The Doggy Divas: Roxy’s Rules (11 page)

I guess Liz changed her mind and decided to be friends with Roxy again. She was in a terrific mood this morning, and she gave me a special new treat to drink called Pet Power. Liz said it would make me want to run around for hours! But whoa! I feel really happy now
...l
ike I've taken years off my life. I have the energy of a nine-month-old puppy! Look out, world-here I come!

Roxy looked down at the black-and-tan overly excited pup with wide eyes. She was squirming and panting and wriggling. And her little head bounced around like a balloon filled with helium. Little Roxie was out of control. When Roxy stole a glance at Bobby, he looked equally worried. Unfortunately, his camera didn't stop rolling.

Roxy was doomed. The audience would think that the Doggy Divas were inexperienced and careless with their pets. This was going to ruin them.

“You always have this much trouble commanding these pooches?” Bobby asked as they walked toward the dog park. “I can't get a good angle with little Roxie shaking so much in your arms.”

“Oh, no, little Roxie is just a little nervous about the cameras,” Roxy gulped as she finally set the tiny dog down on the sidewalk. “I'm sure she'll calm down as soon as we start walking.”

But the second little Roxie's paws touched the sidewalk, she broke free and tore away. It happened so fast! Roxy just stood there absolutely stunned. Luckily, she'd remembered to grip the other dogs' leashes as tightly as possible.

“Honey, that little dog looked like she was on speed or something,” Bobby said worriedly. “We need to go look for her.”

Tears welled in Roxy's eyes as she broke into a run.

As Roxy got closer to the dog park, she heard a huge commotion. People were talking excitedly, and dogs were barking. Roxy spotted Kim and Georgia inside the park's dog run—a big, grassy patch enclosed by a fence.

Dogs were running free, playing fetch, and catching Frisbees. Other dog owners stood around the fence holding up posters that cheered on their dogs and said “We Love The Doggy Divas!” Victoria Malone was right in the center of it all. She was shuffling through a stack of index cards while talking on her cell phone.

Roxy had no choice but to take the dogs she did have over to Kim and Georgia in the center of the park.

“Girls,” Roxy whispered urgently. “We have a big problem!”

Roxy's heart sunk when she saw Liz standing on the sidelines with Jessica.

“No problems here. Look at this crowd!” Georgia said with a big smile. She and Dixie were wearing matching yellow sweaters. “Vic will be off the phone in a minute…”

“I lost little Roxie!” Roxy whispered back. “She was totally hyper and ran off the second I put her down. It's not like her!”

“It sounds like Liz gave her Pet Power. It's this fancy new energy drinks for dogs!” Kim cried. “It's totally safe except she might crash a little when it starts to wear off. I don't think Liz read the label carefully…”

“Okay…we don't have time for that now.” Roxy was panicking. “How do we find little Roxie before Liz or Vic notices?”

“Why don't you get your boyfriend to help you?” Georgia said with a smile as she nodded over to the crowd.

Roxy turned to see Matt standing just outside the fence and beaming with pride. He waved and gave her a thumbs-up. Roxy blushed. But before they could do anything, Victoria snapped her cell phone shut and turned to face the girls.

“You must be Roxy!” Victoria clasped her perfectly manicured hand over Roxy's like they were long-lost friends. Victoria was taller in person, and her mane of curly red hair looked like a blaze of fire as it glistened in the sun. She spoke each word perfectly, as if she was always reading from a teleprompter. “I'm delighted to meet you.”

“Me too. Thank you so much for featuring us!” Roxy said nervously. She kept looking around and hoping that Liz's puppy had found her way back.

“Now, which one is little Roxie?” Victoria asked sweetly. “I just met her owner, Liz. She told me that you guys are best friends. Is that right? I thought it would be fun to include an interview with Liz about how proud she is of her best friend!”

Roxy dug her feet into the ground.

“Excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt, but where is my dog?” Liz's shrill voice pierced Roxy's ears. “I see all these dogs with you and no little Roxie.”

Liz's hands were planted fiercely on her hips. The camera, of course, was pointed right at them.

