Paws and Whiskers (4 page)

‘What rubbish!’ said Keira. ‘As if Jenna Williams would say that!’

‘Do you really know Jenna Williams, Leonie?’ asked Julie.

‘Yes! I know her ever so well because . . . because Jenna Williams is my granny!’ I said.

They all stared at me, mouths open.

‘She never is!’ said Keira.

‘She is, she is!’

‘Well, why didn’t you say so before?’ said Emily.

‘Because I’m not allowed. Jenna Williams – Granny – likes to be completely private. But I go to stay with her lots and I play with Lulu there,’ I insisted.

‘You must think we’re total nutcases to believe such rubbish!’ said Keira.

‘As if you’d ever have a rich and famous granny like Jenna Williams!’ said Emily.

‘We don’t believe a word of it,’ said Harpreet.

‘Your tongue must be really black, telling all those lies,’ said Anya.

Julie didn’t say anything at all – but she looked desperately disappointed.

‘It’s true, really it is!’ I said, my eyes starting to prickle with tears.

‘Oh look, she’s going to cry now! What a baby!’ said Keira. ‘Come on, everyone. We don’t want to play with stupid liars.’

They went off and left me, even Julie. I couldn’t stop the tears spilling down my cheeks then.

Mum saw I’d been crying when she came to collect me from school.

‘What’s up, lovey?’ she said.

I felt my eyes stinging again. ‘Nothing,’ I mumbled.

Julie hurried past, barely looking at me.

‘Oh dear,’ said Mum. ‘Have you fallen out with Julie?’

‘Yes,’ I whispered. ‘Come on. Let’s go
home
.’ I felt as if everyone was staring at me, probably pointing.

‘Well, I’m sure you’ll make it up with her. Or maybe you can pal up with some of the other girls,’ Mum said brightly.

‘No I can’t,’ I said thickly, in floods of tears now. ‘They all hate and despise me and I haven’t got any friends at all.’

‘I’ve got heaps of friends,’ said Jumbo, which made me cry even harder.

‘Why on earth would they hate and despise you, Leonie?’ said Mum.

‘Because they think I’m a liar – and I
am
,’ I howled.

‘Whatever have you said?’ Mum asked, giving me a tissue.

‘I said I had a kitten, so I could be in their Pet Girls Club and I haven’t,’ I wailed.

‘Oh goodness, that’s not a really terrible lie,’ said Mum. ‘Can’t you explain you really
want
a kitten and you just got carried away?’

‘But I told lots of stories about her. And I said . . . I said Jenna Williams was my granny!’

‘What?’ Mum struggled to keep her face straight.

‘You’re laughing at me!’ I said, outraged.

‘Well, you must admit, it is funny. Oh darling, you’re such a ninny. Stop crying now. I’m sure you’ll make some new friends soon,’ said Mum.

‘You can have some of
my
friends if you like,’ said Jumbo.

‘I don’t want any of your silly little friends. I don’t want to make any new friends. I just want to be best friends with Julie and be in the Pet Girls Club,’ I wept.

Mum made smoothies and jam sandwiches when we got home, but I said I didn’t want any and flounced off to the bedroom. Jumbo tried to follow me but I shut him out.

I had a good cry all by myself, and then, when I was at the sniffly, hiccupping stage, I switched on my
computer and went on the Jenna Williams fan club website to try to cheer myself up a bit. There was a little image of Lulu the kitten, and if you clicked on it she skittered all around the screen, making the cutest little
mew-mew-mew
noises.

I looked up the reviews of the latest Jenna Williams book and then I clicked on her daily blog. She was being very comforting to a girl who had emailed her to say she had no friends.

‘Well,
I
haven’t got any friends either,’ I muttered.

I sat nibbling my lip, wondering whether to try emailing Jenna Williams myself. I had sent her a couple of messages before, telling her how much I liked her books, but she’d never replied. The website explained that she couldn’t reply to everyone, though she did read every single message.

‘Read
my
message then, Jenna Williams,’ I said, and started typing.

Dear Jenna Williams,

I feel such a fool writing to you, but I hope you might understand. I was so desperate to be in this Pet Girls Club at my new school that I pretended I had a kitten. I can’t have any pets because my little brother has allergies. I pretended I had a kitten just like your Lulu. Then I took a picture of Lulu to school, but this really nasty girl Keira recognized it. They
all turned on me then and said I couldn’t be in their club, and so I did a mad thing and said you were my granny and that you let me share Lulu. They didn’t believe me, and now I don’t know what to do. They all know I’m a liar and I feel awful. If I was a girl in one of your books you’d find a way to make it all come right. That’s why books are better than real life.

