Bright Lights

by Linda Chapman

  ‘Come on,’ I said, clicking my tongue to Sally.

  She followed me reluctantly. We walked round the church, but after we'd been going five minutes I noticed that Sally was starting to pant. I stopped and she immediately sat down and whined. I watched her, looking at her sides moving in and out and her pink tongue hanging out of her mouth. Maybe she was ill. I hesitated and then headed back home.

  ‘Sophie!’ Jessica exclaimed as I opened the door.

  ‘It's Sally,’ I said quickly. ‘I don't think she's very well. She keeps whining and sitting down.’

  Mum and Jessica hurried over. Mum looked concerned as she saw the way Sally was panting.

  ‘You're right,’ she said. ‘She doesn't look right. Maybe I'd better take her temperature.’ She fetched the thermometer from the pet first-aid kit and checked. ‘It's slightly raised, but not much,’ she said. ‘Jessica, can you get her some water?’

  Jessica fetched the water. Sally licked a little and stood and panted some more.

  ‘Do you think you should take her to the vet's?’ Jessica asked.

  ‘Surgery will be shut for the evening,’ Mum said. ‘And you're only supposed to ring them after hours if it's a real emergency. I'll wait ten minutes and see how she is. If she's no better I'll give the vet a ring then.’ She unclipped Sally's lead. ‘Come on, girl, come inside.’

  Sally went through to the playroom and, after moving round and round, finally found a comfy position under the table and lay down.

  We watched her anxiously. To our relief, her breathing started to slow down and she looked slightly less distressed.

  ‘She seems a bit better,’ Mum said. ‘I'll leave her a little longer while I fix supper.’

  As Mum put a pan of water on to boil, Jessica started getting cutlery out to lay the table. I sat down, a wave of tiredness overwhelming me.

  Jessica gave me a pointed look. ‘You could help.’

  I glared at her, fed up with her nagging. ‘I'm tired.’

  ‘Yeah, hanging round on a film set must be so exhausting,’ Jessica replied witheringly.

  ‘Leave Sophie alone, Jessica,’ Mum said, going though to the playroom to check on Sally.

  Jessica immediately turned on me. ‘How can you be so mean?’ she hissed. ‘You can see what a day Mum's had and you won't even lift a finger to help.’

  ‘I was just about to,’ I protested.

  ‘Yeah, right!’ Jessica said, still keeping her voice low so Mum couldn't hear. ‘I suppose you think now you're in a film you're too grand to do things like help out any more.’ She slammed a knife down on the table. ‘Well, it's not all about you, you, you. The rest of us do count too! You can be so selfish at times, Sophie! You really can!’

  And with that she turned and ran out of the kitchen.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I stared after her furiously. How dare she say I was selfish! A wave of hurt swept away my anger. It just wasn't true. Tears prickled my eyes. I wasn't being selfish and film-starry. Was I?

  ‘Sally's looking a bit better,’ Mum said, coming back into the kitchen. ‘Where's Jessica?’ she asked in surprise.

  ‘She's just gone upstairs,’ I said, quickly blinking back the tears. I looked at the door. ‘I'm just going to get something,’ I mumbled, and I hurried out of the kitchen.

  I had to sort this out. Not knowing quite what I was going to do, I went up the stairs. Reaching Jessica's bedroom, I went to knock and then hesitated. What if she just shouted at me again? Suddenly I heard the sound of crying. Concern for Jess pushed everything else out of my mind.

  ‘Jess?’ I said, knocking on the door. ‘Can I come in?’

  There was a pause and then Jessica said something that sounded like yes.

  I opened the door. She was sitting on her bed, her face wet with tears.

  ‘What is it?’ I said, quickly shutting the door behind me. ‘Jess, what's wrong?’

  ‘Oh, Sophie, I'm sorry,’ she sobbed.

  ‘It's OK,’ I said.

  ‘I've been a complete cow.’ She sniffed. ‘I've just been so upset about Dan. I've been taking it out on you. I shouldn't have.’

  I sat down beside her. ‘Why… why are you upset about Dan? I thought you were back together.’

  ‘We are. It's just not working out. He can't seem to trust me.’ She swallowed. ‘I thought I'd say I was sorry and that would be that, but what happened is always there. It's like this big barrier between us.’ She swallowed. ‘I want it all to be just like it was, but I don't think it ever will be. I think I've messed things up for good.’

