Bulldog Won't Budge by Tui T. Sutherland

Author:Tui T. Sutherland
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2014-12-26T16:00:00+00:00

If I hadn’t been so focused on worrying about Rebekah, I probably would have suspected what was coming. I mean, my sisters and their cats were the bosses of the house, even if Mom and Tony didn’t realize how often they got everything they wanted. And they weren’t going to let anything change that. Especially not a big snorting pile of overenthusiastic fur and drool like poor Meatball.

They launched their attack at dinner that night. For once, we were all at the table at the same time, without any guests (like Parker, who comes over a lot, especially when his sister is making strange tofu things). Meatball was shut up in my room, snoring with his head buried under my pillows. Ariadne and Odysseus were prowling back and forth under the dinner table, and I had my feet tucked up under my chair, hoping they wouldn’t suddenly attack from below. Tony had made fried chicken and baked potatoes and asparagus. He had lived on his own for a long time before he met Mom, so he’s actually a pretty good cook.

“Mom,” Mercy said in her “sweet” voice. I looked up sharply. I know that voice. It’s the we need new basketball sneakers more than Eric needs a new computer mouse voice. Also the you should teach us how to drive this afternoon instead of taking Eric for his long-overdue haircut like you promised voice.

Mercy is better at the voice than Faith is, so she’s always the one to start it off. Faith has trouble even pretending to be that nice, so mostly she says “Yeah, Mom” and “Exactly!” while Mercy talks. I think it’s crazy how Mom can’t spot their act coming from a mile away. But it always works on her, every single time.

“Yes, dear?” Mom said, cutting her asparagus into neat bite-sized pieces.

Mercy tossed her hair back and gave Mom a smile that said I know it’s silly of me to even ask this, but … “Faith and I were just wondering when that dog is going to the shelter.”

“Yeah,” Faith chimed in.

“Oh,” Mom said, glancing at me. “Well …”

“I really think he’s upsetting Ariadne,” Mercy said, practically batting her eyelashes. “She’s been meowing a lot more for the last couple of days. Yesterday I found her hiding under my bed when I came home. I don’t know what that dog did to her while we were out, but she was, like, totally traumatized.”

Yeah. I bet. Ariadne is about as easy to traumatize as Godzilla.

“Exactly!” Faith said. “I think Odysseus is losing his fur, he’s so nervous.”

I nearly spit baked potato all over the table. Odysseus was many things — sinister, conniving, vengeful, bullying, surprisingly full of pee — but he was never, ever nervous.

“The sooner we get rid of that dog, the better,” Mercy said. “Right, Mom? I mean, he’s so not us. The couch was, like, covered in dog fur last night.”

I wondered how she could tell through all the cat fur that’s usually all over it.

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