Love from Leonie

I blushed beetroot red as I typed, unable to believe I’d been such an idiot – but I felt just a little bit better when I’d finished. I wasn’t absolutely sure Jenna Williams herself would ever read my message, but at least I’d confessed.

I went and had my smoothie and sandwich after all, and then I played with Jumbo because I felt bad that I’d shut him out. I drew him a comic strip about his pet elephant, and then he coloured it in with his wax crayons. He went over the lines and spoiled it rather, but I didn’t point this out.

Mum made us spaghetti for supper, and Jumbo and I played the slurp-slurp game and Mum didn’t get cross. I still felt pretty miserable though. I felt sick at the thought of facing all the Pet Girls tomorrow morning.

At bedtime I went to switch off my computer and
saw that I had a message. It wasn’t from one of my friends at my old school. It wasn’t from my dad. It wasn’t from my real granny in Scotland.
It was a message from Jenna Williams!

Dear Leonie,

Oh dear, you’ve got yourself in a bit of a pickle, haven’t you! I do understand though. I sometimes pretended things at school and then got into trouble too. It’s a blessing to have a vivid imagination – but it can also be a curse!

Whereabouts do you live? I’ve got a new book coming out shortly called
My Kitten Lulu
, and I’m touring all over the country promoting it. Maybe you could come and see me and meet Lulu?

Love from ‘Granny’ Williams x

I gave such a scream that Mum came charging into the bedroom, terrified.

‘What on earth’s the matter now, Leonie? You scared me half to death!’

‘Look! I can’t believe it! Jenna Williams has replied to me!’ I shouted. ‘Oh, Mum, she wants me to meet Lulu! Please, please, please, can we go to see her?’

‘What? I don’t think it can be the
real
Jenna Williams. And we can’t go hiking all over the country to go and see her,’ said Mum.

‘Look, she’s doing a big event in London!’ I said, stabbing at the screen. ‘We could go there. Oh please, Mum.’

‘Please, please, Mum,’ said Jumbo sleepily from under his Dumbo duvet, though he didn’t really have a clue what I was talking about.

‘Well,’ said Mum, wavering, ‘I suppose we
could
have a day out in London for a treat. All right. We’ll go and see your Jenna Williams and her blessed kitten if it means so much to you, Leonie.’

‘It means the whole world,’ I said solemnly.

I wrote and told Jenna Williams exactly that.

Dear Jenna Williams,

Is it really YOU? I can’t believe you’ve actually replied. You’ve made me feel soooo much better! Please may I really come and see you when you’re in London? And will Lulu really be there too? Will I be able to stroke her?

I don’t mind so much not having any friends now. I feel that you are my friend. I’m so glad you’re not cross with me for pretending you’re my granny. I still wish you were.

Love from Leonie

There was another email waiting for me in the morning.

Dear Leonie,

I’m so glad you’ve cheered up. I’m doing the London talk at two o’clock. If you and your mum would like to come half an hour early and talk to my publicist, then you can come and see me – and Lulu too. We’re both looking forward to meeting you.

Love from Jenna Williams (Granny)

I was bubbling over with happiness – but all my fizz went flat when I had to go into school. I saw Keira first. She mouthed
Liar!
at me and stalked off. Emily and Rosie and Harpreet and Anya looked a little anxious, but when Keira glared at them, they all mouthed
Liar!
too.

Julie was late getting to school. She only came through the school gate as the bell started ringing. She ran across the playground. I hung my head. I couldn’t bear to see her mouth
Liar!
too.

But she didn’t! She took hold of my hand and squeezed it urgently.

‘Leonie! I’ve been thinking. I felt so bad last night. We were all so horrid to you. I think it was because you were so clever at fooling us. But we acted like you’d done something terrible and you haven’t
really
. Will you still be friends?’

‘Oh, Julie! Yes, I really badly want to be your friend. But I can’t be a Pet Girl now, can I?’

‘Probably not. But never mind. We could maybe start up our own club, just you and me.’