“You're, uh, missing a dog, dear?” Victoria looked disappointed as she cautiously eyed the camera. “Has this happened before? I thought you girls were responsible. That's why we're dedicating a whole segment to the Doggy Divas.”

“I‘ll call the police and tell them you are a thief, Roxy Davis, if you don't find my dog in five minutes!” Liz shrieked.

The park went dead silent.

“We're going to find her. Just calm down,” Roxy pleaded. “You're the one who gave her some kind of doggy energy drink to make her too hyper to listen to me.”

“I did no such thing!” Liz exclaimed. “I would never be so irresponsible…unlike you and your little team of so-called divas here.”

“Kim, isn't there anything you can do to help us find little Roxie?” Roxy pleaded.

Liz had a look of pure evil on her face. Victoria's mouth was twisted into a wry smile as she watched the scene unfold. Roxy couldn't help but notice that she kept holding the microphones closer to them and never told the cameras to stop rolling.

I guess that's show biz for you!
Roxy thought as she waited for Kim to work her doggy magic.

“Kim is the dog expert and trainer of the Doggy Divas,” Georgia explained. “C'mon, Kim, tell us how you can get a hyper dog to come back.”

The crowd was getting very anxious, and some of the dog owners requested that the Doggy Divas give them back their beloved pets.

“Well, if little Roxie did drink Pet Power this morning…I'd guess by now it's worn off and she's worn out,” Kim said slowly. “I'll bet she just found a place to sleep and will find her way home when she wakes up.”

“I want my dog,” Liz demanded. “My dad is a lawyer, and we will sue you if you don't find my dog right now.”

“I'm sorry, girls, but this is not what we were expecting,” Victoria said. “We spent a lot of time getting the crews together, and finding out that you lost a dog is just unacceptable. I'd hate to have to make this a piece about why your business is a failure.”

In that moment, Roxy wished that Liz had never gone to pageant camp and that Matt had never asked her to hang out. If those two things had never happened, she wouldn't be in this mess right now. And why did Jessica seem to be talking to her tote bag?

Without hesitating, Roxy whispered something to Kim, who didn't miss a beat. She let out a piercing, high-pitched whistle that made all the dogs in the park stand at attention, ears pointed up, as if awaiting their next command. That included the little dog in Jessica's oversized bag. Startled, Jessica dropped the bag, and little Roxie came tumbling out, looking a little dazed.

“Roxie! There you are!” Liz squealed. “I was so worried about you.”

“Excuse me, but didn't the dog just come out of your friend's bag?” Victoria asked skeptically.

For the first time that Roxy could remember, Liz was speechless.

“I'm sorry, Liz. I thought the bag was closed,” Jessica stuttered. “I was trying to get out of here to get her home, but with all these people and dogs and whistling…”

“So you stole your own dog?” Victoria asked. “Do I have this right?”

Little Roxie was so excited to be released from the bag that she raised her tiny leg and let out a long stream of pee that dribbled onto Jessica's pricey bag and sandals. Kim, Roxy, and Georgia burst out laughing.

“This is a $200 bag, and these are my mom's shoes. She doesn't know I'm wearing them!” Jessica cried. “I knew this was a stupid idea. Who gives their own dog Pet Power and then dog-naps it?”

Jessica held her bag as far away from her body as possible and stomped off. Liz stood there holding little Roxie and with a stunned smile on her face.

“Little Roxie is confused from all the excitement,” Kim said with concern as she pulled a portable bowl out of her bag and filled it with water. “Put her down so she can drink.”

The little dog lapped up the water faster than Kim could pour it into the bowl.

“Now, Liz…is that your name? I suggest that you get out of here so I can interview the Doggy Divas,” Victoria said coldly. Liz swallowed so hard that everyone in earshot heard her.

“And I think I just may call Principal West later today. He's an old friend of mine. He mentioned that you participate in pageants. Being a former beauty queen myself, I'm friends with many of the pageant commissioners across the country. And I can assure you, this is no way for a queen to behave.”

Liz nodded as she backed away. Roxy was sure she saw a tear start to slide down Liz's cheek.

