Wild Horse
Page 1
IS LISA LEAVING HOME?
“Wentworth Manor is one of the most famous girls’ schools in the country, dear. We’re very lucky to have gotten an interview for you,” Mrs. Atwood said.
“Where is it?” Lisa asked.
“It’s in Richfield, about two hours from Willow Creek.”
“But I don’t get it,” Lisa said, taken aback. “Are we moving?”
Mrs. Atwood laughed. “Oh, no, dear. Your father and I are very happy in Willow Creek.”
“Then why am I having an interview at a school if there’s no chance I would ever go to it?” Lisa asked. Her mother had had some wild ideas in the past, but this one was the wildest yet.
“It’s a boarding school,” Mrs. Atwood explained patiently. “The girls live at the school.”
Lisa stared at her mother in alarm. “When did you decide you wanted me to go to boarding school?” she asked, shocked.
“It’s only an interview, honey. If you don’t like it—”
“But Mom,” Lisa interrupted, “why would you want me to leave home?”
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WILD HORSES
A Bantam Skylark Book / September 1996
Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.
“The Saddle Club” is a registered trademark of Bonnie Bryant Hiller.
The Saddle Club design/logo, which consists of a riding crop and a riding hat, is a trademark of Bantam Books.
“USPC” and “Pony Club” are registered trademarks of The United States Pony Clubs, Inc., at The Kentucky Horse Park, 4071 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511-8462.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1996 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address: Bantam Books.
eISBN: 978-0-307-82557-5
Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada.
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
v3.1
I would like to express my special thanks
to Caitlin Macy for her help
in the writing of this book.
Contents
Cover
Other Skylark Books You Will Enjoy
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
About the Author
“BUT, STEVIE, THERE just has to be something good about going back to school!” Lisa Atwood cried. When it came to school, Lisa and Stevie Lake were opposites. Stevie utterly detested it and always got into trouble. Lisa enjoyed it and brought home straight As.
“Nope.” Stevie shook her head defiantly. “There’s not. I’ve thought and thought, and there’s not one single reason why I, Stephanie Lake, should be glad that the summer’s over.”
The two girls were sitting on hay bales at Pine Hollow Stables with their other best friend, Carole Hanson. Pine Hollow was the stable where they all took riding lessons and where Stevie and Carole boarded their horses. Carole was in the middle about school. She didn’t hate it or love it; she got through and did fine. Once in a while she even became interested enough in something she was learning to forget about horses—for about five seconds.
“Maybe you just need time to readjust—you know, have a few days to let it sink in, the way Lisa and I have,” Carole suggested. She tried not to sound as doubtful as she felt. Carole and Lisa went to the local public junior high school. They had been back a week already, but Stevie went to Fenton Hall, a private school, which had started only the day before.
“Yeah, right. I’ll be too excited for words in another week or two,” Stevie muttered sarcastically.
“Aren’t there any teachers you like?” Lisa asked. “Or at least any teachers you don’t detest?” she corrected herself. To ask if Stevie liked a teacher was like asking someone if she liked having to eat spinach and liver every day for nine months out of the year.
Stevie sighed, plucking wisps of hay out of the bale. “It’s easy for you to look on the bright side, Lisa. You enjoy school. You probably even love school. I would, too, if I were you. You ace every subject. You’re a teacher’s dream.”
Lisa laughed at Stevie’s hopeless expression. She wasn’t so sure she loved school, but it was easy to at least like something she was so good at. She was friendly with her teachers and looked forward to the school day. And since she was a real perfectionist, she also liked seeing her report card come in with all As.
“I’m not even happy to see the other kids,” Stevie went on grumpily. “I’m sick of them. I’ve known all of them my whole life. Plus the fact that everywhere I went today, I saw you-know-who.”
Carole and Lisa nodded, smiling knowingly. Stevie could only be referring to one person, and that was Pine Hollow’s biggest snob, Veronica diAngelo. All the girls knew Veronica from riding with her, but Stevie had to put up with seeing her at Fenton Hall, too. Veronica was vain and stuck-up. She was also rude—rude to everyone and especially rude to The Saddle Club, the group that Stevie, Lisa, and Carole had started. Fortunately, Veronica could never be a member of The Saddle Club.
There were two requirements for joining the club, and Veronica failed on both accounts: She wasn’t horse-crazy, and she certainly wasn’t willing to help people out when they needed it. Sure, she rode a lot, but as The Saddle Club knew, riding by itself didn’t qualify a person as horse-crazy. To be horse-crazy, a person had to love everything about horses: riding, training, grooming, stable work—everything. The main reason Veronica rode was that it was a glamorous sport. It was something she could brag about to her friends and her parents could brag about to their friends.
“So, there aren’t even any cute boys at school?” Carole asked. Even though Stevie had a boyfriend, Carole knew she wasn’t above enjoying having cute boys in her classes.
