You can't have Noodle after all." Scott looked stunned. "I thought you said that he was my pet, too!" he said. "Does this mean we're getting a divorce?" "I don't know," said Hannie. "Maybe. But anyway, you have to find your own pet." Kristy groaned. It looked like the honeymoon was over for those two. And it looked like her latest idea might end up being more trouble than it was worth. The pet show was supposed to be fun - but the kids seemed to be taking it a little too seriously.

    Chapter 7.

    "Hey, Princess," said Lisa. "How's it going?" I smiled. "Fine," I said. "I'm really up for today, aren't you?" Lisa nodded.

    "You'd better be up," said Hilary, overhearing me. "You haven't been doing too well so far. Sleeping Beauty's sleeping on the job." I ignored her. I knew that none of the things that had happened at the first and second rehearsal had been my fault. But today would be different. Today, things would go smoothly.

    It was the day of the third rehearsal, and it was time to change out of my school clothes. I pulled on my new pink tights and my new black leotard. Over the tights I pulled on my new (blue) leg warmers. I put on my new baggy sweat shirt.

    "Woo, new outfit!" said Lisa. "Nice!" "Thanks!" I said.

    How did I get all that brand-new stuff? I used my hard-earned baby-sitting money, that's how. And I hated having to do it. Sure, it's nice to have new things - I retired my older things to serve as spares right away. Still, it doesn't really seem fair. I'm trying to save that money for other things. But there was no way I could get by with just one of everything - I'd learned that lesson well enough. So I bit the bullet and laid out the money.

    I'd even stretched my cash to buy one other thing - something that I hoped would prevent anyone from taking my stuff ever again. It was a new dance bag. The old one had been big enough, and it was still in pretty good shape. But the new one. has something that the old one didn't have. The new one has a zipper at either end, and the zipper tabs meet in the middle. Guess what. There's this tiny padlock that I can use to lock the zippers together.