The Scruffy Puppy Read Online Free

your puppy a spaniel, too?” Lara asked. She and Chloe hung around with Megan and Bella a lot, but sometimes Bella wished they didn’t. Lara could be mean, and Chloe just giggled and went along with everything that Lara said.
    “Yeah, show us!” Chloe said now, giggling.
    Bella looked down at her school rucksack, which was a bit chewed round the edges. She’d left it on one of the chairs in the kitchen and Sid had obviously fancied a midnight snack. Mum had said that they’d better not leave anything out in the kitchen overnight from now on. The photo was in the front pocket, but she didn’treally want to get it out. What if they laughed at Sid?
    “Come on!” Lara huffed. “I bet she hasn’t even got a dog at all. She’s just making it up to copy Megan.”
    “I am not!” Bella said furiously. If anything it was the other way round. She glared at Lara and Megan. “I told you about Sid last week, and how we were going to adopt him from the animal shelter. He’s a mix of lots of breeds.”
    “Oh, so he doesn’t have a kennel name like Coco, then?” Megan asked.
    Bella eyed her. Megan knew quite well that Sid didn’t have a fancy kennel name. She was just trying to show Bella up, to look good in front of Lara and Chloe and the others. Bella pulled the photo of Sid from her rucksack, and held it out.

    Lara snorted. “What is
that
?”
    “That’s Sid,” Bella said through her teeth. “He’s probably a sort of terrier cross.”
    “Crossed with a mop?” Lara said, nudging Megan and sniggering. “Bella, that’s the oddest dog I’ve ever seen!”
    Bella felt hot tears pricking the backof her eyes and blinked them away. Chloe and some of the others laughed, but for a second, Bella thought she saw Megan look uncomfortable.
    “Isn’t it odd?” Lara said, nudging Megan again, and this time Megan nodded and sniggered.
    “Well, I think he looks really sweet,” someone said behind Bella. She whirled round gratefully, wondering who it was. Not many people would stand up to Lara when she was picking on someone.
    It was the new girl, Sarah, and she was peering over Bella’s shoulder at the photo of Sid. “His ears are fab,” she added. “Maybe there’s some poodle in him.”
    “Yes,” Bella agreed gratefully. Shehardly knew Sarah – she’d only started at their school this term. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever spoken to her before. But now she wanted to hug her. “I thought so, too. And he’s a really fast runner. So maybe some whippet as well.”
    “You’re really lucky having a dog.” Sarah sighed. “We live in a flat, so we can’t have one.”
    “Did anyone ask you for your opinion?” Lara snapped. “And who cares if you live in a flat? We certainly don’t!”
    Bella looked apologetically at Sarah. Sometimes, Lara was totally horrible. But it was just easier to be friends with her than not…
    Sarah went pink and started to walk away.
    Bella watched her for a second,hesitating, and then grabbed Sarah’s arm. “Hey, do you want to come over and meet Sid? On Friday maybe?” she asked. She could feel Lara and Megan’s eyes boring into her back – it was as if their eyes were burning holes in her cardigan. But she didn’t care. They were both being mean, and Sarah sounded like she knew about dogs and would be fun to talk to.

    Sarah just gazed at her in amazement, and then she nodded. “Yes, please. I’ll have to ask my mum, but I’d love to come and meet him.”
    A few of the girls who were gathered round the bench whispered and muttered, and Bella caught a couple of doubtful glances aimed at Lara. It was as though the others thought she was being too nasty as well.
    “My dad says we can enter Coco in a dog show!” Megan said suddenly behind them, trying to get everyone’s attention back. “And she’ll probably win, because she’s really well-bred.”
    “Not like that thing Bella’s calling a dog,” Lara sniggered.
    Bella dug her fingernails into her palms. She was