Hot Potato (Shelby and Blue) - Alyssa Brugman [42]
'Was Gwen Stefani here?' Kim shouted at Mrs Edel. The hysterical crowd of girls swarmed around Lindsey's mum.
'I don't know!' Mrs Edel shouted back. 'Lindsey took the booking.'
The whole congregation swivelled around looking for Lindsey. They found her and surged forward.
'Well?' asked Mrs Edel.
'Yes, Lindsey, the people are waiting,' Clint said.
Lindsey's face was white and her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.
28 Hanging Out with
Hayley
Hayley cupped her hands around her mouth. 'It's a chestnut mare! She's in the back paddock.'
The crowd in the middle of the arena started talking excitedly again. Some of the younger girls bounded out of the arena and ran down the lane, each wanting to be the first to spot Gwen Stefani's horse. Soon the rest of the crowd streamed after them.
Lindsey's mother was in the middle, being pushed along like a twig in a river, still with her tomato sauce bottle in hand. One of the ladies explained to her who Gwen Stefani was.
'A singer?' Mrs Edel looked lost. 'American? You're sure? Then why is she so far behind? I should have been charging double! Lindsey, is this true?'
A group surrounded Lindsey, herding her down the laneway and peppering her with questions. She tried to answer, but then someone else would interrupt with another question.
'No, I didn't see her in person . . . I have no idea why she would keep it here . . . I've never seen her ride . . . I can't remember what sort of float it was.'
The group of spectators watched them head down the laneway and then returned to the food. Some tucked into the potato salad while Mrs Crook was distracted. Shelby heard her father ask, 'So is it always like this?'
Hayley, Erin and Shelby followed the group down the laneway at a discreet distance. 'Are you going to tell?' Shelby asked Hayley.
Hayley frowned. 'Why should I help you? You never include me in any of your things. How do you think it feels? You get to have all the fun and do whatever you want.' Her mouth turned down at the sides and she crossed her arms. 'I hear you laughing, and meanwhile, I just go round and round in circles while Mum yells, "Win! Win! Win!" at me. It's not fair.'
Erin shook her head, confused. 'You want to hang out with us?'
Hayley shrugged. The rims of her eyes were turning red. She wasn't exactly crying, but Shelby didn't think she was far away from it.
The three girls stared at each other for a moment and then Shelby could feel the sides of her mouth twitching. She started to giggle.
'What?' Hayley looked puzzled.
Soon Shelby had tears in her eyes. She was laughing so much that her nose scrunched along the top. Her cheek hurt, and she held it, but she couldn't stop giggling. Erin laughed until she snorted and then got the hiccups, which set the other two off. Soon all three of the girls were laughing together.
'You want to hang out with us!' Erin said again, between breaths.
'Why is that so funny?' Hayley asked, still grinning.
Shelby shook her head. She thought about telling Hayley that being Shelby or Lindsey, or even Erin, wasn't that great most of the time. They bickered between themselves. They didn't always support each other like they should and sometimes achieving the goals they set for themselves was a struggle – but then, she'd thought being Hayley Crook would be the best thing ever. From the sounds of it, it was a lot of pressure, and lonely too.
She put her hand on Hayley's shoulder. 'Hales, you can hang out with us whenever you want.'
By the time the girls had made it through the gate the crowd had gathered at the ridge. The herd of horses was standing on the edge of the hill warily eyeing the people.
'It must be that one,' said Mrs Edel, pointing to Hotty. 'That's the only one I don't recognise.'
The group looked on, quiet for a moment.
'It's a bit small,' commented Miss Anita.
'Yeah, I was expecting – I dunno, something a bit more flash!' said Kim.
Monica said, 'I thought it would be tobiano, for some reason – a mustang or something