He shook his head. “No, I didn’t send you that, Suki.” There was a serious look in his eyes. “Honestly, I forgot to send you one, and then when it was time, I was mad at you.”
“Same,” I told him.
“So I got you the leash instead of a card.”
I wished that I’d thought to get him a gift. I asked, “If you didn’t put the Buddy Blob into my locker, who did?” I stood up and looked around the park.
Rotem sheepishly raised his hand. “Oops. That was me.” He looked at the blob and took it from me. “Looks like I put it in the wrong locker. I would have explained sooner, if I’d known.” Rotem blushed. “I didn’t understand why Marley wasn’t trying to figure out who sent her a mysterious card.” He turned to Marley, took the card from me, and handed it to her. “It was supposed to be for you.”
“Oh, that’s so cute!” Marley said, holding it to her chest. “Thanks, Rotem.” She added, “I was hoping to get one from you, but figured you were just too busy thinking of some new invention or song lyrics or something.”
“What the heck, Rotem, you bought a blob?” I acted like I was insulted.
“I like pizza,” Rotem said. “It was an early purchase.”
I rolled my eyes.
A few minutes later, I saw Ben running over toward us through the park.
“Hey! Suki, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” he said. He was still wearing his backpack from school, but was carrying his coat so I could see his shelter volunteer t-shirt. “Come on. We need to get to the shelter. There’s something there you have to see.”
Chapter Twenty
THE BEST DAY
Tuesday, February 15, Continued
“Surprise!” Mrs. Ryan greeted me and my friends at the shelter door. She was standing in a way that blocked the glass and made it impossible to see inside. “Suki.” She pulled me in for a hug. “None of this would have happened without you.”
What? I was confused!
She hugged Marley and Rotem, too. I’d forgotten she knew them from Happy Little Llamas. Then she turned to JJ, who was standing a little way back.
“I heard what you all did to help the shelter,” she said. “Your mom’s a good mayor, and you are a great citizen.” Before he knew what was happening, Mrs. Ryan grabbed JJ and gave him a hug that was bigger and longer than she’d given any of the rest of us.
When she let him go, he looked completely confused. Which was still how I felt.
I asked Ben, “What’s going on?”
“Since the news yesterday, with the story about the Cupid Cards and you guys helping the shelter, plus the mayor’s newsletter, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.” Ben imitated a phone buzzing. “I’m not kidding. I wasn’t sure we’d ever get to sleep. Mom and I were here really late.”
“Come inside,” Mrs. Ryan said, stepping away from the shelter door.
I could now see through the glass. The front area around the desk was packed with people. And, to my even greater surprise, when I walked in my mom and dad were the first to congratulate me.
“Mrs. Ryan called this morning,” Mom told me. “She invited us to this celebration.”
“What are we celebrating?” I was seriously unclear what was going on. I mean, we’d ended up raising about a thousand dollars for the shelter at school, but that wasn’t nearly enough to keep it open forever. I was just hoping it could last a little while longer, and maybe help bring back the vet a few times.
“Hi!” Olivia rushed up and hugged me. Luna was with her. She barked playfully. Olivia told Luna to “Sit,” which she did. “Did you see it?” Olivia asked.
“See what?”
“Suki, look!” Olivia pointed at a banner hanging behind the desk. The area was so crowded, I’d missed it. It said:
THE SHELTER WELCOMES OUR NEW SPONSORS
And below that were the names of about ten different businesses in town, including the yoga studio my mom worked at.
“What does this mean?” I asked Olivia, not quite processing everything. The noise, the people, my parents … what was going on?
Before she could answer, Mrs. Ryan called for everyone’s attention. She was standing on a chair in the middle of the room, and beside her, I now noticed JJ’s mom, the mayor, and next to them, Veronica and Gus from the TV station.
“Everyone! Welcome!” Mrs. Ryan looked like she’d swallowed sunshine. Her whole face was glowing. “I want to thank you all for coming. About a month ago, a girl named Suki came into the shelter looking for a dog she’d seen in the park.”
I blushed at the attention. And felt a little embarrassed, since that was the day I’d found Cinnamon Bun, who turned out not to be Cinnamon Bun at all. I looked down at Sandy, who was lying at JJ’s feet, next to Luna.
“She was so concerned about the dog, I knew right away this was a special girl. But I didn’t know how special until she began working here. And, then again, I really didn’t know how extraordinary Suki was until she donated proceeds to us from her school’s Valentine’s Day Cupid Notes fund-raiser. We’d be closing our doors forever without her and her friends.”
A voice whispered in my ear, “Want to tell her it’s Cupid Cards, not Cupid Notes?”
I turned to JJ and chuckled, “Nah.”
Mrs. Ryan pointed at the banner behind her head. “All these companies saw the story about the shelter on the news. They’ve offered donations, and more keep coming.” Mrs. Ryan stepped down off the chair and came to me. “We now have enough money to run for several years, and with the mayor’s help, for many years after that. Thank you!”
I felt like I might cry if she said anything else. This was better than I’d ever imagined. I sniffled and held back tears. We’d saved the shelter!
