CHAPTER 1
"Where's little Beth?" Beth Barry asked anxiously.
"I don't see her."
"Here she is," said Jana Morgan, reaching into the
large cardboard box at the bottom of the basement stairs and pulling out a
wiggly brown puppy, which she handed to Beth. "She was underneath Katie."
Katie Shannon grinned and held up another tiny dog whose
curly red hair was amazingly close to the color of hers as Jana picked up her
own brown and white namesake and snuggled it lovingly on her shoulder.
"Shhh!" cautioned Melanie Edwards. "Don't let
my mom hear you calling them by their names. That's a secret. Remember?"
Melanie scooped up Scott, Shane, and Garrett, three of the
four males in the litter of eight puppies Rainbow had given birth to shortly
after the Edwardses had rescued her from the animal shelter at Christmastime.
She headed up the basement stairs with the mother dog at her heels. The rest of
The Fabulous Five had come home with Melanie after school, as they did once or
twice a week, to help her take the puppies into the backyard for their
afternoon play and exercise time.
When the five friends had closed the back door behind
themselves and were sitting cross-legged in a circle in the grass with the
puppies scampering around them, Melanie went on.
"I really don't understand my parents at all. They say
I'll get extra attached to the puppies if I name them, which I did secretly
anyway. They also say that we're going to have to start finding homes for them
since they're getting so big." Melanie paused a moment and shrugged. "But
sometimes, from the way they act, I wonder if they're planning to keep all
eight puppies plus Rainbow."
Christie Winchell looked up from where the yellow puppy who
had her name was nibbling on her finger. "Why do you say that?"
"For one thing, the pups have been weaned for ages,"
Melanie explained, "but Mom and Dad don't ever do anything about giving
them away. And I'm pretty sure they sneak down to the basement and play with
them when Jeffy and I aren't looking. Not that I'm complaining," she added
with a laugh. "I want to keep them all."
"Well, you know how parents are," Beth assured
her. "Totally unpredictable."
"You can say that again," said Melanie, rolling
her eyes toward the sky.
"Personally, I think it's super that you named the four
girl puppies after your four best friends," said Katie. "And nobody
is surprised that you named three of the boys Scott, Shane, and Garrett, but
what did you finally decide to name the fourth boy?"
Melanie blushed, knowing her friends thought she was totally
boy crazy. And it was true that she had not had any trouble naming Scott,
Shane, and Garrett after the three boys she had major crushes on, but deciding
what to call the fourth one had not been so easy. There were tons of cute boys
at Wakeman Junior High, like Derek Travelstead and Tim Riggs, but nobody else
who she thought was really special.
"I know. You named him Brian, after Brian Olsen,"
teased Beth. "Hi, little Brian. Sweet little Brian," she
cooed, holding up a roly-poly white puppy so that its nose touched hers. His
little tail began wagging furiously, and his tiny pink tongue lapped at her
nose.
"Poor dog!" cried Jana, falling backward into the
grass and bursting out laughing. "Not Brian Olsen. Give me a break!"
"Seriously, though, I saw Brian Olsen looking at you in
the cafeteria today, Mel," said Christie.
"Drooling, you mean," said Katie dryly.
"Oh, guys," Melanie groaned. "What am I going
to do about him? I mean, you know how he is."
Her friends nodded sympathetically, and she had a pretty
good idea what they were thinking. Brian Olsen was the last boy on earth she
could ever have a crush on. He was the biggest boy in school and a total
show-off. He was so proud of his muscles that he used to sneak up on
unsuspecting girls and lift them over his head. The school principal, Mr. Bell,
had put a stop to that, but he hadn't been able to do anything about Brian's
obnoxious personality. And now,
"Where's little Beth?" Beth Barry asked anxiously.
"I don't see her."
"Here she is," said Jana Morgan, reaching into the
large cardboard box at the bottom of the basement stairs and pulling out a
wiggly brown puppy, which she handed to Beth. "She was underneath Katie."
Katie Shannon grinned and held up another tiny dog whose
curly red hair was amazingly close to the color of hers as Jana picked up her
own brown and white namesake and snuggled it lovingly on her shoulder.
"Shhh!" cautioned Melanie Edwards. "Don't let
my mom hear you calling them by their names. That's a secret. Remember?"
Melanie scooped up Scott, Shane, and Garrett, three of the
four males in the litter of eight puppies Rainbow had given birth to shortly
after the Edwardses had rescued her from the animal shelter at Christmastime.
She headed up the basement stairs with the mother dog at her heels. The rest of
The Fabulous Five had come home with Melanie after school, as they did once or
twice a week, to help her take the puppies into the backyard for their
afternoon play and exercise time.
When the five friends had closed the back door behind
themselves and were sitting cross-legged in a circle in the grass with the
puppies scampering around them, Melanie went on.
"I really don't understand my parents at all. They say
I'll get extra attached to the puppies if I name them, which I did secretly
anyway. They also say that we're going to have to start finding homes for them
since they're getting so big." Melanie paused a moment and shrugged. "But
sometimes, from the way they act, I wonder if they're planning to keep all
eight puppies plus Rainbow."
Christie Winchell looked up from where the yellow puppy who
had her name was nibbling on her finger. "Why do you say that?"
"For one thing, the pups have been weaned for ages,"
Melanie explained, "but Mom and Dad don't ever do anything about giving
them away. And I'm pretty sure they sneak down to the basement and play with
them when Jeffy and I aren't looking. Not that I'm complaining," she added
with a laugh. "I want to keep them all."
"Well, you know how parents are," Beth assured
her. "Totally unpredictable."
"You can say that again," said Melanie, rolling
her eyes toward the sky.
"Personally, I think it's super that you named the four
girl puppies after your four best friends," said Katie. "And nobody
is surprised that you named three of the boys Scott, Shane, and Garrett, but
what did you finally decide to name the fourth boy?"
Melanie blushed, knowing her friends thought she was totally
boy crazy. And it was true that she had not had any trouble naming Scott,
Shane, and Garrett after the three boys she had major crushes on, but deciding
what to call the fourth one had not been so easy. There were tons of cute boys
at Wakeman Junior High, like Derek Travelstead and Tim Riggs, but nobody else
who she thought was really special.
"I know. You named him Brian, after Brian Olsen,"
teased Beth. "Hi, little Brian. Sweet little Brian," she
cooed, holding up a roly-poly white puppy so that its nose touched hers. His
little tail began wagging furiously, and his tiny pink tongue lapped at her
nose.
"Poor dog!" cried Jana, falling backward into the
grass and bursting out laughing. "Not Brian Olsen. Give me a break!"
"Seriously, though, I saw Brian Olsen looking at you in
the cafeteria today, Mel," said Christie.
"Drooling, you mean," said Katie dryly.
"Oh, guys," Melanie groaned. "What am I going
to do about him? I mean, you know how he is."
Her friends nodded sympathetically, and she had a pretty
good idea what they were thinking. Brian Olsen was the last boy on earth she
could ever have a crush on. He was the biggest boy in school and a total
show-off. He was so proud of his muscles that he used to sneak up on
unsuspecting girls and lift them over his head. The school principal, Mr. Bell,
had put a stop to that, but he hadn't been able to do anything about Brian's
obnoxious personality. And now,
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