New Beginnings Read online

  Thank you for providing the cage, litter box, and water bottle.

  Sincerely,

  John and Lynn Darrow

  “Do you really think we can get Mom and Dad to sign it?” I ask.

  “That’s step three,” Josh says. “Just leave it to me, but have the note and a pen nearby during dinner. We’ll wait for a good moment, and then I’ll bring it up. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” I say. “And Sophie, don’t say anything, okay?”

  “Okay,” Sophie says. Sophie loves being in on a secret, but she usually blows it. I hope she can keep quiet tonight.

  • • • • •

  During dinner Mom and Dad talk about the details of opening the hardware store.

  “We can’t have any spots on the miniature roses at the cash register,” Mom says.

  “I know, no spots,” Dad says.

  “After all, the store is called Wrenches and Roses, so the roses have to be perfect.”

  “Right,” Dad says. Even Dad is looking tired and stressed. He’s got bags under his eyes. He needs more sleep.

  I keep looking at Josh, but he shakes his head, telling me the time is not right to bring up Chewie—I mean Cuddles.

  “Good pasta, Mom,” Josh finally says. “May I have more, please?”

  “Of course,” Mom says. “Help yourself.”

  We’re getting nowhere, and dinner is almost over.

  “Want to hear about my new school?” Sophie asks.

  I shake my head, but Josh says, “Sure.”

  “We have a pet rat named Ratty,” Sophie says.

  “Huh,” Mom says. “That’s an interesting animal for a classroom. Some people think rats are pests, not pets. By the way”—she turns to my dad—“did you order rat traps to carry in the store?”

  Dad nods, and Sophie frowns. She looks like she is about to cry. Poor Sophie. I want to take her mind off what I’m sure she is picturing—her classroom pet stuck in a trap. Ugh. So I try to think how to bring up the topic of another classroom pet—Chewie.

  I lean toward Sophie, and the pen in my pocket pokes me in the leg. “My science teacher wants me to adopt the classroom rabbit,” I blurt out. Josh looks at me like I’m crazy.

  What was I thinking? I should have left this to Josh, but I keep going. “He said the rabbit needs a new home, so I should give it a try. We’d be doing Mr. Hart a favor.”

  Josh and Sophie stare at me wide-eyed. Mom and Dad stop eating and stare at me, too.

  “He said he would give us the cage and water bottle and litter box, too,” I say, “so that won’t cost us a thing. I can buy rabbit food with my allowance, and we already have fresh produce like bits of lettuce and carrot nubs we’d be throwing out anyway.”

  Mom and Dad look at each other.

  “Did you already tell your teacher yes?” Mom asks.

  “I told him I would ask,” I say. That’s mostly true.

  “You promised we could get a pet,” Sophie says. “Please! Pretty please with hopping bunnies on top!”

  “A rabbit would be a whole lot better than a rat,” Josh says.

  Dad laughs and looks at Mom. “I think we’re outnumbered.”

  Mom does not seem convinced. She sighs. “How big is this rabbit, and where would we put him?”

  “Her,” I say. “She’s really small, a dwarf with lop ears. She’s used to being indoors in her cage. So Sophie and I can keep her in our room. Later, maybe I can build her an agility corral in the basement, once we clean it up. You’re going to love her, Mom. She’s got the softest brown and white fur. Plus, she’s litter-box trained. And when Dad and I build some planter boxes filled with roses for the front of the store, the rabbit droppings will make good compost. We could even sell the compost in the store.” I try not to twist the permission note under the table.

  “Caring for a pet is a big responsibility,” Mom says.

  “I know. I’ll take care of her, Mom, I promise. You won’t have to do a thing.”

  “I’ll help,” Josh says.

  “Me too,” says Sophie.

  “She’s totally adorable,” I say. “I just know she’ll be a really great family pet!”

  “What is this adorable rabbit’s name?” Mom asks.

  “Cuddles,” Josh, Sophie, and I say in unison.

  Dad winks at me.

  Mom looks at Dad. “We did promise a pet,” Mom says. “But I think we should try it on a one-week trial basis. If you take good care of her, do all your other chores, and keep up with your schoolwork, you can keep her.”