“One more thing,” Mrs. Ryan said, before ending her speech. She led me to the chair where she’d been standing. “Ben has something to say.”
“Really?” Okay, that was weird. What could he possibly have to say?
Ben came over to me, holding the most adorable cream-colored poodle puppy.
“He’s yours,” Ben said, handing the dog to me.
What? My mom pressed her way through the crowd. Dad was with her.
Dad said, “You’ve proven you’re responsible enough to have a dog.”
“Does this mean I’m not grounded, too?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t press it.” Mom hugged me. “Be grateful.”
“Oh, oh, oh,” I was so grateful that I was having a hard time making words. “I—” I shook my head. “Wait. Hang on.” I took a deep breath and looked over at Mrs. Ryan. “Puppies get adopted easily, right?” She nodded. “So, if this baby will get a good home, can I choose another dog?”
I swear there were tears in Mrs. Ryan’s eyes as I handed the puppy back to Ben and rushed to the back. With a wink to my favorite carpet/dog, lying unwittingly in his cage, I snagged the photo from the OUR LONGEST RESIDENTS board and came back to the gathering.
“He’s a pain in the butt,” Ben said, looking at what dog I’d chosen.
“He’s my pain now,” I chuckled.
“Are you sure?” Mom asked.
“We thought you’d like the puppy,” Dad said, glancing at Mrs. Ryan. “Louisa said Bowzer isn’t trained well enough to live with a family, and she isn’t sure when he’ll be ready.”
“I’ll keep working with him,” I told them.
Mom smiled. “And when he’s ready to live with us, you can bring him home.” She reached out her hand to take Dad’s in hers. “Bowzer is your dog, Suki.”
I looked at the photo of the monster dog in my hands and that was when the tears that had been threatening to come started to flow.
Before anyone left, Mrs. Ryan led a tour of the shelter. I trailed behind Marley, Ben, Rotem, JJ, and Olivia. To think … just a few weeks ago, my only friend from this group was Marley. I couldn’t help but grin when we passed Bowzer’s cage. As Mrs. Ryan posted a sign that said SUKI’S DOG on the door, Bowzer gave a weak growl. But
when he saw me, he perked up! He actually sat up straight, and I swear he even thumped his tail a few times.
I laughed. This was my dog. And I loved him.
Chapter Twenty-One
BLOBS AND BESTIES
A week after Valentine’s Day
I sent each of my besties a blob heart. We’d had a few left over, and I thought it would be funny to hand them out.
I wrote on each one:
Meet me in the park.
Then, I added personal notes to each of them and slipped them into my friends’ lockers.
I hadn’t signed them, but it was obvious who they were from. So when they all found me standing by the park bench, no one was surprised.
Well, that wasn’t totally true.
Everyone was surprised to see who I had with me—Bowzer! He’d been doing so well in his training, I asked Alexandra what she thought of taking him outside. She said she thought it was okay, but that I shouldn’t let him get too close to the other dogs. Not yet.
“Is that the new leash I gave you?” JJ asked as he and Sandy came around the bushes by the apartments.
“It is,” I called out cheerfully, making sure to keep a good distance away so Bowzer didn’t get too close to Sandy. “Do you mind that Bowzer is using it?”
“Of course not, but Sandy might be jealous!”
“Really?” I asked Sandy her thoughts. She gave a little bark. “She says it’s okay,” I assured JJ. “Sandy likes to share.”
On the way, Marley and I had stopped to get Cinnamon Bun Swirl drinks for everyone.
“Thanks. I never had this before,” JJ said, taking his cup from the carrier and downing a quick sip. “It’s amazing.”
“I know.” I beamed.
JJ and Sandy walked ahead to where Marley and Rotem were setting up the things I’d asked them to bring.
“Is this an obstacle course?” Ben was helping set a long board onto bricks, like a balance beam.
“The best one you’ve ever seen,” Marley assured him. It was based on Rotem’s original plan, slimmed down and without the dog trap.
I tied Bowzer’s leash to a big tree, where he could see us but be kept away from the other dogs. Olivia was on her way with Luna.
“This is for you.” I spilled a little of my drink onto my fingers and let Bowzer lick it off. I’d never seen the monster so happy.
“You’ll get to play with the others someday,” I assured him. “A little more training. In the meantime, stay here.” I gave the “Stay” command and rushed off to help my friends get ready. He seemed happy enough to just lie down in the cool grass and watch all of the excitement.
“I love this drink,” JJ said. “Is that why you called her Cinnamon Bun?” He handed me the cup as he set Sandy up at the starting line.
Wait, how did he know about Cinnamon Bun? I knew that I’d never told him the whole story. I immediately turned to Marley, who gave me a guilty look.
At first, I felt a little embarrassed, and maybe an echo of being mad at JJ for all those years. But then I took a deep breath and did exactly what my mom told me to do: I opened my heart.
I looked around at my friends, and at the adorable dogs. And JJ—who, yes, I admitted it, was my crush. I was pretty sure the feeling was mutual, too. It just took us three years to figure it out.
