Throw Away Teen (5 page)

My guardian-ad-litem wasn’t a lot of use, though. She always went along with whatever the judge said, but still insisted she had my “best interests” at heart. Yeah, right. Like
my best interests
were in Juvie or a reform school instead of Evergreen. She and Carol hadn’t agreed with the cop’s or Annie’s opinion on breaking the rules either and I didn’t want to hear Carol’s lecture yet again on choices or how I never made the right ones.

With the puppy tagging behind, I headed across the back porch into the yard. It was nearly as big as the park across the street from Evergreen. I almost expected to see a playground and a gang of smokers and druggies hanging out.

Ringo stopped mowing and came over to take one of the sodas. “Thanks.”

I shrugged. “Don’t thank me. It was Liz’s idea.” I sat on the grass and put down the plate of cookies.

Ringo dropped down next to me, gently pushing the puppy away from the cookies. “What are you going to call him?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged then drank some of my Coke. “If I get stuck with him, I’ll think of something.” I reached for a chocolate chip cookie. I could tell they were homemade by how soft and buttery they were, melting on my tongue. They were nothing like the hockey pucks they tried to pass off as cookies at the center.

“Liz sure can cook.” Ringo picked up a cookie. It disappeared in three bites. “Just wait till the Halloween Party,” he said, licking his fingers. “She puts out a real spread.”

“That’s like six months from now. I won’t be here by then.”

“Why not?” Ringo snagged a second cookie. “Ted and Liz said they plan to adopt you. Most of the kids in the club are jealous. They’d give anything to live here.”

“Why?” I offered the puppy a bite of my cookie.

“Stop that.” Ringo grabbed my hand to keep me from giving the cookie to the puppy. “Sugar’s bad for dogs, but chocolate’s worse. It’s poison to them. You don’t want to hurt him.”

The puppy yapped furiously, jumping at Ringo with a baby growl.

“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, watching him bounce and leap erratically. “Why’s he gone psycho?”

Ringo let go of me and ruffled the puppy’s fur. “Cool it, mutt. I didn’t hurt her.”

“I didn’t say you had.” I tossed my head. “I take care of myself.”

“Well, tell your dog that.”

The puppy sat down and tilted his head to one side, watching us. His tongue curled up when he yawned, showing all his baby teeth.

“He wanted to protect me?” I must have looked and sounded brain dead.

Ringo laughed at me, but it wasn’t mean. “Sure he did. He’s already figured out you belong to him. Collies and heelers are known to choose their people. They’re extremely loyal dogs. Whenever my sister goes away, we have to coax her dog to eat for three days.”

“This one won’t do that, will he? I have to go back to Seattle on Monday morning.”

“Hard to say.” Ringo looked worried. “He’s only a pup. He’ll probably get over it.”

The puppy scrambled up onto my lap and nuzzled into my chest, shoving his furry head against my neck. Despite everything I knew about life, I was beginning to like this dog, even though I knew better than to get attached. What if the visit didn’t work? What if I never got to come back? What would this stupid little pushover do without someone to teach him to fend for himself? Could Liz find him somebody safe to love?

***

Carol took off before Ted got home from work. I was still pissed since she wouldn’t take me with her, but I also felt less tense without her around. Liz handed me a potato peeler and six spuds so I could help with supper. Not only had it been more than a year since I had a home-cooked meal, but this was a real feast. We had roast beef and real mashed potatoes, not the kind from a box. I made the salad and there were even homemade biscuits. For dessert, we had chocolate cake with thick fudge frosting.

Ted leaned back in his chair and picked up his coffee cup. “What do you think of our home, B.J.? Will you be happy here?”

I studied him warily. I knew Liz wanted me, but did he? Even if he did now, would he change his mind the first time I screwed up? And who knew if the old duffer was as nice as he acted in Seattle? Now that I was in his house, would he be like my other foster dads? An instant jerk now that Carol was gone?

When he kept looking at me, I said, “I guess will be okay, but it sure is quiet.”

“Compared to the youth center and Seattle, I’ll bet it is. What did you think of Ringo? He mows the lawn for us about twice a month during the spring and summer. He’s the vice-president of the 4-H club.”

