Jasmine closed his stall door and watched him. Thoughtfully, she turned to May. “Maybe we should call Corey and see how she’s doing,” she suggested. “We can tell her that Sam seems much better. And we can tell her the show was a big success.”
May shook her head. “Trust me, Jasmine. The worst thing would be to talk to Corey about riding and ponies. Let’s just leave her alone and let her come to us.”
“Okay,” Jasmine agreed with a sigh.
A few minutes later she said good-bye to May and Sam. “I’ll see you later,” Jasmine told May. The Pony Tails often had sleepovers on Saturday nights. Tonight Jasmine was sleeping at May’s.
As she led Outlaw home, Jasmine thought about Corey some more. It was so hard to stop herself from calling her. She just knew she could cheer Corey up and make her feel better about the day.
May’s right, she tried to convince herself. The best thing to do is leave Corey alone.
6 Peace and Quiet
“Bleeaaa!”
“Shhh,” Corey shushed Alexander.
“Corey, are you all right?” Mr. Takamura asked through Corey’s bedroom door.
“Yeah, Dad, I’m really okay,” she said. “I just need to be alone.”
“But that sound …,” her father said. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
Corey tried to think. She had to say something to him. What would May do? she wondered. Then she knew what to say.
“My stomach’s a little upset,” she fibbed.
“That was a burp?” Mr. Takamura asked. He sounded as if he didn’t quite believe it.
“I feel much better now,” Corey said.
“Bleeaaaaa!”
“Corey?”
“I’m fine, Dad. I think I’ll just lie down. I’d like to take a little nap now. I just need to be by myself.”
“I understand, Corey,” said Mr. Takamura. “But please tell me if there’s anything I can do for you.”
“I will, Dad,” Corey promised. Corey listened as her father’s footsteps moved away from her bedroom door. He went into the living room and turned on the television set to watch the news.
Corey sighed with relief. She would have to think of some other solution soon. Her father would never let her keep Alexander if he found him. Pets weren’t allowed in his apartment—not even cats or dogs. What would he say about a goat?
“Whew,” Corey said. Then she turned to her bed, but she didn’t lie down on it. She couldn’t lie down on it. Alexander’s cage was sitting on it.
“You’ve got to stop that bleating,” she whispered. “We’re going to be in big trouble!”
“Bleeaaaa!” came the goat’s reply.
Corey pulled a blanket over the kid’s cage to muffle the sound. That just made Alexander bleat more loudly.
She had to do something else. Again she asked herself, What would May do?
Of course! She stood up and went over to the small stereo set her father had given her for her last birthday. She flicked on the radio and tuned in to a hard-rock station.
There was a crash of cymbals, then the loud twang of electric guitars.
“Perfect!” Corey declared. It was just what she needed.
She turned up the volume. Her father would never be able to hear Alexander over that.
“Corey!” her father yelled. “What’s going on?”
“I’m napping,” she called back.
“With all that racket going on?” he asked.
“Isn’t it great music?” she asked.
“Uh, sure,” said Mr. Takamura.
To her surprise her father didn’t ask her to turn the music down. Maybe he’d decided she’d had enough troubles for one day.
In spite of everything, Corey smiled. She’d probably managed to convince her father that her stomach was all right. Now he might be more worried about her ears—or her head!
“Come on, we just have to call her,” Jasmine said. She and May were sitting on the floor of May’s room in their pajamas. For three whole hours Jasmine had kept herself from calling Corey. She couldn’t wait any longer. The three Pony Tails were always together.
May finally gave in. “Okay. But we can’t mention ponies.”
“No problem,” Jasmine agreed quickly. “We’re friends—we have other stuff to talk about.”
“Don’t bring up the demonstration, either,” warned May.
“I won’t,” Jasmine insisted. “Come on!”
May and Jasmine hurried down the hall to the phone. May dialed the number.
Mr. Takamura answered. It was hard to hear him.
“It’s May,” she said loudly. “May Grover.”
