torn. Should she follow Lisa or should she go over to Carole? She decided to talk to Carole first, and then the two of them could go after Lisa. She approached her friend. “Is something wrong, Carole? You look kind of funny.”
“Oh, Stevie, I’ve done something terrible!” she exclaimed.
The stricken look on her friend’s face caught Stevie off guard. “What?”
“I’ve betrayed a friendship,” Carole replied, looking sadly at the door Lisa had disappeared through.
“What do you mean?”
Carole quickly filled Stevie in on what had been happening between her and Lisa over the last week:her suspicions, catching Lisa in the act, and how badly she had been treating her since then.
Stevie was shocked. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice things weren’t right between you two.”
“You’ve had other things on your mind,” Carole replied. “I expect Lisa has told Max all about it by now. Some judge I turned out to be, huh?” she said, hanging her head.
Stevie didn’t know how to console Carole. Lisa certainly had every right to be angry, and no one could blame her if she complained to Max about Carole’s behavior.
Carole sighed deeply. “I guess I’d better go find him and face the music,” she said glumly. “Not to mention apologizing to Lisa. I have no idea how I’m going to make this up to her!”
“How about starting with a sleepover in the loft tonight?” Lisa asked, appearing in the doorway. “I just cleared it with Max.”
S ATURDAY EVENING FOUND the three girls holding their first Saddle Club meeting in weeks. Lisa hadn’t complained to Max about Carole at all. Figuring that the three of them needed some time alone to set things right between them, she had asked him if they could have their sleepover in the loft after all. Now they were sitting in a semicircle on their sleeping bags, armed only with sodas, chips, and very bruised feelings.
“I can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me what was going on,” Stevie complained.
“I did tell you,” Carole said quietly.
“Oh sure, about five minutes ago,” Stevie grumped,reaching for another potato chip from the bag at her feet.
Lisa smiled. “As usual you’re exaggerating. It was closer to five hours ago. Chips please.”
“Whatever. The point is, one of you should have at least mentioned it.”
“Actually,” Carole said, “I think the point is that none of it should have been going on in the first place.” She looked sadly at Lisa. “I still don’t know how I could have thought you would do something like that, Lisa. You’re one of the most honorable people I’ve ever met.” She hung her head.
“Carole, stop! You’ve already apologized twenty times and I’ve accepted.” Lisa took a sip of her soda before trying to put her feelings into words. “It hurt a lot that you thought I could do something like that, but what made it worse was that I couldn’t think of how to prove my innocence to you.”
Carole shook her head. “You shouldn’t have had to prove anything to me. I was supposed to be your friend.”
Watching Carole struggle to come to terms with what she had done over the last week, Lisa couldn’t help thinking that it was often easier to forgive someone else than it was to forgive yourself. Sheleaned across the space between them. “I’ve got news for you. You
are
my friend.” She held out the bag. “Chip?”
Carole took a big handful and smiled for what might have been the first time in weeks.
“Speaking of proving something,” Stevie said, leaning back on her elbows and eyeing Carole. “Why have you been so hard on Corey and me? Did we do something to make you mad?”
Carole looked surprised. “No!” She thought a moment. “Well, to tell you the truth, I did think you should have been teaching her better organizational skills, but other than that I don’t think I’ve treated you any differently than the others.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Stevie said incredulously.
Carole
“Oh, Stevie, I’ve done something terrible!” she exclaimed.
The stricken look on her friend’s face caught Stevie off guard. “What?”
“I’ve betrayed a friendship,” Carole replied, looking sadly at the door Lisa had disappeared through.
“What do you mean?”
Carole quickly filled Stevie in on what had been happening between her and Lisa over the last week:her suspicions, catching Lisa in the act, and how badly she had been treating her since then.
Stevie was shocked. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice things weren’t right between you two.”
“You’ve had other things on your mind,” Carole replied. “I expect Lisa has told Max all about it by now. Some judge I turned out to be, huh?” she said, hanging her head.
Stevie didn’t know how to console Carole. Lisa certainly had every right to be angry, and no one could blame her if she complained to Max about Carole’s behavior.
Carole sighed deeply. “I guess I’d better go find him and face the music,” she said glumly. “Not to mention apologizing to Lisa. I have no idea how I’m going to make this up to her!”
“How about starting with a sleepover in the loft tonight?” Lisa asked, appearing in the doorway. “I just cleared it with Max.”
S ATURDAY EVENING FOUND the three girls holding their first Saddle Club meeting in weeks. Lisa hadn’t complained to Max about Carole at all. Figuring that the three of them needed some time alone to set things right between them, she had asked him if they could have their sleepover in the loft after all. Now they were sitting in a semicircle on their sleeping bags, armed only with sodas, chips, and very bruised feelings.
“I can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me what was going on,” Stevie complained.
“I did tell you,” Carole said quietly.
“Oh sure, about five minutes ago,” Stevie grumped,reaching for another potato chip from the bag at her feet.
Lisa smiled. “As usual you’re exaggerating. It was closer to five hours ago. Chips please.”
“Whatever. The point is, one of you should have at least mentioned it.”
“Actually,” Carole said, “I think the point is that none of it should have been going on in the first place.” She looked sadly at Lisa. “I still don’t know how I could have thought you would do something like that, Lisa. You’re one of the most honorable people I’ve ever met.” She hung her head.
“Carole, stop! You’ve already apologized twenty times and I’ve accepted.” Lisa took a sip of her soda before trying to put her feelings into words. “It hurt a lot that you thought I could do something like that, but what made it worse was that I couldn’t think of how to prove my innocence to you.”
Carole shook her head. “You shouldn’t have had to prove anything to me. I was supposed to be your friend.”
Watching Carole struggle to come to terms with what she had done over the last week, Lisa couldn’t help thinking that it was often easier to forgive someone else than it was to forgive yourself. Sheleaned across the space between them. “I’ve got news for you. You
are
my friend.” She held out the bag. “Chip?”
Carole took a big handful and smiled for what might have been the first time in weeks.
“Speaking of proving something,” Stevie said, leaning back on her elbows and eyeing Carole. “Why have you been so hard on Corey and me? Did we do something to make you mad?”
Carole looked surprised. “No!” She thought a moment. “Well, to tell you the truth, I did think you should have been teaching her better organizational skills, but other than that I don’t think I’ve treated you any differently than the others.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Stevie said incredulously.
Carole
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