Riley Read Online Free PDF

thought about chasing after her, but couldn’t decide if she should.
    Suddenly Maya was coming through the bushes toward her.
    â€œWhere did you and Riley go?” she called as she came close. “I was waiting for you two to run back to me. Were you hiding from me? Trying to teach me a lesson, right?”
    Then Maya looked more closely at Kat. “What is it?” She touched Kat’s arm. “Did something happen?”
    Kat nodded her head. She was confused by what had happened. “Grace…Grace was here. She was sitting right there, reading. Riley must have heard her in here, so she dragged me in.” Kat spoke slowly, explaining. “Grace asked me if Riley was my puppy and whether she could pet her, and I didn’t answer. Maya, she seemed so angry at me. I thought she might hit me. Or hurt Riley.”
    â€œOh, boy,” Maya said.
    She sat down in the leaves. Kat sank down beside her. Riley immediately jumped into Kat’s lap for a snuggle.
    â€œI was scared, so I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t speak or move.” Kat rubbed Riley’s plump tummy.
    â€œWow,” Maya said softly.
    Kat thought for a minute. “But maybe I’ve been wrong about Grace.”
    Maya lifted her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
    â€œRiley was so sweet to Grace. She just wanted to say hello. She wanted Grace to pet her. Maybe Riley is trying to tell me something. Maybe I haven’t really given Grace a chance. Maybe she isn’t as mean as I think.” Kat’s voice was quivering.
    â€œKat, Riley is just a puppy. Puppies love everyone,” Maya said.
    â€œWell, maybe,” Kat said. “But still. Riley seemed so happy to see her. It was like she wanted to make Grace feel better. There must be a reason for it.” Kat buried her face in Riley’s fur. “You know, Grace is new. We should feel sorry for her. And she does seem to like dogs.”
    Maya stared at her. “Seriously? I can’t believe you’re saying that, Kat,” she said. “You’re not saying you want to be her friend?” She paused. “You’re not saying you want us to be her friends.”
    Kat shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said, and it was true. She was confused by her feelings.
    Kat would do anything for a puppy who needed her help. That was easy. So, why was it so much harder to do something for a person, a new girl in her class?

The next morning, Kat still didn’t know what to do about Grace. She tried to think about puppies while she waited for her brother. Puppies here, puppies there. Puppies, puppies, everywhere…
    But it didn’t work.
    Then she tried to think about Riley. Sweet little Riley, with her beautiful brown eyes, her silky-soft ears, and her big, floppy paws…
    But that didn’t work either.
    All Kat could think about was Grace.
    I’ve got to speak to her today , Kat decided as she and Aidan walked to school. Even though just thinking about it made her stomach tight. What would she say? Ask her to be friends? No. Maya didn’t want that. She’d made that clear. So what else?
    Apologize? Tell her a joke? One or the other would be good.
    I’ll get it over with and do it right away , Kat thought. I’ll speak to her before school starts.
    But Grace didn’t get to class until after the bell rang. Everyone was already at their desks. Grace dropped into her chair as Ms. Mitchell began the morning announcements.
    Okay, I’ll speak to her at morning recess , Kat said to herself. But when recess came, Ms. Mitchell asked Grace to stay inside for a chat.
    Then it was lunchtime. I’ll speak to her now for sure , thought Kat. But when the class was dismissed, Kat couldn’t find Grace anywhere. Maybe she had gone home for lunch. Or maybe she was sitting alone somewhere, eating. This wasn’t easy!
    â€œHave either of you seen Grace?” she asked two girls from her