Hayride

by Bonnie Bryant

  Carole said good-bye and hung up. She felt a little bit bad about fibbing to her best friends, but she didn’t want them to worry. Gingerly, she peeled off her left sock. The ankle was swollen and black-and-blue—about twice as large as her right one.

  At the back of her mind, Carole knew that she was hurt much worse than she had first thought. But she had too many wonderful things happening to give in to a stupid injury. She refused to let it wreck her birthday. If she told anyone, she might end up with no party at all. Her father might cancel the hayride, and then she would have to call all her friends and explain. There would be plenty of time to have it examined after the weekend, if it still hurt.

  For now, she had wrapped it up in an Ace bandage she had found in the medicine cabinet. Before going to soak it, she decided to make one more call. She looked up Veronica’s parents’ number—Veronica had her own phone line—and dialed the diAngelo residence. The maid answered.

  “I just wanted to make sure Veronica knew she was invited to my party on Saturday night,” Carole said. The maid took down the details and promised to leave Veronica a message. There, that was done.

  THE PHONE RANG at the Marsten household. Phil answered it, hoping to hear Stevie’s voice again. Instead, a female voice he didn’t recognize right away spoke to him. “Stevie Lake was at the mall with Bob Harris yesterday. They were sitting together in the back of a restaurant, laughing a lot. They seemed to know each other quite well. If I were you, I’d do something … fast.”

  “Who is this?” Phil demanded. The line went dead. He listened to the dial tone for a minute, frowning.

  “I’LL GET IT!” Cam grabbed the Nelsons’ cordless phone off the wall. “Hello?”

  “Carole Hanson has been hanging out at Pine Hollow with a guy from Willow Creek Junior High,” a female voice said. Cam had no idea who it was. Confused, he stayed silent. “His name is Simon Atherton,” the voice went on. “He’s in the class above Carole. They’ve been spending a lot of time together. If I were you, I’d be worried.” Cam heard a click, then the line went dead.

  The Lakes’ phone rang for a third time. Before her mother could complain, Stevie answered it.

  “Hi, Stevie.”

  “Phil?”

  “Yeah, it’s me again. Listen, Veronica diAngelo just called me, and she’s up to no good.…”

  STEVIE FLUNG HER book bag down with a vengeance. She was so steaming mad that she could hardly believe she had made it to lunch period. Her first four classes had passed in an angry blur. After Phil had called her the night before, she’d been burning to call Carole and Lisa. Mrs. Lake, however, had had other ideas. She told Stevie that she had already spent way too much time on the phone, and that she’d just have to wait to talk to her friends when she saw them the next day. Homework came first—or at least, Mrs. Lake added sarcastically, fourth. No amount of begging and pleading had changed her mind.

  After thinking about Veronica’s wicked plans all evening and all morning, Stevie was ready to explode. The Saddle Club had made a big effort to include her in Carole’s party, and Veronica’s way of saying thank you was to try to break up Stevie and Phil.

  Stevie scanned the lunchroom furiously. She quickly spotted her prey. Veronica was lounging at a table with some of her underlings—the younger girls who tended to flock around her in awe. Stevie strode toward them, her jaw set and her hands clenched.

  “Stevie! Wait up!” Stevie spun on her heel so violently that she almost collided with Bob Harris. He had been hurrying to catch up with her.

  “Whoa! Where are you going in such a rush?” he asked.

  Stevie thought quickly. She could hardly explain last night’s events to him. “I could ask you the same thing,” she said lightly.

  “Fair enough,” Bob admitted. “So,” he began casually, “that was fun running into you at the mall the other day.”

  Stevie grinned. Bob Harris did not normally come chasing after her at lunch. She wondered how long it would take him to get around to mentioning Lisa. “Yeah,” she said noncommittally. “It’s always nice to run into people you know.”

  “Looked like you and your friend were having a good time,” he said.

  “We were,” Stevie answered.

  “It’s—it’s Lisa, right?” Bob asked. Stevie smiled again. Bob Harris, starting soccer player, did not usually stutter.

  “That’s right,” Stevie said.

  “I guess she doesn’t go to Fenton Hall, huh?”

