Hide & Seek - Alyssa Brugman [40]
Shelby shook her head. 'Why would you want me?'
'You have the right horse. Zeb reckons that paint horse of yours is the best trick horse he's seen in a long time. You're coordinated and a good shape for it. Besides, most people's parents won't let them miss school. Would your parents let you go? Now's probably a good time to ask.' Keisha turned her horse around. 'You should go and make up with your friends. See you tomorrow.'
After Keisha left, Shelby turned Scooter along the trail. Keisha's offer was everything she dreamed about, but it had come too easily. It made her anxious. Nothing to do with horses had ever been easy for Shelby. In the past things that seemed straightforward always had some consequence she hadn't anticipated. She was sure there would be some nasty price to pay that would jump out at her in some unpreventable way.
When Shelby arrived back at the stables Hayley had already put Blue in his paddock and fed him, so Shelby walked to the feed shed. Inside there was a sign on the whiteboard that said,
S, please do first row feeds and rugs. Don't even try to talk to us.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
E, H & L.
At the bottom was a frowny face. There was even steam coming out of the cartoon ears.
25 Briefing Dad
Shelby scuffed her foot on the driveway and watched the oncoming traffic. Soon the Alfa came into view, slowed and drew into the shoulder of the road.
'What's going on, chicken? Normally I have to wait for you, not the other way around.' Shelby's father leaned over the steering wheel so that he could see his daughter through the passenger window.
'Everybody hates me,' Shelby huffed and slammed the door behind her.
Her father winced at the sound. 'What did you do?' he asked.
'I don't want to talk about it.' She rolled the window down with vigour – to her father's horror – and then rested her elbow on the windowsill. Next she put her feet on the dashboard.
Her father looked over his shoulder, waiting to merge into the traffic. 'Rapid mood swings. Communicates in grunts. Disregard for the delicacy of other people's vehicles. I think your teenhood is coming along beautifully! Have you been drinking?'
'What? No!' Shelby snorted.
'Why not? What's wrong with you?'
'Do you think I should?' she asked.
He rubbed his stubbly chin. 'I don't think you should, but I think you will, eventually.'
Shelby regarded him sombrely. 'What will you do when I do?'
Dad shook his head. 'I haven't a clue. It keeps me up at night. What do you think I should do?'
'What if I went away for a while and came back grown up? I could do my experimenting with drinking and you wouldn't have to see,' she suggested.
Her father pulled a face. 'Unsupervised! That's a parent's least favourite word. Tell me why everyone hates you.'
It hurt when he said it aloud like that. Shelby stared out the window, trying to look as though she didn't care. They passed the shopfronts and strolling pedestrians. She recognised a group of girls from the stables that were hanging around the newsagent. They waved to her and she raised her hand in reply.
'Not everyone hates you then,' her father commented.
'Maybe they haven't heard yet,' Shelby mumbled, inspecting her dirty fingernails.
'Heard what?'
Shelby sighed. 'Lindsey hates Keisha because she thinks Keisha stole Diablo. Erin and Hayley hate Keisha because Lindsey does. Keisha doesn't like me very much, or at least I don't think she does. She's kind of weird because she's home-schooled. She wants me to join their troupe anyway, and she said so in front of everyone, now Lindsey hates me, and Erin and Hayley hate me because Lindsey does.'
'I see. And Diablo is . . .?'
'A horse.'
'Right.' Her father nodded. 'Did Keisha steal Diablo?'
Shelby kicked off her boots and folded her