Dream Horse Read Online Free PDF Page B

blunder.
    “Being stared at always makes people nervous,” Lisa said.
    It didn’t make Veronica nervous. In fact, she seemed to blossom under all the attention, and it made her ride better.
    “I think we just flunked ‘retribution,’ ” Lisa whispered to Carole.
    “But there
must
be a way,” said Carole.
    “And we’ll find it, but it might take more Stevian thinking than we’ve put into this so far,” said Lisa.
    “We’ll talk later,” Carole whispered.
    “For sure,” Lisa agreed.
    After class, they talked while they groomed their horses and mucked out Belle’s stall. They talked about jumping; they talked about grooming. They discussed proper attire for horse shows, and they talked about how hard it was going to be for Carole to pretend to be ignorant about horses. They even talked about the fact that Phil was going gliding with his uncle Michael. They didn’t talk about how they could get even with Veronica. It was unspoken between them: Stevie was the best at getting even; it wasn’t the same without her, and they would just have to wait until they were with her.
    “I miss her!” Lisa said, finally acknowledging what they both knew was true.
    “Me too,” said Carole as she put the pitchfork back where it belonged. “I wonder what we can do for her.”
    “I’ve got an idea,” said Lisa. “Why don’t we stop by TD’s on our way to her house?”
    TD’s was an ice cream shop near Pine Hollow and Stevie’s house. The girls often had impromptu Saddle Club meetings there, talking about the wonderful mysteries of horses while consuming their favorite sweets. One of the things about Stevie that seemed an eternal mystery to her friends was what constituted her “favorite” ice cream sundaes.
Ghastly
was one word her friends sometimes used to describe them.
Revolting
was another word they’d used from time to time.
Inventive
was what Stevie called them.
    A few minutes later they ordered butter pecan ice cream with licorice bits and caramel sauce to go and pooled every cent they had on them to pay for it.
    “Oh, and some chopped peanuts and marshmallow fluff,” Lisa added.
    Carole winced. That was how she knew they’d gotten a really good combination. If it made her stomach twinge just to hear the ingredients, it was guaranteed to please Stevie.
    The girls carried their bounty proudly.
    “She’s going to
love
it,” Lisa said.
    “It’s going to be her new all-time favorite,” Carole agreed.
    They knocked on the door. Chad invited them in and told them Stevie was in bed. “Isn’t it wonderful that the doctor told her she has to
stay
there for a whole week?” he gloated.
    The girls stopped by the kitchen to pick up a spoon for Stevie and then trotted upstairs. Stevie was sitting in her bed quietly. There was a television set in her room. It was off. There was a stereo next to her bed. No music was coming from it. A portable electronic game set lay silent next to her. She wasn’t on the phone. She wasn’t playing with her computer. She wasn’t yelling at her brothers or throwing things at them.
    “You okay?” Carole asked.
    “Of course,” said Stevie. “And I’m even better now that the two of you are here. What have you brought me?” She eyed the bag from TD’s meaningfully. Lisa handed it to her proudly.
    “It’s our welcome-home present,” she said.
    Stevie beamed. She reached in and pulled out the container. Carefully she removed the lid.
    “Eeuuuuuu!” she said.
    “What’s the matter?” Carole asked.
    “What
is
this?” Stevie said, curling her lip in disgust.
    “It’s going to be your newest favorite,” Lisa said. “It’s almost the same thing you ordered just two weeks ago—”
    “—and loved,” Carole assured her. “Here’s a spoon.”
    “Whatever for?” Stevie asked. “I can’t eat this. Butter pecan and licorice chips? Caramel, marshmallow … I can’t even think about it.” She set the container aside and put the lid back on it. “Maybe