Back in the Saddle

by Bonnie Bryant

  She glanced at her brother, hoping for some support. After all, his SAT scores hadn’t been especially brilliant, either, though he’d done reasonably well. He’d applied to Yale University, along with several other schools, but the whole family knew that the only reason he even had a shot at getting in was because of his father’s occupation and family connections.

  Scott kept his eyes on his plate, steadily shoveling pie into his mouth. Callie sighed noisily. “I can’t believe this!” she exclaimed, returning her attention to her parents. “Are you really telling me I can’t get a horse because I didn’t get a high enough score on the PSATs?”

  “Not at all, dear,” her mother said soothingly. “We’re just saying that you’re in a new environment, trying to get along at a new school.… Don’t you think it might be better for you to take it easy at the stable, perhaps focus a bit more on school for a little while?”

  “No, I don’t,” Callie said bluntly.

  “Well, we do,” her father said, his voice just as firm as her own. “We want you to spend more time on your studies and maybe put in some extra work before you take the SATs.”

  Callie’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you serious?” she cried. “But the SATs are months away! I’ve got to have a new horse way before then if I want to enter any races in the spring.”

  Her parents sighed and exchanged glances. Before either of them could say anything else, the phone rang.

  “I’ll get that,” Congressman Forester said, dropping his napkin on the table as he stood up. “It’s probably for me. Mike said he’d call if there was any word on that vote.”

  He hurried out of the dining room, and a second later Callie heard him pick up the phone in the kitchen. “Hello, Forester here,” he said in his loud, booming voice. There was a moment’s pause. “I’m sorry, but she’s in the middle of eating dinner. You’ll have to—What?” This time the pause was even longer. “Oh, I see. Well, just a moment, then.”

  He strode back into the dining room. “Callie, it’s for you,” he said. “Your friend George. He sounds a bit flustered—says it’s urgent that he speak to you immediately.”

  Urgent? Callie felt a stab of worry shoot through her. What could be urgent enough to make George interrupt her dinner?

  Maybe something happened at Pine Hollow, she thought anxiously as she hurried out to the kitchen to pick up the phone. Maybe some kind of accident …

  “Hello?” she said breathlessly into the receiver. “George? What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Hi, Callie.” George sounded serious. “I’m glad you’re there. I have something important to tell you.”

  Callie clutched the phone tighter. “What?” she asked. “Where are you, George?”

  “I’m at home,” George replied, sounding a bit surprised at her question. “But listen, I just found out something really horrible. You know your, uh, friend, Corey?” He put a little more emphasis on friend than seemed necessary.

  “Of course,” Callie said. “Why? Did something happen to him? Is he all right?”

  “He’s fine, I guess.” George sounded a little annoyed. “But listen, I just found out that he’s not who you think he is.”

  “What?” Callie wrinkled her nose, suddenly feeling as though she were a character in some kind of cheesy soap opera and that George was about to reveal that Corey was actually a nefarious international criminal or incognito rock star. She shook off the feeling, trying to stay focused. “What are you talking about, George? Get to the point.”

  “Well, okay.” George sounded taken aback. “Um, but I should warn you, you might be shocked. Because I just found out that Corey has”—he paused and cleared his throat—“a drinking problem.”

  “What?” Callie let out a short laugh and collapsed against the wall behind her, caught between relief and annoyance. “Is this some kind of joke, George? Because I have to tell you, it’s not very funny.”

  “No, no, it’s true,” George protested. “I just heard from a reliable source that Corey had, like, a whole bunch of beers at that party the Lakes had last month. He was throwing up the whole next day.”

  Callie grimaced in disbelief. Was George for real? Was this actually his idea of an emergency phone call? “Is that really why you called?” she demanded. “To tell me that?”

  “I just thought you should know. As your friend, I figured I had to tell you, since Corey probably never would.”