I lifted my shoulder. “He’s okay.” Despite my attempt to act impassive, I could feel my cheeks burning. I just hoped Ted didn’t notice. But then I remembered how much make-up coated my face and said a silent prayer of thanks to Irene who suggested it.

Clearing my throat, I continued. “He said that cookies can hurt the puppy. Is that for real?”

“Dog cookies won’t, but people cookies will. You can brush your teeth, B.J.” Ted sipped his coffee. “But dogs can’t. My niece is a veterinarian and she’d tell you that chocolate can poison dogs. If you want to give your puppy a treat, try a piece of meat or dog treats. We keep some around to reward the dogs. And Liz can teach you how to make dog cookies if you want.”

“Really? People actually cook for dogs? That’s weird,” I said.

Liz laughed. “I have tons of recipes and you could probably find more on the Internet. Besides, where do you think dog food comes from?”

Good point. If I stuck around and they really left the furball to me, I’d have to watch his diet along with everything else. And it bothered me that the little bugger was still nameless. “Why didn’t you name him? I’ve never had to name anything before so I don’t know what to call him.”

“I couldn’t come up with anything better than Spot.” Ted rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “And Evelyn said with nine pups, she just called them by number. We can phone her and ask whether he was number eight or nine, if you like. He was one of the smallest in the litter, I know that. Of course, you might want to try something more original. He does have those little spots on his paws and head. That mottling is really common with heeler-collie mixes.”

“No one should be just a number,” I said. “Not even a dog.”

Ted chuckled. His face was like a crumpled paper sack and his silver white hair floated around his face when he laughed. So, he was the one who found a puppy for me. But Ted was still a man, I reminded myself. I had to be careful. I couldn’t afford to make him mad, and I knew better than to trust him, even if he hadn’t dropped the act yet.

Liz came back with the coffee pot and refilled Ted’s cup, then topped off her own. “Your puppy certainly knows he belongs to you. Ringo told me he protected you like a real guard dog.”

“That’s it! I’ll call him Guard-dog.” Somehow, it seemed to fit the puppy perfectly. Hadn’t he followed me around all afternoon and tried to protect me? He was even willing to take on a guy as big as Ringo. “Yeah, it’s the right name.”

“You could call him Guard for short,” Liz said. “I like it.”

“I still like Spot, or Eight or Nine,” Ted told us with a chuckle.

Liz rolled her eyes. “Forget it. It’s B.J.’s puppy and she found the perfect name for him.”

I got up and helped Liz clear the table. After we did the dishes together, she showed me how to feed the dogs. I wound up sitting next to Guard while he ate so none of the big bullies would steal his puppy chow. I had to call him back a couple times when he wandered off to hassle the pom-a-poops. And I was the one with ADD. What did he have?

The rest of the evening, we watched TV. Liz and I sat on the couch, while Ted ruled with the remote from his recliner. He surfed channels until he found a marathon of old
Bones
reruns and we watched as Temperance Brennan kicked butt for two hours. I didn’t tell Liz or Ted that it was one of my favorite shows. But when they got into a heated debate about who the murderer was, it was apparent that it was one of their favorite shows, too. Maybe the old geezers weren’t so bad after all.

When I went to bed, Guard stayed downstairs with the other dogs, watching the late night news with Liz and Ted. I kind of wished he hadn’t. It was too quiet, the silence reminding me that I was stuck in the middle of nowhere. What if someone broke into the house and attacked me? There was no one around to hear me scream.

Even though Liz had said the dogs could protect the house, I wasn’t too sure about that. I figured all the puppy would do was drown any burglar in sloppy kisses. The others didn’t seem much better, with one nearly deaf and another afraid of her own shadow. The poop twins were my only hope.

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Ted had taken the door off the closet like Liz promised. I knew they couldn’t lock me inside, but I still felt uneasy. I’d left the light on in the adjoining bathroom, but it didn’t help much.

I lay in bed, surrounded by the quiet darkness. My only comfort was the electric blanket I’d found on my bed. Its heat provided a cocoon of toasty warmth, but I still couldn’t sleep. Minutes ticked by and I waited.

Then, I heard it.

Thump, thump, thump. Whine!