  “No, she doesn’t,” Stevie said. She felt the tiniest bit guilty about not volunteering more information about Lisa to Bob, but she knew she had to protect Lisa. If Bob knew that Lisa adored him, he might get scared and back off. Besides, it was fun keeping him at bay!

  “She goes to Willow Creek Junior High,” Stevie informed him. “It doesn’t much matter, though,” she added as an afterthought. “She’d be a straight-A student wherever she went.”

  “Straight A’s, huh?”

  Stevie nodded. She didn’t want to make Lisa sound like a total brain or a geek like Simon Atherton, but she knew that Bob also did very well in school and would probably respect a girl for having good grades.

  “So does she have time to go out?” Bob asked.

  “Go out?” Stevie asked innocently. This was better than she’d expected: Bob was hinting around to find out if Lisa had a boyfriend!

  “You know, socialize,” Bob said uncomfortably.

  “Oh, sure,” Stevie said, pretending to get the hint. “We go to TD’s all the time.”

  “We?” Bob asked nervously.

  “Yeah, Lisa, Carole—the girl who’s having the party—and I.”

  “Oh!” Bob relaxed with a loud sigh. “No, I meant—like—well—”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, does she, say, go to the junior high dances at Willow Creek?”

  “I think so,” Stevie said. “Doesn’t almost everyone?”

  Bob said she was probably right. He looked as if he were ready to let Stevie go. Then he squared his shoulders and looked her in the eye. “All right, Stevie, what I mean is, does she go out, socialize, or go to the dances with a particular guy?”

  Stevie was about to answer when she caught a glimpse of Veronica out of the corner of her eye. Veronica had gotten up from her table and come over toward them. Now she was loitering at the trash can, throwing her garbage out, piece by piece—obviously hoping to overhear something.

  Stevie thought fast. “Oh, a guy!” she exclaimed, as if she had just figured out what Bob was asking. “You mean is Lisa interested in a certain guy. Let’s see.…” Bob raised his eyebrows in anticipation. Stevie chose her words carefully. If Veronica thought that Lisa liked Bob, she’d do everything she could to wreck things before they even got started. And just because Bob had laid all his cards on the table, by practically announcing that he liked Lisa, didn’t mean that Stevie had to. That would be up to Lisa on Saturday night.

  “There is someone—a boy, I mean—who Lisa’s been talking about recently,” Stevie remarked casually. What she said was true: Lisa had been mentioning someone. Bob didn’t have to know that the someone was Simon Atherton and that Lisa mentioned him only to say what an annoying pest he was!

  For Veronica’s benefit, however, Stevie added, “He’s a new rider who’s just started taking lessons at Pine Hollow. He goes to school with Lisa.”

  As soon as Veronica heard the description of Simon, she threw her lunch bag into the trash and hurried back to her table. Stevie watched her retreat with satisfaction. Then she turned back to Bob. His face was a mixture of jealousy and disappointment.

  To soften the blow, Stevie hastened to add, “It’s probably not that serious. I don’t think they’ve been dating or anything.”

  Bob brightened a bit. “Will he be at the party?” he inquired.

  “Oh, yes, he’ll be there. He’ll definitely be there,” Stevie said in as grave a tone as she could muster.

  “Well, then so will I,” Bob said firmly. He h
ad evidently decided to steel himself against the competition—that is, who he thought was the competition. If he only knew! Stevie thought, happy that he didn’t know, at least for the time being. And she was even happier that Veronica didn’t know: Now, if she did try to get in the way, she’d end up helping Lisa instead of hurting her—by taking Simon off her hands.

  Thinking of Veronica’s meddling made Stevie remember the goal she’d originally planned to accomplish during lunch period: murdering Veronica. She checked the time on the lunchroom clock. “I’ve got to run an errand before class, Bob,” she said.

  “But you haven’t even eaten lunch,” Bob pointed out.

  “Some things are more important than my stomach,” Stevie said, her eyes narrowing as she glanced over at the table where Veronica and her followers had been sitting. They were now gathering up their books to go.

  Bob followed her stare. He gave her an inquiring look. “Like what, specifically?” he asked.

  Stevie looked to her right and left. “Revenge,” she whispered conspiratorially.

