How long are you gonna keep me here?
Only forever.
Are we gonna be here all day?
My haircuts only take ten minutes when Dad does it.
Didn't we just spend two hours at Kickity Kicks where someone
had to try on every pair of sneakers?
Yeah, but that was fun.
Sweetheart, you're gonna hurt Valerie's feelings.
Why don't you flip through some magazines?
Cause they're, like, a hundred years old.
He's not wrong.
We did just get a new vending machine in the back.
Mom. Please?
Healthy snacks only.
-Bring me back my change. -You're not getting your change back.
No, I'm not. Yeah. No.
Hey, sweetie. The bathroom is just the next door over.
Are you okay?
Uh-huh. Yeah, great. Really great.
-Okay. -I just found out I'm leaving tomorrow
on a world tour as a celebrity personal stylist.
It's the opportunity of a lifetime.
That doesn't sound like something to be crying about.
I know. It's wonderful. But…
it's Princess. I can't take her with me.
She hates flying, and I'd be dragging her all over the world.
She'd be absolutely miserable.
So what are you gonna do?
My sister.
She's gonna take her. But she has cats, so Princess has to live in the garage.
And her husband's always working on his motorcycles,
and he's revving the engines, and Princess has sensitive eardrums.
It's not ideal.
But it is a home.
I think I can help you.
I know you didn't find that in the vending machine.
This is Princess, our new foster puppy.
Your son is my hero.
He said he was gonna help find Princess a new home.
Charles?
What happened to asking Dad and me before offering to take in a new dog?
But Princess really needs us.
I know that it's a lot to ask. But I promise,
once you get to know Princess, she is such a love.
She just has a few particulars.
She said a few particulars. This is ten pages of rules.
"Must be sung a lullaby in order to fall asleep."
What puppy only drinks French bottled water?
And needs to be brushed… a hundred times a day?
Well, of course a princess has royal decrees.
But I bet they're worth it.
-She's so cute. -Looks like you two have your hands full.
Well, actually, Charles, I'll help you when I can,
but Maria and I have a huge ancient civilizations project
that we're gonna be working on all week.
So…
It's okay. I can do it.
Thanks. And don't worry, Princess. I'll sneak in a snuggle once in a while.
It says that she only wants to be picked up
with a gentle scooping motion.
Okay. Well, you got this, Charles.
Okay.
Yeah. I know. Mid-afternoon snack. I'll be right back.
-Did you get the poster boards? -Check. I also got rainbow glitter.
-Did you sort out our schedule? -Check. I even carved out break time
to work on my Aunt Linda's 30-minute cookie recipe.
I found a 20-minute recipe so we can get back to work even faster.
Amazing. Maria, we are so mentally and emotionally prepared for this project.
Once we ace it,
we're pretty much guaranteed two spots in Advanced History.
Okay, class.
I've finished the list of partners for the ancient civilizations project.
Wesley, you'll be paired with Harper.
Maria, you'll be paired with…
Thao.
-Heather and Linda, you'll be together. -What?
We've been partners on every project this year.
-I hope I can return the glitter. -And finally, Lizzie…
you'll be paired with Julie.
Okay. Let's take the last five minutes of class
to get together and talk about your projects.
I got Judo Julie?
This must be some sort of mistake. Come on.
Ladies?
Ms. Newman, I can't even begin to imagine how busy you must be.
I mean, teaching all day, grading homework all night.
Keeping so many students' names straight.
Look.
I know you wanted to be partners again.
But I thought you both might benefit from mixing it up.
Hey, Maria. Can I walk you through some of the ideas I have?
They're color coded by century and culture.
Wow, definitely.
I mean, sure.
Hey, JJ. So, I think Cleopatra could be a really great topic--
Sorry, Lizzie. I gotta run.
-I have practice after school every day. -Every day?
Yeah. But my mom can drop me at your house after
and we can work then. Cool?
She's portable. That's good.
And she doesn't shed. My mom will like that.
But I don't think we're a match.
She seems too elegant, and I'm a man of the people.
It's okay, Remy. I knew this wouldn't be easy.
Princess, why can't you act like a normal dog?
Really? She can't be that bad.
Here's your food, Princess,
warmed up in your special bowl just the way you like it.
See? She caught me. I didn't mash it up enough.
You really think she'll know the difference?
Seriously? I might have underestimated her.
I know you're thirsty.
-So which one's the special French water? -Neither.
-She's good. -Told you.
Ninety-six, 97, 98, 99…
That's my mom. I gotta go.
100.
Princess, you're a worthy adversary.
Charles.
I'm worried about Princess.
Did something happen?
No, I'm just worried that no one's gonna want her.
She's a lot of work for such a little dog, huh?
Yeah.
Charles, I am not going to lie to you.
A lot of people won't want to adopt Princess.
