“No,” interrupted May. She took a deep breath. “Don’t try to cover up for me, Jazz. It was me,” she told her mother. “I took out your shoes and walked around in them until the heel broke off. I honestly thought I could fix it, but I know I was wrong to try them on in the first place.”
Mrs. Grover shook her head. “That’s not good enough, May. You promised me that you girls would be careful, and you broke that promise. You have to be punished. Go up to your room and stay there for one hour. You can see Jasmine and Corey later.”
Jasmine and Corey looked at May sympathetically. She was bright red and looked as if she was going to cry. May almost never cried—she was the bravest one of the group. She didn’t look at them, but turned and ran up to her room. Jasmine and Corey said good-bye to Mrs. Grover and left quietly.
In her room, May sniffed once but didn’t cry. Although she felt miserable, she was almost relieved to be alone. “Now I can’t make anyone else mad at me,” she told herself. She lay down on her bed.
Mom is mad at me. Mrs. James is mad at me. Doc Tock is mad at me, she thought. What can I do about it? I already tried to apologize, but they wouldn’t let me. I’ve got to find some way to make up for all the trouble I’ve caused.
Being in hot water was exhausting! Before she knew it, May had fallen fast asleep.
Outside, Jasmine and Corey walked slowly across the Grovers’ lawn. “Poor May!” sighed Jasmine.
“Getting in trouble once is bad enough,” said Corey. “But three times in one morning! She must be feeling awful.”
“I don’t think my mother is really that angry at her. I think she was just tired from taking care of Sophie,” said Jasmine.
“I don’t think my mother is, either. I think she was just tired from chasing Silver,” said Corey.
“I wish there were something we could do,” said Jasmine.
“Right now, I bet May just wants to be alone. Maybe we’ll think of something later. I’m going home now,” Corey said.
“Me too,” Jasmine said. The two split up and headed toward their own houses.
When Corey got home, she poked her head into the office. She thought her mother might still be busy. But the waiting room was empty, except for Doc Tock and one person holding a cat. Doc Tock was handing the cat’s owner some medicine.
When she saw Corey, she smiled. “Hey there,” she called cheerfully. “I’m just about finished here. Just put these drops into his eyes three times a day for one week,” she told the cat’s owner. “Call me if there are any problems.” Then she turned to Corey. “What say you and I take Silver over to CARL right now?”
Corey grinned. Lately her mother’s veterinary practice had become very busy. Corey loved it when her mother could do something with her, just the two of them. “I guess the sooner we take him there, the sooner he can be adopted,” she answered. “Is Jack coming, too?”
Doc Tock shook her head. “Jack has some small jobs to do around the office, and then he’s going to feed and water the patients and go home. I’m going to spend some time at the shelter looking over the animals. Maybe you’d like to help?” She knew that Corey loved being around the animals at CARL.
“Check,” said Corey, and ran to get a leash for Silver.
When Jasmine got home, she opened the back door very cautiously. She tiptoed into the kitchen.
“Bah bah bah,” she heard. Her mom and dad and Sophie were in the kitchen. Mrs. James was just taking a tray of cookies out of the oven, and Sophie was lying in her baby seat, waving her arms around and gurgling happily.
Mrs. James looked at Jasmine with a smile. “Her fever’s gone. She’s feeling much better,” she added with a laugh as Sophie broke into another stream of babble.
Jasmine sighed with relief. “Mom, I’m sorry about what happened earlier,” she began.
Mr. James reached over and pulled Jasmine’s blond braid affectionately. “Forget about it,” he told her. “Sophie’s feeling better, and that’s all that counts for now. We’ve decided to go to Granny’s house for a visit. She hasn’t seen us for a while, because of all the craziness in the past weeks. How about it?”
“I’m taking these chocolate chip cookies over to Granny’s for us all to share,” added Mrs. James.
“Don’t you have to work today?” asked Jasmine, looking at her father.
He shook his head. “All done—I’m all yours.”
“All right!” said Jasmine happily. Granny was usually lots of fun!