  Bob eyed her quizzically. “Revenge. Hmm … what kind of revenge?” Stevie was beginning to like Bob more and more. Unlike her brothers, who would’ve made fun of her, he actually sounded interested in her scheme.

  A noisy crowd of students brushed by them. One of them jostled Stevie rudely. Indignant, Stevie turned to see who had pushed her. She met Veronica’s icy stare.

  “Oh, hello, you two,” Veronica said, pretending she had just noticed them.

  “Hi, Veronica,” Bob said shortly.

  Stevie barely managed a nod. Being civil to Veronica wasn’t in her plan for the day.

  “My, you’re spending a lot of time together these days, aren’t you?” Veronica asked. Without waiting for an answer, she joined the snickering girls who were waiting for her at the door.

  Stevie’s hazel eyes flashed with anger. Still, she didn’t think she could have given Veronica the tongue-lashing she deserved in front of Bob. She didn’t want to embarrass him by dragging him into the middle of it. Luckily, from his expression of disgust, she could tell that he would definitely be on her side.

  “I think I’d better leave you to your revenge—whatever it is,” Bob said. “I’ve got a class in about three minutes.” He paused. “Hey, tell Lisa I said hi,” he added.

  “Will do,” Stevie said happily.

  When he’d dashed off to class, Stevie finally sat down and took out her sandwich. She chewed thoughtfully. Even if she hadn’t gotten to tell Veronica exactly what she thought of her and her outrageous phone call, she was glad she had talked with Bob. It looked like Project Party-Date for Lisa was quickly becoming Project Boyfriend for Lisa. Lisa would be beyond thrilled to hear the news. Stevie could wait till after school to talk to Veronica at Pine Hollow.

  Actually, Stevie thought, Veronica deserved a lot worse than a tongue-lashing. If only there truly were some way to give her a taste of her own medicine. Then Stevie began to get an idea. It was a very Stevie-like idea. It was perfect! The groundwork had already been laid, thanks to Veronica’s eavesdropping. Excitedly, Stevie gobbled up her sandwich. She couldn’t wait to finish lunch and start planning her new project: Project Revenge!

  CAROLE LIMPED AS quickly as she could into the locker area at Pine Hollow. She wanted plenty of time to get dressed. She was afraid that it might take a while to get her boot on over her swollen ankle. She pulled off her khaki school pants and yanked her breeches on. Sitting down on the bench, she inserted a boot-pull on either side of her boot and began working her foot slowly down the boot leg.

  After a couple of minutes—with no luck getting the boot on—she heard Stevie and Lisa chattering loudly. They burst around the corner, all smiles.

  “And then he wanted to know if you ever went to the dances!” Stevie cried jubilantly. “And then he asked if you went with anyone special!”

  “I take it you saw Bob Harris at school?” Carole guessed.

  “Saw him, talked to him, and made him jealous!” Stevie giggled. “He now thinks Simon Atherton is his competition for Lisa! And Veronica thinks Lisa’s after Simon, too.”

  Lisa shook her head, smiling. “Stevie, you shouldn’t have,” she said. Then she added, with an impish, Stevie-like grin, “But since you did, I won’t complain.”

  “Exactly,” Stevie said. “Hey, how about TD’s after the lesson for final party plans?”

  “Good idea,” Lisa said.

  Carole paused, thinking about her ankle. Then she said determinedly, “Count me in.”

  While they were talking, Lisa and Stevie had begun changing. Carole, meanwhile, tugged at her boot, hoping she didn’t look too conspicuous. She had gotten it about halfway on, but now it was stuck at the ankle. She gave the boot-pulls a hard yank. “Ow!” In spite of herself, Carole cried out in pain. Stevie and Lisa turned to see tears welling up in their friend’s eyes.

  “Your ankle’s too swollen to get your boot on, isn’t it?” Lisa guessed.

  Carole nodded. All of a sudden her ankle hurt too much not to tell the truth. She picked her left foot up and placed it gingerly on the bench in front of her. Lisa went to her side and helped her pull the boot off. Carole’s sock slid off with it. Lisa gasped when she saw how black-and-blue the ankle had become.

  “That’s it,” Stevie said decisively. “You aren’t going to force a boot on over that ankle.”

