“It’s my turn to do something nice for May and Jasmine,” Corey told the puppies.
As she headed back to the house to collect her things for school, a wonderful idea came to her. She knew just how to thank her secret helpers.
6 The Friendship Party
Corey waited until after school to put her plan into action.
“I’ll meet you guys in May’s barn in an hour, okay?” she said to May and Jasmine as the three of them got off the school bus together.
“Why do you want to meet in my barn?” May asked curiously. “Is this a special Pony Tails meeting or something?”
“Sort of.” A mysterious grin spread across Corey’s face. “Just meet me there in an hour,” she said. “Then you’ll find out what’s going on!”
Before her friends could ask any more questions, Corey turned around and raced into her house. As she burst into the kitchen, her mother looked up.
“Whoa!” Doc Tock said. “Where are you rushing to, Corey?”
“Hi, Mom!” Corey replied. “I have something really important to do. Can you help me make marshmallow treats?”
“Sure,” Doc Tock said, reaching for the box of rice cereal. “I’m sure you’ll tell me what this is about while we’re cooking.”
Corey filled her mother in as she began melting the margarine.
An hour later, Corey headed back across her backyard. In one hand she balanced a tray heaped with marshmallow treats and paper cups. In her other hand she held a pitcher of ice-cold juice.
As she entered the Grovers’ barn, May and Jasmine were waiting for her in an empty box stall.
“All right!” May cheered when she saw the goodies in Corey’s arms. “A party!”
“A party?” Jasmine echoed. “But none of us is having a birthday, Corey.”
“This is a best-friendship party,” Corey explained proudly. “You guys have been doing so many nice things for me. It’s my turn to do something nice for you.” She sat down in the straw and began handing out cups. “Now, let’s dig in!”
May sat down. “I’m not sure we really deserve this,” she said. “But I’m certainly not going to refuse my favorite snack!”
As the girls munched on marshmallow treats and sipped juice, Corey tried to thank her friends again for their good deeds.
“Honestly, Corey,” said Jasmine, “we didn’t pick up your papers.”
“And we didn’t latch the puppy pen or feed Sam and Alexander for you,” May said. “I’m not sure who your secret friend is, Corey, but it isn’t us.”
Corey shook her head. No matter how many times she told May and Jasmine how grateful she was for their help, they wouldn’t listen. Instead, they kept repeating that they hadn’t done all the nice things Corey knew they were doing.
A few minutes later, Corey decided to let the subject drop.
May helped herself to another marshmallow treat. “So is your mom still dating Kyle?” she asked.
Corey sighed. “She sure is. In fact, they’re going to the movies this weekend with Alice.” She made a face. “Luckily, Mom didn’t ask me to come along!”
“I have a friend who goes to Fenton Hall,” May said. “She told me that Alice sits all by herself at lunchtime. She doesn’t talk to anybody; she just reads.”
“I’m not surprised.” Corey rolled her eyes. “If she were nicer, she’d have more friends.”
May nodded. “She loves to read. Maybe she should read a book about how to stop being a total loser!”
Corey and Jasmine giggled.
Corey knew the Pony Tails weren’t being very nice, but she didn’t care. She had tried being nice to Alice once, and it hadn’t worked.
“If I were a pony, I’d stomp on her foot, too!” Corey said. “Then I’d step on her other foot even harder!”
Laughter filled the barn.
“Why doesn’t she get a haircut?” Jasmine said. “Her bangs are always in her eyes.”
“I know,” May agreed. “She looks as shaggy as Macaroni. And her clothes are so …” May’s voice trailed off for a second. “Did you guys hear that?”
Corey had heard something, too, a muffled sound coming from above. She glanced up at the loft, where the Grovers stored supplies.
The sound came again. This time Corey thought it sounded like someone coughing.
“My sisters better not be eavesdropping on us again!” May said, getting to her feet. Corey and Jasmine followed as May began climbing the ladder that led to the loft.
As Corey reached the top rung behind May, she let out a loud gasp.