  “Why should he?” Callie cried. This was just too much, especially on top of her frustrating conversation with her parents. “It’s not like he’s really my husband, you know. Besides, I was at that party, too. It’s not like it’s a big secret that people were drinking.”

  “I know.” George sounded hurt. “But I just thought—”

  “You just thought you’d interrupt my dinner with this stupid gossip?”

  “It’s not gossip!” George protested. “It’s a warning. I thought you should know what kind of guy you’ve been spending so much time with lately. I was just trying to be a good friend.”

  Callie snorted. “Yeah, right,” she said. “Well, here’s a warning for you, George. Lay off with the ‘friendly’ warnings, okay?”

  “But I just thought—” George said again.

  “No!” Callie cut him off sharply. “I mean it this time. I’m starting to wonder if you’re really just trying to be a good friend. Because I can’t help thinking that a real friend wouldn’t find so many new ways to be annoying!”

  She slammed down the phone before he could respond. Wow! she thought. That felt kind of good. It shouldn’t have, but it did.

  For a moment she just stood there and stared at the phone, feeling a strange mixture of satisfaction and guilt. She knew she’d lost her temper. But hadn’t George deserved it? He really seemed to have it in for Corey for some reason.

  It’s ridiculous, Callie thought, heading slowly back toward the dining room. It’s as if George feels threatened by the fact that I might be friends with someone new. Like he has to put a stop to it however he can.

  She forgot all about that when she entered the dining room and saw both her parents smiling at her. “What?” she asked.

  “Is everything all right with George?” her father asked.

  Callie shrugged. There was really no easy answer to that one, and she didn’t feel like going into it just then. “Sure,” she said. “It was just, uh, a homework emergency.”

  Glancing over at Scott, she saw that he looked just as pleased as their parents did. He winked when he caught her gaze.

  “Sit down, dear,” Mrs. Forester said, gesturing to Callie’s chair. “We were discussing this horse business while you were out of the room.”

  “That’s right,” Congressman Forester took over as Callie sank into her seat, wondering what was going on now. “Your brother had some interesting points to make.”

  “Oh, really?” Callie shot Scott a suspicious glance. He was grinning. “Like what?”

  “Well, he pointed out that the accident may have had a lot to do with your troubles on the PSATs,” her mother said. “Also, he seems to think that you would be able to train more efficiently if you had the right kind of horse.”

  “And that would leave more time for homework,” the congressman put in.

  Callie blinked, not quite sure she was following. “Yes, I suppose that’s true,” she said cautiously. “But what are you saying?”

  Her mother beamed at her. “We’re saying that you’ve talked us into it,” she announced. “You can start looking for a new horse right away—just as long as you promise to keep up with your school-work.”

  Callie gasped. “Really?” she cried.

  “Yes, but we still do expect you to put in some extra work before the SATs in the spring,” her father said. “Your brother heard that there’s an excellent test prep course over at the community college in a couple of months. If you’ll agree to put aside some time for that, your mother and I will bankroll this new
horse of yours.”

  “Thanks, Dad!” Callie exclaimed. “Thanks, Mom! I really appreciate this!” She shot Scott a grateful look. She would thank him later for helping to sway her parents’ decision.

  He winked at her again, obviously catching the glance and understanding what it meant. “Pretty cool, sis,” he said casually. “I guess this really means you’re back in the saddle, huh?”

  “I guess so,” Callie said, carefully keeping her voice just as casual. But inside she was singing for joy. She picked up her fork and started stuffing pie into her mouth, afraid that if she didn’t, the music would burst right out of her.

  And that would be no good at all, she thought giddily. Mom and Dad definitely won’t buy me a horse if they think I’ve gone insane!

  … while some couples tied the knot only to discover that they have very different ideas about money. For instance, when Zach Lincoln suggested that his “wife,” Veronica diAngelo, take a job flipping burgers, she was quick to express her dismay.

  Stevie frowned at the computer screen. Somehow, that last part didn’t sound quite right. She blocked off the last seven words and hit the Delete button.

