by Lauren Brown
“Well, I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever heard in my life. I want to open my own school for dogs one day, so this could be really great training.” Kim paused and looked right at Roxy. “But why me? I mean, Roxy, do you really want to hang out with me?”
Roxy had known that the girls would doubt her intentions. The knot in her stomach was growing—especially with Jessica the Spy watching the entire exchange. Roxy really didn’t expect Kim and Georgia to believe she was suddenly their friend, but something in her gut told her that this could work.
“I do, Kim, I really do,” Roxy said, trying to not get distracted by the fact that Jessica was actually taking notes. “We’re on the verge of something huge here, girls! Are you in, or are you out?”
Georgia and Kim glanced over at each other. Roxy could tell that they were skeptical, but they didn’t have anything to lose—unlike Roxy.
“Well, I have about five sweaters already done that we can put up for sale right away,” Georgia said as she pulled the sweater she was currently knitting from her bag. “And this one is almost finished, so I could start working on new ones after school.”
“I’m in too,” Kim said as she picked up the Chihuahuas, which were using Roxy’s bag as a bed. “We need to make sure that one of our services is diet planning. So many dogs don’t get enough of their proper nutrients because owners think that canned dog food is good enough…” Kim stopped mid-sentence when she realized that Roxy and Georgia were staring at her like she had four legs and a tail herself.
“I’m sorry. I just know a lot about dogs,” Kim said sheepishly. “Isn’t that why you want me here?”
“As long as you don’t bore us to death,” Georgia muttered.
“Okay, we have a lot of work to do,” Roxy said in her most professional voice. “We need a name, logo, flyers, list of services, website, business cards, price guide, T-shirts, supplies…”
She stopped talking because she felt a tap on her shoulder. Jessica was towering over her with arms crossed and lips pursed into a tight little smirk. Roxy gulped so hard she thought she might choke. Kim and Georgia looked a little paler than usual too.
“Hello, Roxy,” Jessica sneered. “I don’t mean to interrupt this, uh, meeting, is it? But I believe that you have something that doesn’t belong to you.”
Roxy wanted the grass she was sitting on to swallow her whole. With all of the might she could muster, she reached into her bag and pulled out the Fashion Bible.
“Is this what you’re looking for?” Roxy asked.
“It’s only Liz’s now,” Jessica said triumphantly. “I hope you don’t have too much trouble getting dressed in the morning. Though dogs don’t know a tube top from tube socks, so you’ll be fine on your walks.”
Roxy knew it—Jessica had been eavesdropping on their entire conversation.
“It’s none of your business what I wear or what I do,” Roxy said under her breath. “You can’t even dress yourself without Liz’s permission.”
“Good luck getting this dog-walking business off the ground,” Jessica laughed. “Especially with these two mutts as your business partners.”
Roxy sat there paralyzed. She couldn’t move or speak. Kim suddenly pointed to the Fashion Bible and blurted out, “Treat!” Kim’s dog, a Maltese named Izzy, leapt from her lap and made a mad dash for the book. In one swift motion, Izzy leapt into the air and grabbed the Fashion Bible out of Jessica’s grip.
The four girls watched in shock as Izzy ran off with the book in her mouth and the Chihuahuas at her heels. Within seconds, the book was a pile of doggie drool and scraps…and completely ruined. Pages of notes and pictures—a full summer of painfully scrutinized work—were now literally blowing away in the wind.
“You will pay for this!” Jessica cried. She tried to salvage what was left of the spiral notebook, but it was too slobber-soaked and mangled to repair. “Just wait until I tell Liz!”
Jessica stormed back to the picnic table. Roxy and Georgia stared at Kim in disbelief.
“Kim,” Roxy stammered. “Thank you.”
“Wow,” Georgia said. “I didn’t know you had it in you. Do you have a death wish?”
“No, of course not,” Kim blushed. “I don’t know…it just seemed like the right thing to do. They’re mean to me all the time. So, what were you saying about going into business?”
