Puppy Love! Read online

  Angela considered this. They went swimming every other Friday, but so far no one had come near drowning. Anyway, Miss Darling stayed on the side and didn’t even get her feet wet. If she was going to win Teacher of the Year she’d have to try a lot harder.

  The next day at school Angela called a meeting of the GOBS club (GIRLS ONLY, BOYS SMELL).

  As usual Angela opened the meeting.

  “Well, I asked my dad,” she said. “And he says you’ve just got to get noticed.”

  “Who has?” asked Laura, confused.

  “Miss Darling of course, if she wants to be Teacher of the Year,” replied Angela.

  “We don’t even know if she wants to,” Maisie pointed out. “She might not.”

  Angela gave her a weary look.

  “Of course she wants to, Maisie,” she said. “But it’s no good her just marking books and stuff, she has to do something amazing.”

  They sat in silence for a while, trying to think.

  “She could dye her hair pink,” said Maisie. “My cousin Kylie did that and everyone noticed.”

  Angela shook her head. She didn’t think pink hair would help to win Teacher of the Year.

  “What if she became famous?” asked Laura. “Maybe she could be the first teacher in space!”

  “That would get you noticed!” said Angela. But she doubted Miss Darling had time to train as an astronaut on top of teaching her class.

  “My dad says she could save someone or something,” explained Angela.

  “She could save Tiffany from being eaten by a crocodile!” suggested Laura.

  “I wouldn’t save her,” said Maisie. “And where are we going to find a crocodile?”

  “Well, maybe not a crocodile,” said Angela. “But I know where to find a tiger.”

  The other two looked at her in surprise. “Where?” they asked.

  “In my room,” said Angela. “I got a tiger onesie for Christmas.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” said Maisie. “You can’t save someone from a tiger onesie!”

  “You haven’t seen it,” replied Angela. “It’s got eyes and ears and everything. I bet if you wore it, people would think it was a real tiger.”

  Laura looked doubtful. “But who’s going to come to school dressed as a tiger?” she asked.

  Uh-oh. Angela and Maisie were both looking at her with funny expressions.

  “No way!” she said.

  The next day, Angela brought her tiger onesie into school, hidden in her backpack. She took it out to show her friends when no one was around. It had two green eyes, striped fur and a long tail.

  “Cool!” said Maisie. “That looks brilliant!”

  Laura didn’t seem convinced. “I’m not wearing that. I’ll look stupid,” she grumbled.

  “No, you won’t,” said Angela. “Anyway, if it’s zipped up, no one will see your face.”

  “Except Miss Darling,” said Maisie.

  “Not even her,” said Angela. “You can hide in the toilets and we’ll tell her there’s an escaped tiger.”

  “But how will anyone know I’m a tiger if I’m hiding?” asked Laura.

  “They’ll probably look in through the door for a second,” said Angela. “But you can growl like a tiger about to eat them and they’re bound to run out before they realize it’s you. Go on, try it.”

  Laura sighed and took a breath. “Grrr,” she said.

  “Not like that!” groaned Angela. “You’re meant to scare people to death!”

  Laura screwed up her face and tried again. “GRRRRRRRR!”

  “You sound like my gran when she’s eaten too much,” said Maisie. “You’re going to have to practise.”

  Angela’s plan was for the three of them to slip into the girls’ toilets at break time. As soon as Laura changed into her costume, Angela and Maisie would raise the alarm. Once Miss Darling caught a glimpse of the tiger she would stay outside the door. At that point, Laura could quickly get changed and they’d say that the tiger had escaped through a window, all thanks to Miss Darling. It was a good plan – at least, Angela thought so.

  DRRRINNG!

  The bell rang for break time. Angela and her friends hurried out and slipped into the girls’ toilets. Laura got changed into the tiger costume while Maisie guarded the main door.

  “Remember,” said Angela. “Stay on all fours and make lots of noise.”

  Laura zipped up the tiger suit.

  “But what if someone comes?” she worried.

  “They won’t,” said Angela.

  “And if they do, growl at them. GRRRR!” said Maisie.

