturday. At seven, in the conference room down here on the main floor.”

  Not much time to plan … was my first thought. “Okay, great! Thanks again, Marcel!” I waved goodbye, and Meatball and I stepped into the elevator. I pushed the button for my floor, but then I realized something.

  Saturday at seven was the exact time of the play at school.

  I stood frozen as the elevator started upward. I’d made a commitment to help with the play, even if I wasn’t all that great of a stagehand. And how could I miss Lucy’s performance, and Declan’s? And Brooke’s? And Taz had designed all the costumes …

  But on the other hand, how could I turn down this perfect opportunity to help Four Paws?

  As I took Meatball back to Sarah’s, my mind bounced back and forth like a rubber ball. First I thought, I have to be there at the play. Next I’d realize I just had to take the opportunity to present at the Tenants’ Association meeting.

  Finally, after flip-flopping for hours, I realized what I had to do.

  The chance to make a presentation about Four Paws to all the tenants—especially the new ones—was too good to pass up. I was going to have to miss Our Town. Or at least part of it. I figured if I could present first at the meeting, maybe I could make it to the second half of the play after intermission. Maybe.

  Friday afternoon at rehearsal, I knew I needed to tell everyone that I wouldn’t be at the performance the next day. I had already thought about what I would tell Mr. Cornell—that an unforeseen opportunity had come up that I couldn’t miss, but I was confident that the other stage crew members (plus Micki, if she wanted to help) would be able to cover for me with no issues. Which I knew was true. But I was still trying to work up the nerve to actually say something.

  I looked out onstage. Declan and the other boys in the cast were acting out the scene where George imagines that his baseball team comes in to heckle him on his wedding day.

  Declan looked over at me and he smiled.

  Somehow that made me feel even guiltier.

  The rehearsal went by quickly—too quickly. Lucy was great again (though she still wasn’t really speaking to me), and I was sad that Sparky wasn’t backstage. Declan’s dad had found a non–Four Paws dog sitter for her. Suddenly rehearsal was wrapping up and I still hadn’t said anything about missing the actual play. Maybe I would just tell everyone tomorrow that I was sick and couldn’t make it?

  I felt like a terrible coward. I didn’t want to lie. But I just couldn’t bring myself to say the words out loud today.

  �
�Come on, Micki!” I called when rehearsal was finished. I felt like my insides were all tied up in knots. I just wanted to get out of there. I noticed that Lucy left the auditorium quickly, without waiting for us.

  “I can’t find my backpack,” Micki told me, looking all around the backstage area.

  “Well, where did you leave it?” I asked, feeling my heart race as Declan came backstage.

  “Are you walking home?” Declan asked me.

  I stared at him for a few seconds, almost blurting out about missing the play but chickening out yet again.

  “Are you okay?” he asked when he realized I hadn’t said anything.

  I shook my head. “No, not really. But yeah, as soon as Mick finds her backpack, we’re walking. You, too?” He nodded.

  “I’ve got it!” I heard my sister call, and she skipped over to us, backpack in hand.

  Micki, Declan, and I walked home together. Micki chattered away about the play, but I remained silent. Declan kept glancing at me as if he wanted to ask me what was wrong, but I was relieved when he didn’t.

  When we got back to the Burgundy, Declan’s dad met him in the lobby and they headed out for dinner, so Micki and I rode the elevator up alone. Out of habit, I checked the Four Paws app—Taz had taken the walks that night, so we were all set for the day. I knew it wasn’t my imagination that the app was quieter than usual.

  Micki and I walked inside our apartment to find that Mom wasn’t home yet. She had left a note on the fridge board, which said that she’d be home in about an hour but there were sandwiches in the fridge if we were hungry.

  Micki got herself a sandwich, but I went back to my room to start working on my presentation for the Tenants’ Association. I wished I had some kind of visual aid, but I felt weird about asking Taz to design anything when things with her felt so strained. And Lucy could have easily made me a poster, too, but I knew I couldn’t ask. I would just have to use my own skills. I was determined to ace this. Four Paws was all I really had right now. I had to make it work.