4 When May Woke Up
When May woke up from her nap, she didn’t know what time of day it was at first. Then she looked at the clock. “One o’clock!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been asleep for two hours!”
She sat up, rubbing her eyes. At first she felt fuzzy-headed. She almost never took naps in the middle of the day. She thought naps were for babies.
All the trouble today had wiped her out, though. As her brain slowly cleared, she remembered everything that had happened this morning. It was like waking up to a bad dream, instead of waking up from a bad dream, she decided.
Thinking about how Mrs. James, Doc Tock, and her own mother were all mad at her made May want to dive under the covers. But she knew hiding didn’t solve anything. Maybe there was still something she could do to make up for all the trouble she’d caused. She got up, washed her face, and went downstairs.
The house was quiet. May wondered where her parents were, and whether her two older sisters, Ellie and Dottie, were around. When she wandered into the kitchen, she found her answer.
The Grovers were such a large and busy family, they kept track of each other’s comings and goings on a large bulletin board in the kitchen. When May checked the board, the first thing she saw was a note from her parents. “May: We’re doing some errands. It’s 12:30 now and we’ll be back in two hours.” Then May saw another note from Ellie, saying that she was at soccer practice, and a note from Dottie, who was at a friend’s house.
May realized she was alone in the house. She decided to call the other Pony Tails and see what they were doing. Maybe they could come over and do something fun together. Or play with May’s model ponies—Jasmine had the largest collection, but May had some nice ones, too.
Maybe she could save her Saturday after all.
First she called Jasmine. There was no answer. May hung up just as the machine came on. Maybe Jasmine was at Corey’s.
She dialed Corey’s number. Jack answered the phone.
“Oh, hi, Jack,” said May. “Is Corey there?”
“Nope,” he answered. “She and her mom went to take Silver over to CARL. They probably won’t be back for a couple of hours.”
“Thanks, Jack,” said May. She hung up the phone. She wished that she had something to do and someone to do it with, but everyone seemed to be doing their own thing.
The phone rang. May picked it up. “Hello?” she said.
“May, is that you? It’s Joey,” said the voice.
May grinned. Joey Dutton used to live in Corey’s house before he moved two towns away. May, Jasmine, and Joey had lived next door to each other for eight years. They were good friends, and Corey and Joey had gotten to meet and like each other, too.
Joey had his own pony, named Crazy. He used to ride at Pine Hollow, with Horse Wise, but now he rode with the Cross County Pony Club.
“Hi, Joey. Still feel bad about losing?” asked May jokingly.
“Just wait till next time,” Joey joked back.
Now that Joey rode with another Pony Club, the friends sometimes saw one another at relay races between Horse Wise and Cross County. In the last relay race, Horse Wise had beaten Cross County. May couldn’t resist teasing Joey a little, especially since she knew he was every bit as good a rider as the Pony Tails.
They talked for a few minutes. Then Joey said, “Listen, May. My dad came up with a great idea. There’s an apple orchard right near Pine Hollow. The owners let you pick apples on horseback. Are the Pony Tails interested?”
May g
ot excited. “I was just talking about how much I love apples, Joey,” she said. “And so does Macaroni!” Macaroni was May’s pony, named because of his yellow coat, mane, and tail, which reminded her of her favorite food, macaroni and cheese. He was so sweet and gentle, May liked the idea of giving him a special treat.
Plus, Joey and his dad were so much fun. Dr. Dutton, who was a dentist, had his own horse, named Ziggy. Ziggy had a goofy streak in him—just like Dr. Dutton!
May started thinking fast. Corey and Jasmine weren’t home, but maybe they would come back in time to join May for part of the afternoon. She was dying to do something—and this sounded like the perfect something!
“Corey and Jasmine aren’t around right now, but I am!” she told Joey. “When can we go?”
“Dad and I are at Pine Hollow right now,” answered Joey. “We can ride over and pick you up in about forty-five minutes. Tell your parents we’ll be back by five P.M.”
“You bet,” said May. She hung up the phone. Then she remembered that her parents were gone.