  Laura sighed. Maisie was much better at growling. Why couldn’t she dress up as the tiger?

  “Wait until Miss Darling has got a look at you, then get changed,” said Angela. “We’ll say she scared the tiger away.”

  Laura pulled down the hood and zipped it up tight. Why, oh why, had she let Angela talk her into this? She got down on all fours, trying to look like a fierce tiger.

  “Let’s go,” said Angela, giving Laura a thumbs up.

  WHAM! Angela and Maisie burst out of the toilets, almost bumping into Tiffany Charmers outside.

  “HEEEEELP! A TIGER!” screamed Angela.

  “What?” said Tiffany, covering her ears.

  “A TIGER! IN THE TOILETS! Don’t go in there!” cried Maisie.

  “Oh, HA HA, very funny,” said Tiffany sarcastically. She pushed open the door…

  “GRRRRR!”

  Tiffany quickly slammed the door shut and stood against it, turning pale.

  “There’s a … a … TIGER!” she stammered. “I saw its back!”

  Angela nodded. “I know! We tried to tell you!”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” asked Tiffany. “We’ve got to find a teacher!”

  Out in the playground Miss Darling was chatting to a group of infants. Suddenly she was interrupted by loud shrieks as three girls burst out of the school.

  “THERE’S A TIGER!” squealed Tiffany.

  “In the toilets!” gasped Maisie.

  “It almost gobbled us up!” added Angela, for dramatic effect.

  Miss Darling took a deep breath. “Okay, calm down,” she said. “Now tell me slowly, what’s the matter?”

  “A TIGER!” panted Angela. “It’s got into the girls’ toilets. You’ve got to come now!”

  Miss Darling raised her eyes to the heavens.

  “A tiger?” she said. “Is this some kind of game, Angela?”

  “No, Miss, it’s true, honestly!” said Angela.

  “Maybe I should take a look,” smiled Miss Darling.

  Angela couldn’t see what there was to smile about – this was a matter of life and death! And she wished Miss Darling would hurry up because a crowd was starting to gather. Suddenly Miss Boot appeared, stomping across the playground towards them.

  “WHAT’S GOING ON?” she boomed.

  Miss Darling raised her eyebrows again. “The girls think they’ve seen a tiger,” she said.

  “A tiger? Don’t be ridiculous! Where?” demanded Miss Boot.

  “In the girls’ toilets!” answered Angela.

  “If this is your idea of a joke, Angela…” said Miss Boot.

  “It isn’t, Miss,” said Angela. “We saw it!”

  “Very well, show me,” said Miss Boot.

  They all set off with Angela leading the way. Angela felt things weren’t going exactly to plan. Miss Darling was meant to save the school, not Miss Boot.

  A minute later, they were standing outside the girls’ toilets. Miss Boot banged on the door, armed with a mop from the caretaker’s cupboard.

  “Who’s in there? Answer me!” she barked.

  They waited a few seconds.

  “GRRRrrrRRrr!” The tiger didn’t sound too sure of itself.

  “See? A tiger,” said Angela. “But maybe if we don’t bother him, he’ll go away.”

  Miss Boot shook her head. “If that’s a tiger, I’m a monkey’s aunt,” she said,
banging on the door again. “COME OUT! DO YOU HEAR ME?”

  “GRRrrrr,” went the tiger, a note of panic creeping into its voice.

  “That’s it,” snorted Miss Boot. “I’m going in!”

  WHAM!

  Miss Boot burst into the toilets waving her mop in one hand. The tiger screamed and scuttled away, but Miss Boot grabbed it by the tail.

  “ARGHHH!” squawked the tiger as it was dragged across the floor.

  “LAURA?” said Miss Darling. “Is that you?”

  Laura sat up and pulled down her hood to reveal her face.

  “It was Angela’s idea,” she sniffed. “She MADE me do it!”

  Uh-oh, thought Angela, now there was going to be trouble.

  “We were only trying to help!” she said.

  “Help? Help who?” asked Miss Boot.