  I pull the folded permission note and pen from under the table.

  “What’s this?” Mom says.

  “A permission letter. You have to sign it, and we have to pick up Ch— er, Cuddles—tomorrow after school.”

  Mom and Dad both read the letter.

  Josh is smiling. Sophie claps and says, “Yippee, we’re getting a bunny.”

  “Wait a sec,” Mom says, taking the note and pen. “Before we all start celebrating . . .”

  She signs the note then adds:

  P.S. We’d like to have Cuddles join us for a one-week trial basis. If that is agreeable to you, we will pick up Cuddles, her cage, and supplies on Tuesday afternoon.

  Thank you.

  Mom adds our phone number to the note and hands it back to me.

  My heart flip-flops as I read it. What if Mr. Hart doesn’t like our giving Chewie a new name? What if he decides just to send her to a foster home instead? Josh stands up and gives Mom and Dad a hug. So do Sophie and I.

  “Nothing’s going to go wrong,” Josh says. “You won’t regret it.”

  Sophie hops around the kitchen, singing, “Yay, yay, yay!”

  Mom sighs again. “I think I regret it already,” she says, but she says it with a big smile. I feel like singing yay, too, but instead I take the note and say, “Thanks, Mom and Dad. You’re going to love Cuddles.”

  But I think, One week. I have to keep everything perfect for just one week.

  Chapter Ten

  I avoid Maggie on the bus ride to school and watch out for her in the halls. She must be watching out for me, too, because I don’t see her. The best part of the morning is when I see Chewie in science class. I rush to class early and give the note to Mr. Hart.

  “Cuddles?” he says, raising his eyebrows as he reads the permission note with Mom’s one-week trial-period proclamation. I hold my breath, hoping he won’t change his mind. He walks over to Chewie’s cage. “You hear that, Cuddles?” he asks. “You’d better behave for a week, at least.”

  Chewie sits on her hind paws, puts her front paws on the cage, and sniffs Mr. Hart’s fingers. Her little nose and whiskers wiggle. She is so cute. Mr. Hart turns to me. “Your mom is coming today, right?”

  “Yes,” I say.

  “I’ll have two of my eighth-period students take Cuddles here down to the office after school.”

  “Thank you!” I say. I open the top of the cage and pet Chewie. It’s hard to think of her as Cuddles.

  “Now, be sure to make an appointment with Dr. MacKenzie,” Mr. Hart says. “Cuddles is six months old already, so it’s time to have her spayed.”

  “Okay, I’ll make an appointment,” I say. But I don’t say I’ll make it with Dr. MacKenzie.

  The morning goes by quickly, and at lunch I tell Sunita that Mom is picking Josh and me up after school. “And Chewie, too,” I say.

  “That’s great,” Sunita says. “I’ve got to be quick at lunch today. Hope you don’t mind finishing up alone. I promised Brenna, another Vet Volunteer, that I’d help her get ready for her Save Our Streams meeting on Thursday.”

  “Sure, that’s fine,” I say.

  “And remember to come to the library at lunchtime on
Thursday. Brenna is going to be speaking at both lunch periods about Stream Cleanup Day. Everyone is helping out.”

  “Okay,” I say. “Sounds fun.”

  “Great,” Sunita says, packing up her lunch. “I’ll see you in gym later today. Don’t forget we’re on Tuesday-Thursday block scheduling this afternoon.”

  “Right,” I say. “See you later.”

  It’s hard sitting there alone for the rest of lunch, and even worse when I remember that Maggie has the same block gym schedule as Sunita and me. The overcooked cafeteria spaghetti suddenly feels like a big lump in my belly. I see Josh back at his locker right after my math class.

  “I’m worried, Josh. I’m going to be in the same gym class as Maggie,” I tell him. “What if it’s dodgeball? You know how much I hate dodgeball. What if Maggie throws the ball at me?”

  Josh grabs his books. “I’m sure it won’t be dodgeball, and even if it is, Maggie can’t be that bad,” he says.

  “You have no idea what it’s like when someone hates you,” I say. “You should have seen the way she looked at me in the hall yesterday. Can you walk to the office with me and help me convince them I need to transfer into a different gym class?”