“What?” said Corey’s father.
May put her hand over the receiver. “There’s an awful racket going on there,” she told Jasmine. “Mr. Takamura’s neighbor must be playing rock music.”
“What?” Mr. Takamura said again.
“Is Corey there? It’s May. May Grover. Jasmine’s here, too.”
Finally Mr. Takamura got it. “Hang on a minute,” he said.
The girls waited. In a few minutes May heard the noise stop. Then Corey was on the phone.
“Uh, hi,” she said. She sounded very nervous.
May decided to jump in and talk about something besides ponies, riding, and drill demonstrations. That meant she had to find another subject. That was easy.
“Who was playing that awful music?” May asked. “I could barely hear your father.”
“Uh, that was me. Don’t you like rock?” Corey asked.
May did like rock music. But only someone who was very hard of hearing could have liked it that loud!
“Listen, May,” Corey said. “I’m a little busy now. I can’t talk long.”
“Oh,” May said, feeling a little hurt. “Uh, well, Jasmine wants to talk to you, too.” She quickly handed the phone to Jasmine.
“Hi!” Jasmine said cheerfully. “What’s up?”
“Like I said to May, I’m a little busy now …,” Corey began.
“Are you doing homework or something?” Jasmine asked.
“Just listening to some music,” said Corey.
“Oh,” said Jasmine. She opened her mouth to tell Corey that Sam was fine. Then she quickly closed it. She couldn’t talk about Sam. She’d have to think of something else to say to Corey. But what?
Suddenly Corey solved the problem for her.
“I’ll see you at school,” Corey said. “Bye.”
Jasmine mumbled good-bye, then hung up. She stared at May with a miserable expression on her face. “It’s worse than I thought,” she said. “Corey didn’t say a word about ponies. She hardly said anything at all.”
“I know,” May replied. “We just have to be patient, Jasmine,” she reminded her friend again. “Remember how Doc Tock said Corey would be herself by tomorrow? Well, I bet Corey calls us first thing in the morning to ask about Sam.”
Jasmine nodded, then followed May back to her room. How could Corey not even mention Sam? she wondered. Or bring up the demonstration?
The two girls climbed into their sleeping bags, which were rolled out on the floor of May’s room. Jasmine told May about a new feed she was trying on Outlaw. May told Jasmine about braiding Macaroni’s mane. They talked pony talk until Mrs. Grover knocked on the door and said, “Lights out, girls.”
Jasmine told herself that tonight was just like any other Pony Tails sleepover. But there was a big difference, and she knew it.
One of the Pony Tails wasn’t riding her pony anymore.
7 Back at School
By Monday morning, Corey was going crazy. She’d managed to hide Alexander from her father all day on Sunday, but it hadn’t been easy. She’d barely slept a wink on Sunday night. The awful music she’d been playing gave her nightmares! And everytime she did get to sleep, Alexander started fussing in his cage and woke her. The music probably gave him nightmares, too! she thought.
Corey thought everything would be better in the morning—until she
had to feed Alexander. He was very, very hungry for a lot of milk. She tried to sneak three glasses of it into her room for him. Alexander liked that. Corey’s father didn’t.
“You know I don’t want you to take food into your room,” he said.
“But I have to finish my homework while I have some breakfast,” Corey lied. “What was the name of the Native American tribe that greeted the Pilgrims?” she added quickly.
“Wampanoag,” said Mr. Takamura.
“Thanks, Dad,” Corey said. “I’ll be ready in a minute.” She slipped into her room, closed the door, and turned on the music.
Guitars blasted and drums banged while she fed Alexander.
“I have to go to school now,” she whispered, knowing he could barely hear her over the music. It didn’t matter. Even if he could hear her, he couldn’t understand her. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll be back this afternoon.”
Alexander looked at her curiously. Corey hoped he understood at least some of what she was saying.
