Riley

by Susan Hughes

  Grace was a copycat.

  Then Kat smiled. She couldn’t help it. A copycat copying a poem about puppies! The idea gave her the giggles.

  Kat survived until the bell rang for lunchtime. She met up with Maya, and they went to her house to eat.

  After lunch, she managed to avoid Grace. But, when Kat came in from afternoon recess, Grace’s desk was smack up against hers. Maybe someone had bumped it when they had left for recess. Maybe someone had pushed it too close.

  Grace wasn’t there yet, so Kat got up and grabbed the edge of her desk. She would just move it back to where it had been. It didn’t have to be so close. She gave it a shove.

  “Hey!” It was Grace, and she was glaring at Kat. Her arms were straight down at her sides, and her fists were clenched.

  Kat’s stomach tightened. “I was just…” she began.

  “Yeah, I see. I know,” Grace said in a tight voice.

  Kat could tell she was trying not to yell. Just then Ms. Mitchell called, “Okay, class. Attention, please.”

  Grace sat down, and Kat did too. She kept her eyes on the front of the classroom where Ms. Mitchell was starting her lesson.

  But then something caught her attention. She stole a look.

  Grace was pulling a folded note out of her desk. Grace’s name was on the outside of the piece of paper. She read the note, and then her face went hard, like stone. The note must have said something nasty.

  Grace scrunched the paper up into a little ball and jammed it back into her desk. She didn’t even look at Kat, but Kat felt a sinking feeling. Grace had seen Kat shove her desk. She knew Kat didn’t like her. For sure Grace would think Kat had put the note in her desk.

  Kat wondered what it had said. How bad it could have been. Part of her wanted to blurt out that she didn’t write the note. That she’d never do anything so mean. But the other part of her was too afraid to talk to Grace. She looked so angry. Kat was afraid of what Grace might say back to her.

  Finally the bell rang to end the day. Kat had never been so happy to leave her classroom. It felt like she was escaping something.

  Maya was waiting by the oak tree. When she saw Kat’s face, she frowned. She put her hands on her hips. In a silly voice, she said, “Listen, girlfriend, I am so over this. You’re turning into a total drama queen!”

  Kat knew Maya wanted to make her laugh, so she tried to smile. The girls set out for Tails Up!, and Kat told Maya about what had happened with Grace’s desk and the note.

  “What did the note say?” Maya asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kat replied. “But it really upset Grace. And I mean really.”

  Kat paused, hoping her friend would say something comforting. She didn’t.

  “Sorry, Kat. But you’re probably right,” Maya said. “Grace will think it’s you who wrote the note.”

  Kat nodded glumly.

  “But, hey, what do you care anyway?” said Maya. “You don’t like Grace.”

  “I don’t like her, but it’s not nice for someone to hurt her feelings on purpose,” said Kat. “She may not like me either, but I don’t want her to think I’m mean. I don’t want her to think that I’d write a rotten note about her and stick it in her desk!”

  “Well, if she knew you at all, she’d know you could never do that,” Maya said, as they reached the main street in town. “There isn’t a mean bone in your body.”

  Kat was silent. She wanted to think that was true, but it wasn’t. She had plenty of mean bones. For example, when she was little, she had knocked on old Mrs. McCormack’s door and then run away. Lots of times, when she’d done something bad, she’d tried to make it look like it was her brother’s fault.

  “Hey, let’s forget about Grace for a while,” Maya said, interrupting Kat’s thoughts. “Look, we’re almost at Tails Up! We have something much better to do than worry about that new girl, right?”

  “You’re right,” said Kat. She would put Grace out of her mind. They were going to play with Riley! What could be better?

  About half an hour later, Kat and Maya reached the park. They still couldn’t quite believe it. They were there with a real live puppy! Riley trotted along at the end of her leash, excited as ever. She saw a leaf blow past and chased it. Then she saw a pine tree, and she stopped to sniff at the trunk.

  “Riley is so much fun to watch!” Kat said, grinning. “She’s interested in everything!”