“The only thing I can say about the boys is that they make Chad, Michael, and Alex look like princes,” Stevie said, referring to her three brothers, whom she was constantly feuding with. Then Stevie perked up. “But if there were any cute boys, I guess there would be one good thing about being back at school. I
just remembered: There’s going to be a back-to-school dance in a couple of weeks. They announced it in Assembly this morning.”
“I told you so,” Lisa said. “Now that sounds really fun.”
“It will be,” Stevie predicted. “As long as the dance committee does its job and makes it fun. I wish you guys and Phil could come. Why do dances have to be school only?” Phil Marsten was Stevie’s boyfriend. He rode, too, and lived in a neighboring town. “We could have so much fun. The three of us could all get ready together on the night of the dance. Do our hair, choose our outfits—”
“Oh my gosh!” Lisa exclaimed, springing up. “I forgot! I have a hair appointment this afternoon. I was supposed to call my mother the minute we were done riding so she could pick me up!”
Just then there was a loud honk in the driveway. A woman’s voice called, “Lisa! Honey?”
“Sounds like your mom knew where to find you,” Carole said with a laugh, recognizing Mrs. Atwood’s voice.
“Phew! So, I’ll see you guys tomorrow?” Lisa said.
“Same time, same place,” Stevie said. It was practically an unwritten rule that The Saddle Club always hung out at Pine Hollow after school.
“Where are you getting your hair cut?” Carole asked as Lisa gathered up her things.
Lisa paused. “Umm … Cosmopolitan Cuts,” she mumbled.
“Cosmo Cuts?” Stevie repeated. “Isn’t that the new salon on Pelham Street that the famous stylist owns?” she demanded.
Lisa nodded sheepishly.
“Wow! My mom went there last month. She said it was supernice and superexpensive,” said Stevie. “They give you the royal treatment there. I think you get a free makeover the first time you go.”
“I just remembered why I’ve heard of it. Veronica goes there, doesn’t she?” Carole said. “I think I heard her bragging about it.”
Stevie nodded. “Yup. And she only goes to Charles, the owner. She won’t have her hair cut by any of his assistants. Are you going to have Charles, Lisa?”
“I don’t know,” Lisa said shortly. “My mother made the appointment.”
“Wow, pretty fancy-schmancy, Lisa,” Stevie teased.
All at once Carole noticed how uncomfortable Lisa looked. She shot Stevie a meaningful look. “Have fun, okay, Lisa?” she said.
“I will,” Lisa promised, heading down the aisle to the door.
“Why the look? Did I say something wrong?” Stevie asked when Lisa was safely out of earshot.
“No, not really,” Carole replied. “But we both know what Mrs. Atwood is like. I think Lisa gets embarrassed sometimes about all the things her mother makes her do.”
Stevie nodded. She knew exactly what Carole meant. Even though the Atwoods didn’t have a lot of money, Mrs. Atwood was very socially conscious. She always tried to make Lisa do the “right” things. In the past she’d made Lisa take all kinds of lessons, such as tennis and ballet. She also liked her daughter to wear coordinated outfits like a model in a catalog. And no matter how many times Lisa tried to tell her mother how awful Veronica diAngelo was, Mrs. Atwood didn’t seem to hear. She admired the diAngelos for being so rich and well connected in Willow Creek, the town where they lived in Virginia.
It was just like Mrs. Atwood to take Lisa to the expensive new hair salon. If Stevie had told her mother that she wanted to go to Cosmo Cuts, Mrs. Lake would have burst out laughing.
“Speaking of haircuts,” Carole said, “let’s go finish pulling Delilah’s mane.”
“Good idea. We’d better do it before Max gets finished with his lesson or he’ll think we’ve been sitting on these hay bales all afternoon talking,” Stevie replied. The Saddle Club was so used to helping out at Pine Hollow that the stable’s owner, Max Regnery, not only expected it but demanded it. Before their afternoon ride, the girls had started to use a metal comb to pull out the long hairs from one of the horses’ manes. Now the mane was half short and half long.
“If we don’t get it done soon, Delilah will be the one who needs that free makeover,” Carole kidded as she and Stevie went to get the mare.
* * *
LISA LEANED BACK in the front seat of the car and watched the pleasant suburban scenery roll by. Her mother was chatting excitedly about all the prominent women in Willow Creek who had started going to Cosmo Cuts. Lisa didn’t care, so she pretended to listen while losing herself in her own thoughts. She was glad her mother had come to pick her up even though Lisa had forgotten to call. Lisa hated to disappoint her mother. Even a small thing like, forgetting to call could make her mother feel bad. She tried so hard to give Lisa the best of everything, even though they didn’t have a lot of money, that Lisa hated to let her down.