As she gathered up her books for school, she let out a sigh. She dreaded facing her friends. It was the first time since the show that she’d have to see the Pony Tails and the other riders from Pine Hollow.
Corey still felt ashamed when she thought about the drill demonstration. May and Jasmine had called her on Saturday night and yesterday, too, but they hadn’t mentioned the demonstration or Sam at all.
That’s because they’re embarrassed for me, she thought. They don’t want to tell me that Sam and I ruined the show.
A lump formed in Corey’s throat. She missed Sam and she missed her friends.
Don’t think about it, she ordered herself. She was never getting on a horse or pony again—and that was that. At least she had Alexander. Just the sight of the cute little kid made Corey feel better. She might have failed with Sam, but she knew she was doing a good job with Alexander. She’d been taking care of the baby goat on her own for two whole days.
Corey clipped a bottle into his cage. “Be good while I’m gone,” she told him. He watched her every move as she got ready to leave. On her way out, she put her finger to her lips to tell Alexander to be quiet. She couldn’t leave her radio playing all day.
Mr. Takamura taught at the high school next to the elementary school. He and Corey always walked to school together. As they left the apartment this morning, Alexander was quiet.
It’s a miracle, Corey thought. She hoped it would last.
All morning, Corey worried about the baby goat. Had Alexander’s bottle fallen out of the rack in his cage? she thought as her teacher took attendance.
And while the class talked about Plimouth Plantation, Corey was thinking, He must be so lonely.
In music, while the other children were singing “Old MacDonald,” Corey was sure she could hear Alexander bleating.
At lunchtime, Corey did her best to avoid Jasmine and May. She ate lunch quickly, then went to the library instead of going outside. She still wasn’t ready to talk about the demonstration—or tell them about Alexander. For now she wanted to keep the goat her secret.
But Corey couldn’t avoid the Pony Tails altogether. After school Jasmine and May were waiting for her by the front steps.
Corey took a deep breath.
“We’re going to the shopping center,” Jasmine began. “Want to—”
“No, I can’t,” interrupted Corey. “I’ve got to get home right away.”
“Maybe we could come with you?” May asked.
Corey panicked. “Uh, I have a lot of homework,” she said quickly.
“We could help,” Jasmine offered.
“No thanks. I’ve got to do it by myself,” said Corey.
For a few minutes there was silence. May was getting desperate. Finally she thought of something to say.
“Hey, Corey, did your mother tell you about the goat?”
“Goat? What goat?” Corey’s eyes went wide.
“The one from CARL,” said May. “He’s missing.”
Corey could feel her heart start racing. “It must have run away,” she said. “Sometimes baby animals run away because they’re scared.”
“I don’t think so.” Jasmine shook her head.
“Why not?” Corey asked.
“Because its cage was gone, too,” May explained. “Your mom thinks someone kidnapped him.”
Corey gulped. “Oh,” she said. “Well, I don’t know anything about it.”
“It’s very serious,” May went on. “The people from CARL are worried about him. He’s very young and can’t survive on his own. He needs someone to take care of him or he’ll die.”
Jasmine nodded. “Who would steal a baby goat?” she said. “It seems almost cruel.”
“Alexander’s fine,” Corey blurted out. “He …” As soon as the words left her lips, she knew she’d made a mistake.
“Who’s Alexander?” Jasmine looked puzzled.
Corey felt herself blush. “That’s the goat’s name. I mean, that’s what I would call him if he belonged to me.”
“Oh,” said May.
Jasmine still looked a little confused.
“I’ve got to go,” Corey said before May or Jasmine could ask any more questions. “See you.”
A second later Corey was gone.
The two remaining Pony Tails looked at each other.
Jasmine gulped. “Uh-oh,” she said. “Corey still didn’t ask about Sam.”
“I know,” May said. “I don’t know what to do. I thought for sure Corey would have mentioned Sam by now.”