-So how am I gonna find the right-- -But…
-there are just as many people who will. -Really?
You know why Princess is the way she is?
It's because Angela loved to spoil and pamper her.
So all you have to do is find another Angela.
Wait. You just gave me a great idea.
I did? See, I love when I do that.
I think I know where to find the perfect person.
-Thanks, Dad. -I always got you. Hey.
You know, your mom's not home for another hour.
-Shark Chronicles? -Yeah.
I have to take Princess on her after-dinner walk.
It helps with her digestion.
Okay.
JJ, we only have four days to do this, so we should get to work.
I'm working.
I'm thinking.
Right. Okay, well, we should at least start taking some notes.
Sorry. Gotta stretch.
I thought you were supposed to stretch before judo.
And after. It helps with recovery. It's part of my daily routine.
Wake up, smoothie, school, stretch,
practice, snack, stretch, dinner, push-ups, sleep, repeat.
-Well, what about homework? -I fit it in.
Well, you know, I'm a big planner too.
I've made a schedule to keep us both on track.
We spend an hour each night on the oral presentation
and an hour doing research for the written part.
I don't think I'll need all that.
-JJ, your dad is here. -Thanks, Mrs. Peterson.
JJ, this project is really important to me.
Lizzie, I'm a good student too.
You don't have to worry. See you tomorrow. Cool?
I mean, at my first regional championship I was six,
and I was competing against a bunch of eight-year-olds.
My coach was really there for me.
Go ahead.
Hey, BFF. What ya building?
Thao came up with schematics for a to-scale model of the Roman Colosseum.
And Maria had the great idea of upcycling Popsicle sticks.
Awesome.
It looks like you could use some more support in the Doric column.
We know, but those are Ionic columns. The Dorics are on the bottom.
Right.
I know. You could use soda can tabs as little miniature gladiators.
Good idea. But we're actually using paper clips.
It's easier to make little arms to hold miniature shields.
Yeah, you're right.
That is better.
Hey, Thao. Could you give me and Lizzie a second?
Sure. I'll go wash off this glue.
-It's not going well with JJ? -It's not going, period.
We're supposed to be working now,
but she's getting interviewed by the school newspaper about her judo stuff.
I'm gonna have to do this entire project by myself.
I really wish I could do it with you.
I think her interview's over.
If you don't wanna work with me, that's fine.
-JJ, I didn't mean it. -Yeah, you did, Lizzie.
Just finish your part of the project, and I'll do mine.
-JJ, can we at least just talk-- -Don't have time. I have judo.
What are you gonna do now?
I don't know.
-Ready to go? -Yep.
Princess, you're gonna get all the attention you could dream of.
Too bad.
I was looking forward to borrowing her luggage. Come on.
Excuse me. Hi. My son, Charles, has something to say.
As some of you may know, I'm trying to find Princess a great home.
She loves being brushed and massaged and stuff like that.
I brought adoption applications. They're really easy to fill out.
No.
Please? I know all of you are really good at pampering,
and you must love doing it.
That's why you work here.
-Can I say hello? I love Yorkies. -You do?
My grandparents had two when I was a kid. Shirley and Mr. Kincaid.
All they ever wanted to do was play and give kisses.
Not this one, Len. She's got a list of rules a mile long.
And if you don't follow 'em, you're in for a lot of trouble.
I love Angela, but she raised a prima donna.
But she looks so sweet.
She is sweet, as long as you stick to her routine.
Angela would floss her teeth, paint her toes--
I heard she only eats if you invite her to dinner.
That's not true.
-But the other stuff is. -Maybe I spoke too soon.
Sorry, buddy.
It's okay. I understand.
Sorry.
Sweetie, you did your best.
Don't worry. You'll find her a perfect home.
How do you know?
If Angela's friends think she's too picky, I don't know who's gonna want her.
You know, I once knew a picky kid
who would only eat grilled cheese if I cut off the crust.
Then he'd use it as a barrier to keep the carrots from touching the sandwich.
I thought it tastes better that way.
Besides, I was just a little kid back then.
My point is we all have things we like done in a particular way.
And you know what?
I loved cutting off the crust because of how happy it made you.
-You see where I'm going with this? -Yeah.
There is someone out there for Princess.
But who?
Bet those taste as good as they smell.
You'll have to ask JJ.
This is an "I'm sorry" batch of Aunt Linda's cookies I baked for her.
So you two made up.
Well, not really. I called her 15 times until she eventually answered,
and I begged her to come over.
Look, I feel really bad for hurting her feelings.
-Hopefully, these make up for it. -We all make mistakes, honey.
I'm proud of you for trying to fix it,
and cookies are a great way to anyone's heart.
And mind. I added walnuts for extra brainpower.
I'm gonna need it to finish this Cleopatra project in time.