‘Oh yes! Perhaps it could be a book club? Do you like Jenna Williams’s books? Oh, Julie, wait till I tell you the most amazing thing about Jenna Williams!’ I said.

‘She’s your granny. Not!’ said Julie.

‘Yeah, I know, I made that up, I was stupid – but listen, I emailed her and she wrote back to me! She wants me to come and see her and meet her kitten Lulu!’ I said excitedly.

Julie didn’t look at all impressed. She rolled her eyes and sighed. ‘Now listen, Leonie, you’re going to have to stop all this pretending stuff. You don’t need to any more. We’re friends and we’ll have our own club. It can be a book club if you like. Just don’t start making up stories because everyone will think you’re barmy,’ said Julie.

She didn’t believe me! And if my special new friend Julie didn’t believe me, then I didn’t have a hope of impressing Keira and all the others. I could always print out the emails – but they could always say I’d written them myself. I decided I’d simply have to shut up about Jenna Williams at school. It seemed
infuriating when at last I truly had something to boast about, but it couldn’t be helped.

I rather hoped Julie would break off with Keira and the others, but she stayed friends with them too, and still spent some playtimes huddled in the corner with them writing in the Pet Book. Keira tore out the page with my drawing of Lulu, crumpled it up and tossed it in the bin. Julie waited until the bell went and then dashed over and retrieved it. She tried to smooth out the creases as best she could.

‘There now. It’s still a lovely drawing,’ she said, giving it to me.

‘If you bring me a photo of your dog, Bobo, I’ll draw you a picture of him,’ I offered.

‘That would be great. Or tell you what, why don’t you come round to my house for tea and then you can see him for yourself,’ said Julie. ‘Your mum won’t mind if you go out to tea, will she?’

Mum was completely thrilled when I asked her after school.

‘I’m so pleased you and Leonie are friends, Julie,’ she said. ‘Of course she can go to tea with you. And you must come to tea with us soon.’

‘Oh, that will be great. I’m glad you’re feeling better now,’ said Julie politely.

Mum looked puzzled. I blushed. Luckily Julie
didn’t say anything further. I resolved once and for all never ever to tell any fibs again.

I had a
wonderful
time at Julie’s. I especially loved her funny little dog Bobo. He was incredibly naughty, and raced round and round madly, barking his head off – but then he leaped up and licked my face lovingly as if I were an ice lolly! It was quite hard to sketch him because he hardly ever kept still, but I managed to do a quick crayon drawing of him chewing Julie’s dad’s slipper, and the whole family acted as if it were a masterpiece.

I asked Julie back to our place two days later. I was a bit anxious because our new flat’s pretty cramped and we’re having to make do with grotty old carpets and curtains for the moment, and I haven’t even got my own bedroom. Julie’s bedroom is brilliant, a beautiful deep purple, with silver cushions in the shape of stars, and shelves all round two walls (but she hasn’t got as many Jenna Williams books as I have!). Julie wasn’t a bit sniffy about anything though, and she liked my mum and, weirdly, she
adored
Jumbo. I was scared he was being a bit of a pain, hanging around us and nattering away nineteen to the dozen, but Julie seemed to find him really funny.

‘You’re so lucky having a little brother,’ she said.

‘You’re so lucky having a little dog,’ I said. ‘I’ll do
a swap if you like. I’ll have Bobo and you can have Jumbo.’

The only awkward moment was when we were sitting near my computer.

‘Shall I just show you my Jenna Williams emails?’ I said hopefully.

Julie sighed. ‘Oh, Leonie!’ she said, frowning.

I decided it might be better not to pursue things. Julie was clearly never going to believe me – and it was really all my own fault.

But wonderfully, it really was true. I had yet another email from Jenna Williams on Friday, the day before her big event in London.

Dear Leonie,

I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I’ve reserved special seats for you at the theatre. Have you made a friend at your new school yet? If so, do feel free to bring her along to keep you company.

Love from Granny

I
loved
it that she was still calling herself my granny! And now I could bring a friend! I rang Julie straight away. I didn’t say Jenna Williams had specially invited me. I was sure she still wouldn’t believe me.

‘We’ve got special tickets to go to a Jenna Williams talk tomorrow, Julie. Can you come with us? Oh, I do hope you’ll say yes!’ I said.

Julie wasn’t very sure at first, because she usually went to dancing class on Saturday – but she did get excited at the idea of hearing Jenna Williams talk.