Paws and Whiskers Read Free Page A

with me, carefully tucked inside my project folder.
    ‘Hi, Leonie! Have you remembered to bring your photo?’ Julie asked, as soon as I went into the playground.
    ‘I haven’t got any,’ I said, sighing. ‘My dad’s got all the photos, and he lives miles and miles away now and we hardly ever see him.’
    Keira narrowed her eyes suspiciously but Julie nodded, and Rosie even put her arm round me.
    ‘My mum and dad have split up too,’ she said. ‘It sucks, doesn’t it?’
    ‘Can’t you take a new photo?’ said Keira.
    ‘My dad’s got the camera too.’
    ‘Take one with your mobile, silly,’ said Keira.
    ‘I haven’t
got
a mobile. We haven’t got much money now, see,’ I said.
    ‘Use your mum’s mobile, then,’ Keira went on relentlessly.
    ‘It’s such an old granny one it can’t take photos. I wish you’d stop going on about it, Keira. Look, I’ve done a drawing of Lulu instead,’ I said, brandishing it.
    ‘Oh wow!’ said Julie. ‘You’re brilliant at drawing, Leonie!’
    ‘I thought
I
was ace at drawing but you’re heaps better,’ said Harpreet.
    ‘It looks just like real fur!’ said Anya.
    ‘You’re ever so good at drawing cats,’ said Emily. ‘Do you think you could do a drawing of Salt and Pepper for me?’
    Keira said nothing at all. I’d settled
her
hash.
    I had a wonderful day at school. I sat with Julie and the other Pet Girls at lunch, and then we all huddled up together, looking through our special PetBook. Julie produced a glue stick from her school bag and carefully stuck my picture of Lulu onto a fresh page.
    Then I wrote out a detailed description of her, listing all her special likes and dislikes. I’d imagined her so vividly in my head that I found this easy-peasy.
    ‘Lulu likes her toy mouse, and she likes chasing her little ball, and best of all she likes climbing up the curtains, though my mum goes mad when she does it. And she
doesn’t
like loud, noisy things like vacuum cleaners, and she doesn’t like water – she cried when she fell in my bath one day,’ I said happily.
    ‘Oh, she sounds adorable!’ said Julie. ‘Bobo doesn’t climb the curtains, but he’s chewed all the hems, he’s so naughty. I’d love it if they could meet up, my Bobo and your Lulu – but I think he’d probably chase her. He barks like crazy when he sees our neighbour’s cat.’
    ‘Salt and Pepper would like Lulu – they’re very kind to little kittens. They’d be like her auntie and uncle,’ said Emily.
    ‘I
think
my Woffles would like Lulu,’ said Harpreet.
    ‘Poor Twitchy wouldn’t!’ said Anya.
    ‘Neither would Joey!’ said Rosie. ‘When my grancomes to stay with her cat Tabitha, we can’t ever let him out of his bird cage, just in case.’
    ‘Dustbin would quite definitely chase her – and catch her too,’ said Keira with unnecessary relish.
    ‘No, he wouldn’t catch her. Lulu can run like the wind. She’d run to me and clamber up into my arms and I’d keep her safe,’ I said, feeling ultra protective of Lulu – almost forgetting she wasn’t real.
    Each day I told the Pet Girls a new made-up anecdote about Lulu. I told them how she hid in the airing cupboard, how she climbed up the bookcase, how she knocked over all the photos on the mantelpiece, how she curled up beside me on my pillow at night – and they all hung on my every word.
    ‘Could I perhaps come to your house and play after school and meet Lulu?’ Julie asked, putting her arm round me.
    I didn’t know what to say. I desperately wanted Julie to come and play, but I couldn’t produce a kitten out of thin air.
    ‘I’d love that, Julie, but I’m afraid Mum says I can’t have anyone round at the moment,’ I said anxiously.
    ‘Oh, that’s a pity,’ said Julie.
    ‘
Why
won’t your mum let you have friends round to play?’ asked Keira.
    ‘Oh, Keira! I expect Leonie’s mum is feeling a bitstressed,’ said Rosie. ‘I know my mum was miserable for ages. You have to make