began.
“I guess I got a little jealous,” Lisa admitted. “I mean, part of what makes my friendship with Stevie so great is that we’re so different from one another. But on the other hand, I sometimes feel like she could have more fun with someonemore like her—someone like you. I thought she might start to like you better than me. Pretty silly, huh?”
“Not really,” Dinah said with a wry smile. “I have to admit I was a little jealous of you, too.”
“For being friends with Stevie?” Lisa said, surprised.
Dinah shook her head. “I was expecting that,” she said. “Stevie talked about you and Carole the whole time she was visiting me. So I knew about that part. But I also knew that you haven’t been riding as long as I have. So when I got here and all anyone could talk about was what a superstar you are, I got a little annoyed.”
“I’m not really a superstar, but I guess I can see your point,” Lisa said slowly. “I guess I talked about the riding lesson thing a lot when you first arrived.”
“It isn’t your fault,” Dinah said. “You were fine. I can see that now. It’s just that even though I love riding, it doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does to some people, like you and Stevie and Carole. I don’t know if I don’t work as hard or if it’s just one of those things you’re either born with or you’re not. But when I got here and kept hearing about what a natural you were, it reminded me of what I’m not. And I took it out on you.”
Lisa had to think about that for a minute. She never took her riding ability for granted—she had worked too hard at it. But over the years plenty of other people, from teachers to friends to total strangers, had complimented her on her ability to do almost anything she set her mind to. People kept telling her that she was smarter and more talentedthan average, but this was the first time she had really stopped to think about what that meant. In this case, it meant that she had unintentionally hurt Dinah’s feelings. It wasn’t really her fault and it wasn’t really Dinah’s. It just was.
“Well, I’m just glad we both finally realized what we didn’t like,” Lisa said at last. “It wasn’t each other. It was more like something in ourselves.”
Dinah looked thoughtful, then nodded. “You know, I think you really are as smart as Stevie always said you were,” she said. And this time Lisa knew the compliment was sincere.
She decided it was time for a change of subject. “So aside from all that, have you had fun in Willow Creek?” she asked.
“Definitely,” Dinah said. “Going back to Fenton Hall was a blast, and of course being at Pine Hollow has been even better. I didn’t realize how much I missed Max and Mrs. Reg and the horses until I got here. And it’s great to finally meet some of the new horses I’ve heard so much about, like Belle and Starlight.” She paused for a second. “And then there’s Black Magic, of course.”
Lisa grimaced. She had forgotten all about Stevie’s little prank. After a short struggle with her conscience, she took a deep breath. “Look, Dinah,” she began. “I feel like I’m about to be really disloyal to Stevie, but I think there’s something you should know—”
Dinah raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t bother,” she said.
“I’ve known for days that there’s no such horse at Pine Hollow.”
“You have?” Lisa asked, astonished.
“Of course,” Dinah said with a grin. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back. “Stevie should know better than to try to trick me with something so obvious. I suspected something was up from the beginning. Special shoes, my foot!”
“And when did you know for sure?”
“When Phil confirmed my suspicions,” Dinah admitted. “That’s when I decided to do what I’ve been doing—stringing Stevie along and driving her crazy by bugging her about Black Magic every chance I get.”
Lisa laughed. “You two really are two
“I guess I got a little jealous,” Lisa admitted. “I mean, part of what makes my friendship with Stevie so great is that we’re so different from one another. But on the other hand, I sometimes feel like she could have more fun with someonemore like her—someone like you. I thought she might start to like you better than me. Pretty silly, huh?”
“Not really,” Dinah said with a wry smile. “I have to admit I was a little jealous of you, too.”
“For being friends with Stevie?” Lisa said, surprised.
Dinah shook her head. “I was expecting that,” she said. “Stevie talked about you and Carole the whole time she was visiting me. So I knew about that part. But I also knew that you haven’t been riding as long as I have. So when I got here and all anyone could talk about was what a superstar you are, I got a little annoyed.”
“I’m not really a superstar, but I guess I can see your point,” Lisa said slowly. “I guess I talked about the riding lesson thing a lot when you first arrived.”
“It isn’t your fault,” Dinah said. “You were fine. I can see that now. It’s just that even though I love riding, it doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does to some people, like you and Stevie and Carole. I don’t know if I don’t work as hard or if it’s just one of those things you’re either born with or you’re not. But when I got here and kept hearing about what a natural you were, it reminded me of what I’m not. And I took it out on you.”
Lisa had to think about that for a minute. She never took her riding ability for granted—she had worked too hard at it. But over the years plenty of other people, from teachers to friends to total strangers, had complimented her on her ability to do almost anything she set her mind to. People kept telling her that she was smarter and more talentedthan average, but this was the first time she had really stopped to think about what that meant. In this case, it meant that she had unintentionally hurt Dinah’s feelings. It wasn’t really her fault and it wasn’t really Dinah’s. It just was.
“Well, I’m just glad we both finally realized what we didn’t like,” Lisa said at last. “It wasn’t each other. It was more like something in ourselves.”
Dinah looked thoughtful, then nodded. “You know, I think you really are as smart as Stevie always said you were,” she said. And this time Lisa knew the compliment was sincere.
She decided it was time for a change of subject. “So aside from all that, have you had fun in Willow Creek?” she asked.
“Definitely,” Dinah said. “Going back to Fenton Hall was a blast, and of course being at Pine Hollow has been even better. I didn’t realize how much I missed Max and Mrs. Reg and the horses until I got here. And it’s great to finally meet some of the new horses I’ve heard so much about, like Belle and Starlight.” She paused for a second. “And then there’s Black Magic, of course.”
Lisa grimaced. She had forgotten all about Stevie’s little prank. After a short struggle with her conscience, she took a deep breath. “Look, Dinah,” she began. “I feel like I’m about to be really disloyal to Stevie, but I think there’s something you should know—”
Dinah raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t bother,” she said.
“I’ve known for days that there’s no such horse at Pine Hollow.”
“You have?” Lisa asked, astonished.
“Of course,” Dinah said with a grin. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back. “Stevie should know better than to try to trick me with something so obvious. I suspected something was up from the beginning. Special shoes, my foot!”
“And when did you know for sure?”
“When Phil confirmed my suspicions,” Dinah admitted. “That’s when I decided to do what I’ve been doing—stringing Stevie along and driving her crazy by bugging her about Black Magic every chance I get.”
Lisa laughed. “You two really are two
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