  “Miss Darling,” said Angela. “We wanted her to win Teacher of the Year. We thought if she rescued us from a tiger it would help!”

  Miss Darling looked stern, though she was trying not to laugh. “ANGELA!” she groaned.

  But Miss Boot did not see the funny side. Pretending to be a tiger was against the rules and the Head would have to be told.

  The next morning at breakfast Angela’s dad was reading the newspaper. Suddenly he cried out, “Oh look, Teacher of the Year!”

  “What? Where?” said Angela.

  Her dad read out the article.

  TEACHER OF THE YEAR IS BLOOMING MARVELLOUS

  Betty Dripworthy was yesterday named Teacher of the Year. Miss Dripworthy and her class have turned their unloved schoolyard into a ower garden.

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” groaned Angela. After all the trouble they’d gone to for Miss Darling’s sake, the winner had simply planted a bunch of flowers! Really, thought Angela, there was no justice in the world.

  Angela leaped out of bed. Yabadoozy! It was Friday – the day she was going to Brownie camp. A whole weekend camping with her friends! Sleeping in a tent, making campfires and having midnight feasts every night. It was going to be the greatest trip ever!

  Angela had never been camping before. Her mum couldn’t see the point. Why sleep on a lumpy airbed in the freezing cold, she said, when you could be tucked up in your own bed? But Angela thought that camping would be a great adventure. Her best friends Maisie and Laura were going, and Tiffany Charmers, too – worse luck.

  Tiffany had joined Brownies a month before Angela, which meant that she was the world expert. She already had a sash full of badges, which she showed Angela every week.

  So far Angela only had two badges – Road Safety and the Brownie badge, which didn’t really count. Still, Brown Owl said that they could earn new badges at camp. Angela couldn’t wait. She was going to collect so many badges that she would need a bigger uniform to make room for them all.

  At five o’ clock, Angela’s mum walked her to the church hall. Maisie and Laura were there, loading their bags into the minibus.

  Soon they were heading out of town and into the countryside. Brown Owl and Tawny Owl sat in the front seat.

  “So, who’s been camping before?” asked Brown Owl, turning round.

  “I have,” said Laura. “In the back garden.”

  “Huh! That’s not REAL camping,” scoffed Tiffany. “I’ve stayed on a campsite dozens of times.”

  “Really?” said Brown Owl. “And where do you go camping, Tiffany?”

  “In France, every summer,” boasted Tiffany. “It’s the best campsite in the universe! It’s got a restaurant, a playground and three swimming pools!”

  “Hmm,” said Brown Owl. “Well, you might find this weekend a little different.”

  As the sun sank, the bus turned down a bumpy track and finally came to a halt. The girls piled out, eager to look around. The campsite was in a scrubby field, surrounded by trees. There was a barn, a cow field next door and little else.

  “Where are the tents?” asked Tiffany.

  “We’ve brought our own,” replied Brown Owl, unloading the bags.

  “But I can’t see a swimming pool!” grumbled Tiffany.

  “No!” laughed Brown Owl. “If you want a swim there’s a river right there.”

  Tiffany looked horrified. She wasn’t swimming in a freezing cold river. There might be frogs, or other slimy creatures.

  Laura was looking around anxiously. “Where’s the bathroom?” she asked.

  “Over there,” said Tawny Owl, pointing to the rickety old barn. “There’s a cold tap, a sink and a toilet next door. Everything we need.”

  Tiffany held her head. “We’ve got to wash in a BARN? In COLD WATER?” she wailed.

  “It won’t kill you,” grinned Brown Owl.

  “UGHHH!” yelled Tiffany, stomping off in a sulk.

  Angela thought Tiffany might have gone home there and then if she could. No baths or hot showers – by the end of the weekend they were going to be so dirty!

  Brown Owl divided them into six groups and gave each one a tent. Angela was sharing with Maisie and Laura, while Alice and Suki were stuck with Tiffany. None of them had ever put up a tent before, so Brown Owl showed them how to do it. Angela thought it didn’t look that difficult.