  “No,” Josh says. “Just deal with it, Jules. Stay on the other side of the gym. Give Maggie plenty of space until things cool down. But eventually you might try talking to her and, you know, being friendly.”

  “Some help you are.”

  “Look,” Josh says, “after seeing David and those kittens at Dr. Mac’s yesterday, I want to hang out with the Vet Volunteers. The office is right down the street, and David and Sunita are really nice. Plus, Dr. Mac seems great, too. So if you want to keep avoiding Maggie, fine. But I’m not going to let you stop me from making friends or doing cool stuff.”

  “But, Josh—”

  He slams his locker shut. “It’s your problem, Jules, not mine,” he says. “I have to get to class. I’ll see you at the end of the day to get Chewie.”

  “Cuddles,” I say.

  “Right, Cuddles.” Josh walks away, down the hall.

  Josh usually knows how to make me feel better, but today he makes me feel worse.

  Luckily, as soon as Josh leaves, I see Sunita walking toward me. I’m happy to see her. I know it hasn’t even been two days, but I feel like Sunita and I could be friends.

  “Hi, Jules!” she calls out as she waves to me. “Come on, I’ll show you the best way to get to the gym.”

  Ugh. It’s not just Maggie I’m worried about. I hate gym. It’s the only subject in school I don’t do well in. I’m not athletic at all, and I’d much rather be reading a book than running around the track out of breath. But off we go to the gymnasium, where Sunita shows me to the locker room so we can put away our book bags and get changed.

  “What do you think we’ll be doing in class today?” I ask Sunita.

  I guess I must sound anxious because she smiles and says, “Don’t worry, I’m not great in gym, either. It’s not too bad here. Before spring break, we were doing a unit on basketball skills. Dribbling, shooting, layups. It wasn’t too hard.”

  Basketball. Great. The perfect sport for a short, uncoordinated seventh-grader. We walk into the gym, and Sunita introduces me to the teacher, Ms. Donnelly, who puts me into a line based on my last name. As she takes attendance, I look around. The gym is huge, with hardwood floors and championship banners in the rafters. There are volleyball nets tucked into a corner and racks of basketballs toward the front.

  And then there’s Maggie. She’s sitting two rows away from me, twirling a basketball on her finger and chatting with a male teacher. He’s wearing a jacket that says COACH WILLIAMS on the back.

  “Okay, kids!” Ms. Donnelly yells. “I hope you all got a chance to practice your layups over the break. We’ve already reviewed the rules of basketball, so we’re going to get to the exciting part: playing the game. Coach Williams from the girls’ basketball team is here to observe and give tips.”

  Coach Williams waves. He looks friendly enough.

  Ms. Donnelly points to Maggie and another girl. “Maggie and Darla, as two of Ambler’s basketball stars, I’d like you each to be captains and choose teams. Then we’ll play five on five and switch players from the bleachers every ten minutes. All right, let’s get started!”

  Maggie and Darla step onto the court. I’m sure I’ll be chosen last. I always am. That’s okay with me—I prefer to be as invisible as possible in gym class. With any luck, I can make it through the whole class without having to play. But what if Darla chooses me and I have to play against Maggie? I slump as low as possible and wish Sunita and I had sat farther back in the bleachers.

  Darla and Maggie start calling out names. To my surprise, after six girls are called, Maggie turns to me, smiles, and says, “Jules.”

  I get up slowly and walk down to stand with her team. This is so confusing. Why’d she pick me? Before I even have time to wonder, Maggie and Darla are finishing choosing their teams, and I’m on the court with nine other girls.

  Okay, I think. What would Josh do? Deal with it. Be friendly. How awful could it be? Josh said Maggie can’t be all that bad. She chose me, after all. Maybe Maggie’s trying to be friendly, too? At least it’s not dodgeball, right? We’ve probably used up three minutes already. So just seven minutes left?

  I look up to the bleachers, and Sunita gives me a thumbs-up. Sunita said yesterday that Maggie is great at sports, so if the ball comes to me, I’ll just pass it to Maggie. That’s friendly, right? I can do this.