It wasn’t May’s sisters who were spying on the Pony Tails.
It was Alice Lee.
7 Alice the Spy
This time Corey wished she were having a bad nightmare. But this wasn’t a nightmare—this was real.
Alice sat huddled in the straw behind several bales of hay. Her hands covered her face, but Corey could still see the tears streaming down her cheeks. A small notebook lay by her feet.
“You were spying on us!” May accused Alice.
Corey had a sick feeling in her stomach. Alice had been up in the loft, listening to the Pony Tails’ conversation, the whole time. Alice had heard the Pony Tails making fun of how she liked to read. She had heard them laughing at her long bangs. She had heard Corey say that if she were a pony she would stomp on Alice’s foot.
As Alice dropped her hands, Corey could see that her eyes were red from crying. “You were talking about me!” Alice shot back at May.
Corey tried to say something, but her tongue felt as if it were made of lead.
“We’re sorry, Alice,” Jasmine said softly.
“No, we’re not!” May said loudly. “This is my stable. You had no right to be here unless you were invited.”
For a moment a terrible silence hung over the barn.
Then Alice leaped up. She flew past the three girls and scurried down the ladder. Corey watched through a window as Alice stumbled across May’s yard.
“I can’t believe her!” May said, fuming. “How dare she sneak into my barn and spy on us!”
“I wish we hadn’t been talking about her,” Corey murmured. She dropped down onto a bale of hay. She was angry, too. But she was also embarrassed. No matter how much Corey disliked Alice, she hadn’t wanted Alice to overhear the mean things they had been saying about her.
Just then Corey noticed something lying in the straw. She bent over to pick it up.
Jasmine spotted it, too. “Is that Alice’s notebook?” she asked.
Corey nodded. As she held the notebook in her hand, Corey couldn’t help seeing something that was written on the open page. It was the word Sam. Before she could stop herself, her eyes scanned the rest of the words on the page.
Corey feeds Sam and Alexander every morning before she goes to school. Sam has grain and fresh water. Alexander eats pellets. I went into the stable to visit them again this morning. Sam is so handsome! His eyes are the color of hot fudge, and there’s a white, curved mark on his nose. Today he and the puppies even seemed to recognize me. I’m getting more used to them, and they’re getting more used to me.…
Corey hadn’t meant to read the notebook, but Sam’s name had jumped out at her. Now her mind was a jumble of thoughts.
So Alice had been sneaking into Corey’s barn, too. But why? Corey wondered. Why had Alice been watching her feed Sam and Alexander?
Suddenly something came to her. “Oh my gosh,” she whispered. “It’s Alice.”
“What’s Alice?” Jasmine asked, looking at Corey.
“Now I believe you two,” Corey told her friends. “You really aren’t the ones who have been helping me. It’s been Alice all along.”
“You mean you think Alice is your secret friend?” May shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense, Corey. Why would Alice do all those nice things for you?”
Corey hesitated. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
The Pony Tails were quiet for a moment.
“Maybe Alice doesn’t re
ally hate ponies,” Jasmine said. “Maybe she’s afraid of them. Helping you, Corey, was her way of apologizing—and trying to get used to being around animals.”
Corey nodded thoughtfully. She had a feeling that Jasmine was right.
But when Corey climbed down the ladder a few minutes later, she felt more confused than before. Things were easier when I thought Alice was all bad, she realized.
Now that she knew Alice had a good side, Corey wasn’t sure what to think—or do—about her.
8 Pony Club Day
The next morning, Corey put Alice’s notebook in an envelope. Then she headed over to the Lees’ house. She thought about putting a note in, too, but she still didn’t know what to say to Alice.
Finally she decided to put only the envelope in the Lees’ mailbox. She closed the lid, then hurried to join May and Jasmine at the bus stop. What will Alice think when she finds the notebook? Corey wondered. Will she realize that her secret has been found out?
Corey stayed with her father for the next few days. On Saturday Mr. Takamura drove her to Pine Hollow for the Horse Wise meeting.
