Chapter Nine: Catching Colds, Causing Problems

Lisa and Carole walked into the office. Stevie had fallen asleep on the couch and was snoring quietly. Lisa smiled.

"Hah, I guess she couldn't wait for us!" She laughed. Carole grinned. They sat down on the arms of the couch. Lisa turned to Carole. "Ready?" She whispered.

"You bet!" Carole whispered back. She got up from the couch arm, and walked over until she was standing over Stevie. She looked at Lisa who had already started counting down. Three….two…..one….

"WAKE UP!" They yelled. Stevie's eyes shot open and she let out a small scream. Sitting up, she slowed her breathing.

"Errrr….guys, why did you have to do that? I was sleeping!" Stevie groaned, but she was smiling. Carole and Lisa laughed, and Stevie eventually joined in.

"We wanted to ask you how it went with Drew! He told us to come meet you up here, remember?" Lisa asked. Stevie nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Stevie stood up, wincing as she set her foot down. "Urg, next time, would you two be around to stop me before I do something so stupid?" Stevie joked. Lisa smiled.

"We would have, but you practically forced us on that trail ride!" Lisa teased. Stevie sighed.

"So how was it?" Stevie asked.

"It was great!" Carole replied. "I'm glad Starlight got to get some energy out. Earlier, he looked like he was about to jump out of his stall he had so much energy!" She laughed.

"That's great! How was it for you Lisa?" Stevie asked.

"It was fun! Prancer's still got it in her for racing!" Lisa replied.

"Hey! Earlier you went on about how she was an ex-racehorse and couldn't race to save her life!" Carole said, stunned.

Lisa's mouth fell open. "Um….yeah….about that…" She stuttered. Carole playfully nudged her arm.

"It's okay, I was just joking!" Carole said.

The three of them got up and walked outside. They talked for about an hour before deciding to head home. They wanted to get some sleep, so they could spend another day at Pine Hollow tomorrow. Including Tuesday, they only had five more days they could practice for the show. They wouldn't be able to practice Sunday because of the show, and they had to get ready for it. They said their goodbyes as they walked towards the separate cars.

The next morning Carole was the first one to arrive. She sat on the fence and watched the horses run through the pasture for about twenty minutes before Stevie arrived.

"Hello Miss Hanson, how are you this fine morning?" Stevie asked, grinning.

"I am doing quite nicely Miss Lake, how about you?" Carole replied. They burst out laughing about two seconds later. Being friends, they loved to do silly things like that. They talked for a few minutes when Lisa arrived. She took a while to get out of the car and was carrying a box of tissues with her.

"What are those for?" Stevie asked.

"I have a bit of a stuffy nose," Lisa said grumpily. "Don't tease me about them Stevie, I'm not in the mood."

Stevie sat, stunned. She turned to Carole who shrugged. "Okay…..um…..how are you?" She asked hesitantly.

Lisa glared at her. "How do you think?" she scowled.

"Fine?" Stevie joked. Big mistake.

"Fine?! Yeah right! I already told you! I'm not in the mood for one of your jokes!" Lisa snapped.

"Well sorry for trying to be friendly!" Stevie yelled. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Well it didn't help anything!" She grumbled.

"What's wrong with you Lisa?" Stevie asked, a little worried.

"What's wrong with me? How about you! You don't eat anything for four days, you don't remember anything, and your ankle is broken! I'm not the one who has problems!"

"Okay, you asked for it…" Stevie jumped off the fence. She walked towards Lisa, rolling her hands into fists. "We'll see who has problems now-"

"Stop it!" Carole cried. She ran over to Stevie. "Stop it! Both of you! Lisa, you need to be nice! And Stevie, hurting people is not the answer!"

"It worked for Red." Stevie pointed out. Carole gave an angry sigh.

"Just, no, Stevie!" She pleaded. "That is so not the way to go!" Stevie sighed and unclenched her hands.

"Fine. But if she says something like that again, I don't care Carole, I will hurt someone. And if you get in the way, you might end up the one hurt." Stevie said truthfully.

"Oh come on Stevie, stop acting tough! You may think you're more like a boy than a girl sometimes, but you're not!" Lisa teased.

Stevie growled. "Okay, you're in for it now..."

Carole tried to grab Stevie's arm but was too slow. Stevie launched herself at Lisa. Lisa, not expecting this, let out a small whine. Carole jumped in and grabbed Stevie's shoulders before anyone got hurt. Lisa had fallen to her knees on the ground, and Stevie was fighting against Carole with all her might.

"Stevie! Stevie, stop it! Stop it right now!" Carole shrieked. Stevie froze.

"I…I uh…I'm sorry Carole." Stevie hung her head. "It was her fault!" She pointed at Lisa. Lisa shook her head in dismay.

"Yeah right! I'm not the one who attacks people!" She scowled. Stevie glared at her.

"Lisa, what you did was pretty mean. Are you feeling okay?" Carole asked. Lisa burst into tears.

"No!" She buried her face in her hands.