  After several attempts and a lot of arguments, Angela’s group finally got the tent to stay up. As it grew dark, everyone sat round the campfire, eating sausages and beans. Then Brown Owl packed them all off to bed.

  “I shall be coming round at nine in the morning for tent inspection,” she warned. “And I expect every tent to be neat and tidy. The group with the tidiest tent over the weekend will earn their Camper badges.”

  Camper badges? Angela’s eyes lit up. She needed that badge badly. For a start, it was one badge that smartypants Tiffany didn’t have. She would turn green with envy every time she set eyes on it. All Angela had to do was keep the tent perfectly tidy – what could be simpler?

  Later that night, Angela and her friends lay in their sleeping bags. Clothes and boots were scattered around the tent. Their plan was to get up early to tidy the tent before inspection.

  Laura sat up. “ANGELA!” she hissed. “Are you awake?”

  “Mmm,” mumbled Angela.

  “I can’t sleep in the dark,” complained Laura. “Can’t we have the light on?”

  “There isn’t a light. Go back to sleep!” sighed Angela.

  They lay still for a while, listening to Maisie’s loud snores.

  “What if there are snakes?” said Laura. “What if a big snake gets into the tent while we’re asleep?”

  “There aren’t any snakes,” sighed Angela.

  THUMP!

  Laura almost jumped out of her skin.

  “What was that?” she yelped. “Listen!”

  THUMP. THUMP.

  It sounded like something was moving around outside. The trouble with tents was there was no lock on the door.

  “It’s probably just the wind,” Angela whispered.

  “But what if it isn’t?” moaned Laura. “What if it’s a snake or wolf … or a grizzly bear?”

  SNAP!

  There it was again, very close to the tent. Angela didn’t think there were bears in the countryside, but you couldn’t be certain. She shook Maisie awake.

  “Mmm? Was going on?” mumbled Maisie, rolling over.

  Angela put a finger to her lips. “SHHH! There’s something outside!” she whispered.

  Maisie propped herself up on her elbows. The three of them held their breath.

  “You imagined it,” yawned Maisie, lying down again.

  “We didn’t!” whispered Laura. “We both heard it.”

  Angela found her torch and switched it on. Her face was ghostly white.

  “Let’s go and look,” she said.

  “What? Out there?” squeaked Laura.

  “It’s better than sitting here,” said Angela. “With three of us, we can scare it off.”

  Angela unzipped the tent and they crawled out into the cold, dark night. The sky above them was full of sta
rs.

  Laura shivered. “Okay, we’ve looked. Let’s go back inside now,” she begged.

  “Not until we’ve checked around,” said Angela. She crept forward slowly. Her torchbeam picked out the ashes of their campfire. Over their heads the trees creaked in the wind. Laura held on to Angela’s arm while Maisie picked up a stick just in case.

  “TEE, HEE, HEE! SHH!”

  Angela swung round. She was just in time to see two hooded figures scramble out of a tent and vanish into the dark.

  “That’s our tent!” said Angela. “Quick!”

  They hurried back to their tent and crawled inside.

  “My airbed’s gone down!” moaned Maisie.

  “Mine, too!” wailed Laura.

  “And mine!” cried Angela.

  She narrowed her eyes. Only one person could have done this.

  “ANGELA! WAKE UP!”

  Angela blinked and opened her eyes. What was all the noise about?

  She sat up in her sleeping bag. Bright sunlight dazzled her eyes. What was Brown Owl doing in their tent at this hour?

  “It’s gone nine, Angela!” said Brown Owl. “All the other groups are up and dressed!”

  Angela rubbed her eyes. Her back ached from sleeping on the rock hard ground. Laura and Maisie were huddled in their pyjamas looking sheepish. Brown Owl pointed at the clothes lying around.

  “This tent is a mess!” she said. “Didn’t I tell you to keep it tidy?”

  “But … but we just woke up!” protested Angela.

  “Then you should have set an alarm,” said Brown Owl.

  “It wasn’t our fault!” grumbled Maisie. “Someone let down our airbeds and—”