  “But what about our lesson?” Carole said. “I really have to ride Starlight—he needs schooling this week after acting up so much on Sunday. And what about my birthday party?”

  Lisa put a motherly arm around Carole’s shoulder. She knew how hard it was for her friend to face not riding—even for a few days or a week. “Look, if you can’t get a boot on, there’s no way you can ride. A tiny vacation isn’t going to affect Starlight’s training in the long run.”

  “That’s right,” Stevie agreed. “He’ll be just as eager to learn next week as he is today. And next week you’ll be able to train him. You can’t do anything with that foot but rest.”

  “And we won’t go to TD’s without you,” Lisa added generously. “We’ll finish planning for the party over the phone.”

  Reluctantly, Carole gave in to her friends. She knew they were right. If only she could have managed to keep going till after the party, she thought dejectedly. Now there might not be any party planning to finish. What would her father say about her injury?

  As if she’d been following her thoughts, Lisa said, “I’ll go call your dad and have him pick you up.” As she turned to go, Max’s voice came over the PA system.

  “Riders in the afternoon lesson, assemble by the mounting block in twenty minutes.”

  Stevie and Lisa looked at each other. Twenty minutes was barely enough time to get themselves and their horses ready.

  Carole knew from experience exactly what the look meant. “You two go on,” she said. “I’m not going to let you stay here and be late for no good reason. I’m perfectly capable of calling my father.”

  Lisa and Stevie made her promise that she would go straight home. They each gave her a hug and dashed off to get their horses. Carole was glad to see them go. She didn’t want them to miss their lesson because they were making up for her mistake: She should have called home the first time they had told her to.

  Slowly Carole walked to the phone in Mrs. Reg’s office, which riders could use in an emergency. This qualified, Carole guessed. She dialed her home number. It rang several times. Her father finally picked up, confessing to having fallen asleep over some desk work. Carole sheepishly explained that her ankle—which she had said was completely fine—actually hurt a lot. Full of concern, Colonel Hanson told her to stay right where she was. He would be over as soon as possible and would take her to the doctor’s. With a sigh of relief that everything was out in the open, Carole settled down on the tack-room couch to wait. Then she caught sight of a bar of saddle soap.…

  AS STEVIE HURRIEDLY groomed Topside and tacked him up for class,
she realized she hadn’t even told Carole about Veronica’s call to Phil. There was no time to do it now. Max hated lateness almost as much as he hated riders talking in class. Luckily she and Lisa arrived at the ring just as he was beginning to explain the focus of the day’s lesson.

  “Does Topside look okay?” Stevie whispered to Lisa as they approached the group.

  “Just don’t pat him anymore! Every time you touch him, a huge cloud of dust flies up!”

  Stevie bit her lip to keep from giggling. She tried to concentrate on what Max was saying.

  “… so when something’s not working, don’t keep doing it the same way. Figure out what’s wrong. You’ve got to be able to tell when something’s your fault for not giving the correct aids, or on the other hand, when your horse is simply ignoring you because it’s easier for him.”

  Veronica put her brown-gloved hand in the air and waved it to get Max’s attention. “What about when both of you are doing everything right?” she asked sweetly.

  Max sighed. “It’s so rare for a horse and rider to be doing everything right that I don’t think any of us have to worry about it.”

  “But, Lisa,” Stevie whispered to Lisa, imitating Veronica’s whine, “if my father spends enough money, doesn’t that automatically mean that I’ll be perfect?”

  “What was that you were saying, Stephanie?” a voice behind them asked.

  Stevie and Lisa whirled around. “Gosh, Lisa, Stephanie, I didn’t mean to scare you,” a blushing Simon Atherton said. “Boy, am I excited to be in class with you two. I guess that means we’ll ride together all the time, huh?”

  Now it was Lisa’s turn to sigh. “I guess we will, Simon,” she said, turning to mount Barq.

  “Here, let me pull down your other stirrup for you,” Simon said. He grabbed for the outside stirrup, but Barq laid his ears back and sidled away.

  Stevie laughed. Lisa and Barq were obviously in agreement.

  “That’s okay, Simon, I’ve got it,” Lisa said. Before he could object, she had swung neatly up into the saddle and ridden away.