  “She immediately showed her anger,” she muttered under her breath, trying the words on for size. “A job flipping burgers—she just about flipped out? Hmmm …”

  She was typing that in to see how it looked when there was a knock on her bedroom door. “Stevie?” Alex’s muffled voice came from outside. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Not really,” Stevie called back. “But come on in.”

  Alex opened the door and stepped inside. “Hey,” he greeted her. “Working on your article?”

  “Uh-huh.” Stevie stared at the new sentence, reading it over a few times. Finally she decided it would do. She hit Save and then sat back in her chair and stretched, glancing at her twin brother. “Hey,” she said, noticing that his expression was sort of gloomy. “What’s your damage? You look weird. Is something wrong?”

  Alex sighed and perched on the edge of Stevie’s bed. “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe. I’m not sure.”

  “Get to the point,” Stevie ordered, leaning over to check a quote in her notebook. “I’m kind of busy here, you know.”

  She quickly typed a few more lines. Zach had this to say about his wife’s spending habits: “She’s way too shallow,” he confided to this reporter. “She wants to spend our entire budget on designer clothes and manicures.”

  “I don’t know.” Alex let out a long, loud, dramatic sigh. “It’s weird.”

  Stevie blinked and glanced at him again. “What?”

  Alex shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s nothing. Probably.”

  “What are you babbling about?” Stevie demanded irritably. “And why are you inflicting it on me? Unless you have a point, why don’t you go call Lisa and bother her for a while, okay? I have a deadline.”

  “Lisa.” Alex’s sigh was even louder and longer this time. “Actually, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  That got Stevie’s attention. She saved her work again, then turned around, straddling her chair to face her brother. “What about Lisa?” she demanded, suddenly worried. “You guys didn’t have another fight, did you?”

  “No, nothing like that.” Alex chewed on his lip and leaned back against Stevie’s pillow with his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling. “Everything’s fine. At least it seems fine. But somehow, it’s weird, too.”

  Stevie tried not to reveal her exasperation. Her brother wasn’t making much sense. She could tell that he was worried about something, though, and if it had to do with Lisa, Stevie wanted to find out more. “What’s weird?” she asked as patiently as she could. “Did she say something? Is she acting different?”

  Instead of answering, Alex sat up and stared at her. “What about you and Phil? Have you ever gone through a time like this?”

  “A time like what?” Stevie frowned. “You still haven’t told me what’s wrong.”

  Alex rubbed his face thoughtfully, swinging one leg off the edge of the bed. “It’s like I said. I don’t really know,” he replied. “It’s sort of like we’re just not connecting the way we usually do.”

  Stevie shrugged. “Sure, Phil and I have been through that, lots of times,” she said. “Like whenever he’s in a grouchy mood because he got a bad grade or got in a fight with his sisters.” She grinned. “I, of course, have a perfectly wonderful temperament, so I never have that problem.”

  Alex seemed to have hardly heard that last part. He was shaking his head. “No, that’s not what I’m talking about,” he said. “I know what you mean, but that’s not what this is. My mood is fine, and so is hers. But it’s like ever since she got back from California, she—”

  “Ah,” Stevie interrupted. “So that’s what this is about. You’re feeling weird because you were apart for a whole week, and no offense, bro, but you’ve always been kind of a freak about her trips to California.”

  “Not this time,” Alex protested. “I mean, I wasn’t happy that we were apart for the whole vacation, but I was dealing with that. It was okay.”

  The expression in his hazel eyes was so earnest that Stevie found herself believing him. “Hmmm.” She searched her mind for other examples from her relationship with Phil that might explain what Alex was feeling now. But she couldn’t come up with anything. She and Phil were both pretty outspoken people—if one of them felt there was a problem brewing, they were always quick to speak up. And when they were mad at each other or upset about something, it wasn’t hard to recognize. “I don’t know,” she said helplessly, running her hands over her dark blond hair. “To be honest, it kind of sounds like this is all in your head. Maybe you should be talking to Lisa about it, not me.”

