Jacqueline lives in an apartment with two of her friends. The landlord does not allow them to have pets. Jacqueline was disappointed by this because she always wanted to have a dog. Her roommate Wanda suggested that they get a fish. A fish would be easy to take care of. They never had to worry about the landlord finding out because there were no video cameras inside their apartment.
Jacqueline bought the fish from a pet store. It came in a plastic bag. She put the plastic bag in another bag. That way the landlord would never know even if she watched the security camera that is in the hallway. acqueline and Wanda named the fish Coach after the famous handbag brand. Jacqueline and Wanda took very good care of Coach. They fed him properly and cleaned his tank when they needed to. They took a lot of pictures with the fish, too.
After a couple of weeks, however, they started to get bored of their fish. A fish is not like a dog. You can't run with it or pet it or dress it up. Neither Jacqueline nor Wanda wanted to take care of it. "It's your turn to feed him!" Wanda yelled. "Ugh! Fine!" Jacqueline said. Jacqueline and Wanda made their third roommate take care of the fish while they went on vacation. When they came back, they found Coach dead. They felt bad, but they didn't care that much.
Vocabulary
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Apartment – a set of rooms to live in, usually part of a building
Jacqueline lives in an apartment with two friends. -
Landlord – a person who owns and rents out property
The landlord didn’t allow pets. -
Disappointed – feeling sad because something didn’t happen
Jacqueline was disappointed she couldn’t have a dog. -
Roommate – a person you share a room or apartment with
Her roommate Wanda suggested getting a fish. -
Pet – an animal kept for companionship
They weren’t allowed to have pets. -
Fish – a small water animal with fins and gills
They decided to get a fish instead of a dog. -
Security camera – a camera used to monitor and record activity
They hid the fish from the security camera. -
Plastic bag – a bag made of thin plastic
Jacqueline carried the fish in a plastic bag. -
Handbag – a small bag used to carry personal items
They named the fish Coach after a famous handbag brand. -
Tank – a glass container filled with water for fish
They cleaned the fish’s tank regularly. -
Fed – past tense of "feed"; to give food
They fed the fish properly. -
Properly – in the right way
They took care of Coach properly at first. -
Vacation – time away from school or work for rest or travel
Jacqueline and Wanda went on vacation. -
Bored – feeling tired or uninterested
They got bored of taking care of the fish. -
Pet (verb) – to gently touch or stroke an animal
You can’t pet a fish like you can a dog. -
Dress up – to put clothes on something or someone
They couldn’t dress up the fish. -
Yelled – shouted loudly
Wanda yelled that it was Jacqueline’s turn to feed the fish. -
Third roommate – the other person living with them
They made their third roommate take care of the fish. -
Dead – not alive anymore
They found Coach dead when they came back. -
Care – to feel concern or interest
They felt bad, but didn’t care that much.