Horse Crazy by Bonnie Bryant

Author:Bonnie Bryant [Bryant, Bonnie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-82491-2
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2012-09-26T04:00:00+00:00

“OH, IS THIS your house?” Veronica asked on Saturday afternoon as Lisa’s mother drove them up the short driveway. Suddenly, Lisa was sure it was going to be a very long day.

The two girls retreated to Lisa’s room. Mrs. Atwood said something about bringing milk and homemade marshmallow krispies in a few minutes. Lisa was glad her mother didn’t see Veronica grimace.

Lisa liked her bedroom and she always had. It suited her very well. The walls were papered in pink flowers on a white background. She had a pink-and-white lounge chair covered in a fabric that matched the bedspread on her four-poster bed. She had a well-loved collection of stuffed animals by her pillow. On the far wall, next to her closet, was a small vanity with a large mirror. On the wall near the windows was the desk where she did her homework. There were two bookshelves containing her favorite books and some games and toys. There was a small rag rug near the bed. The rest of the floor was covered with wide wooden boards, which gleamed in the sunshine that streamed in every morning. As far as Lisa was concerned, it had everything she needed.

But she could see right away that for Veronica’s taste it was missing a few things. There was no bedside telephone. No sofa. No television. No VCR. No stereo system. No intercom to call the servants.

Veronica claimed the lounge chair. Lisa lay down on her stomach on her bed, facing Veronica. “I don’t have a lot of the things you do,” Lisa began apologetically.

“Where’d you get your breeches?” Veronica asked, ignoring Lisa’s apology. Apparently, she and her mother were still arguing about riding pants.

“Mom and I went shopping at The Saddlery,” Lisa said.

“Oh,” Veronica said. It was just a sound like any other sound, but the way Veronica said it, it meant more than oh. It meant that Veronica bought her riding clothes at the fancier riding store at the West End Mall. It meant that even though Veronica had admired Lisa’s pants, she wouldn’t get a pair like them because they came from the less exclusive shop. Did it also mean that Veronica didn’t really want to be friends with somebody who had to shop at The Saddlery?

Lisa began wondering about the type of girl who would make judgments about her friends based on where they bought their riding clothes. Just then, Mrs. Atwood came in with the milk and cookies. That time, Lisa knew her mother saw Veronica’s grimace.

It was going to be a very long afternoon.

“STEVIE, ARE YOU working on your homework?” her mother called up the stairs.

Stevie didn’t like to lie, but she didn’t want to say no. She hated the idea of her mother coming into her room for a lecture right then. She compromised. “What else is a Saturday afternoon for?” she yelled, as if that were an answer. Her mother stayed downstairs.

Besides, in a way, she was working on her homework—her math project “substitute.” All three of her brothers were in her room—and in on the conspiracy.

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