  The girls kept walking, and so did Riley. But instead of walking with the girls, Riley went around the tree. She suddenly reached the end of her leash and had to stop. Puzzled, she looked at Kat and Maya. The girls grinned back at her.

  “Now what, Riley?” Maya challenged her.

  The perky puppy tried to run to her, but her leash was wrapped around the tree.

  “You have to go back around, Riley,” Kat told her. “Like this!” Kat ran around the tree, unwrapping the leash as she went. Riley greeted her with wiggles and a wagging tail.

  “Good girl, Riley,” said Maya. She stroked the puppy’s soft fur. Her ears felt like velvet.

  The girls and the puppy walked across the grass. There were several rows of trees and bushes along one side of the park. There was a playground at one end. At the other end was a hill with a grove of trees on top. The hilltop was Kat’s favorite place in the park. From up there she could see the town on one side and the countryside on the other.

  Kat laughed again. Riley was staring in amazement at a squirrel, sitting on a tree branch, chattering angrily at her. The puppy barked at the squirrel and wagged her tail.

  “I don’t think he wants to be your friend, Riley,” said Maya, smiling.

  The girls persuaded the playful pup to leave the squirrel. Then Kat cried, “Okay, let’s go! Let’s run, Riley!”

  The girls raced across the grass, and Riley galloped along with them. When they reached the other side of the park, Riley flopped down, exhausted, her tongue hanging out.

  “Are your little legs tired, girl?” Kat asked with a grin.

  But only a few minutes later, the golden retriever pup had bounced back up. She was exploring the grass, sniffing here and there.

  “Let’s run back again,” suggested Kat.

  “How about you go with Riley. When you turn around, I’ll call her. Then you can run back with her,” Maya suggested.

  Kat poked her in the arm. “You just want to rest!” she said.

  Maya did a pretend pout. “Well, really. How insulting.” Then she grinned. “Yeah. You’re right. So go, okay?”

  “Let’s run, Riley!” cried Kat. “Come on. Let’s go!”

  Riley looked up at Kat and smiled. As Kat began running, the puppy leaped excitedly beside her. Kat had to be careful not to get tangled up in the leash!

  They ran all the way to the rows of trees and bushes and then stopped. “Good girl, Riley,” Kat said. She reached down and rubbed the pup’s head.

  But Riley was pulling at the end of the leash. She was looking into the trees and wagging her tail.

  “What is it, Riley?” Kat asked. “Do you see something in there?”

  Riley was wiggling happily. She continued to pull toward the trees.

  “What is it, girl? Another squirrel?” Kat asked, letting herself be led into the bushes. But then she stopped. She saw what Riley had seen.

  It was Grace. The girl was sitting there, among the trees. She had a book on her lap, but she wasn’t reading. She was staring off into space. And she wasn’t smiling.

  Kat froze. Her mouth dropped open. She felt the bad feeling again. She wished they had stayed at Tails Up! Coming to the park had definitely not been a good idea.

  Grace looked up and saw Riley and Kat.

  “Oh!” she said, getting to her feet. She wore a blue T-shirt and shorts. Now her face was tilted down. “I was just… I live near here,” she went on. �
�Right beside the park.” She started to sound angry. But Kat hadn’t even said anything.

  Riley wagged her tail even harder. She pulled at her leash, wanting to go to Grace.

  “Is this your dog?” said Grace. She pulled on one of her auburn braids.

  Kat didn’t answer. She was still surprised at finding Grace.

  Riley stopped pulling. Now she sat nicely. She looked up at Grace, waiting to be petted.

  Grace didn’t come any closer.

  “Tell me,” she said to Kat, “is she yours?” Her eyes were fixed on the puppy. Now her hands were bunched up into two fists.

  Kat felt an angry red flush travel up her face. This was the girl who had made a really mean face at her. Who had probably copied her poem about puppies. It was because of her that Kat had to be Owen’s hall buddy back and forth from the library. And now here she was, getting in the way of Kat’s time with Riley.

  Grace took a step closer to the puppy. Suddenly her face was scrunching up. She took another step, moving closer to them.

