Paws and Whiskers Read online

  ‘She’s not a toy. She’s real. She’s not a proper cat yet, she’s a little kitten. My mum got her for me because we’ve had to move. She’s lovely. She’s got bags of personality and she’s ever so cuddly. She’s the best pet ever,’ I lied desperately.

  Julie was smiling from ear to ear. ‘Why didn’t you say? What’s her name?’

  I thought hard. My favourite author, Jenna Williams, had a new kitten. I’d seen a photo of it in a girls’ magazine. She’d called her Lulu.

  ‘My kitten’s called Lulu,’ I said.

  ‘Oh, that’s a lovely name,’ said Julie. ‘Right, let’s write Lulu’s name in our Pet Book. We’ll need a full description of her – and can you bring a photo of her to school tomorrow so we can stick it in our book?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ I said, swallowing hard.

  ‘So you’re an official member of our Pet Girls Club now. Rosie, can you make Leonie one of our badges?’

  Rosie cut a circle out of cardboard, inked a big PG on the front, and attached a safety pin to the back. I pinned my badge on my sweatshirt with pride. Julie showed me their special book and I admired everyone’s pets. Well, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about Dustbin the Labrador because I didn’t like Keira and it was plain she still couldn’t stand me. But I was a proper Pet Girl now, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  I was friends with Rosie and Harpreet and Anya and even Emily. I was maybe almost best friends with Julie, because she moved her desk nearer to mine in class and sent me little notes, and when we came out of school she skipped along beside me, her long hair flying out behind her.

  ‘Bye, Leonie,’ she said. ‘Remember to bring Lulu’s photo tomorrow! I’m so glad you’re a Pet Girl now.’

  ‘So am I,’ I said.

  Mum was waiting by the gate to pick me up. She was holding Jumbo’s right hand. He had his left hand out, holding invisible Harry.

  ‘My goodness, you look happy for once!’ said Mum. ‘Who was that pretty fair girl you were talking to?’

  ‘That’s Julie. She’s my friend,’ I said.

  ‘There! I knew you’d make friends soon enough.’

  ‘We’re in a secret club,’ I said proudly. Then I paused. ‘Mum? Do you think I could possibly have a kitten?’

  ‘Oh, Leonie! You know Jumbo’s allergic,’ she said.

  ‘Yes, but a kitten’s only little, and I’ll keep it out of Jumbo’s way. And I know we haven’t got much money now, but I could buy all the kitten food out of my pocket money – and I could eat my cornflakes dry and the kitten could have my milk and—’

  ‘No,’ said Mum.

  ‘But—’

  ‘No. I’m sorry, love, but it’s just not possible. Maybe in a few years’ time, if Jumbo’s asthma gets better.’

  I didn’t need a kitten in a few years’ time. I needed a kitten right this instant.

  ‘They won’t let me stay in the club if I don’t have a kitten,’ I said.

  ‘What? Well, then, it’s a very silly club and you don’t want to be in it,’ said Mum.

  She didn’t understand at all. I desperately wanted to stay in the Pet Girls Club. I had to keep on pretending I had a kitten. If Keira found out I’d been lying, she’d be incredibly mean and crowing and have me kicked out in a nanosecond. Julie might protest, but she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

  I had to keep on lying. I couldn’t take a photo of Lulu because she didn’t exist. I wondered about saying we simply didn’t have a camera, but they’d all wonder why I couldn’t take a photo with Mum’s mobile phone. I decided to be crafty.

  After tea I spent a long time in my bedroom drawing a kitten. I don’t want to sound as if I’m boasting, but I am very good at drawing. I found the photo of Jenna Williams with her kitten. I copied Lulu very carefully, and then coloured my picture with my best felt tips. I spent ages with the grey pen, inking in hundreds of little dashes to make the kitten look extra furry.

  Jumbo kept pestering me, trying to see what I was drawing.

  ‘Go away, Jumbo. I’m busy – can’t you see?’ I said irritably.

  ‘Please let me look, Leonie,’ he said. ‘I love looking at your drawings. You’re so good at doing pictures.’

  Jumbo has this knack of saying exactly the right thing to get his own way. I let him have a look and he clapped his hands.

  ‘It’s ever so good. I love that little cat,’ he said.

  ‘She’s my kitten. She’s called Lulu,’ I said.

  ‘I like her. Can I stroke her?’ said Jumbo, and he very gently touched the drawing with one finger.

  ‘Watch out! Wipe your hand on your T-shirt, it’s all sticky,’ I said, but I let him stroke Lulu. I even made funny purring sounds. The good thing about having an odd little brother is that you can play all sorts of pretend games and nobody teases you for being babyish.

  ‘I want a pet too!’ said Jumbo. ‘Draw me a pet, Leonie, go on.’

  ‘I’m a bit sick of drawing now. My hand aches after doing all that fur,’ I said.

  Jumbo wouldn’t give up. ‘Please will you draw me a pet, Leonie? That way it’s fair – you can have one and I can have one. Go on. I’d absolutely love a pet.’

  You just have to do whatever Jumbo wants.

  ‘Do you want a kitten too?’

  ‘No, I want a big pet.’

  ‘A dog?’

  ‘No, I want a pet I can ride!’

  ‘A horse?’

  ‘Bigger than a horse. I want an elephant as a pet. Go on, Leonie, draw me a great big elephant!’

  So I had to draw him his elephant, and then I had to pretend to feed the elephant with buns and make trumpeting elephant noises until I was hoarse. I felt tired out when I went to bed and fell asleep almost immediately – but I woke up in the middle of the night worrying whether I would still be allowed into the Pet Girls Club without a photograph.

  I kept seeing Keira saying, ‘Push off, Leonie. You’re a wicked liar and we aren’t ever letting you into our club,’ while all the other Pet Girls shook their fists at me – even Julie. I had to climb into bed with Jumbo and hug him for comfort to get back to sleep.

  I took my drawing of Lulu to school 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 Pet Book. 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