May felt a little uneasy about going apple-picking without telling her parents. But her parents knew Dr. Dutton and Joey well. They knew that May used to ride with them all the time. Also, May wasn’t grounded anymore. Her hour of punishment was long over, and she was ready to have some fun. May felt sure that her parents would want her to go with Joey and Dr. Dutton.
After her morning of trouble, though, May decided not to take any chances. She ripped the last piece of paper from the message pad and wrote, “Dear Mom and Dad: I have gone apple-picking and riding with Joey and Dr. Dutton. I will be back at 5 P.M. Love, May.” She pinned the note to the center of the bulletin board.
Then she called Corey’s house. Jack answered the phone again.
“Jack, it’s me, May, again,” she said. “If Corey comes back soon or if she calls in, can you please tell her where I’m going?”
“Sure, May, no problem,” answered Jack. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going apple-picking with Joey Dutton and his dad. We’re going to ride there,” May told him. “The orchard is right near Pine Hollow. Corey can join me with Sam if she gets back in time. I’ll be back at five P.M.”
Just then, May heard a loud whimper in the background. “Is that Dracula?” she asked. She knew that Corey’s dog often made weird howling noises, which was how he’d gotten his name.
“No,” said Jack. “That’s a German shepherd who’s staying here. Broken leg. I thought he was fine, but he seems to be in a lot of pain. Listen, May, I have to go, okay?”
“Don’t forget to give Corey my message,” May reminded him.
“Um, no problem,” Jack answered. He sounded distracted as he hung up the phone.
Then May called Jasmine to leave a message on the machine. But when the machine picked up, she heard, “We’re sssooooooooorrrrry, grdlioup, leeeeave mrrrrrrhhhh … beep.” Something was wrong with the Jameses’ answering machine.
Since the machine had beeped, May began talking. “Jasmine, it’s me, May. I’m going over to an apple orchard with Joey Dutton …” but then she stopped. All she heard from the machine was a lot of hissing and static. She became frustrated. “This is terrible!” she complained. “This isn’t working—I give up!” She hung up the phone.
May walked out the back door and went to tack up Macaroni. May was good at tacking up ponies because she was around horses so much and she took care of Macaroni all by herself. All of the Pony Tails knew how to care for their own ponies.
She quickly put on Macaroni’s saddle, fastened the girth snugly, and slipped the bridle over his head.
“This will be perfect, Macaroni,” she told him. The pony nickered in response. “I can go get bushels and bushels of sweet, ripe apples, and I’ll give some to everyone. Maybe apples won’t solve the problems I caused this morning, but at least people will know that I’m really sorry.”
Macaroni snorted softly. May put her arms around his neck and hugged him. “You understand, don’t you?” She led Macaroni out to the mounting block and swung into the saddle.
May could hardly wait to get going. She couldn’t believe that she had just talked about apples this morning, and now she was going to eat all the apples she wanted.
What a fun way to make up for all the troubles of the morning! When she spotted Joey and Dr. Dutton riding Crazy and Ziggy, she tapped Macaroni gently with her heels. She said hello to the Duttons, and the three of them started off across the field in the direction of the orchard.
They were off to pick apples!
5 May’s Messages Get Lost
It was just after three o’clock in the afternoon, Corey and Doc Tock weren’t back from CARL yet, but the office was empty, and Jack had finished sweeping the floor. The phone rang, and he answered it.
“Hi, honey, guess what?” It was Jack’s girlfriend, Kelly. She sounded pleased and excited. “A friend just gave me two tickets to the basketball game this afternoon. Can you get some time off from work today?”
Jack thought for a minute. The office was spotless, and he had fed and watered all the patients. The German shepherd with the broken leg had settled down after being given some medicine for his pain. He was now sleeping soundly.
“That sounds great, Kelly,” Jack answered. “Sure, I can go. I’ve taken care of pretty much everything here.” They made arrangements to meet, and he hung up.
As Jack walked out the door, he turned out the lights in the office. Just before he locked the door, he paused.
Was he forgetting something? He had a nagging feeling that there was something he had forgotten to do. Well, whatever it was, he could do it later.