The haircut was a perfect example. Her mother had been all excited about taking Lisa there. Lisa had always been perfectly happy going to the walk-in place at the Willow Creek mall, but when she saw how much it meant to her mother to switch to Cosmo Cuts, she had let her make the appointment. It wasn’t that big a deal—it was just typical of the way things went between them.
Cosmo Cuts was as elegant as Stevie had predicted. To Lisa it looked more like someone’s living room than a hair salon. After Mrs. Atwood disappeared with the makeup consultant, Lisa sat on a plush couch in the entry area waiting for her appointment. She looked around curiously. The main room was bustling with chic, well-dressed women, many in business suits. Some were getting their hair cut, some were sitting under dryers, some were having manicures.
It was easy to tell who the famous Charles was. All the women chatted with him, no matter who was cutting their hair. He kept up a running conversation with half a dozen people, meanwhile styling his own client’s hair. The only other girl Lisa’s age was whining loudly to her mother as her hair was shampooed. Lisa listened in when she overheard the topic of conversation.
“Why can’t I have my own horse, Mother? Daddy said I could!” the girl wailed.
“Because you have to take riding lessons first,” the mother replied curtly.
“If you’re interested in riding lessons,” another woman spoke up from across the room, “the only place to go is Pine Hollow.”
“Watch it, Claire, keep your head steady,” Charles reprimanded the elegant, gray-haired woman.
“I completely agree,” said a third woman who was having her hair dyed blond. “The diAngelo girl rides there, you know.”
“Is that true?” said the girl’s mother. “She rides at Pine Hollow?”
“Absolutely. I hear she’s the star pupil. And Pine Hollow might not look as fancy as Clover Farm or Hilldale, but that Max Regnery runs a tight ship, I’ll tell you.”
“You said it,” said the other woman. “And he’s not bad-looking, either.”
“Didn’t he marry that journalist from out of town?” Charles asked.
“Oh yes. They had a small, private ceremony at the farm. I hear—”
Lisa couldn’t stop herself from giggling. She wondered what Max would say if he knew he was being gossiped about at Cosmo Cuts. And it was too funny that the women thought Veronica was the star pupil! That was one rumor that had obviously been started by either Veronica or her mother. Before Lisa could muse any longer, a woman brought her a smock to put on over her clothes. “We’re ready for you now, Ms. Atwood,” she said.
For the next hour, Lisa thought of nothing but how much fun it was to go to a luxurious salon like Cosmo Cuts. She had a shampoo, a conditioning treatment, a cut by one of Charles’s assistants, a blow-dry, and, since she didn’t wear makeup, a complimentary manicure instead.
“So, what do you think?” Lisa’s mother asked her when they were heading out to the car. “Wasn’t it wonderful?”
Lisa weighed her words carefully. The afternoon had been a wonderful treat. Her haircut, however, came out the same way it always did, but for thirty dollars more. Lisa didn’t want to be ungrateful or say anything that would burst her mother’s bubble. “It was—really nice. Thanks a lot, Mom,” she said finally.
/> “I’m so glad you liked it!” Mrs. Atwood exclaimed. “I wanted you to look nice for your interview Saturday.”
Lisa looked sharply at her mother. “What interview?” she asked suspiciously. Mrs. Atwood had been known to sign Lisa up for things without telling her. This was the first Lisa had heard of any interview.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Mrs. Atwood asked. “We’re going to Wentworth Manor this weekend. We’re going to take a tour and then you’re going to have an interview.”
Lisa frowned. She wasn’t sure she understood. She thought she’d heard of Wentworth before, but she couldn’t say where. “What, exactly, is Wentworth Manor, and why am I having an interview there?” she asked.
“Wentworth Manor is one of the most famous girls’ schools in the country, dear. We’re very lucky to have gotten an interview for you,” Mrs. Atwood replied.
“Where is it?” Lisa asked.
“It’s in Richfield, about two hours from Willow Creek.”
“But I don’t get it,” Lisa said, taken aback. “Are we moving?”
Mrs. Atwood laughed. “Oh, no, dear. Your father and I are very happy in Willow Creek.”
“Then why am I having an interview at a school if there’s no chance I would ever go to it?” Lisa asked. Her mother had had some wild ideas in the past, but this one was the wildest yet.
“It’s a boarding school,” Mrs. Atwood explained patiently. “The girls live at the school.”
Lisa stared at her mother in alarm. “When did you decide you wanted me to go to boarding school?” she asked, shocked.
“It’s only an interview, honey. If you don’t like it—”
“But Mom,” Lisa interrupted, “why would you want me to leave home?”
“We don’t want you to leave home, but we would let you for your own benefit. And even having the interview is a wonderful opportunity that you should be grateful for.” Mrs. Atwood’s voice sounded a bit severe.
Lisa tried to formulate a response, but she couldn’t think fast enough. She was completely floored by her mother’s announcement.