Carole first and put her arm around her. Stevie had tears streaming down her face.
“It’s too late, Carole,” she said. “He was too badly hurt! They had to do it. He would never heal. It was the long bone in his foreleg—it was shattered. He just lay there. And then it was over.”
“And then the ambulance came for Veronica,” Lisa continued. “She’s going to be okay. I guess she broke her arm. She was lucky. Luckier than Cobalt.” Lisa gasped at her own words, trying to hold back tears.
Carole stared blankly at the stable, wanting to go in, wanting to go away. She remembered feeling like that once before. She stood still, unable to move, until her father came up to her and put his strong arms around her shoulders.
“Come on home, hon,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do here.”
“
Cobalt!
” she sobbed.
Slowly, she turned, letting her father take her home.
“W E ’ VE
GOT
TO help Carole,” Lisa said. “She was like a zombie at school today.” She and Stevie were walking toward Carole’s house the day after the accident that had cost Cobalt his life.
“I think Carole’s going to have to get over this herself,” Stevie warned Lisa. She wanted to comfort Carole, but she knew that sympathy and comfort could only go so far.
“Carole showed me how important it was to get back on the horse when I fell off. This is different, I know, but in some ways it’s the same. We can’t let her feel too sorry for herself.”
“I don’t think she’s feeling sorry for herself. If I know Carole, she’s feeling sorry for Cobalt.”
“Well, just wait until we tell her what happened when we saw Veronica at the hospital, then,” Lisa said.
“That may just make her feel sorrier for Cobalt,” Stevie said, shaking her head. She just couldn’t understand the whole diAngelo family.
Carole was in her room when her friends arrived. She’d gone to school that morning, but she didn’t think she’d heard anyone or learned a single thing. As soon as she got home, she retreated to her bedroom. She was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, when Stevie and Lisa knocked.
“Your dad said it was okay for us to come up,” Stevie said, poking her head in the room.
Carole sighed deeply. She knew her friends had come to make her feel better. She also knew that they felt badly about Cobalt’s accident and maybe they needed somebody to make them feel better, too. She only wished she could have made Cobalt better. But, of course, she couldn’t.
“Sure, come on in,” Carole told the girls. They came in and sat on her bed with her. Stevie handed her a soda. Carole took a sip and nodded thanks. “I guess you’d better tell me exactly what happened. I really didn’t want to know yesterday, but I think I’m ready now.”
“It was Veronica’s fault,” Lisa began, confirming Carole’s suspicions. “It was just exactly what Max had been telling her not to do on the camp-out. We wereall there—it was a jumping class on the cross-country course. I was watching with Max. Stevie had just gone over the jump on Comanche. Veronica came barreling down the hill at a gallop and expected Cobalt to jump a high fence, landing on a downhill slope.”
“He had such a big heart, you know, Carole. He just always wanted to please his rider—even when he knew it was wrong. He didn’t slow down one bit. He just jumped,” Stevie said.
“It was beautiful in a way,” Lisa continued. “There’s no horse in that stable that jumps as smoothly as Cobalt—jumped, I mean—but he didn’t land right.”
“I saw it then, too,” Stevie said. “It was like he was flying, until his front legs landed. There was just too much of him, coming too fast. His forelegs hit the ground straight and then the right one buckled, but not at the knee. He began to stumble.”
“Veronica flew off over his head. She landed five feet in front of him. She broke her arm when she landed. Cobalt broke his leg. Everybody could see it was
“It’s too late, Carole,” she said. “He was too badly hurt! They had to do it. He would never heal. It was the long bone in his foreleg—it was shattered. He just lay there. And then it was over.”
“And then the ambulance came for Veronica,” Lisa continued. “She’s going to be okay. I guess she broke her arm. She was lucky. Luckier than Cobalt.” Lisa gasped at her own words, trying to hold back tears.
Carole stared blankly at the stable, wanting to go in, wanting to go away. She remembered feeling like that once before. She stood still, unable to move, until her father came up to her and put his strong arms around her shoulders.
“Come on home, hon,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do here.”
“
Cobalt!
” she sobbed.
Slowly, she turned, letting her father take her home.
“W E ’ VE
GOT
TO help Carole,” Lisa said. “She was like a zombie at school today.” She and Stevie were walking toward Carole’s house the day after the accident that had cost Cobalt his life.
“I think Carole’s going to have to get over this herself,” Stevie warned Lisa. She wanted to comfort Carole, but she knew that sympathy and comfort could only go so far.
“Carole showed me how important it was to get back on the horse when I fell off. This is different, I know, but in some ways it’s the same. We can’t let her feel too sorry for herself.”
“I don’t think she’s feeling sorry for herself. If I know Carole, she’s feeling sorry for Cobalt.”
“Well, just wait until we tell her what happened when we saw Veronica at the hospital, then,” Lisa said.
“That may just make her feel sorrier for Cobalt,” Stevie said, shaking her head. She just couldn’t understand the whole diAngelo family.
Carole was in her room when her friends arrived. She’d gone to school that morning, but she didn’t think she’d heard anyone or learned a single thing. As soon as she got home, she retreated to her bedroom. She was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, when Stevie and Lisa knocked.
“Your dad said it was okay for us to come up,” Stevie said, poking her head in the room.
Carole sighed deeply. She knew her friends had come to make her feel better. She also knew that they felt badly about Cobalt’s accident and maybe they needed somebody to make them feel better, too. She only wished she could have made Cobalt better. But, of course, she couldn’t.
“Sure, come on in,” Carole told the girls. They came in and sat on her bed with her. Stevie handed her a soda. Carole took a sip and nodded thanks. “I guess you’d better tell me exactly what happened. I really didn’t want to know yesterday, but I think I’m ready now.”
“It was Veronica’s fault,” Lisa began, confirming Carole’s suspicions. “It was just exactly what Max had been telling her not to do on the camp-out. We wereall there—it was a jumping class on the cross-country course. I was watching with Max. Stevie had just gone over the jump on Comanche. Veronica came barreling down the hill at a gallop and expected Cobalt to jump a high fence, landing on a downhill slope.”
“He had such a big heart, you know, Carole. He just always wanted to please his rider—even when he knew it was wrong. He didn’t slow down one bit. He just jumped,” Stevie said.
“It was beautiful in a way,” Lisa continued. “There’s no horse in that stable that jumps as smoothly as Cobalt—jumped, I mean—but he didn’t land right.”
“I saw it then, too,” Stevie said. “It was like he was flying, until his front legs landed. There was just too much of him, coming too fast. His forelegs hit the ground straight and then the right one buckled, but not at the knee. He began to stumble.”
“Veronica flew off over his head. She landed five feet in front of him. She broke her arm when she landed. Cobalt broke his leg. Everybody could see it was
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