Jack shut the door, making sure it was locked. Doc Tock had a lot of valuable equipment in her office. As he walked toward his car, he saw Ellie Grover walking up to the Grovers’ front door. She was returning from soccer practice.
“Hey, Ellie,” he called. He waved.
Ellie saw Jack and waved back.
As she walked through the front door, Ellie knew almost at once that no one was home. Normally the Grovers’ house was a noisy, fun place. May often complained that you could go deaf in her house. Jasmine and Corey, whose homes were usually quiet if you didn’t count Sophie’s crying or animal noises, liked the chaos at the Grovers’.
Now it was totally quiet. Ellie tossed her gym bag on the floor and went to check the bulletin board.
The phone rang. It was Dottie.
“Hey, Ellie, is that you?” She sounded breathless, but Dottie often sounded that way. May joked that Dottie sounded excited because she thought about boys and nothing else. May, of course, didn’t understand how anyone could prefer boys to ponies.
“Listen, Ellie, are Mom and Dad at home?” Dottie asked.
“No, just me,” answered Ellie.
“Well, can you give them a message? I need to go over to the mall because Susan wants to get a pair of shoes, and Jane is coming with us, but Susan’s dad can’t pick us up, and Jane’s mom and dad can’t pick us up, but we need to be back by six because Bobby is going to call …”
“Hold on!” ordered Ellie. She was getting confused. “I need to write this down.” She looked around for the message pad. Great! There was no paper left!
She looked around for a piece of paper or a napkin. She spotted May’s note on the bulletin board. She pulled it off and, without reading it, turned it over and scribbled on the blank side, “Mom, Dad: Pick Dottie up at mall before 6.”
“Got it,” she told Dottie.
“Great, bye,” said Dottie, and hung up.
Just as Ellie hung up, the phone rang again. It was her friend Sandy.
“Ellie, I need you right away!” Sandy sounded very dramatic. “David Richter just asked me out to the movies tonight, and I have no idea what to wear!”
“I’ll be right over,” promised Ellie. She was happy for Sandy, who had liked David Richter for some time. She wrote on Dottie’s message, “Gone to Sandy’s. Be back soon. Love
, Ellie.” She pinned the note back on the bulletin board.
As she walked down the block to Sandy’s, Ellie suddenly paused. Hadn’t there been a note on the other side of the piece of paper? She remembered seeing May’s name on it, but she’d forgotten to read it.
Ellie shrugged. It was only a note from May. She was probably off with the other Pony Tails, doing their usual unimportant stuff.
Sandy was waiting. Now, that was important!
6 More Signals Get Crossed
Macaroni tossed his head. The day was beautiful. The sun was shining, and the air was cool and crisp. May could tell that Macaroni was having a wonderful time. He picked up his feet briskly as he trotted and swished his tail.
May, Joey, and Dr. Dutton were having a wonderful time, too. The apple farm was a couple of miles from May’s house, and the ride, so far, was as much fun as May had hoped.
The three of them were laughing and talking. Dr. Dutton told May that he had packed a little picnic for them in his saddlebag, “just to keep our strength up for picking apples.”
When they got to the farm, May saw a sign, SUSAN’S APPLE ORCHARD: PICK YOUR OWN. Cars were pulled up in front of the main barn. At the barn, people were either picking up baskets to go and pick apples, or weighing the apples they had just picked.
Behind the barn, the Duttons and May could see rows and rows of apple trees. “Look, some other people are on horseback, too,” said Joey. But May only had eyes for one thing.
“Look at the apples!” she exclaimed. She could see the shiny red apples peeking out from the branches. Some of the branches were bent over with the weight of apples.
May turned to Joey and Dr. Dutton. “Let’s go!” she urged them.
Dr. Dutton laughed. “Not so fast, May,” he said, grinning. “Remember our lunch? You want to let this poor old dentist starve?”
May chuckled. Dr. Dutton loved to eat. He used to make the best hamburgers when the Duttons lived next door to May and Jasmine. The three families would often barbecue together, and Dr. Dutton even made super-special veggie burgers for Jasmine’s family.
May's Runaway Ride (Pony Tails Book 14) Page 2