Wild Horse by Bonnie Bryant Read Free Book Online Page A

in Willow Creek—just the kind of person Mrs. Cushing would love to brag about, Lisa guessed.
    “Naturally,” Stevie said. “And I’m sure they would have. Except for one teeny little incident: Veronica gotinto a screaming fight with her mother right in the admissions office.”
    “You’re kidding,” Lisa said, grinning.
    “Nope. She got so mad, she threw a vase across the room,” Stevie said gleefully.
    “Did it smash?” Carole asked.
    “It smashed all right,” said Stevie. “It hit the floor right as the director of admissions was coming out to meet the diAngelos.”
    “You mean Mrs. Cushing?” Lisa asked, imagining the outraged expression on the older woman’s face.
    “I think that was her name,” Stevie said. “The story was the best gossip in the Fenton Hall Parents’ Association for months.”
    “Wow,” Lisa breathed, “Veronica versus her mother and Mrs. Cushing.”
    “Yup,” Stevie said. “So now the diAngelos hate Wentworth Manor. If you want to see Mrs. diAngelo turn purple, just mention that school.”
    “But if they hate it so much, why would Veronica care if Lisa’s applying?” Carole asked.
    “Well, they do hate it, but it’s more complicated than that. Kind of what you’d call a love-hate relationship,” Stevie mused, warming to her subject. “The way I look at it is like this: The diAngelos know that Wentworth isone of the snobbiest schools around, so they have to respect it because they love snobs, but they hate it for rejecting Veronica. And Veronica is still friends with Ashley Briggs, but she’s probably really jealous of her for going there. On the other hand …”
    Stevie had plenty more to say about the diAngelos and Wentworth Manor, and by the time she finished, the girls had arrived back at Pine Hollow. After cooling out their horses and giving them another good grooming, they reconvened in the driveway, carrying halters and lead ropes. They were going to bring in a few horses Max needed for his afternoon lesson.
    Veronica was there, too, waiting for her ride home. She seemed to have regained her composure after her earlier outburst. She came over to them, smiling brightly. “Did you have a nice ride?” she asked.
    “We sure did,” Stevie said. “How about you? Did you take Danny out or were you too busy mucking stalls?” She couldn’t keep from snickering at the thought of Veronica mucking out.
    “I was too busy with the stalls,” Veronica said sweetly. “Didn’t you notice how nice Belle’s looked?”
    Stevie thought for a minute. She had noticed that it was less messy than usual when they got back, but she’d figured that Red O’Malley, Pine Hollow’s stable hand,had been in there while they were gone. It was too hard to believe that Veronica had cleaned Belle’s stall. “So you actually cleaned it?” Stevie said.
    “Oh, it’s nothing, really,” Veronica said, seeming to take Stevie’s comment as a thank-you. She turned suddenly to Lisa. “Did you get your hair cut, Lisa? It looks really good.”
    “Thanks, Veronica,” Lisa said stiffly.
    “No, I mean it,” Veronica went on. “What salon do you go to?”
    “I got it done at Cosmo Cuts,” Lisa said.
    Veronica looked momentarily taken aback, but she quickly recovered. “Great choice. I love that salon, and so does my mother. She and I get our hair done there every week.”
    “Speak of the devil …,” Stevie murmured, seeing Mrs. diAngelo’s large white Mercedes turn onto the driveway.
    “What did you say, Stevie?” Veronica asked.
    “Nothing, nothing. I just said, keep up the good work—in the barn, I mean,” Stevie said. She couldn’t resist adding under her breath, “I’m sure I can find a lot more for you to do tomorrow.”
    Before hopping into her mother’s car, Veronica complimented Lisa on her hair again. Then she waved good-bye to the group. “Ta-ta! See you all soon!”
    The three of them watched the car disappear down the driveway. “Boy, I love it when