  I didn't know what to say.

  A tear trickled down Jessica's cheek. She brushed it away. ‘But I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm really, really sorry. I've just been so stressed out and tense.’

  ‘It doesn't matter,’ I said. With a burst of honesty I added, ‘I guess I might have been a bit selfish. I didn't mean to be, but I've just been so busy and there's been all this stuff going on.’

  ‘What stuff?’ Jessica asked. ‘Ally and Harriet?’

  I nodded. ‘And Issy.’ I told Jessica about Issy getting the part in the TV series and suddenly being friends with Georgina. ‘I thought we were best friends, but now, now I don't know.’ I looked at Jess. Her eyes were sympathetic and suddenly I found myself confessing my worst fear. ‘What if I don't have any friends when the film finishes?’

  ‘You will,’ she said. ‘Just make up with Ally and Harriet.’

  ‘I tried,’ I said. ‘I saw them today when I got back from filming, but they wouldn't even speak to me.’

  ‘Try again,’ Jess said. ‘You've always been such good friends. Whatever you argued about, you can make it up if you really want to. Just keep trying.’ She managed a small smile. ‘That's what you told me when Dan and I split up.’

  I risked a small joke. ‘And look where you ended up.’

  Our eyes met and we grinned.

  ‘I mean it, Sophie,’ she said. ‘You've got to make up with them. It's not worth losing an old friendship over a new one. Believe me, I know.’

  My insides curled up at the thought of trying to speak to Ally and Harriet, but I knew, deep down, that Jessica was right. I had to make friends with them again. It was going to be hard, but I had to keep trying.

  ‘What about you and Dan?’ I said softly. ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘Finish with him, I guess,’ Jessica said. ‘We can't go out if he won't trust me.’

  ‘Maybe you should try talking to him again first,’ I said. ‘It might help.’

  ‘It might,’ she said, but it was obvious from the tone of her voice that she didn't really believe it.

  There was a knock on Jessica's door.

  ‘Are you OK in there?’ Mum asked, and it was easy to hear the concern in her voice.

  ‘We're fine,’ we both said quickly before she could come in.

  I turned to Jessica. ‘I'll go,’ I said in a low voice. I knew she wouldn't want Mum to see that she'd been crying.

  She looked at me gratefully. ‘Thanks.’ As I stood up, she smiled. ‘You know, you're not bad for a little sister.’

  ‘You make an OK big sister too,’ I said.

  We smiled at each other and then I went downstairs, closing the door after me.

  Mum was back in the kitchen. ‘Everything all right?’ she asked casually as I went in.

  I could tell she knew that something had been going on. ‘It's fine,’ I said. ‘Mum?’ I hesitated. ‘Can I go round to see Harriet and Ally?’

  Mum turned and then smiled. ‘Of course,’ she said.

  ‘Sophie.’ Harriet stared at me.

  I stood uncomfortably on the doorstep. ‘Hi.’

  For a moment neither of us said anything.

  ‘Can… can we talk?’ I said at last.

  I had decided to try and make up with Harriet first. I had a feeling that she would be quicker to forgive me than Ally would. She hesitated. I looked at her beseechingly.

  ‘Please?�
�

  Harriet nodded. ‘OK.’

  Relief whooshed through me, but it was quickly squashed when she said, ‘Ally's here. She's in my room.’

  ‘Oh.’

  Suddenly I wanted to turn and run. What would Ally say when she saw me? I swallowed. It didn't matter. I had to make up with both of them.

  ‘Shall I get her?’ Harriet asked, looking uncertainly towards the staircase.

  I started to nod, but then the words just seemed to burst out of me. ‘Oh, Harriet, I'm sorry!’ I stepped quickly towards her. ‘I don't want to argue any more. Please can we be friends again? I miss you.’

  Harriet looked startled, but then her hazel eyes seemed to soften. ‘I miss you too, Soph. I…’

  ‘Harriet, what… Sophie!’ I looked up. Ally had obviously come to se what Harriet was doing. She stared at me angrily from the staircase. ‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded.

