Chapter Six: Pros and Cons, but mostly Cons
Lisa sat in the front seat next to her mom. Carole and Stevie were in the back. Lisa's mom had agreed to pick up Carole and Stevie and drop them off at JB's for a while before driving them to Pine Hollow for the day.
Lisa looked back at the other two members of the Saddle Club. Stevie had crossed her arms and was turned away from Carole, staring out the window. Carole had leaned back in the seat and was also looking out the window. Neither girl was talking.
"Hey! We're here!" Lisa said excitedly.
As soon as the car pulled to a stop Stevie jumped out of the car. She obviously wanted to get as far away from Carole as fast as she could.
"Now remember, I'm coming to pick you up in twenty-five minutes. Have fun girls!" Lisa's mom waved as the girls ran into the diner.
"How about over here?" Carole suggested, pointing towards a nearby booth.
"Okay! Is that alright with you Stevie?" Lisa asked.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, of course." Stevie put on a smile as they sat down. Scooter came over to them to take their order.
"I'll have a chocolate milkshake please Scooter!" Carole said excitedly.
"And I'll have the strawberry!" Lisa said as well.
"Alright, one chocolate and one strawberry milkshake! Can I get you anything else girls?" Scooter asked. They all turned to Stevie.
"What?" She asked.
"Your order?" Scooter questioned.
"Oh! Nothing for me, thank you." Stevie replied. Scooter stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. He left a few seconds later.
"Are you sure Stevie?" Carole asked worriedly.
"Yeah! I'm not hungry." Stevie said casually.
"Come on Stevie! How long has it been since you've eaten something?" Lisa looked Stevie in the eye. "You have to eat sometime!"
Stevie drummed her fingers on the table, thinking. "I have no idea when I last ate something." She said truthfully. "But I'm not hungry! And I'm fine!"
"But we're worried about you!" Lisa cried. "You haven't eaten anything in three days!"
"So?" Stevie questioned angrily.
"So! You need to eat something!" Carole demanded.
Stevie got up. "You can't make me." She looked both of them in the eye. "I'm fine. What's the big deal?"
Lisa looked at the ground, leaving Carole to answer.
"We just want to make sure you're okay." She said calmly.
Stevie sat back down. "Well I am. So please stop bugging me about it."
"Okay. We won't." Lisa said. "We promise."
Stevie gave a sigh of relief. A few moments later, Scooter came by with their order.
"One chocolate milkshake for you!" He slid it across the table to Carole.
"And one strawberry for you!" Scooter handed Lisa her milkshake. "Are you sure I can't get you anything Stevie?" He asked.
Stevie turned away and refused to answer.
"Um…we're good." Lisa said quietly. Scooter just nodded and walked off to deliver another order.
The girls talked for a while. They talked about horses, and how they were so glad they didn't have school for a while. After a while, Lisa leaned against the chair and pushed her half-eaten milkshake away.
"I'm done!" She said yawning.
"Me too." Carole said, taking one last sip. "Are you sure you don't want anything Stevie?"
Stevie shook her head. "Nope. I'm fine!" She replied. Carole shrugged and they got up to leave. Stevie laid her money on the table as Lisa was digging in her purse.
"Wait! Stevie, I'll pay for it!" Lisa laughed. "You didn't even eat anything! It's not right that you'd pay!"
Stevie grabbed Lisa and Carole's arms and pulled them away. "Nah, it's fine!" She said honestly. "I don't mind! Now come on! Your mom's here!" They ran out the door and hopped in Lisa's mom's car.
"How'd it go girls?" Her mom asked.
"It was great!" Stevie replied. Carole looked at her strange. She thought it was great, but she didn't even get anything? That didn't sound like her at all. Carole figured Stevie was just being polite, but that wasn't like her either.
"Yeah, thanks mom!" Lisa smiled.
"Oh, no problem!" Lisa talked with her mom the rest of the way. Carole and Stevie continued not talking, and both stared out the windows.
"We're here!" Lisa said excitedly. Everyone got out quickly. They thanked Lisa's mom, and ran into the barn. Red motioned Lisa over.
"I'll be right back girls! I've got to use the restroom!" She lied.
"Oh Lisa! Why didn't you go at JB's?" Carole laughed.
Lisa shrugged and ran off. Carole and Stevie looked at each other for a moment before separating. They went to their horse's stalls.
Meanwhile….
"So how'd it go?" Red asked.
"Oh it was fun! We talked about school, and horses, and-"
Red cut Lisa off. "No, I mean…..about Stevie," He said. "How'd it go?"
Lisa sighed and Red groaned.
"She didn't eat anything, and when we tried to get her to eat something, she got mad at us." Lisa explained. "I don't know what's wrong. She's not still sick is she?"
"Huh. I don't know. Thanks for telling me Lisa. I knew I could count on you." Red turned around and buried his head in his hands. He was obviously frustrated. Lisa took this as a good moment to leave.
She met up with Stevie and Carole. They had already saddled up Belle and Starlight, and they even managed to do Prancer.
