Greener Pastures - Alyssa Brugman [44]
Finally! Shelby thought. Someone she could talk to.
Shelby wrote a long message. She told Erin about the stupid camel club and about how her great-aunt was staying, and now Shelby would have to sleep on the lounge. She told Erin that she had seen Chad up at the beach, but she didn't know what to say. She explained how it was hard to concentrate because everyone was being such a pain. There was paper and cardboard everywhere, and everyone was laughing as though it was a celebration.
So U are going? Really truly going?
Yeah, but I'm coming back, she typed.
'What is the second most exciting place you are going to?' Connor asked.
'I've never been to Paris,' Aunty Jenny answered.
Shelby's dad said, 'The city of lurve.'
'City of lurve,' Blake mimicked. He put the box on his head again and ran straight into Shelby's chair.
'Watch it, will you?' Shelby barked.
'Sorry, Shel,' Blake mumbled from inside the box.
I haven't even told you the worst thing, Shelby wrote.
Then she told Erin about Chance.
OMG! And U were there when it happened? How is L? I wish I had been there too, but I'm so glad I wasn't.
'Shel,' her mother interrupted.
'I'm in the middle of something important here,' Shelby said. 'It was a big day for me, in case you hadn't noticed.'
'When you've got a minute would you call Clint and ask him if he would transport Blue up to Dandelion Flat for us? We will pay him, of course.'
Shelby spun around on her chair. 'There is no way I am making Blue stay at that stupid, ugly place!' she yelled.
They all stopped what they were doing and watched her.
'I'm sorry, Shelby,' her Mum said. 'I understand that you feel like this is the end of something, but I hope you'll appreciate that it's a beginning too.'
Shelby covered her face with her hands.
'I know you don't believe it, but we think this is the best thing for all of you,' her dad added. 'You will see –'
'Yeah, I heard you the first time,' Shelby snapped. 'You can make me do it. You can tell me over and over about how great it's going to be, but you can't make me like it.'
Her dad's voice was strained with irritation. 'No, I can't make you like it. Life is full of things that you have to do whether you like it or not. You can sit around sulking like a party-pooper or you can make the best of it.'
She took a deep breath. It was almost the same thing that Chad had said.
Shelby took her hands away from her face and looked at their expressions. He was right. There was a party going on all around her and she was missing it.
I'm the negative ion, she thought to herself.
Shelby was going to have to make the best of it. Making the worst of it wasn't working.
She stood up and marched over to the phone. She picked it up and punched in the number. 'Hi, Cassandra? It's Shelby. Can I talk to Clint please?' Her voice was all squeaky. She could feel her face going redder and redder. Her whole family watched her.
'Clint? This is Shelby. I was thinking about your place. And I was wondering . . .' She swallowed, but the lump in her throat seemed to be getting bigger all the time. 'Do you still want to buy Blue?'
25 New Recruit
The next morning, after Shelby had said good morning to Blue, she met Lindsey in the feed room. The girls agreed to start at opposite ends of the stables and then meet in the middle.
Shelby grabbed her favourite rake and the wheelbarrow and got to work in Charlie's stable sifting the manure through the rice hulls. She finished and then moved on to Griswold's, and then the next stable. Every now and then her eyes would start to tingle and her nose would drip. Luckily Aunty Jenny had given her some tissues that morning.
Shelby was just about to move on to the next row of stables when she saw a familiar face standing at the end of the row.
'Lydia!'
Her friend's face was still pale and thin-looking. She gave Shelby a weak smile.
'You said I could come up here and maybe you would teach me more about horse stuff.' She looked over her shoulder to where Lee was standing. He gave Shelby a nod.
'How are you feeling?' Shelby asked.
Lydia