Roxy ignored the knot in her stomach and her growing anxiety about how Liz might seek revenge. If Kim didn’t care, then Roxy wasn’t going to let it get her down either.
“Okay, so my dad is a hard-core businessman, and I’ve always been told I have a sixth sense for it too,” Roxy said with the confidence in her tone returning. “I sold the most Girl Scout cookies in my troop six years in a row, and my lemonade stands were always the biggest and brightest on the block. So, I think with all our talents we can really do something big. Are you guys in, or are you out?”
“I swear,” Georgia said as she placed her hand on top of the sweater she was knitting and held it to her chest. “I swear on this doggie sweater that I’m in.”
“Me too,” Kim said as she put her hand on top of a bag of dog treats and placed it over her chest. “I swear on these Doggie Doodles!”
At that moment, Roxy felt the weight of eyes drilling a hole into her back. She looked up and saw that Jessica had dragged Liz to a few feet away and was pointing over at them. Roxy’s heart dropped to her toes when she realized that Matt was standing with them too.
“Hey, Captain Canines!” Liz called out. “Nice going with the Fashion Bible. I can’t wait to tell Principal West that you destroyed my personal property. You won’t be walking any dogs from detention.”
Kim and Georgia exchanged nervous looks, but Roxy just pretended that Liz was one of the crazy ladies on the crosstown bus who talked to themselves. Roxy’s mom always told her it was better to ignore them. They would stop if they realized they weren’t getting any attention, she said. Roxy hoped her mom was right!
“Okay, then our first planning meeting is immediately after school at my house,” Roxy said. “Bring a notebook and lots of ideas—we have a lot of work to do, girls!”
“Can we bring our dogs?” Kim asked. “I have to at least bring Izzy …maybe the Chihuahuas too.”
“I think my mom will only be cool with one dog each.” Roxy tried not to sound annoyed. She didn’t have a dog of her own for a reason—her parents weren’t exactly animal lovers. “Is that okay? I mean you can tie the others up out back if you really need to bring them.”
“Tie them up? Okay, Lesson One about dog care is they do not like to be tied up.” Kim put her hands on her hips. “Even domesticated, dogs are wild animals deep down and need to roam free…”
“Okay, okay, Kim. We get it,” Georgia snapped. “Can you bring just one dog, or is it going to be a problem?”
“I’ll bring one dog,” Kim mumbled as she wrestled away leftover chunks of paper from the Fashion Bible that Izzy was still gnawing on.
“Okay, so I’ll see you girls at my house after school,” Roxy said firmly. “Don’t be late. We have way too much to do!”
The bell rang, so Georgia, Kim, and their dogs scattered in different directions. Roxy stayed for an extra minute to jot down some notes and ideas. She was about to head to English class when she saw Matt standing nearby. Luckily, he was by himself.
“Let me guess…Liz had something to do with that note you gave me?” Roxy asked. “You know, I wasn’t in this alone. I thought we both agreed to keep our kiss from Liz. I thought we were friends. I thought you didn’t want to date Liz after all.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Matt said. He sounded sincere, but Roxy didn’t know who to believe nor who she could trust anymore.
“I didn’t want this to happen. Liz had nothing to do with the note. I tried to tell her not to be mad at you. I swear,” Matt said. “I told her not
to blame you and that it was all me, but she threatened to tell Coach that I cheated on the math placement exam—even though I didn’t. I could be placed on academic probation and get kicked off the team. I gotta go. Let’s talk soon.”
Roxy wondered if she could trust him as she watched him head toward the gym.
As she stood there trying to understand the mysterious relationship between Liz and Matt, she saw him turn and look back at her and smile. It happened lightning fast. When she blinked, Matt was gone. All Roxy knew for sure was that she was more confused than ever.
DOGGY CONFESSIONAL
BANJO
Oh, yeah! Matt and I are hotter than ever this year. We've got the females eating right out of our hands...well, at least I do. Poor Matt tries with the ladies, but he doesn't have the same touch I do.