"Lisa? Lisa, what's wrong?" Carole asked. She dropped to her knees beside Lisa.

"I'm sorry…I just didn't get much sleep last night, and now I have a cold, and I feel miserable." Lisa coughed. Carole sighed. Stevie slowly started to walk away.

"Uh uh, come here, you aren't through with me yet," Carole ordered. Stevie slunk back over towards Carole.

"Yes?" She asked hesitantly.

"Stevie, don't think it was all Lisa's fault. You had no right to behave the way you did. Hurting people is not nice! Especially if they're your friends!" She scolded.

"You hurt me." Stevie replied, looking away. Carole gulped.

"Yes, but only mentally, not physically. I don't go around punching people, now do I?" Carole asked. Stevie shook her head.

"Um Carole, it did end upkind of physical though," Lisa whispered but Carole shushed her.

"Not now," She whispered back. Lisa gave a slight nod.

'I guess. Sorry Carole," Stevie said.

"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to Lisa!" Carole replied.

"Sorry Lisa…" Stevie apologized, hanging her head.

"It's okay Stevie. I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it!" Lisa said. She let out a small cough.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Stevie asked. "No offense, but you sound horrible."

Lisa smiled. "I know. My throat hurts and makes my voice sound all raspy."

"Let's go inside, and I'll get you something to drink," Carole suggested. Lisa and Stevie nodded and they headed towards the lounge.

"Hey Stevie, did you hear about the blizzard?" Lisa asked as they sat at the lounge table. Carole set about to making hot cocoa.

"No, what blizzard?" Stevie tilted her head to one side.

"Well, according to the weatherman, we're supposed to have a huge blizzard on Thursday! Isn't that great? I love the snow!" Lisa chirped. She was definitely in a better mood.

Stevie froze. Her eyes widened. "T-Thursday?" She choked.

"Yeah, Thursday! I know, only two short days from today! Isn't that amazing!" Lisa asked.

Stevie sat there, frozen, and speechless.

"Stevie?" Carole asked, as she set down the three cups of hot chocolate down on the table. "Are you alright?"

Stevie slowly shook her head.

"What's wrong then?" Carole smiled. "Don't tell me you're allergic to hot chocolate now!" She joked.

Stevie shook her head again. "Phil…..Phil and I were supposed to go on a trail ride on Thursday. It's already been rescheduled once…" Stevie groaned and laid her head on the table.

"Stevie!" Carole ran over to her and laid a hand on Stevie's shoulder. "Stevie, are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine!" Stevie replied casually. "I just love making people upset."

Carole sighed. "Phil won't be upset, he'll understand! And it isn't your fault!"

Stevie gave a small nod. From the end of the table Lisa coughed again.

"Hey, you know what, the weathermen are usually wrong, aren't they?" Carole said quickly, hoping to cheer Stevie up. Stevie smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right! I'm sure we'll be fine!" Stevie said happily. She took a huge gulp of her hot cocoa before yelping and running towards the sink.

"That stuff is HOT!" She yelled, splashing her mouth with cold water.

Carole and Lisa laughed. "They don't call it hot chocolate for nothing!" Lisa chided.

They all burst out laughing. Veronica and Kristi walked in a few minutes later.

"What's so funny?" Veronica scowled.

"It's probably just another one of their Saddle Club jokes again," Kristi answered. She turned to Veronica. "Hey, my mom was going to take me shopping for new jodhpurs later, want to tag along?"

"Sure!" They walked off talking about where they were going to shop. Stevie looked at Carole and Lisa.

"What was that about?" She asked. "They come in, ask us a question but don't let us answer, and then leave. That's odd!"

"Yeah, but this is Veronica we're talking about. You know how she's like!" Carole grinned.

"Yeah, I guess. It was still a bit odd though, even for them." Stevie replied.

"Let's not worry about it! It's their problem!" Lisa said. She pulled out the game of checkers. "Want to play?"

Stevie shook her head. "I need to go find Mrs. R. She supposedly has stuff for burns, and my tongue is in desperate need of it!" She ran off towards the barn. Carole laughed.

"That's Stevie for you!" She said. She and Lisa started a round of checkers.

"So how do you think she is?" Lisa asked Carole. "Is she getting better?"

"Yeah, I think so. She isn't eating still, but is much better than before!" Carole replied as she jumped one of Lisa's pawns.

"Hmm…I guess," Lisa responded. She coughed again.

"Lisa, I think you need to go home and get some rest, you sound awful!" Carole said, concerned.

"I'm fine-cough-just a little-cough-tired." She replied. "I'll be fine for the show on-cough-Sunday!"

"Okay Lisa, that's it! I hate hearing you cough! You need some rest!" Carole got up and grabbed Lisa's arm. She dragged her towards the couch. "Sit." She ordered.

Lisa sat. "But I'm fine!" She coughed.

"No you're not! I'm calling your mom! You need to get some rest!" Carole walked over towards the phone.

"But-"

"No buts!" Carole scolded. She picked up the phone and dialed Lisa's mother.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mrs. Attwood, it's Carole!"