“Is it supposed to rain all morning, Dad?” Corey moaned as they turned into the long driveway at Pine Hollow.
“I think so, honey,” Mr. Takamura said. “It looks as if your trail ride will be postponed.”
Corey stared glumly through the car window. She had been training Sam for the trail ride for the past two weeks. Now she would have to wait a while longer.
“Maybe Max has something fun planned for inside,” Mr. Takamura said, trying to cheer her up. He stopped the car in front of the stable.
“I hope so,” Corey said. She kissed her father good-bye, then raced across the muddy ground.
As Corey entered the stable, she inhaled the scent of fresh hay and horses. Immediately her spirits lifted. Even if it was raining outside, there was nothing better than being here at Pine Hollow, among so many horses and ponies.
Corey stood in the doorway of Max’s office for a minute, glancing around at the people who were already in the room.
“Good morning, Corey,” Max said. Max Regnery was the Pony Club leader, as well as the girls’ riding instructor and the owner of Pine Hollow Stables. He grinned when he noticed Corey looking around. Then he pointed to a spot across the room.
Corey followed his finger. Sure enough, Max was pointing to where her two best friends were sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Thanks, Max,” Corey said, smiling back at him.
“My pleasure,” he replied.
“Sorry we couldn’t bring Sam over today,” May whispered as Corey sat down on the floor next to the other Pony Tails. Whenever they were going to ride at their Horse Wise meeting, May’s father brought the ponies over in his horse trailer. “Once we saw the rain, we knew we wouldn’t be riding today.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Corey told May. “But I’ll see Sam later, at my mother’s house.” She smiled. “I’m still glad it’s Pony Club day.”
May nodded her agreement.
Just then Max clapped his hands. “Horse Wise, come to order!” he said.
Almost immediately the room grew quiet. Corey thought Max was a very good riding teacher. He was fun but strict, and expected a lot of his riders. Right now he expected them to be quiet while he spoke.
“As most of you could figure out,” Max began, “we’re not going to be able to take our trail ride today.”
Several riders booed.
Max put a finger to his mouth to hush them. “We’ll reschedule our trail ride,” he promised. “In the meantime, I’ve got something fun planned.”
“What is it?” Jackie Rogers asked eagerly.
“Spring cleaning day,” Max told her.
“Spring cleaning day!” Stevie Lake echoed. She screwed up her face. “That’s not fun, Max!” Stevie was one of the most experienced riders at Pine Hollow. She and her friends, Lisa Atwood and Carole Hanson, were the members of The Saddle Club.
Everyone, including Max, laughed at Stevie’s pained expression. His blue eyes twinkled. “I know cleaning is torture for some of us, Stevie,” he said. “But there will be a reward afterward, I promise!”
For the next few minutes, Max told the riders about all the chores that needed to be done. The box stalls had to be mucked out; tack needed to be polished; the stable floor was dusty; and Max wanted the refrigerator scrubbed. “Inside and out,” he added firmly. Corey listened as he listed about a dozen more jobs.
May raised her hand. “Can we work in groups?” she asked.
“Sure,” Max told her.
The Pony Tails exchanged happy smiles. Spring cleaning day at Pine Hollow wasn’t the most exciting event that Horse Wise participated in, but the three friends were glad they could do it together.
“So what’s our reward?” Stevie asked Max when he had finished telling the riders about the jobs.
“I hope it’s chocolate!” said Jessica Adler.
“It’s something even better,” Max promised. “Well, almost better,” he admitted. “It’s Horse Charades.”
“All right!” Jasmine cheered.
A few other riders brightened, too. The Pony Club had played Horse Charades several times before, and the game was lots of fun. One rider acted out something to do with horses while the other riders had to guess what it was.
“The sooner we finish cleaning, the sooner we can start playing,” Max announced. “Let’s get to it, everybody.”
The riders scattered about the stable. Corey got to her feet and gazed around. Several older riders had already grabbed rakes and were mucking out stalls. Jessica Adler was sweeping the stable floor. Amie Connor and Jackie Rogers were dusting the riders’ cubbies.