Oh God
, I thought as a chill snaked down my spine. What the heck was that?! It sounded like a baby crying. But why was there a baby suddenly crying out in the hallway? I tugged the blanket up to my chin, resisting the urge to cover my entire head. Only little brats hid under the covers.

Whine, thump, thump.

Something scratched at my door. I desperately wanted to chase the evil away with more light but I couldn’t make my hand move to the lamp on the nightstand. My palms were sweating. I clenched my hands into fists and tried to breathe normally.
Stop panting like a freakin’ dog
, I told myself.
Think, B.J.
!
It’s probably just the house settling and you’re gonna to feel really stupid for acting like a scared little brat.

The door creaked as it began to open. My paralysis vanished and I could finally move. I grabbed for the lamp, nearly toppling it to the floor as I switched it on. A dim light filled the room. I reached under my pillow and pulled out Irene’s heavy black flashlight. She’d loaned me the
Mag-Lite
for this visit, though it wasn’t really hers to loan out. She’d stolen it from one of the night guards at the center, who were only there to keep the kids in, as opposed to keeping intruders out.

Was Ted trying to come in? If he did, I’d konk the old man up-side the head and then run for it. I wasn’t about to let some old man try to climb into bed with me. It wasn’t like it’d be the first time either. Over the years, I’d gotten pretty good at keeping the perverts away. And if a blow to the head didn’t work, I could make it back to the streets of Seattle in no time.

I gripped the metal flashlight tighter as the door opened further. I’d known this place was too good to be true, even with a puppy. Especially with a puppy. I clicked the flashlight on and aimed it at the door.

It wasn’t Ted at the door. It was Guard-dog.

The puppy trotted to the side of my bed. The rest of the dogs pushed the door open all the way and followed him into the room. Relief swept through me. It wasn’t a pervert, or a monster, or Ted. It was just five dumb dogs.

But what did they want? And how did Guard get upstairs by himself? Okay, so he had the canine contingent, but I couldn’t see one of them carrying him.

I hunched up against the pillows, wishing Liz was there.
Don’t eat me. Don’t eat me. Don’t eat me!

Samson and Delilah jumped up on the bed, moving down to lie on my feet. Great. Were they holding me down so I couldn’t struggle? Guard sat by the bed and growled at them and I couldn’t help smiling. I stuffed the flashlight back under my pillow where I could reach it, super easy. Then, I reached down and lifted the puppy up onto the bed. After he turned around a couple times, he collapsed beside me, plopping his black furry head on my right arm, but it didn’t matter. I was ambidextrous. I could konk somebody with my left-hand just as well as my right. Bull and Fifi decided the floor was just fine and zonked out next to the bed.

I was safe. Well, maybe. Guard was just a baby. He couldn’t hurt me. And the rest of them looked more sleepy than hungry. If I left the lamp on, I’d be able to spot anybody coming into the room and I could see the rest of the dogs before they severed my limbs. I wrapped my right arm around Guard and held him tight.

I listened hard, but all I heard was the house settling into silence. No footsteps. No man coming into the room. I had Guard-dog to protect me. I smiled at the puppy’s soft belly rising and falling rapidly as he slept, then slipped my hand under the pillow and touched the flashlight. Still here. I still had it. I was safe.

But a hint of uncertainty refused to let go. It was only the first night, after all. I’d have to wait and see.

***

The next morning no one said anything about the dogs in my room. They had tried and failed to kill me on the stairs again, and smiling, I mentally chocked up another point for my side. Guard’s feet slid out from under him as he raced the bigger dogs down the hall to the kitchen.

After breakfast, I played with Guard out on the lawn. I began to teach him to come when he was called, using the dog treats Liz provided. He did it most of the time, unless he got distracted, which was fairly often.
Typical of a little kid, even one with four feet and fur
.

As Liz had instructed the day before, I kept a close watch on him. Occasionally, he tried to drift toward the road. It was about an eighth of a mile away from the house since the Driscolls had such a big yard, but he was quick for someone with such stubby little legs. And even with the little amount of traffic in Stewart Falls, I didn’t want to see him scrunched. It was one thing to be tough. It was another to be stupid. Guard still had a lot to learn.