Walnuts.
Dad!
Hi, JJ.
Hey, JJ. I'm excited to work together.
I made us study cookies.
And if you need to stretch or whatever, that's totally cool.
I'll just keep working. Does that sound good?
I guess.
But I'm not doing cookies till after my tournament this weekend.
Okay.
But I appreciate it.
Fifty-six, 57, 58…
Hey, Remy. I didn't know you were coming over.
I heard Lizzie was working with JJ,
so I thought I'd drop by and get a few pointers.
Okay.
You're not making fun of my judogi. You okay?
Not really. What if I never find a home for Princess?
I guess you'll have to keep her and be her servant forever.
I'm ready for my lunch. And don't forget to cut off the crusts.
-What? Your food doesn't even have crusts. -Off with the crusts!
I took off the crust for old times' sake.
Remy, I can make you one too. Crust or no crust?
Thanks, Mrs. P. Crust, please. Do you have any tomato soup?
-It's a great combo. -You got it.
I need to finish brushing Princess before she gets upset.
I think Princess will be fine, Charles. I'll trade ya.
I'll add "Cleopatra: Warrior Queen" somewhere up here.
And I'll put some pictures in these empty spaces.
Looks pretty good.
Sorry.
No, it's okay. Go ahead. I'll keep working on the board.
Actually, I finished my stretches early today so I could do this.
Wait, you wrote this whole paper?
-When did you have the time? -I finished this afternoon.
It came to me pretty quickly
when I imagined what it must've been like to be Cleopatra.
So I wrote it from her perspective.
She was so young. Like, not that much older than us.
JJ, this is incredible.
Thanks.
Look, I know I said sorry earlier, and I meant it.
But that was for making you feel bad.
I'm also sorry I didn't think you cared.
I may not work off a study calendar, or whatever you call it.
But I always get my homework done.
I know everyone thinks I only care about judo.
But I love school too.
Princess, wait!
-I tucked her in with the wrong blanket. -I didn't know you had a puppy.
Princess isn't ours.
We're fostering her till she finds a new home.
You foster dogs? That's so cool.
I just asked my parents about getting a puppy.
It's been kinda lonely since my brother left for college.
Well, Charles and I can find you a dog.
We're really good at matching people with dogs.
With judo and all your other stuff,
you're way too busy for a dog like Princess.
She needs a whole lot of attention. A whole lot.
Look. I couldn't imagine not having my brother around. Must be hard.
I think that's why my judo team has become like family.
But… sorry. We should get back to the project.
Yeah. You're right.
Hey, Lizzie. Hey, JJ.
If you want any judo pointers, I'll be in the other room.
-Just don't assume I know everything. -You want some pointers?
Go ahead. I'll finish up here.
Okay, Remy. Throw me.
-You won't hurt me. -I know, but what if I hurt myself?
Come on, Remy. You can do it.
No fear.
Right. No fear!
Nah. There's fear. What I'm feeling is definitely fear.
Listen, Remy.
I know it's scary, but here's the thing: it's only scary once.
After that, there really is no fear. I promise.
-Okay. Ready? -I'm ready.
Now!
-Remy, that was amazing. -It was, wasn't it?
Now imagine how good you'll be if you practice every day.
You practice every day?
Not only that, she wakes up, has a smoothie, goes to school, stretches,
has judo practice, eats a snack, stretches again, eats dinner,
-and then goes to bed. -You forgot push-ups, 100 a night.
But that was impressive.
Okay. My turn.
Oh, man. I didn't realize how late it got.
It's laundry night, and I wanna get home before I miss the last cycle. Bye.
Do you really do all that stuff every single day?
Yeah. I love it.
The more stuff I have to do, the better I feel when it's all done.
-Sounds weird. I know. -No. It sounds good, actually.
It sounds really good.
That's my dad.
Those do look really good. Mind if I take one home?
Pack you a to-go bag.
Can you hold Princess for a second?
Use a gentle scooping motion.
Do you like singing lullabies?
That looks great.
We are shoo-ins for Advanced History next year.
Totally.
-See you in there. -Cool.
Lizzie. There you are.
Could you, like, become a genie, blink and hide me from Thao forever?
-Wait, for real? -Who knew she was so high-maintenance?
She had me pose as a gladiator for three hours
so she could get the clip figurines just right.
I still can't feel my calves.
They're here.
Princess is such a love.
She slept in my arms every night this week.
And you're really, really sure you're okay with all her rules?
If I can do a hundred push-ups a day,
I can handle a puppy who likes being brushed a hundred times.
It's my new favorite way of unwinding after practice.
I'll open the trunk.
Hey, Charles.
I'm proud of you. I mean,
you took care of Princess all by yourself, and you found her a home.
And I didn't even have to cut off her crusts.
Nothing.