“Maybe we should clean out the refrigerator,” Corey suggested to her friends. “That doesn’t sound too hard, and we can do it together.”
May and Jasmine agreed.
But by the time the Pony Tails reached the refrigerator, Carole Hanson and her friend Lisa Atwood were already scrubbing it out with sponges and buckets of soapy water.
Next the Pony Tails headed to the tack room. Max had mentioned several chores that needed to be done there. But Simon Atherton and Meg Durham were polishing the saddles. Veronica diAngelo and another rider had started to untangle a clump of knotted reins.
Corey was about to suggest another one of the chores on Max’s list when May pointed to a shelf stacked with horse blankets.
“Why don’t we fold the blankets?” she suggested.
“They’re already folded, May,” Jasmine pointed out.
“Yes, but not very neatly,” May replied.
Corey hesitated. Folding blankets was definitely not one of the chores Max had mentioned. Besides that, the blankets didn’t look very messy.
“Come on, you two,” May urged her friends. “Most of the other chores are already taken. Besides, this is a good place for us to talk.”
“Okay,” Jasmine agreed.
Corey gave in, too. May was right. It was a quiet place to talk. Corey hadn’t seen much of her friends in the past few days. She’d been hoping to talk over what to do about Alice.
Corey and Jasmine helped May pull down the blankets. Together the three of them unfolded the first one and folded it back up into a neat square. Then they carried it over to the shelf.
“There!” May said happily. “It looks much better.”
Corey and Jasmine exchanged glances. At least one of them thought they had chosen a necessary chore.
As Corey and her friends unfolded the next blanket, she brought up the topic of Alice.
“We haven’t seen her since that day in May’s barn,” Jasmine told Corey. “Maybe she’s been staying at her mother’s house.”
“I know you feel bad about what happened, Corey,” May said. “But I still think Alice owes us an apology. If she hadn’t sneaked into the barn, she never would have heard us talking about her.”
“I guess so.…” Corey reached for another blanket, thinking about what May
had said. Maybe May was right. Maybe the whole thing was Alice’s fault. She’d definitely started the trouble that night at Sir Loyne’s.
Just then Max came into the tack room. “How’s the spring cleaning going?” he called out.
Simon Atherton pushed up his glasses and peered at Max. “Splendidly,” he said.
Veronica diAngelo nodded. “Everything’s fine.”
“Great.” Max glanced over at the Pony Tails. “How about you …” When he saw the chore they had chosen, he did a double take. “What are you three doing?”
“We’re straightening up the blankets,” May told him proudly. She pointed to the neat stack on the shelf. “Don’t they look much neater, Max?”
“Well, yes, May,” Max said. “They do look neater. But to tell you the truth, I can think of a million more important jobs that the three of you could be doing right now.” He looked at Corey. “Jessica’s out there sweeping all by herself. Why don’t you go help her, Corey? Jasmine and May, finish what you’re doing and then grab brooms, too.”
“Okay, Max,” Corey said, feeling sheepish. She’d had a feeling that Max wouldn’t approve of the chore May had chosen for them.
“Thanks,” Max told her, smiling. “Believe me, four of you can get the job done a lot more quickly than one of you. When we’re finished, we can start Horse Charades.”
Max disappeared to check on other riders’ progress, and Corey headed for the supply closet.
Jessica Adler looked thrilled when she saw Corey approaching with a broom in her hands. “Oh, good,” she said. “Help has arrived!”
“Jasmine and May are coming, too,” Corey told her. “Max said four of us could get the job done a lot more quickly than one of us.”
“That’s for sure,” Jessica agreed. “It’s taking me forever to sweep the stable by myself.”
Corey got to work sweeping up piles of dust and loose straw. As she pushed the broom along the floor, she kept thinking about what Max had just said. He was right. Pine Hollow was a big stable. Four people could sweep it a lot more quickly than one person.
Corey's Secret Friend (Pony Tails Book 12) Page 3