around long enough to notice when people don’t think you’re funny. In fact, you don’t even have enough sense to go for help when somebody’s horse runs away with them.”
“Well, I guess I’d better take some lessons from you then, O Great Teacher,” Dinah said sarcastically. “After all, you do know everything about everything.” Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at Lisa. “The next thing you know, you’ll be blaming me for Prancer’s running away, too.”
Lisa pushed a lock of dripping-wet hair out of her eyes and glared back. At that moment she hated everything about Dinah—her perky attitude, her jokes, her face. She hated the fact that Dinah had known Stevie and Carole longer than she had. She especially hated the fact that Stevie and Carole both liked Dinah so much. She hatedthat Mrs. Reg had forced her to ride with Dinah today, and she hated the fact that Dinah was standing in front of her right now. She even hated that stupid Paul Revere costume Dinah was wearing, which was now plastered to her, thanks to the rain. Lisa thought Dinah looked more like a soggy red, white, and blue drowning victim than like a Revolutionary War hero.
The costumes, the rain, the runaway horse—everything seemed reduced to little knots of anger and frustration. Nothing was going right, and just then nothing seemed as if it ever would go right.
The two girls faced one another glumly, separated by a few feet of woodland and a giant chasm of feeling.
“If Stevie were here, she’d be laughing,” Lisa said. “I mean, you look pretty funny. I bet I do, too.”
“More like a city slicker than a cowgirl,” Dinah confirmed.
“More like a drowned rat than Paul Revere,” Lisa informed her.
“I probably look as if
I’d
gone by sea instead of the redcoats,” Dinah suggested.
“Without a boat,” Lisa agreed.
That made Dinah laugh. She had a nice laugh—warm, hearty, inviting. Lisa began to laugh, too. Maybe they did have something in common after all.
“W E PROBABLY SHOULDN ’ T tell anyone that we didn’t even have enough sense to get in out of the rain,” Dinah said a few minutes later. It was still raining, but now the two girls and their horses were drying off beneath a deep rock overhang at the edge of the clearing. It was several dozen yards wide and just high enough to allow the horses to stand upright. Most importantly, it was dry.
Lisa wrung out her bandanna and tied it back around her neck. She shivered. “You’re right,” she agreed. “Although we’ll both probably end up with pneumonia as a reminder not to do it again.”
Dinah sat down on a rock near the front of the little cave and stared out at the rain, which was pouring down steadily.“It’s too bad it had to rain on the kids’ treasure hunt,” she commented.
“Not to mention on us,” Lisa added.
Dinah laughed. “No kidding.”
Lisa smiled. She couldn’t believe it. She and Dinah were having a real conversation, just like real friends. Had she misjudged Dinah all along? She was beginning to have the funniest feeling that she might have. She sat down next to the other girl. The rain didn’t show any sign of letting up.
“If there’s anyone more annoyed than us about this, though, it’s got to be Stevie,” Dinah continued. “She’s probably yelling at the clouds right now for raining on her treasure hunt.”
Lisa chuckled at the thought. That sounded just like Stevie. “You do know her pretty well,” she told Dinah. She gave her a sidelong glance. “I guess maybe a little better than I was expecting,” she added softly.
“What do you mean?” Dinah asked, looking puzzled.
Lisa shrugged. “I don’t know, really,” she said. “It’s just that I’m so used to thinking of Stevie and Carole and me as being each other’s best friends that I sort of forgot for a while that we’re not each other’s
only
friends.”
“So when I showed up and you saw how much fun Stevie and I had together—” Dinah
“Well, I guess I’d better take some lessons from you then, O Great Teacher,” Dinah said sarcastically. “After all, you do know everything about everything.” Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at Lisa. “The next thing you know, you’ll be blaming me for Prancer’s running away, too.”
Lisa pushed a lock of dripping-wet hair out of her eyes and glared back. At that moment she hated everything about Dinah—her perky attitude, her jokes, her face. She hated the fact that Dinah had known Stevie and Carole longer than she had. She especially hated the fact that Stevie and Carole both liked Dinah so much. She hatedthat Mrs. Reg had forced her to ride with Dinah today, and she hated the fact that Dinah was standing in front of her right now. She even hated that stupid Paul Revere costume Dinah was wearing, which was now plastered to her, thanks to the rain. Lisa thought Dinah looked more like a soggy red, white, and blue drowning victim than like a Revolutionary War hero.
The costumes, the rain, the runaway horse—everything seemed reduced to little knots of anger and frustration. Nothing was going right, and just then nothing seemed as if it ever would go right.
The two girls faced one another glumly, separated by a few feet of woodland and a giant chasm of feeling.
“If Stevie were here, she’d be laughing,” Lisa said. “I mean, you look pretty funny. I bet I do, too.”
“More like a city slicker than a cowgirl,” Dinah confirmed.
“More like a drowned rat than Paul Revere,” Lisa informed her.
“I probably look as if
I’d
gone by sea instead of the redcoats,” Dinah suggested.
“Without a boat,” Lisa agreed.
That made Dinah laugh. She had a nice laugh—warm, hearty, inviting. Lisa began to laugh, too. Maybe they did have something in common after all.
“W E PROBABLY SHOULDN ’ T tell anyone that we didn’t even have enough sense to get in out of the rain,” Dinah said a few minutes later. It was still raining, but now the two girls and their horses were drying off beneath a deep rock overhang at the edge of the clearing. It was several dozen yards wide and just high enough to allow the horses to stand upright. Most importantly, it was dry.
Lisa wrung out her bandanna and tied it back around her neck. She shivered. “You’re right,” she agreed. “Although we’ll both probably end up with pneumonia as a reminder not to do it again.”
Dinah sat down on a rock near the front of the little cave and stared out at the rain, which was pouring down steadily.“It’s too bad it had to rain on the kids’ treasure hunt,” she commented.
“Not to mention on us,” Lisa added.
Dinah laughed. “No kidding.”
Lisa smiled. She couldn’t believe it. She and Dinah were having a real conversation, just like real friends. Had she misjudged Dinah all along? She was beginning to have the funniest feeling that she might have. She sat down next to the other girl. The rain didn’t show any sign of letting up.
“If there’s anyone more annoyed than us about this, though, it’s got to be Stevie,” Dinah continued. “She’s probably yelling at the clouds right now for raining on her treasure hunt.”
Lisa chuckled at the thought. That sounded just like Stevie. “You do know her pretty well,” she told Dinah. She gave her a sidelong glance. “I guess maybe a little better than I was expecting,” she added softly.
“What do you mean?” Dinah asked, looking puzzled.
Lisa shrugged. “I don’t know, really,” she said. “It’s just that I’m so used to thinking of Stevie and Carole and me as being each other’s best friends that I sort of forgot for a while that we’re not each other’s
only
friends.”
“So when I showed up and you saw how much fun Stevie and I had together—” Dinah
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