“I don't know how many more crowns you'll be earning,” Victoria said.

“This isn't over, Roxy,” Liz hissed as she brushed past her and stopped in front of Matt. Roxy hadn't even realized that he was still standing there.

“Are you coming with me or staying in Loserville?” Liz asked him.

“I think you need to head home,” Matt said with his arms crossed. “I didn't think even you would stoop low enough to hide your own dog. Come to think of it, I think Victoria would be very interested in hearing about how you blackmailed me into being your boyfriend.”

“I didn't…” Liz started to say, but she thought better of it with everyone watching. She grabbed little Roxie and stomped out of the park.

“Girls, I'm so sorry. I have to get to my next interview, so I can't finish your segment today. But we will make this up to you, I promise,” Victoria said sincerely. “Those antics may help Liz win pageants, but I don't have the patience for them. And I have your card, so I'll call you to start walking my Akita, Barbie Walters.”

The girls squealed with delight as Victoria walked away.

“Our first celebrity client!” Roxy said, jumping up and down. “Victoria Malone is our client!”

They huddled together for a group hug while Izzy, Dixie, and the Chihuahuas bounced all around them.

“I can't believe that after all we did, Liz still succeeded in screwing up our TV debut,” Roxy said. “I mean, I know Victoria is going to re-interview us, especially after we show her our dog-walking skills, but still…”

Georgia and Kim smiled.

“I think this all worked out,” Georgia said. “Finally someone set Liz straight—at least for now!”

“Someone needs to call Animal Control on her,” Kim said angrily. “She dog-napped her own dog! Is she insane?”

The girls burst out laughing and fell into a group hug. Roxy felt a tap on her back and broke free from the squeeze. Matt Billings and Banjo were standing behind her.

Kim and Georgia slowly started to collect the dogs and walk away.

“Hey! Where are you guys going?” Roxy asked while staring right into Matt's soft brown eyes and smiling at him.

“Um, I think I just made up something new to add to Roxy's Rules,” Georgia laughed. “When you get that dreamy look on your face around Matt, Kim and I will bolt!”

“Yeah—have fun!” Kim said as they ran off.

Could they embarrass me any more if they tried?

“Hey,” Matt said quietly. “I'm really sorry about today.”

Roxy's heart was pounding.

“Why are you sorry?” she asked. “You didn't do anything.”

He bit his lip.

“No, but I knew something was up when Liz started telling Victoria that you guys were the best friends ever.” His eyes clouded over. “I saw her and Jessica whispering as soon they got here. And they were treating Jessica's bag like it had gold inside. But I never expected little Roxie to be in there. I can't believe I was so scared of her telling Coach lies about me that I let it ruin things between us. This is my fault.”

“It's not your fault,” Roxy said. And she meant it. “Liz finally got what was coming to her. Liz Craft is a fraud.”

Matt breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, good!” he said. “I've really been a wreck over this whole nightmare.”

“Well,” Roxy said. “You're not off the hook yet. You still have to make it up to me.”

“Is that what the girls mean by Roxy's Rules?” he whispered in her ear. “Is making it up to you a new rule?”

Before Roxy could answer, Matt leaned down and gave her a soft kiss right on her lips. He smiled at her and grabbed her hand.

“I have to get to baseball practice, but I'll see you at school on Monday!”

Roxy held the hand he'd just touched to the exact spot on her lips where he'd kissed her and watched him run away.

So, it looks like seventh grade will rule after all!

Finally, those two kissed! Now Matt just needs to take Roxy out on a proper date
...
but puppy steps! Maybe Tyler will get the knot out of his tail and finally ask
me
out. At least we'll have our walks with the Doggy Divas!

Lauren Brown has been a pop-culture fanatic since she was a kid. She is the author of
Reese Witherspoon: The Biography
and other Hollywood bios. She has worked at
CosmoGIRL!
, Us Weekly
,
and MTV. She now contributes regularly to Radar Online and CosmoGirl.com. Find out more at laurenbrown.net, and follow her on Twitter@LBAuthor. Continue following Roxy's adventures on Twitter @MissDoggyDiva.