  For a moment I wanted to turn and run all the way home, but then I saw that in her eyes, beside the anger, there was also unhappiness and hurt. Without thinking any more, I let all the things I'd been wanting to say rush out of me. ‘I want to be friends. I'm sorry, I really am. I never meant to be nasty. I was just feeling hurt.’ I searched Ally's face, desperate to make her understand. ‘Don't you see? You'd arranged to go to Alton Towers without me – you hadn't even told me you were going! It felt like you didn't need me any more, like I didn't matter, and I hated it, so when Issy laughed I joined in. I know I shouldn't have and I didn't mean it, really I didn't. I'm sorry. I…’ I looked from Ally to Harriet. ‘Please – I don't want to argue any more.’

  There was a silence. Ally and Harriet stared at me. I felt a hot blush rising in my cheeks. I swallowed. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Wasn't now the moment when they were supposed to tell me it was all OK? No one spoke. Unable to bear the silence any longer and feeling like a complete idiot, I turned to go.

  ‘Sophie!’ Harriet burst out. She grabbed my arm. ‘Don't go. I… I don't want to argue either. I want to be friends again.’ She looked at Ally. ‘We both do.’

  My eyes flew to Ally's. She hesitated and then nodded. ‘Harriet's right,’ she said.

  She half ran down the stairs and the next second we were all hugging. My eyes filled with tears, but this time they were happy tears.

  ‘I hated you not being friends with me,’ I said, sniffing.

  ‘It's been horrible,’ Harriet agreed.

  ‘Really weird,’ Ally said.

  ‘Did you really feel left out?’ Harriet asked me.

  ‘Yeah,’ I answered. ‘The two of you were doing all this stuff without me. It was horrible.’

  ‘But we felt left out of what you were doing. You had the filming,’ Ally said. ‘You were always talking about it. It sounded so cool and exciting, and you had all these new friends and you stopped ringing us.’

  She looked at Harriet, who nodded.

  ‘It was like you didn't need us any more,’ Harriet said.

  ‘But I'll always need you,’ I protested. ‘You're my best friends.’

  ‘What about Issy?’ Ally said.

  There was a tense pause.

  ‘She is my friend,’ I said slowly. ‘I like her. She can be fun.’ I looked at their familiar faces. ‘But she's not you.’

  Ally grinned and linked her arm through mine. ‘We're the best.’

  I grinned back, feeling a wave of pure happiness. ‘The very best!’

  ‘And we're never going to argue again,’ Harriet put in.

  ‘Not ever,’ I declared.

  ‘I think we should have a sleepover to celebrate,’ Ally said.

  ‘I can't tonight – I'm filming tomorrow,’ I said. ‘But what about on Monday? That's my last day on the set.’

  ‘OK,’ Ally said.

  ‘Come on. Let's go to my room,’ Harriet said.

  We started up the stairs.

  ‘So how was Alton Towers?’ I asked.

  ‘Not as much fun as if you'd been there,’ Harriet replied.

  ‘But best of all, Mum says I can go there for my birthday in October,’ Ally said. ‘So we can all go together then. It'll be great.’

  I smiled at them happily, ‘Brilliant!’ I said.

  By the time I went home I was feeling so happy that I could have skipped down the road. Ally, Harriet and I were friends again. Suddenly life seemed a whole lot better. I wasn't going to have to go to secondary school on my own. In fact, it might even be quite fun.

  I hurried through the gate and up the path. I couldn't wait to tell Mum that Ally, Harriet and I were friends again. But as I opened the back door the smile fell from my face.

  ‘What's happened?’ I gasped.

  My entire family were in the kitchen. The table had been shoved against the wall and Sally was lying on a bed of newspapers and old towels in the centre of the floor. Mum and Jessica were kneeling beside her. Tom was filling a plastic bowl with hot water. Dad was on the phone, an anxious frown on his face as he scribbled down some notes. He motioned to me to be quiet.

  ‘Well, if he can come as soon as possible,’ he was saying. ‘We are rather inexperienced in these matters.’

  I hurried over to Mum. Sally was panting hard, her eyes were half closed, but as she saw me her tail gave a feeble thump.

  ‘What's the matter with her?’ I whispered.

  Before I could answer, Dad put the phone down. ‘The vet will be here when he can. He's out at a calving at the moment and the vet I spoke to can't leave the surgery. But he's given me some instructions.’ Dad pushed his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. ‘He said the most important thing is to keep calm.’

  ‘It's OK, Sally,’ Jessica said, stroking the dog's heaving sides. ‘You're going to be all right.’

  ‘Here's the water,’ Tom said.

  ‘What's going on?’ I demanded loudly.

