Glen Oak had been very cold that day. But not as cold as Ruthie's heart.
The twelve year old girl was having the time of her life, in Grade 6 and
enjoying one of her best years ever. She walked down the corridors of her
school, prim and proper, studying every individual she came across in the
hall, weeding out all the individuals who she thought were losers. Like
those who wore black clothing, or boys that wore earrings, or maybe those
who did not fit her standards of perfection. It was her job to play judge
and jury, to be a spy and warning system for her family. Tell them of any
potential heathens and evildoers to her family for rooting out and
isolating them for possible eradication. This was who she was, it was her
destiny, and she loved every minute of it.
"Hi Ruthie. You're not going to believe what I just heard.", Peter said as he approached her from the side. Ruthie liked Peter very much because she provided her with something that made her feel like an adult, a boyfriend.
"Hi Peter. What's that?"
"There's this rumor going around that one of the students is delivering drugs."
"No! You mean a drug dealer?"
Peter nodded.
"Have they caught him yet?"
"Well actually the principal is acting as if nothing is happening. She's just ignoring it."
"Why?"
Peter shrugged, "I asked her the same thing but she just said it was only a rumor and completely untrue."
"Well I'm going to tell my mom about it and see if my parents can get to the bottom of this."
Suddenly as she rounded the corner she walked straight into Linda De Leon, the girl who kept calling her 'monkey luvah'. Something dropped from around Linda's neck and Linda hurriedly picked it up.
"Hey watch it Camden!", Linda said as she put something back around her neck and walked past her. Ruthie's eyebrows furrowed as she recognized the object as a stethoscope. But something was engraved on it that she had heard about before, the word Bulldog. She had heard her parents mentioning it before and she was not happy. For the rest of the day she could not quite put her finger on it and it bothered her that she could not remember the significance of that name. She prided herself in knowing everything.
++++++++++
Annie Camden was furious when she heard the news. She began making calls to other parents of schoolchildren who went to Ruthie's school. How dare she ignore the problem! Drugs were dangerous! There was going to be all hell to pay.
Ruthie was in her room looking through her little black book. She kept looking through all her notes and still could not come up with the answer. And for that matter what would Linda be doing with a stethoscope anyways? That was odd. She hid the little black book in it's hiding place, a small locked chest she used to keep her most private things. Then went downstairs again.
Annie was cooking dinner now and Ruthie decided to ask her mother, "Mom why would a classmate of mine be carrying a stethoscope with the name Bulldog written on it?"
Annie stopped what she was doing and stared at Ruthie as if she had just did something horrendous.
"Who did you see carrying a stethoscope like that?", Annie said in a serious tone.
"Linda DeLeon. One of my classmates. Why?"
Annie made one of her faces, the one that would frighten even God, and kneeled in front of her daughter, her hands firmly on Ruthie's shoulders.
"I want you to promise me that you will never get involved with that girl, ever. She's bad."
"What did she do?"
"Nothing that you should know about. Believe me she is a nothing but a bad influence. Promise me."
Ruthie nodded and Annie hugged her daughter and said, "It's nice to know I have at least one other daughter who would do good in this world."
++++++++++
Ruthie was determined more than ever to find out what Linda's secret was. Annie looked like she would explode if she knew that Ruthie and Linda were friends. Which made it all that more enticing. If Ruthie could find out Linda's secret and expose it she would be dethroned as the most popular girl in the school. Which would make Ruthie, the second most popular, the new queen of the school. Definitely worth trying! Now why would Linda be carrying a stethoscope? And what is the significance of the word 'Bulldog'?
"Hi Ruthie. You're not going to believe what I just heard.", Peter said as he approached her from the side. Ruthie liked Peter very much because she provided her with something that made her feel like an adult, a boyfriend.
"Hi Peter. What's that?"
"There's this rumor going around that one of the students is delivering drugs."
"No! You mean a drug dealer?"
Peter nodded.
"Have they caught him yet?"
"Well actually the principal is acting as if nothing is happening. She's just ignoring it."
"Why?"
Peter shrugged, "I asked her the same thing but she just said it was only a rumor and completely untrue."
"Well I'm going to tell my mom about it and see if my parents can get to the bottom of this."
Suddenly as she rounded the corner she walked straight into Linda De Leon, the girl who kept calling her 'monkey luvah'. Something dropped from around Linda's neck and Linda hurriedly picked it up.
"Hey watch it Camden!", Linda said as she put something back around her neck and walked past her. Ruthie's eyebrows furrowed as she recognized the object as a stethoscope. But something was engraved on it that she had heard about before, the word Bulldog. She had heard her parents mentioning it before and she was not happy. For the rest of the day she could not quite put her finger on it and it bothered her that she could not remember the significance of that name. She prided herself in knowing everything.
++++++++++
Annie Camden was furious when she heard the news. She began making calls to other parents of schoolchildren who went to Ruthie's school. How dare she ignore the problem! Drugs were dangerous! There was going to be all hell to pay.
Ruthie was in her room looking through her little black book. She kept looking through all her notes and still could not come up with the answer. And for that matter what would Linda be doing with a stethoscope anyways? That was odd. She hid the little black book in it's hiding place, a small locked chest she used to keep her most private things. Then went downstairs again.
Annie was cooking dinner now and Ruthie decided to ask her mother, "Mom why would a classmate of mine be carrying a stethoscope with the name Bulldog written on it?"
Annie stopped what she was doing and stared at Ruthie as if she had just did something horrendous.
"Who did you see carrying a stethoscope like that?", Annie said in a serious tone.
"Linda DeLeon. One of my classmates. Why?"
Annie made one of her faces, the one that would frighten even God, and kneeled in front of her daughter, her hands firmly on Ruthie's shoulders.
"I want you to promise me that you will never get involved with that girl, ever. She's bad."
"What did she do?"
"Nothing that you should know about. Believe me she is a nothing but a bad influence. Promise me."
Ruthie nodded and Annie hugged her daughter and said, "It's nice to know I have at least one other daughter who would do good in this world."
++++++++++
Ruthie was determined more than ever to find out what Linda's secret was. Annie looked like she would explode if she knew that Ruthie and Linda were friends. Which made it all that more enticing. If Ruthie could find out Linda's secret and expose it she would be dethroned as the most popular girl in the school. Which would make Ruthie, the second most popular, the new queen of the school. Definitely worth trying! Now why would Linda be carrying a stethoscope? And what is the significance of the word 'Bulldog'?