different if we could
ask for help, but doing it in secret is driving me mental.'
The two girls joined the flow of students in the
corridor.
'We can do this by ourselves,' Shelby assured her.
'We just need some more time.'
Erin jutted her chin out and folded her arms.
'Don't you get it? More time means more money. How
much is this chiropractor going to be?'
Shelby shrugged and looked at her shoes.
Erin tossed her head. 'You don't even really want
to share CC with us, do you? You want to keep her
for yourself. You're just using Lindsey and me for
things you need.'
Shelby stopped still in the corridor and the other
students streamed around her. Somebody shoved her
in the back. 'Hurry up, will ya?'
Shelby didn't notice. She was stinging from Erin's
words. 'You take that back, Erin!'
'Anyway, I already have a good horse. You're the
only one who needs a proper horse. If you want to do
this then do it by yourself.'
Shelby followed Erin down the corridor, fuming.
When they reached the Computer Studies room she
waited until Erin picked a seat and then she sat on the
opposite side of the room.
She stared at the blank computer screen with a lump
in her throat, as though she'd swallowed a whole
walnut. She was afraid she was going to cry, not
because she was sad, but because she was shocked –
and also because what Erin had said was a little bit
true.
Shelby thought back to all the things she'd thought
and said since she'd seen the pony at the sales. Erin
was right. She had never really wanted to share Hotty
at all.
14 Candour
At the end of the school day Shelby walked over to the
place where Erin's mum usually picked them up to
take them to the stables. Erin was already waiting. She
had her bag over one shoulder and looked the other
way when Shelby approached.
'Are you sorry for what you said?' Shelby asked.
'No.'
Shelby bit her lip. 'Can I still have a lift?'
Erin shrugged.
Shelby looked over at the turning bay but the
doors of the school bus she used to catch home were
already closing. The engine rumbled as the bus pulled
away from the kerb.
Shelby scuffed her heel across the edge of the gutter.
She didn't know what to do. Her parents wouldn't
worry until five, when they went to pick her up from
the stables. Would they think to look for her here? She
wondered how long it would take to walk home.
'You can be mad at me, but I need a lift,' she
mumbled. 'I don't have any other way of getting there.
I don't have a mobile. I haven't even got any money to
ring my mum at a public phone.'
Erin narrowed her eyes. 'It's always the same with
you, Shelby.'
'What do you want me to do, Erin?' She held her
hands out, palms up. 'This is how it is for me.'
'You could be more grateful.'
Shelby looked away for a moment, swallowing her
anger. 'So far I have paid my share. You offered to fix
the saddle. Nobody made you.'
At that moment Erin's mum drove up in front of
them. The two girls climbed into the car. Erin
slammed the passenger-side door.
'Steady on there!' Erin's mum said. Her eyes met
Shelby's in the rear vision mirror and Shelby blushed.
Erin's mother tried to make conversation but Erin
grumbled monosyllabic answers under her breath.
'I can see you're in a mood,' her mother commented,
and they drove on in silence.
In the back seat Shelby squirmed. She hoped one
day she could talk her own mother into driving them
to the stables. Then she wouldn't feel like such a scab.
Lindsey was waiting for them at the edge of the
arena. Miss Anita had a young roan cutting horse on
a lunge rein.
'Are you guys ready?' Lindsey asked.
'I'm going to ride my own horse today.' Erin
stalked past Lindsey towards Bandit's paddock.
'What's up with you, grumpy-trousers?' Lindsey
called after her.
'Ask Shelby,' she shouted over her shoulder.
Lindsey turned to Shelby with an eyebrow raised.
'We should probably ride Hot . . . the pony
tomorrow,' Shelby said. 'We'll just check on her today.'
The two girls saddled up Blue and Cracker. On
ask for help, but doing it in secret is driving me mental.'
The two girls joined the flow of students in the
corridor.
'We can do this by ourselves,' Shelby assured her.
'We just need some more time.'
Erin jutted her chin out and folded her arms.
'Don't you get it? More time means more money. How
much is this chiropractor going to be?'
Shelby shrugged and looked at her shoes.
Erin tossed her head. 'You don't even really want
to share CC with us, do you? You want to keep her
for yourself. You're just using Lindsey and me for
things you need.'
Shelby stopped still in the corridor and the other
students streamed around her. Somebody shoved her
in the back. 'Hurry up, will ya?'
Shelby didn't notice. She was stinging from Erin's
words. 'You take that back, Erin!'
'Anyway, I already have a good horse. You're the
only one who needs a proper horse. If you want to do
this then do it by yourself.'
Shelby followed Erin down the corridor, fuming.
When they reached the Computer Studies room she
waited until Erin picked a seat and then she sat on the
opposite side of the room.
She stared at the blank computer screen with a lump
in her throat, as though she'd swallowed a whole
walnut. She was afraid she was going to cry, not
because she was sad, but because she was shocked –
and also because what Erin had said was a little bit
true.
Shelby thought back to all the things she'd thought
and said since she'd seen the pony at the sales. Erin
was right. She had never really wanted to share Hotty
at all.
14 Candour
At the end of the school day Shelby walked over to the
place where Erin's mum usually picked them up to
take them to the stables. Erin was already waiting. She
had her bag over one shoulder and looked the other
way when Shelby approached.
'Are you sorry for what you said?' Shelby asked.
'No.'
Shelby bit her lip. 'Can I still have a lift?'
Erin shrugged.
Shelby looked over at the turning bay but the
doors of the school bus she used to catch home were
already closing. The engine rumbled as the bus pulled
away from the kerb.
Shelby scuffed her heel across the edge of the gutter.
She didn't know what to do. Her parents wouldn't
worry until five, when they went to pick her up from
the stables. Would they think to look for her here? She
wondered how long it would take to walk home.
'You can be mad at me, but I need a lift,' she
mumbled. 'I don't have any other way of getting there.
I don't have a mobile. I haven't even got any money to
ring my mum at a public phone.'
Erin narrowed her eyes. 'It's always the same with
you, Shelby.'
'What do you want me to do, Erin?' She held her
hands out, palms up. 'This is how it is for me.'
'You could be more grateful.'
Shelby looked away for a moment, swallowing her
anger. 'So far I have paid my share. You offered to fix
the saddle. Nobody made you.'
At that moment Erin's mum drove up in front of
them. The two girls climbed into the car. Erin
slammed the passenger-side door.
'Steady on there!' Erin's mum said. Her eyes met
Shelby's in the rear vision mirror and Shelby blushed.
Erin's mother tried to make conversation but Erin
grumbled monosyllabic answers under her breath.
'I can see you're in a mood,' her mother commented,
and they drove on in silence.
In the back seat Shelby squirmed. She hoped one
day she could talk her own mother into driving them
to the stables. Then she wouldn't feel like such a scab.
Lindsey was waiting for them at the edge of the
arena. Miss Anita had a young roan cutting horse on
a lunge rein.
'Are you guys ready?' Lindsey asked.
'I'm going to ride my own horse today.' Erin
stalked past Lindsey towards Bandit's paddock.
'What's up with you, grumpy-trousers?' Lindsey
called after her.
'Ask Shelby,' she shouted over her shoulder.
Lindsey turned to Shelby with an eyebrow raised.
'We should probably ride Hot . . . the pony
tomorrow,' Shelby said. 'We'll just check on her today.'
The two girls saddled up Blue and Cracker. On
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