It was Jasmine’s turn to try to reassure May. “Corey can’t ignore him forever,” she pointed out. “Wednesday is our riding lesson at Pine Hollow. It’s also Corey’s day to come home to her mom’s. Sam will be right there in her own backyard. She’ll have to ride then.”
“But what if—” May began.
Jasmine interrupted her. “May, you have to be more patient!” she said.
May laughed as she heard her own words coming back at her. “You’re right, Jasmine. Thanks,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” Jasmine answered. “That’s what the Pony Tails are here for—to help each other.”
Now May felt much better. Jasmine was right. The Pony Tails knew how to help each other. Together they would get Corey back in the saddle—even if it took a little longer than they expected!
8 Pony Tails at Home
On Wednesday afternoon, Jasmine peered out the window of May’s room. She’d been watching Corey’s backyard since she and May had gotten home from Pine Hollow.
“Don’t worry, Jasmine,” May called. “Corey will go straight to the stable to see Sam when she gets home.”
“I know,” Jasmine replied. “Of course that’s what she’ll do.”
Jasmine and May sounded cheerful. But inside they were getting more and more worried. Corey hadn’t been at riding class that afternoon. Instead she’d dashed out of school, mumbling something about having to hurry to her father’s apartment.
What if she really never rides again? thought Jasmine. What would happen to the Pony Tails? And poor Sam. He … Suddenly Jasmine saw something. “Hey, wait a minute, May!” she cried. “The back door is opening.…”
May hopped up from her bed and went to watch with Jasmine.
There was Corey. She was struggling to carry an enormous box wrapped in a blanket. Nervously she glanced around her backyard.
“What is she doing?” May asked.
“Beats me,” replied Jasmine. She kept her eyes fixed on her friend. “Maybe it’s a surprise for Samurai.”
“Maybe,” May echoed. “I hope so.”
Corey disappeared into the stable.
“Should we go see her and help her groom Sam?” Jasmine asked.
May shook her head. “Let’s just let her spend some time alone with Sam. Once she sees him, she’s going to want to ride him—I’m sure of it.”
Jasmine nodded. That sounded right to her. Now all they had to do was keep on waiting. That was
getting harder and harder to do.
“Maybe we can play Crazy Eights or something,” Jasmine said.
“Good idea,” May said. She reached into a drawer for a deck of cards.
Next door, Corey hurried into the dark stable.
“Hush now, Alexander,” she whispered to the heavy load in her arms. “You’re almost at your new home. And when you’re here, you won’t have to listen to awful music.”
The thought made Corey smile. Keeping the kid at her father’s had been nearly impossible. Luckily, the music had helped her hide him. But now Corey didn’t care if she ever heard rock and roll again!
Corey was glad she’d finally gotten the goat here. Alexander was a tiny baby, but his cage was very heavy. She didn’t know what she’d do when it was time to go back to her father’s apartment. She was still trying to figure out how to deal with him at her mother’s.
She was also trying to think of a way to keep her secret from her friends. So far it had been pretty easy. The other Pony Tails weren’t exactly ignoring her. But they hadn’t said a word about riding or asked her why she hadn’t come to Pony Club.
Now that she was next door again, things would be a little more tricky.
As Corey lugged the heavy cage through the stable, a sound suddenly broke the quiet.
“Whhhnnnnn!”
Corey swallowed. It was Sam, welcoming her home.
In front of Sam’s stall, Corey put down Alexander’s cage. She took off the blanket that covered the cage.
“Bleeaaaaa!”
“Whhhnnnnn!” a startled Sam said.
“Bleeaaal” Alexander replied.
Corey looked back and forth, from goat to pony, as the two animals continued making sounds.
Every time the pony whinnied, the baby goat bleated.
“Are you two talking to one another?” Corey asked in amazement.
They were. Alexander and Sam chattered back and forth like old friends!
Corey grinned and shook her head. Working with her mother had taught her that animals often do surprising things. By now she was convinced that they shared as many secrets with each other as humans did between themselves!
Pony Tails 06- Corey in the Saddle Page 3