It's totally obvious that Matt likes Roxy-the person, not the dog. I caught him looking at her Facebook pictures on his computer last night. He wrote her about a dozen texts and then deleted all of them before he hit “Send.”
Matt's a good kid and he loves playing sports-but he's got no game with the ladies!
Chapter Seven
Roxy raced home after school to straighten up her room and warn her mother that she had some friends coming over. She tried to be as vague as possible because she wasn’t quite ready to explain how and why she was going into the dog-walking business. Of course, her mom had a thousand questions anyway.
“What about Liz?” her mom asked. “Where has she been?”
Roxy glared at her mom while throwing a mound of clothes into her closet. Roxy was relieved that the Fashion Bible had been destroyed. She couldn’t swallow the thought of showing up at school in the same outfit as Jessica and Liz every day for the rest of the school year.
“Mom, I can have other friends too, right?” Roxy snapped. Her mom raised an eyebrow but still agreed to bring iced tea and granola bars up to Roxy’s room when the girls arrived.
During study hall, Roxy had handwritten agendas in bright pink (her signature color) and loopy, cursive handwriting. She placed three neatly stacked copies on her bed for the girls to look over during the meeting.
There was a knock on Roxy’s bedroom door, and Izzy burst in with Kim right behind her. Kim carried two shopping bags that were overflowing with doggie toys, supplies, treats, and beds.
“What’s all this?” Roxy asked as Izzy hopped up onto her bed in a single leap. “Are you moving in?”
“They’re our supplies!” Kim explained. “My mom always yells at me for having too much dog stuff all over my room, so I’m happy to donate it all.”
Kim set her backpack down on Roxy’s bed, and Jazzy wriggled out.
“I’m sorry,” Kim said sheepishly. “I know that you said I could only bring one dog, but I couldn’t find Jazzy’s owner after school and I didn’t know what else to do. I promise she’ll be quiet.”
Jazzy squeezed herself into the slightly ajar bottom drawer of Roxy’s dresser and burrowed deep inside a stack of pajama bottoms and old T-shirts.
Roxy hoped her mom wouldn’t notice the stench of dog food and treats wafting from under the bedroom door. She hoped she wouldn’t gag from it herself. She was about to suggest that maybe Kim could leave some of her supplies on the front porch when Georgia barged into the bedroom without knocking. She immediately zeroed in on Jazzy and Izzy’s presence.
“Geez, Kim, good thing I dropped off Dixie at home since Roxy specifically said we could only bring one dog each,” Georgia scoffed as she grabbed an agenda off the bed and plopped into a white rocking chair that Roxy had had since she was a baby. Georgia crossed her legs and started to look over the agenda.
“Wow, Roxy, you’re really a type A personality.”
Roxy took a deep breath. Was it too much to ask that Kim wouldn’t be weird and Georgia wouldn’t be too obnoxious?
Maybe this wasn’t the greatest idea, Roxy thought to herself as she cleared her throat.
“Okay, girls, I officially call this meeting to order,” she said in her most official voice as she grabbed her copy of the agenda out of Izzy’s mouth and banged a hairbrush like a gavel. “I think we have what my dad would call a million-dollar idea, and we need to get started right away. Welcome to Dog Walkers Inc.!”
“Um, Dog Walkers Inc.? When did we decide on that?” Georgia asked. “I’m not sure I like it.”
“That’s just what I’m calling it until we decide on a name. Read the first item on the agenda—vote on a name!” Roxy sighed. “So, what do you guys think? How about the Dog Walkettes?”
“Lame,” Georgia said.
“Eh,” Kim said. “We’re going to do more than just walk dogs, right?
“Well, what do you guys propose?” Roxy asked. “We need something catchy. Something memorable. Something we can put on flyers around town!”
“What about Barkalicious? Or Posh Pets? Or Three Girls, a Dog, and a Leash?” Georgia gave them an expectant look. She obviously thought her ideas were award winning.
“Three Girls, a Dog, and a Leash? That’s way too long! We need to fit the name on a flyer and say it when we answer the phone without it being a tongue twister,” Roxy pointed out. “Barkalicious could be good! Wait! I’ve got it! What about Walk This Way?”