  “Maybe. The trouble is, I’m not sure there’s really anything to talk about.” Alex pushed himself off the bed and stood, looking dejected. “Maybe it is all in my head. I’ve never gone out with anyone for this long before—maybe this is just what it’s like after a while.”

  “Well …” Stevie wasn’t sure what to say to that.

  Alex sighed and smiled wanly. “Anyway, thanks for listening. Sorry I interrupted your writing.” He wandered out the door.

  Stevie stared after him for a long moment, feeling uneasy. That was bizarre, she thought. What’s up with him? I thought he’d be walking on air now that he’s no longer grounded and Lisa’s back from her trip.

  Finally she shook her head and turned back to her computer. There was no point in sitting there worrying about them. Lisa and Alex loved each other. They would work things out somehow.

  Besides, I have more important things to think about, Stevie thought. Veronica had threatened her again after school that day, warning that she’d wreak horrible revenge if Stevie so much as mentioned her name in her article. Rather than having the desired effect, that just made Stevie more determined than ever to make Veronica and Zach a large part of her story—and to make sure it was so fascinating that Theresa would absolutely have to print it. That will teach her to try to mess with the freedom of the press, Stevie thought with satisfaction as she began to type. Not to mention trying to mess with Stevie Lake!

  TWELVE

  “And I think our essay turned out really well,” Corey commented cheerfully as he and Callie walked into the auditorium the next morning. “When I was typing it up last night, I almost believed it myself. I was ready to pull out the newspaper and start checking the city apartment listings.”

  “That’s great. Uh, the part about the essay being good, I mean.” Callie was a little distracted. She was keeping a lookout for George. It was only second period, but normally by that time she would have run into him at least a couple of times. That day, though, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since arriving at school, and she couldn’t help wondering if he was actively avoiding her.

  I hope he isn’t too upset, Callie thought worriedly. Maybe I was a little harsh on the phone last night. No
t that he didn’t deserve it …

  “Callie!” A familiar pudgy figure hopped up from a seat halfway down the auditorium aisle and rushed toward them. “There you are!”

  “Hi, George,” Callie greeted him cautiously. “How are you?”

  George shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Embarrassed,” he said. “I acted like a real jerk, and I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. I just hope you can forgive me, Callie.”

  Callie glanced at Corey, who looked surprised. She didn’t blame him. She was pretty shocked herself. “Er, what do you mean, George?” she asked uncertainly.

  “You were right,” George replied, clasping his hands together in front of his chest. “I was a real pest, interrupting your dinner like that. You’re right, that wasn’t something a good friend would do. And it wasn’t my place to tell you how to deal with your project, either. Can you forgive me?”

  Callie shrugged, a little embarrassed. George’s voice was pretty loud, and other students were starting to turn and stare. “I guess,” she said.

  George turned to Corey. “I should apologize to you, too, Corey,” he said earnestly. “I’m sorry if I’ve been getting in your face lately.”

  “Uh, okay.” Corey looked kind of confused. “Whatever. Apology accepted, I guess.”

  “Good.” George smiled at him, then returned his gaze to Callie. “Are we okay, then?” he asked anxiously, taking a step closer. “Still friends?”

  Callie’s head was spinning. Whatever kind of reaction she’d imagined George might have to their conversation the night before, this certainly wasn’t it. But what could she say? He was admitting he was wrong, right?

  “Um, sure, George,” she said. “We’re still friends.”

  “Great.” George beamed at her. “I’m so glad.”

  Callie smiled back weakly, not sure what to say. Just then Miss Fenton walked onstage. “Oops! Looks like class is about to start,” Callie said hastily. “Come on, Corey, we’d better find someplace to sit.” She turned away from George, who was still smiling, and spotted Stevie, Alex, and Iris sitting a few rows away. Stevie saw her and waved, indicating two empty seats in their row. Relieved, Callie gestured to Corey.