Lisa and Red Rover trotted around the ring. "Great, Lisa! You're doing very well!" Max cried. The rest of the class groaned. It was the first lesson of the week. Carole, Stevie, and Veronica were still mad at her for tattling, as they had been suspended for 3 days. The others disliked her because she was stealing the spotlight. When Lisa got off, Max turned to her. "Lisa, I think I should put you on Comanche." Stevie gasped. "But Max, Comanche's MY horse!" Max glared. "You should be happy you can even RIDE here. You'll take Red Rover." Stevie growled at Lisa.
She quietly walked to the back of the line, and a kid named Sam from her school smiled at her. "Hi Lisa. Great riding today." Lisa sighed. "Thank you." Sam put his arm around her. "How 'bout help me after class?" Lisa looked at him. "Well…no, I'd rather be alone." When class ended, Lisa darted to wait for her mom.
Carole sat next to Lisa. "Umm…Lisa, can I talk to you?" Lisa, eyes red, nodded. "Well, I'm sorry about last week. I was just mad." She slammed a badge in her hand. "You want to join the Saddle Club?" Lisa's eyes widened. "You mean you'll let me?" Carole nodded. Lisa hugged her. "Oh yes, I'll join!" And Lisa went home, happy about what had happened.
"YOU WHAT?" Stevie and Carole were eating dinner at the diner. "Well, I mean, she has no friends and…" "She got me in TROUBLE! I HATE HER!" Carole squirmed in her chair. "A club isn't just two people, Stevie!" she whispered. "I DON'T CARE! WE AREN'T REALLY A CLUB, FOOL! WE ARE TWO POOR GIRLS WHO ONLY HAVE TWO THINGS IN COMMON-WE LIKE HORSES AND WE HATE VERONICA!" "S-so what? We're still good friends; Lisa can be our friend too!" Stevie smacked her head. "You wanna be happy, huh? Tell ya what. We'll give the blasted girl a trial, and if I like her, she stays." As the two left the diner, Stevie muttered. "And I ain't liking her so far!"
Veronica dialed the phone. "Hello, Atwood residence, Melanie speaking." "Hello, this is the rich, beautiful, kind-." "Save it. You wanna talk to Lisa or something?" Lisa's little sister Melanie asked. "How did you know? You stalker!" "Hold on." "Hello, Lisa speaking." "Lisa, hi, it's Veronica." "Oh. Hello." "I'm having a sleepover on Friday night and I was wondering if you could come." "Erm, sure, I guess. Who else is coming?" "Kristi, Carole, Dana, Ally, and, well, you." "Don't Dana and Ally hate horses?" "So what? They SOO want to meet you! Now I'll see you Friday, hmm? Good bye!" And Veronica hung up. How so very like her.
It was Friday. Lisa and Carole hauled their stuff onto Veronica's porch. She lived in a huge mansion on the steepest hill in all of Pine Hollow. Carole rang the bell, and a man in black tie opened it. "Hi, we're here for Veronica's party." Lisa said. "Yes. You are Miss Lissy and Miss Parole, I presume?" Mr. Ask Jeeves asked (wow, HE'S actually asking the stupid questions for once!). "No, it's Lisa and Carole." "As I said! This way." He showed them to a marble staircase that winded like a snake. "Whoa! The mobsters!" Carole whispered. They heaved up the stairs and found their way to Veronica's room.
Pressing the small doorbell, the door opened. "Veronica? Veronica?" Lisa asked, poking her head in. "Over here, girlfriends!" Veronica called. Carole held her breath to stop from laughing. The two dragged their bags into the vast room, where Veronica, Kristi, Dana, and Ally were playing Truth or Dare. "You two are just in time for the game!" Lisa looked at Carole and shrugged. They sat down in the circle.
Lisa looked at Dana and Ally. Dana was tall, about 11, and had dirty blonde hair. She had green eyes and matching braces. Carole was studying Ally. Ally was shorter and looked as though she was 8 instead of 10. She hosted black hair upon her head and had brown eyes. Dana grabbed Lisa's arm. "C'mon! Let's play Truth or Dare!" Veronica grinned at Lisa. "Lisa, you go first."
"W-what?" Lisa stumbled. Kristi smiled. "You heard her," she said. "You go first!" She took out two facedown cards with the words Truth or Dare on them. "Pick a card, any card!" Ally cried. Lisa shakily outstretched her hand and picked a card. Carole crossed her fingers, hoping her friend got the Truth card. "Well, read it!" Veronica and Dana cried simultaneously. Lisa flipped her card over and gasped. "Dare! It's dare!"
Kristi grinned at Ally. "You can decide her Dare, Ally!" Ally nodded, wearing the same smile. "Okay, Lisa," she said, "I want you to go out in the street and yell at the top of your lungs, 'I am a loser!'" Lisa sighed and headed to the door. Everyone laughed except for Carole, who knew this was beginning to be an ugly night.
Lisa trotted down the street, wrapping her small jacket tightly around her. She stopped in front of a house 2 homes down from Veronica's. It was smaller and nastier than the others. "It must be a different street," Lisa decided. She walked up to the broken porch, swallowed, and bellowed, "I AM A LOSER! I AM A LOSER! I AM A BIG FAT TURKEY JERKY LOSER!" A few cats from within snarled loudly, and the door opened. "Umm, uh…" Lisa was about to run back to Veronica's, until she saw who had appeared. It was Stevie.