  Kat didn’t move. She was scared. Grace looked angry again. Why was she making fists? What if Grace hit her? What if she hurt Riley?

  Quickly Kat looked over her shoulder. Where was Maya? What should she do?

  Riley whimpered. She jumped up and wiggled with her whole body, trying to get to Grace. Kat couldn’t believe it. Why on earth was this sweet little puppy being so friendly to the mean girl?

  Then Grace said softly, “I love dogs, especially puppies.” It was almost like she was talking to herself. Her eyes were shining. “Can I pet her?”

  Kat wondered what to do.

  Grace’s face got that mean look on it. Then tears began to trickle out of the corners of her eyes. “Can I? Please?” she asked. Her voice sounded funny.

  She was crying! Grace was crying!

  “Her name is Riley. Pet her,” Kat blurted out. “Go ahead.”

  But Kat was too late. Just as she spoke, Grace ran past her and across the park.

  Riley watched the girl go, her head tilted to one side.

  Kat watched her go too. She opened her mouth to call to her, but no sound came out. She thought about chasing after her, but couldn’t decide if she should.

  Suddenly Maya was coming through the bushes toward her.

  “Where did you and Riley go?” she called as she came close. “I was waiting for you two to run back to me. Were you hiding from me? Trying to teach me a lesson, right?”

  Then Maya looked more closely at Kat. “What is it?” She touched Kat’s arm. “Did something happen?”

  Kat nodded her head. She was confused by what had happened. “Grace…Grace was here. She was sitting right there, reading. Riley must have heard her in here, so she dragged me in.” Kat spoke slowly, explaining. “Grace asked me if Riley was my puppy and whether she could pet her, and I didn’t answer. Maya, she seemed so angry at me. I thought she might hit me. Or hurt Riley.”

  “Oh, boy,” Maya said.

  She sat down in the leaves. Kat sank down beside her. Riley immediately jumped into Kat’s lap for a snuggle.

  “I was scared, so I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t speak or move.” Kat rubbed Riley’s plump tummy.

  “Wow,” Maya said softly.

  Kat thought for a minute. “But maybe I’ve been wrong about Grace.”

  Maya lifted her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “Riley was so sweet to Grace. She just wanted to say hello. She wanted Grace to pet her. Maybe Riley is trying to tell me something. Maybe I haven’t really given Grace a chance. Maybe she isn’t as mean as I think.” Kat’s voice was quivering.

  “Kat, Riley is just a puppy. Puppies love everyone,” Maya said.

  “Well, maybe,” Kat said. “But still. Riley seemed so happy to see her. It was like she wanted to make Grace feel better. There must be a reason for it.” Kat buried her face in Riley’s fur. “You know, Grace is new. We should feel sorry for her. And she does seem to like dogs.”

  Maya stared at her. “Seriously? I can’t believe you’re saying that, Kat,” she said. “You’re not saying you want to be her friend?” She paused. “You’re not saying you want us to be her friends.”

  Kat shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said, and it was true. She was confused by her feelings.

  Kat would do anything for a puppy who needed her help. That was easy. So, why was it so much harder to do something for a person, a new girl in her class?

  The next morning, Kat still didn’t know what to do about Grace. She tried to think about puppies while she waited for her brother. Puppies here, puppies there. Puppies, puppies, everywhere…

  But it didn’t work.

  Then she tried to think about Riley. Sweet little Riley, with her beautiful brown eyes, her silky-soft ears, and her big, floppy paws…

  But that didn’t work either.

  All Kat could think about was Grace.

  I’ve got to speak to her today, Kat decided as she and Aidan walked to school. Even though just thinking about it made her stomach tight. What would she say? Ask her to be friends? No. Maya didn’t want that. She’d made that clear. So what else?

  Apologize? Tell her a joke? One or the other would be good.

  I’ll get it over with and do it right away, Kat thought. I’ll speak to her before school starts.

  But Grace didn’t get to class until after the bell rang. Everyone was already at their desks. Grace dropped into her chair as Ms. Mitchell began the morning announcements.

