Labradoodle on the Loose by T.M. Alexander Page B

in the end the waiter served her food to her under the table.
    Fifty copped out and said, ‘She’s our mate.’ (That’s when I realised I was going to have to say something too. Everything I thought of sounded lame.)
    Bee’s mum said something in Italian and her eyes went all teary. When she’d finished they had a family hug, which was excruciatingly embarrassing. I’m so glad we’re not a family-hug family.
    Jonno went next. ‘I like Bee loads because she lets me share her dog.’ Everyone laughed. Much better than hugging.
    Only Copper Pie, me . . . and Rose left.
Help!
    Copper Pie did a little cough. ‘Bee’s no use at football.’ (Quiet laughter.) ‘She eats rabbit food.’ (More laughing.) ‘She’s mum to a Black Rhino. Doesn’t like guns.’ (CopperPie stopped for a second, then shrugged his shoulders.) ‘I don’t know why I like her.’
    Everyone loved it. Bee did a fist of friendship in mid-air.
    Rose obviously wasn’t about to string together the few words she knew, so it was me next. I couldn’t decide whether to try and be funny like C.P., or quick like Fifty, or say something I really meant. So I just opened my mouth . . . ‘Well . . . we’re a team, and we’ve all got jobs. Fifty is smooth-talker, Copper Pie is secret weapon, I’m the sensible one, Jonno has the most ideas, and Bee . . .’ I shrugged. ‘She’s the boss.’ I was going to say something else but there was clapping so I shut up. Bee flicked her fringe sideways and gave me a wink. Guess she liked what I said.
    Fifty’s mum picked up Rose, whose face was smeared with a selection of brown party foods. ‘Do you want to give Bee a kiss?’
Yuck! A Rose special
. (Rose’s idea of a kiss is to open her mouth and press her wet tongue against your skin. I had one once. Never again.)
    I thought it was all over, but Bee wasn’t ready for the party to end.
    â€˜My turn now,’ she said. Not surprising – after all, Bee
is
boss. ‘I’ve forgiven the Tribers for not answering my texts and I’ve forgiven my brothers for having awful friends who ruin everything, because if I hadn’t been on my own all day I wouldn’t have the exciting news that I’ve got.’ All eyes were on Bee. ‘With my birthday money from Nonna I’ve adopted a Bactrian, called Nonna.’ When Bee said that Ididn’t think
You’re a nutter, I’d have bought a mountainboard
, I thought,
That’s why Tribe is the best
. We’re all completely different, but together we make something better than when we’re on our own. It’s like we fit.
    TRIBERS’ BEST CAUSES AND SLOGANS
    BEE: Adopt a Bactrian and save a species.
    COPPER PIE: ManU for European Champions.
    FIFTY: Children need sugar.
    KEENER: To all forgetful swimmers, keep leaving your pounds for Keener’s mountainboard fund. (Not exactly snappy.).
    JONNO: Keep me here! If my parents want to move three hundred miles away, which they seem to do every twelve months, I’m staying with the Tribers.
    â€˜Come on,’ said Dad. ‘Time to go. Thanks, everyone.’ Dad came through the Tribe flap with me. On the other side of the fence he stood up, brushed the dirt off his knees, and said, ‘I wish I was a Triber.’
    Dream on, Dad!
No one can leave and no one can join.

Red-Handed

Hissy Fit
    Last lesson on Tuesday was art. We were meant to be planning a Mondrian-type painting. (Mondrian was a famous Dutch artist.) Miss Walsh tried to explain how he used a white background, and then painted black lines down and across to make boxes and filled some of them in using three primary colours. I couldn’t work out what was so clever about that. Probably Rose could manage a Mondrian if you gave her a ruler and a few crayons. Miss Walsh asked us to do a rough drawing on scrap paper before we did the real thing. Simple.