"Wow! Thanks guys!" Lisa smiled.
"Oh, no problem! With the two of us, it didn't take very long!" Stevie said casually. Lisa grinned. She was so glad they had managed to work together to do something, without arguing! Maybe they were close to becoming friends again! Lisa didn't get her hopes up, she still was unsure.
"Hey Stevie, can you come here a sec?" Red called from the office.
"Sure! I'll be there in a minute!" Stevie called back. She turned to Carole and Lisa. "Wonder what that's about?" Lisa shrugged nervously.
"Who knows?" She said, her voice trembled, but Stevie didn't notice.
"Oh well, I'll be back in a minute! Do you mind waiting?" Stevie asked.
Carole and Lisa both shook their heads, and Stevie ran off to talk to Red.
"Yes?" She asked as she entered the office. "What is it you wanted me for?"
Red sighed and motioned to the couch. Stevie sat down. "We need to have a talk." He said.
Stevie groaned. Red raised his eyebrows and continued talking. "Lisa, Carole, Phil, and myself have discovered a change in your eating habits. Are you feeling okay?" He asked.
Stevie rolled her eyes. "You too?!" She shrieked. "I can't believe you! Why is it so important?" She asked.
"Because! You need food to survive! Why won't you eat anything? Are you sick?" Red demanded.
"NO! I told you, I'm just not hungry!" Stevie yelled.
"But you need to eat something!" Red pleaded.
Stevie gave an angry sigh. "You can't make me do anything." She said quietly.
"I will if I have to!" Red yelled. Stevie got up from the couch. "Sit down! We're not finished!"
Stevie shook her head. "I don't have to."
Red gasped. "But I told you to!" He motioned to the couch. "Please, sit down!"
"No."
Red clenched his fists. "Sit-Down- Now." He said, his voice full of rage.
"No, I don't have to! What if I prefer standing?" Stevie cried. She turned to leave.
"Don't make me-" Red placed a firm hand on Stevie's shoulder. Big mistake. Stevie swung around quickly and landed a firm punch on Red's left cheek. Red recoiled in a hiss of anger.
"What was that for?" He yelled, his cheek turning red. He did have to admit though; it was a really good punch.
Stevie looked down at her hands open mouthed. She looked at Red. "I'm so sorry, I-" She gave a whimper and ran out the door.
"Stevie come back!" Red ran after her but she was too fast. She ran over to Belle, spooking Carole and Lisa.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Lisa asked. Stevie ignored her and hopped on Belle. With a kick, Stevie was off, galloping towards the pasture. Lisa and Carole looked at each other, and then at Red, who was walking over to them.
His cheek was slowly turning purple. It stung horribly.
"Oh my gosh, Red, what happened?" Lisa cried.
He sighed. "I…..may have lost my temper with Stevie….and… I may have accidentally tried to force her to do something…." He sighed again.
"Stevie did this?" Carole asked hesitantly.
"Yeah." Red looked away. Carole suppressed a laugh.
"Whoa, I had no idea she could do that!" Lisa gasped. "Did she punch you?"
Red nodded and told them what had happened. Lisa rolled her eyes.
"Oh, well now I see. You sooo deserved that." She turned to Carole who nodded.
"Yeah, no offense Red, but I thought you knew better!" Carole laughed.
Red shook his head with a sigh, and gingerly held up a hand to his cheek. "Man, she has a strong arm." He mumbled.
Lisa and Carole laughed as they mounted. They gave their horses a kick, and cantered off in the direction they saw Stevie headed. They needed to talk.
Meanwhile…
Stevie grasped Belle's mane as they approached the paddock fence. It was a smaller fence though, nothing like what they did in lessons, and Belle glided over it with ease. There weren't any horses in the pasture because it was an extra, and hadn't been taken care of for months. The grass was tall and dead, and weeds sprouted up all over the place. Also, the pasture was really large, and it took forever to catch and find all the horses when you needed them.
"Whoa girl! Easy," Stevie soothed. Belle slowed to a trot, and then a walk. They walked along the fence slowly. Stevie wasn't really upset, Red had deserved what he got for treating her like that. She just needed some alone time. She pulled Belle off the rail and they picked up a canter. Belle leaped over a fallen log as Stevie lead her towards it. There were several fallen logs, crevices, and rocks that made good jumps in this paddock.
Stevie smiled as she enjoyed some time to herself. She enjoyed jumping, and was glad no one was there to judge her, and nothing to worry about. Or so she thought.
Carole and Lisa slowed their horses as they approached the pasture. They saw Stevie and Belle cantering around, jumping over objects. Several times Stevie would start near a huge rocky structure, and go over jumps as if she was doing a course.
Lisa and Carole watched from the trees. They didn't want to interrupt Stevie's practice, and they could tell she was having fun on her own. They just wanted to watch and make sure everything went okay. Especially after the way Stevie had been acting for the last few days.
"She looks like she's just having fun," Lisa noted.