  Okay, I’ll speak to her at morning recess, Kat said to herself. But when recess came, Ms. Mitchell asked Grace to stay inside for a chat.

  Then it was lunchtime. I’ll speak to her now for sure, thought Kat. But when the class was dismissed, Kat couldn’t find Grace anywhere. Maybe she had gone home for lunch. Or maybe she was sitting alone somewhere, eating. This wasn’t easy!

  “Have either of you seen Grace?” she asked two girls from her class.

  Lindsay and Carly just laughed. “Are you kidding?” Lindsay said. “You’re not going to eat lunch with her, are you?”

  “Good way to lose your appetite,” Carly added.

  Kat didn’t answer.

  Instead, she hurried out to find Maya. They were going to Kat’s house for lunch.

  But when she ran up to Maya, her friend looked down at her feet. “I can’t come to your house for lunch today,” Maya said.

  “Why not?” Kat was surprised. Then, worried, she asked, “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Umm…” Maya glanced at Kat, and then looked away again. “No, actually, I’m not feeling great. I think it’s better if I go home for lunch.” She began to turn away.

  “Maya, do you want me to come with you?” Kat asked.

  “Uh…no. No thanks, Kat,” Maya called over her shoulder, and she walked away.

  Kat didn’t move for a moment. Her feelings were hurt. She didn’t believe Maya was feeling sick. But why wouldn’t she have lunch with her? It must have something to do with Grace. Was Maya upset about Kat asking Grace to be their friend? Kat hadn’t even decided if she was going to do it!

  Kat could hardly eat her lunch. She was worried about Grace and Maya. Then she was angry at Grace and Maya. At the beginning of the week, she had had one best friend and no new girl in her class. Now she felt like she’d lost her best friend and the new girl hated her.

  It just didn’t seem fair!

  Kat was a little late getting back to school after lunch, so she missed seeing Maya in the line to go inside. Was Maya really sick? Had she stayed home? Or had she come back to school? Kat didn’t know. That made her angry too.

  When she hurried into her own classroom, Ms. Mitchell was asking everyone to sit on the carpet at the front of the class. Kat saw Grace sit right at the outer edge of the carpet. The other students were careful
not to sit near her. It was like there was an invisible wall around Grace.

  Kat was angry at her. Things had been better before she came here. But Kat also knew that she was the one who hadn’t been fair. She had to do something. She got up her courage, and she sat on the edge of the carpet too. Not too close to Grace, but close enough.

  “We’re going to discuss temperature,” Ms. Mitchell said, setting out two glasses of water.

  She held up two thermometers. “Could I have two volunteers, please?”

  Ms. Mitchell picked Angela and Ari. She gave them each a thermometer to put in a glass.

  Then she said, “Before we look at the thermometers, which do you think will be higher, the temperature of the cold water or the warm water?”

  That was so easy. Of course the warm water would have a higher temperature than the cold water.

  Kat raised her hand to answer. But Ms. Mitchell called out Grace’s name, even though Grace didn’t have her hand up.

  “Grace,” said Ms. Mitchell. “Which do you think will have the higher temperature?”

  Grace flushed. She opened her mouth to answer. Then she closed it.

  It was such an easy question. Why isn’t Grace answering? Kat wondered. Didn’t she hear the question? Why doesn’t she just ask Ms. Mitchell to repeat it?

  Megan snickered. She rolled her eyes, like she thought Grace was stupid.

  “Grace?” Ms. Mitchell said again. “What do you think?”

  But Grace said, “I don’t know.” She shrugged like she didn’t care.

  Now some of the other students giggled too. Ms. Mitchell said, “Class…” in a warning tone.

  Kat frowned. Grace must be embarrassed.

  But when she looked over at Grace, she couldn’t believe it. Grace had that mean look on her face! She didn’t look one bit embarrassed. She just looked nasty.

  Kat didn’t know what to think.

  Then suddenly, she remembered what had happened yesterday in the park. Grace had asked if she could pet Riley. When Kat didn’t answer, Grace got that mean look. Then she started to cry.