"Oh hi Carole, is there a problem?"

"Yes…well….kind of. You see, Lisa's cold is really bothering her and she wanted me to ask you if she could come home to get some rest." Carole smirked at Lisa.

"Why didn't she call me?" Mrs. Attwood asked worriedly.

"Oh, she's just um….sleeping! Yeah, she's sleeping on the couch." Carole lied. Lisa made a face.

"I am so notsleeping!" She whispered harshly.

Carole put a finger to her mouth and shushed Lisa.

"Oh, alright. Well, be a dear and wake her up for me. I'll be there in fifteen minutes!" The phone clicked and Carole hung up. She walked over to Lisa who was clearly upset.

"I don't want to leave yet Carole!" Lisa whined.

"But you're sick, and you really should go home and get some rest. I don't want to be the only one in the show this weekend because you have a cold!" Carole teased. Lisa nodded reluctantly.

"Okay….I guess so. But what about Stevie? I didn't get to say goodbye!" Lisa cried.

"She'll be fine! I'm sure she'll understand!" Carole reassured. She handed Lisa her hand. "Come on, your mom will be here any minute now!"

They walked towards the lounge doors and sat outside. It was pretty cold though, and they had to come back inside a few minutes later to keep warm.

"I knew it was chilly, but not that chilly!" Lisa shivered, rubbing her arms with her hands.

"I know! I think it's the wind!" Carole agreed.

"Uh huh, which mean we probably will get that blizzard on Thursday. And you know what that means." Lisa pouted.

"Yeah, yeah, Stevie will get upset." Carole smiled. "If we can convince her by tomorrow, than she won't be upset when it really starts snowing!"

Lisa nodded. "We'll try tomorrow. Plus, I don't want her getting stuck out in the snow by herself!"

Carole smiled evilly. "She won't be by herself Lisa, she's got Phil!"

Lisa put her lips together. "It'll be so romantic!" She sighed. "But yeah, tomorrow we'll convince her not to go and stay at Pine Hollow, to be safe!"

Carole nodded. "Yep, that's the plan! Hopefully it works!" She waved as Lisa ran towards her mother's car. As they drove off, Carole went to look for Stevie. She had some persuading to do. After all, it never hurts to start early! And with Stevie, it would take all the time they could get to convince her not to go on that trail ride.

Carole approached Belle's stall cautiously. Stevie was inside humming softy, holding a glass of milk.

"What's that for?" Carole asked Stevie, gesturing towards the milk.

"Oh, that? Mrs. R said it would help my tongue burn!" Stevie shrugged. "It's worked for me!"

Carole smiled, "I'm glad, tongue burns are serious problems!" She laughed.

Stevie grinned. "I know right! They're the worst!" Stevie laughed with Carole. Carole felt her stomach tighten. She didn't want to try to stop Stevie, when Stevie was so excited for it.

"So Carole, do you really think we'll get that blizzard on Thursday?" Stevie asked coincidentally.

Carole shrugged quickly. "I don't know, but judging by these harsh winds we're getting right now, I'd say yes."

Stevie frowned. "Oh, I was hoping we'd still be okay for Thursday, Phil and I." Stevie looked at Carole. "Do you think it's safe to go?"

Carole shook her head hesitantly. Stevie raised an eyebrow.

"No? Why not?!"

"I don't know Stevie, it's just really cold out, and snowy, and the winds are horrible! I'm worried that on Thursday, the blizzard will hit, and trap you and Phil outside for the night!" Carole cried. Stevie glared at her.

"I think we'll be fine. If we leave early, the blizzard will hit after our trail ride, and we'll already be back at Pine Hollow, safe and sound." Stevie reasoned. Carole shook her head again.

"Sorry Stevie, but I really don't think you should go! I don't want to take any chances! Not after what's happened these past two weeks!" Carole laid a hand on Stevie's shoulder. "It's only to be safe!"

Stevie growled and slapped Carole's hand away. "No! I will go on the trail ride Thursday, and you can't stop me!" She opened the stall door and walked out. Carole followed her.

"But Stevie-"

"But what?" Stevie interrupted. She spun around to face Carole. "I'm sorry Carole, but no means no! I am going to go on that trail ride!"

"Even if Phil doesn't go?" Carole asked. She wondered if Phil would talk some sense into Stevie.

"I already asked him about it. He said that if we leave earlier, we might miss the blizzard. Besides, it might not even come!" Stevie snapped. Carole looked away, out of persuasion ideas.

"Hey, but Stevie, you could always go Friday! The snow will be fresh, and blizzard free!" She said quickly. Stevie shook her head.

"No Carole. I've already moved the date back once, I'm not doing it again!" She looked Carole in the eye. "If you are a good friend, you'll let me go." Carole let out a whimper.

"Um…."
"That's what I thought." Stevie scowled and stormed off towards her mother's car, which had just approached. Carole sighed. She was never going to persuade Stevie now. Oh boy, what had she done? She'd gone and riled up a monster, that's what. And now, she was going to have to deal with the consequences.