I smiled and said, “Yes. Sandy loves that drink, too.” Then, since I knew it wasn’t healthy, I added, “But she should only have a little. On special occasions.”
He smiled and let Sandy lick a few drops off his fingers.
When Olivia arrived, the course was nearly set up. I had treats in my pocket from the shelter.
JJ lined up Sandy at the start. I called out, “Ready? Set? Go!” And JJ released Sandy’s leash. He ran alongside her as she went through the obstacle course—over the board, under another board, through the hoops, around some cones, and across the finish line. Then JJ put her leash back on, saying, “That was fun!”
While Sandy rested up for her next run, Ben straightened everything out on the course, and Olivia started getting Luna ready for her turn.
Suddenly, JJ reached out and took my hand in his. We stood like that for a long moment, not saying anything. My heart was pounding, in a good way. The charms on my bracelet jingled when he swung my hand gently back and forth.
“Are you two going to stand there all day?” Marley shouted to us. She was with Rotem, sitting on the bench. He was timing the dogs and making adjustments to the “schematics” for a better obstacle course.
“Come on!” Olivia called. She had Luna set at the starting line. “Ready? Set?”
I looked at JJ, and at the same exact moment, we both yelled “GO!”
Don’t miss any Swirl novels! Read on for a sneak peek at Salted Caramel Dreams
For the next hour, everything is perfect. With the music flowing, I relax, letting myself sing along to the Top 40 station as my stitches become tighter, the beads even straighter than I was able to get last night. I can’t wait to use this at school, I think, happy to have an excuse to retire my practical—yet very boring—purple backpack I’ve had since I was ten. My bag is a perfect copy of one I saw online for hundreds of dollars.
“This is looking phenomenal,” Ms. Chloe says, surprising me from behind. “You’re a real natural at this, Jasmine. Truly, you have such an eye.”
I look down and smile. “Thanks, Ms. Chloe.”
“No, thank you. I can’t wait to buy one of your Jasmine originals,” she says with a wink.
By the time class ends, I’m just a few touches away from finishing, and wish I could stay another hour. But dinner at home is always at six, so lingering isn’t an option. I grab my coat, and Kiara and I head toward the staircase.
“Well that was fun,” Kiara says as we reach the street. “I just can’t believe today might’ve been my last class. I’ll know if I made the basketball team by the end of the week!”
“Wow. That’s right,” I say, and for a second I start to worry all over again.
But Kiara snaps me out of it. “By the way,” she says, “I totally forgot to ask you about your latest pattern. Any update?”
I smile as I picture the pinned together fabric scraps I’ve assembled on the dress form in my closet—which is really just a secondhand mannequin Mom found for me in a thrift store.
“Not much new,” I say as we cross Main Street and begin the short walk to our neighborhood. “Still working on it.”
“I’m sure you’ll get it soon,” she says.
“We’ll see,” I say. “It can’t end up worse than the micro-dresses.”
We erupt into laughter as we think of the matching sundresses I tried to make last summer. They were supposed to have short sleeves and fall to our knees, and I got this pretty Hawaiian print fabric to make them with. But after pinning the fabric and taking measurements and creating a pattern, I forgot to cut extra fabric for seams. So the sleeves had come out too narrow for us to fit our arms in. And the skirt length was way too short—the dresses barely hit our thighs! Talk about a disaster. The only thing I’d been able to save was a little of the fabric, which I’d used on one of my bags as trim.
“On second thought, maybe you should just stick with the bags,” says Kiara.
“Seriously. The patterns sure are easier,” I say.
And then before I can think about it anymore, we’re at the top of the hill. The spot where we always part ways.
Kiara extends her hand, breaking me away from my thoughts.
“Tick tock, tick tock …” she begins.
“Who’s the coolest on the block?” I say, slapping her hand with mine. Then we entwine our fingers and laugh before completing the secret handshake we’ve been perfecting since the fourth grade.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, girl,” Kiara says with a smile.
“I’ll be here, ready to go at seven,” I say.
“Can’t wait! And don’t forget. Friday—sleepover at my place. No matter what,” Kiara says, turn
ing back toward her street.
After a quick wave, I do the same. Picking up my pace, I zip my coat a little higher, trying to keep out the cold. The evening air is sharper than it was just last week, a sign of the changing season. I think of Kiara’s last words: Friday. Sleepover. No matter what. Their warmth hugs me tight as my cheery yellow house comes into focus. I turn into the driveway and breathe in deep, preparing for the chaos that comes with having two parents, twin brothers, and a live-in grandma. Yet as I reach for the doorknob, I find my mind’s still filled with doubt. Because as great as this basketball thing may turn out to be for Kiara, I can’t quite shake the sinking feeling that things are really about to change.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stacia Deutsch has written more than two hundred children’s books. She started her career with the award-winning chapter book series Blast to the Past, and recent publications include The Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street series and the New York Times bestselling Girls Who Code series. She lives in Irvine, California. Find her online at www.staciadeutsch.com.
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