Sell
faded into reruns of
Starship Attack
and
Starship Attack
faded into music videos and music videos faded into
Doctors’ Hospital
. “I don’t even
like Doctors’ Hospital
,” Stevie muttered, fiddling with the remote control. “I don’t even like soap operas.” Pessimistically she flipped through all the channels. Then she came back to
Doctors’ Hospital
. “Alex! Will you bring me some chips and dip?” she yelled.
Alex appeared in a moment, bearing snacks. He and Stevie had gotten into a screaming, biting, clawing fight during
Starship Attack
. Now the air was clear. This was a pattern in the Lake household: After a big fight, the two feuding siblings would get along fine. Fortunately, the Lake parents were at work. Otherwise Stevie and Alex would have been sent to their rooms.
“Sour cream and onion, or barbecue?” Alex inquired.
“Barbecue, thank you,” said Stevie. “Shhh … Dr. Bob is about to propose to Maria.”
Two hours later, Stevie still had not moved. The phone rang and she grabbed the receiver. “Who would have the nerve to call during
Truth or Rumor
?” she said indignantly. “Hello?”
It was Lisa. “Have a good day?” she asked.
“Except for one thing,” Stevie said. She recounted the morning race. “And so there’s a rematch the Saturday after next,” she finished, somewhat glumly.
Lisa, however, was all enthusiasm. “Stevie, that’s great! You can start a fitness program tomorrow and beat him!”
“Hmmm,” said Stevie, getting an inkling of what was coming.
“In fact,” Lisa said, “I’ll do it with you! I can be your coach—your personal trainer—your workout partner!”
“Great,” said Stevie, dreading the thought. She knew all too well how Lisa loved a project, especially anything to do with self-improvement.
“It’ll be fun! I can’t wait to start, can you? Why don’t I come over tomorrow morning?”
“I don’t know about that, Lisa …” Stevie thought fast and came up with the perfect excuse. “Shouldn’t we ride tomorrow morning?” she proposed.
“We can ride afterward—after the training session. In the afternoon if we have to.”
“Is that when you rode today?” Stevie asked suddenly. “In the afternoon?”
“Why?” Lisa said warily. “Did you ride in the morning?”
“No. Remember? I was worn out from racing Alex.”
“Well, I, uh, had a lot to do—homework, thank-you notes …”
“So you went in the afternoon?” Stevie repeated.
There was a pause at the other end. “All right, if you have to know, I didn’t ride today, okay? Maybe it seems—”
“I didn’t ride, either!” Stevie interrupted.
“You didn’t?” said Lisa.
“Uh-uh. I, uh, had a lot of shows to watch.”
Lisa laughed. “I went to TD’s with my mom,” she confessed.
“TD’s!” Stevie exclaimed. “Without us?” The ice cream parlor was a favorite Saddle Club hangout.
Lisa laughed. “Sorry. Hey, let’s conference-call Carole and see if she went to Pine Hollow.”
“Are you kidding? Of course she went,” Stevie said.
“You’re probably right,” agreed Lisa.
Stevie put Lisa on hold and dialed the Hansons’ house. Sure enough, Colonel Hanson answered and said Carole wasn’t home yet.
“Thanks,” said Stevie. “I’ll try her later.”
“Naturally,” said Lisa when Stevie told her. “She’s probably helping Red muck out.”
There was a silence. Each girl knew what the other was thinking. They ought to have gone to Pine Hollow, not only to ride but to help Red and Mrs. Reg with the stable chores. Stevie spoke first. “Uh, I better hang up. My mom will be home soon, and I’ll be in big trouble if she thinks I watched TV all day.”
“I have to go, too,” Lisa said. “I’ve got to finish my English reading, needlepoint— But, hey,” she added, remembering her new role as Stevie’s coach, “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early!”
After putting the phone down, Lisa stared up at her picture of The
faded into reruns of
Starship Attack
and
Starship Attack
faded into music videos and music videos faded into
Doctors’ Hospital
. “I don’t even
like Doctors’ Hospital
,” Stevie muttered, fiddling with the remote control. “I don’t even like soap operas.” Pessimistically she flipped through all the channels. Then she came back to
Doctors’ Hospital
. “Alex! Will you bring me some chips and dip?” she yelled.
Alex appeared in a moment, bearing snacks. He and Stevie had gotten into a screaming, biting, clawing fight during
Starship Attack
. Now the air was clear. This was a pattern in the Lake household: After a big fight, the two feuding siblings would get along fine. Fortunately, the Lake parents were at work. Otherwise Stevie and Alex would have been sent to their rooms.
“Sour cream and onion, or barbecue?” Alex inquired.
“Barbecue, thank you,” said Stevie. “Shhh … Dr. Bob is about to propose to Maria.”
Two hours later, Stevie still had not moved. The phone rang and she grabbed the receiver. “Who would have the nerve to call during
Truth or Rumor
?” she said indignantly. “Hello?”
It was Lisa. “Have a good day?” she asked.
“Except for one thing,” Stevie said. She recounted the morning race. “And so there’s a rematch the Saturday after next,” she finished, somewhat glumly.
Lisa, however, was all enthusiasm. “Stevie, that’s great! You can start a fitness program tomorrow and beat him!”
“Hmmm,” said Stevie, getting an inkling of what was coming.
“In fact,” Lisa said, “I’ll do it with you! I can be your coach—your personal trainer—your workout partner!”
“Great,” said Stevie, dreading the thought. She knew all too well how Lisa loved a project, especially anything to do with self-improvement.
“It’ll be fun! I can’t wait to start, can you? Why don’t I come over tomorrow morning?”
“I don’t know about that, Lisa …” Stevie thought fast and came up with the perfect excuse. “Shouldn’t we ride tomorrow morning?” she proposed.
“We can ride afterward—after the training session. In the afternoon if we have to.”
“Is that when you rode today?” Stevie asked suddenly. “In the afternoon?”
“Why?” Lisa said warily. “Did you ride in the morning?”
“No. Remember? I was worn out from racing Alex.”
“Well, I, uh, had a lot to do—homework, thank-you notes …”
“So you went in the afternoon?” Stevie repeated.
There was a pause at the other end. “All right, if you have to know, I didn’t ride today, okay? Maybe it seems—”
“I didn’t ride, either!” Stevie interrupted.
“You didn’t?” said Lisa.
“Uh-uh. I, uh, had a lot of shows to watch.”
Lisa laughed. “I went to TD’s with my mom,” she confessed.
“TD’s!” Stevie exclaimed. “Without us?” The ice cream parlor was a favorite Saddle Club hangout.
Lisa laughed. “Sorry. Hey, let’s conference-call Carole and see if she went to Pine Hollow.”
“Are you kidding? Of course she went,” Stevie said.
“You’re probably right,” agreed Lisa.
Stevie put Lisa on hold and dialed the Hansons’ house. Sure enough, Colonel Hanson answered and said Carole wasn’t home yet.
“Thanks,” said Stevie. “I’ll try her later.”
“Naturally,” said Lisa when Stevie told her. “She’s probably helping Red muck out.”
There was a silence. Each girl knew what the other was thinking. They ought to have gone to Pine Hollow, not only to ride but to help Red and Mrs. Reg with the stable chores. Stevie spoke first. “Uh, I better hang up. My mom will be home soon, and I’ll be in big trouble if she thinks I watched TV all day.”
“I have to go, too,” Lisa said. “I’ve got to finish my English reading, needlepoint— But, hey,” she added, remembering her new role as Stevie’s coach, “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early!”
After putting the phone down, Lisa stared up at her picture of The
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