  Coach Williams blows his whistle, and Maggie starts out with the ball. I hang back, away from the basket, not really sure what to do. Luckily, Sunita was right. Maggie is awesome at basketball. A tough-looking girl on the other team tries to steal the ball from her, but Maggie fakes a pass, moves quickly to her right, and in a split second she is under the basket, laying it in. Score!

  The other girls on our team cheer and high-five Maggie. I can’t help but feel a little excited, too. I clap twice, and then look to where I should go next. Now we are on defense, which is usually what I like, because it means I can make a show of playing without actually doing much. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to work on Maggie’s team.

  “Jules, guard Sarah! Right next to you!” Maggie yells to me.

  I look to my right and see the tough girl with the ball. She’s taller and stronger than me, and I really don’t know how to guard someone, anyway. But maybe this is my chance to make things up to Maggie. My heart races and I run toward Sarah, trying to get between her and the basket. But she’s way faster than I am, and she’s already raising the basketball, ready to shoot. I lunge with my hand out, trying to block it. The only thing that gets blocked is my nose, with Sarah’s elbow.

  “Ow!” I yell as I hit the ground with a clumsy thud. My nose burns with pain, and my eyes smart with tears.

  Maggie runs over to me. “Are you okay?” she pants.

  I reach for my nose and touch it carefully. It’s not bleeding and I don’t think it’s broken, but it hurts like crazy and the whole gym class saw me get knocked down. How embarrassing is that? I’m a terrible athlete, and now I’m lying on the floor with everyone looking down at me. Maggie made me look so stupid—all because she told me to guard Sarah.

  “Why did you tell me to go after Sarah?” I ask, trying to stand. “You knew there was no way I could stop her from making a basket. I’m sorry I ruined your project and said that thing about the tutor, but you didn’t have to do this to me!”

  “Do what? What are you talking about?” Maggie shakes her head. “It’s just a basketball game. I had no idea you were going to get hurt.”

  Coach Williams runs over. “Okay, ladies, break it up. Jules, are you okay?” He leans over and looks at my nose. “It seems fine, but take a break for the rest of class. You can go ge
t changed.”

  I head back to the locker room, my eyes burning, my nose throbbing. I can’t look at Maggie, Sunita, or anyone else. I just want this day to be over.

  • • • • •

  At the end of the day, Mom is parked in front of the school, just as planned. At least that’s one good thing. Josh and I carry Chewie in her cage across the lawn to the car and put her on the backseat. Mom and Sophie help carry the extra food and a backup water bottle.

  “So this is Cuddles?” Mom asks.

  I try to calm the rabbit down. She’s hopping back and forth in the cage one minute, then cowering in the corner the next. I don’t think she likes all the jostling around.

  “Isn’t she cute?” I say.

  Mom and Sophie nod.

  I can’t wait to get Chewie—I mean Cuddles—home. I have to start thinking of her and calling her Cuddles.

  Cuddles, Cuddles, Cuddles. Her name is Cuddles.

  But the minute we get home, Cuddles is anything but cuddly. Sophie wants me to take her out of the cage so she can hold her.

  “Okay,” I say, “but just for a few minutes. Rabbits do not like to be held that much.”

  I make Sophie sit on the floor and put a pillow on her lap. Josh closes the door to the bedroom, then holds the cage door open while I lift Cuddles out. I try to hold her close to my body, but Cuddles thumps her back feet. She nearly leaps out of my arms, and her nails scratch me. But I hold her and get her safely to Sophie’s lap. Cuddles seems nervous. Maybe the car ride agitated her.

  Josh and I sit on the floor on both sides of Sophie and Cuddles. We pet the rabbit until she calms down a little. But she is curious, her nose and whiskers twitching. She wants to explore. She sniffs and hops, sniffs and stops, tentatively at first, then she’s hopping all over. She goes under Sophie’s bed with Sophie giggling like crazy.

  “Look, look.” Sophie is over-the-top excited, her voice screechy and fast. She’s practically hopping as much as Cuddles. “She’s under the bed. There she is!” Sophie shouts. “She’s hopping again!” Sophie bounces on the mattress on her knees, then leans over upside down to watch Cuddles.