Carole turned to her. "Yeah, I guess, but we sure stay and make sure nothing happens. They suddenly heard a shriek, which was followed by a loud neigh.
"Stevie!" Lisa gave Prancer a kick and they galloped off towards the pasture. Carole followed close behind. They swerved in the road and jumped the fence one at a time. Belle was rearing over by the rocky structure.
"Belle! Belle, stop it!" Stevie cried. She was relieved when she saw Carole and Lisa galloping towards them. She was also a bit suspicious. How had they gotten here so fast, when she'd only just screamed? She pushed that thought aside and brought Belle to stand. She backed her away from the cliff.
"Easy girl!" Stevie leaned forward and pat Belle on the neck.
"Stevie! Stevie, what happened?" Lisa called as they approached them.
"I don't know! I was going to start another round of jumps when Belle freaked out. I don't know what was wrong." Stevie let her breathing slow.
"Huh. That's unlike Belle." Carole observed.
"Yeah, I know. Hey, how did you get here so fast?" Stevie questioned, although she had already suspected the answer.
Carole turned to Lisa who was turning red. "We um….we were in the area." She lied. Well, only partially lied, they were in the area after all, but they were also spying.
Stevie shrugged. She obviously didn't care. "Okay. I'm just glad you're here. Want to jump a couple rounds with me?" Stevie asked. "It's good practice for cross-country at the show next week! If you can jump on hills and rocks, than you can do it in a soft, flat arena!" Stevie mentioned.
Lisa nodded. "Okay! Sounds like fun!" She turned to Carole who nodded as well.
"Great! I'll start, so I can show you the course!" Stevie led Belle back towards the rock. Suddenly, Belle gave a snort and shied away.
"Belle, what's wrong with you?" Stevie asked, pushing Belle towards the rock. "Come on!"
Belle obeyed, finally, but was still a bit nervous. "Sorry about that!" Stevie called to the girls. They shrugged. Stevie turned Belle towards the first jump. She gave her a cluck, but Belle did not move. Already agitated, Stevie gave Belle a large thump with her legs. Belle shrieked and reared up. Stevie grabbed Belle's mane quickly.
Lisa started to walk Prancer forward, but Stevie stopped her. "It's fine! I think I kicked too hard! She's not used to that!" Stevie called. Lisa shook her head.
Stevie tried again. "Come on Belle! We can do it!" She gave Belle one final cue. Belle stood, frozen.
"Hey Stevie, maybe she's tired! Why don't you try to show us the course instead? Let her have a break!" Carole yelled from across the field.
"Hmm….okay!" Stevie tried to turn Belle towards Carole and Lisa, but she refused to do so. Instead, she carefully lifted her head as to scent danger. Stevie realized what she was doing, but it was too late.
With a nasty snarl, a lone wild dog burst from underneath the rock formation. Belle gave a whinny and reared up again. Stevie, unprepared for this, slid from her horse and onto the ground, five feet from the dog.
"Stevie!" Lisa yelled.
She started to back up but Carole stopped her. "Don't make any sudden moves Stevie! Otherwise it'll attack you!" She called. "Just stay there, and move very slowly!"
Stevie got up shakily. She moved slow, like Carole had said. The dog stared first at her, and then at her horse.. Belle was rearing and kicking in a frenzy of fear, but didn't land one hoof on the dog. She looked like she was having a fit.
"Nice doggy, nice doggy…" Stevie soothed. The dog let out a deep growl. "Or not nice doggy, whatever works best for you!" Stevie said sarcastically.
Lisa and Carole were slowly walking towards the dog. Starlight gave a nervous whinny, but otherwise was fine. Stevie backed away slowly.
The dog growled again, saliva dripping from its exposed fangs. It took a step forward. Suddenly a bird hiding in the grass flew up about a foot away from Stevie. She shrieked and jumped backwards quickly. The dog gave a low bark. Then, it charged.
Stevie ran as fast as she could, but the dog was gaining on her. She turned around and jumped ahead as it snapped at her heels. She screamed, although it wasn't going to help anything.
Suddenly Stevie felt her foot get caught. She looked down to see it was one of the crevices. One she had spent so much time jumping over again and again. She felt her foot get twisted as she fell to the ground. Wincing in pain, she tried to get up but the dog was on top of her. Snarling and barking, it snapped at her neck. Stevie screamed as it bit through her skin, and clawed at her arms. She felt its hot breath, and the gooey saliva dripping onto her back. Black dots danced in front of Stevie's eyes. The pain was almost unbearable, until she was rescued. Belle came galloping over in an instant. She pawed in the air and landed a few strikes on the dog, careful not to hit Stevie in the process. By now Carole and Lisa were running over on foot.
The dog let out a whine and retreated from Stevie. It ran, tail tucked between its legs, as Belle chased it out of the pasture. With a satisfied snort, she returned to Stevie. Stevie rolled over onto her back, groaning in pain. The last thing she saw was Belle's muzzle, before everything went black.