“Like that Aerosmith song?” Georgia said curtly. “Uh, no. We can’t name the company after an old band that my parents rock out to on the classic rock station.”
“Okay, do you have a better idea?” Roxy asked. “We still have five more items to vote on!”
“Yes,” Georgia said. “I do. I want to know what Kim thinks. You’re awfully quiet over there.”
Roxy and Georgia stared at Kim. She was rubbing Izzy’s stomach and whispering softly in her ear. Finally Kim raised her head.
“Um, well…how about the Doggy Divas?” she asked hesitantly. “That’s easy to say on the phone, right?”
“I love it!” Roxy clapped her hands together in excitement. “It’s perfect!”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.” Georgia jumped up and wrote the name in big block letters on a dry-erase board hanging over Roxy’s desk.
“All in favor say ‘Aye,’” Roxy said in an official voice. The girls all sang back “Aye” in unison.
Kim sat there blushing with pride. “Thanks, guys,” she said quietly.
“Yes, yes, but we have to move on! Next order of business,” Roxy directed. “We need to figure out our meeting dates and times.”
“How about we rotate houses? We could meet three days a week and at a different one of our houses each time,” Kim asked. Roxy couldn’t help but notice how much more confident Kim sounded now that they liked her business name. “We can also give out our cell phone numbers so people can text us with questions and to confirm appointments.”
“Great,” said Roxy as Georgia nodded in agreement. “How about we meet after school every day this week to get things going and then every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting next week to take appointments and discuss business?”
Georgia and Kim couldn’t see any reason why not, and the motion passed unanimously. The girls decided they would charge $10 for each 30-minute walk and an additional $10 for each add-on service, such as a grooming or training session. Georgia’s sweaters would sell for $20 each, including a free doggy fashion consultation.
“Okay, girls, gather around the computer!” Roxy was exhausted. The afternoon had been a long one, and they still had a lot left to do before they could officially open for business.
“We need a Twitter account and a Facebook group page, and we need to reserve a Doggy Divas website,” Roxy said as she typed fast and furiously. Something gooey that dripped on her leg caught her off guard. Kim was trying to squeeze peanut-butter-scented doggy paste into Jazzy’s mouth from a tube, but the paste was getting all over Roxy’s legs—and her frilly pink-and-white comforter.
“Kim! You ruined this sweater—and I was almost finished!” Georgia started wiping the goop onto Kim’s jeans. They were already stained with all sorts of dog fluids. “I wanted to sell it at school tomorrow, but now I’m going to have to stay up all night making a brand-new one.”
Kim pulled baby wipes out of her bag and tried to clean the mess on the bed, the sweater, her jeans, and Roxy’s legs. But the more she wiped, the more the goo smeared. Roxy tried to stay calm. This was why Roxy and Liz hadn’t been friends with Kim—she was just too eccentric and dog crazy!
“Okay, everyone, calm down. Georgia, there’s stain remover under the sink in the hallway bathroom. Go see if that will help,” Roxy said in an attempt to maintain leadership. “Kim, get off my bed so I can strip it and get the sheets into the laundry. And hand me some baby wipes so I can take care of my computer.”
“I’m really sorry, Roxy,” Kim said. “I wanted to surprise you guys. It’s a new dog treat that I whipped up myself. I thought maybe we could sell it.”
“I don’t even think that monkeys at the zoo would eat it!” Georgia called from the bathroom. “It smells like baby vomit mixed with my Uncle Milton’s room at the nursing home.”
Kim coaxed the dogs out from under the bed and started packing up her things.
“Where are you going?” Roxy asked. She knew they couldn’t do this without Kim. “We have more work to do!”
“I’m going home,” Kim said quietly. “My mom already gives me enough of a hard time about my dogs. I thought you guys wanted my help.”
Georgia walked back into Roxy’s room with the sweater draped over her shoulder to dry.
“Where are you going?” she asked as she sat back down on Roxy’s naked bed.