  Everyone looked at me. ‘Sally…’ Mum took a deep breath. ‘Sally's having puppies.’

  ‘Puppies! I gasped. A wave of pure relief washed over me. I'd been thinking that Sally was about to die or something. The relief changed to shock. ‘Puppies, I echoed. ‘Oh, wow!’ I looked at the sandy-coloured dog. ‘She's having puppies.’

  ‘We know,’ Tom said with a grin. He handed me the bowl of water. ‘Here, take this. I'm going to find the book we've got on dog care. It might have something in it.’

  ‘It's in my room on the bookshelf,’ Jessica said.

  Tom hurried off.

  I looked at the bowl in my hands. ‘What's this for?’

  ‘For cleaning her up after she's had the puppies,’ Mum said. ‘Go and wash your hands and then you can make yourself useful.’

  ‘We need scissors, kitchen roll, a cardboard box and lots of old towels,’ Dad said, looking at his notes. ‘If any of the puppies aren't breathing, we've got to rub them with towels until they do.’

  He started to collect the things we needed, while I ran to the sink to wash my hands.

  ‘So Sally isn't just fat.’

  ‘No,’ Mum said. ‘And it's why she's been acting so strangely the last few days – when she was ripping up newspapers, she was trying to make a nest to have her puppies in.’

  ‘Mum!’ Jessica exclaimed. ‘Quick! I think she's having one!’

  Dad dropped the kitchen roll and we both hurried over. A ripple seemed to run down Sally's side.

  ‘I've got the book!’ Tom called, coming into the kitchen. ‘It says the puppies will come out one by one, each in their own sac.’ He stopped. ‘Oh, wow!’

  We all watched in amazed silence as a puppy was born. Heaving herself round, Sally started to lick it all over, cleaning away the white sac. The puppy gave a squirm and a wriggle. His eyes were closed, his black fur was wet and his ears were slicked back against his head. He squeaked and began to move closer to Sally's tummy.

  ‘What do we do?’ I whispered, awed.

  ‘Nothing,’ Mum said softly. ‘Just watch.’

  ‘He's feeding,’ Jessica brea
thed, as the pup buried his head in Sally's golden hair and started to suck. She glanced round at us. Her eyes shone with tears. ‘Isn't it the most amazing thing you've ever seen?’

  ‘Definitely,’ I agreed, sniffing.

  ‘Cool,’ Tom said, nodding.

  He sounded laid back, but I could tell from the way he cleared his throat as he watched the tiny puppy feeding that he was just as moved as Jessica and me.

  Dad put his hand on Mum's shoulder. ‘A new life,’ he said, smiling at her.

  Sally laid her head down and started to pant again.

  ‘And it looks like there's another one coming,’ Mum said.

  When the vet arrived an hour and a half later, Sally was lying back on a clean set of towels, letting her four new puppies feed.

  He checked her over. ‘Seems that's all she's having, he announced. ‘Two boys and two girls. All healthy.’

  We exchanged delighted looks.

  ‘What I can't understand is why no one guessed she was pregnant,’ Mum said. ‘Surely the rescue kennels that Mrs Ling got her from would have noticed her condition.’

  The vet nodded. ‘But sometimes mistakes can be made. If there aren't many puppies, it can sometimes be hard to tell when a bitch is pregnant.’ He smiled. ‘Looks like her owner's going to be in for a shock. When does she get back?’

  ‘Next week,’ Mum said.

  ‘You should be fine until then. Keep the puppies warm and the mum clean. If you've got any concerns give me a ring.’

  ‘I will. Thank you,’ Mum said.

  Dad showed the vet out. As he came back into the kitchen, he breathed out in relief. ‘I can't believe we got through it,’ he said.

  ‘Four healthy puppies,’ Jessica agreed.

  ‘And a healthy Sally,’ I said.

  ‘Result,’ Tom said.

  Mum smiled at the little puppies. ‘Look at them. Aren't they sweet? Those little paws and noses.’ She looked up, her eyes half teasing. ‘Maybe I should become a dog-breeder as well as a pet-sitter.’

  ‘No!’ Dad, Tom, Jessica and I exclaimed, making Sally look round and wag her tail.

  Mum grinned. ‘You all sound very sure.’

  ‘One new business is quite enough,’ Dad said.

  ‘And one litter of puppies is quite enough for me, Tom said.