fired.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said the maid.
Once again, everything was peaceful in the diAngelo household.
“H ELLO , V ERONICA ,” L ISA greeted her the next day at their riding class. “Wearing the same old jacket again?”
“Yes,” Veronica said sweetly. She smiled at Lisa, then walked past her without another word.
Clearly Veronica was not going to give Lisa the satisfaction of admitting that she knew Lisa had bested her with the flattery and the sign on her back the previous day. It was all right. Lisa knew and Carole knew and everybody else knew. That was quite enough. Even though Stevie was still in bed recovering from her concussion, Lisa could almost feel her spirit. Lisa could let Veronica try to pretend the sign on her back hadn’thappened, but she couldn’t let Veronica get away scot-free.
“How’s your little photographic project coming along?” Lisa asked with as much condescension as she could muster.
“Just fine,” said Veronica. “Wonderfully, in fact. Just yesterday I came up with an idea that is sure to win me first place.”
“What’s that?” Lisa asked.
“Skyscapes,” said Veronica.
“How nice,” said Lisa, hoping she sounded as if she didn’t mean it.
“Yes,” Veronica agreed. She wafted out of the locker area.
Lisa looked over to where Carole was straightening her blouse and tucking it into her riding pants. “I think I’ll do better if I just don’t speak to her again, don’t you?”
“I always feel that way,” Carole said. “But there is a person I do want to speak to, and that’s Stevie. Are we on for visiting her after class?”
“Definitely,” said Lisa. “There’s so much to tell her, and it’ll be great to see her because by now she must be feeling better, don’t you think?”
“And acting more normal, I hope,” Carole said.
Two hours later, when class was over and they’dgroomed Starlight and Prancer and looked after Belle, the girls tromped over to Stevie’s house.
“How’s she doing?” Carole asked Stevie’s twin brother, Alex, when he opened the door for them.
“The doctor was here,” he said. “He told Mom that Stevie’s making a wonderful recovery.”
“Great,” said Carole.
“But the problem is that he didn’t know Stevie before she got hit on the head.”
“Still?”
“See for yourself,” Alex said, inviting them to go upstairs.
“The story about Veronica’s sign will do wonders for her,” Carole said to Lisa.
“And wait until we tell her about Blindie—I mean, Blondie,” said Lisa.
She crossed her fingers for luck as they went into Stevie’s room. Everything
seemed
normal. Stevie was clearly glad to have them there, and she greeted them warmly. She did want to hear about everything that had been going on. Lisa began with the story of the sign on Veronica’s back.
“… and then I told her she had a loose thread on the back of her jacket,” said Lisa.
“She played Veronica like a violin!” said Carole.
“Well, Veronica’s easy to read,” Lisa said humbly. “Anyway, while I pulled the imaginary thread off her jacket, I put a sign across her back—just like in your dream.”
“You should have seen her in class!” Carole said. “Everybody got it. They all laughed and pointed. It was hysterical!”
Lisa giggled. “The look on Veronica’s face was priceless! Of course, she couldn’t admit that anything was going on. She just kept a straight face and went through the entire class with everyone laughing and pointing!”
Stevie looked a little confused. “Sure everybody laughed and pointed. There was a sign on Veronica’s back that told them to. Why wouldn’t they?”
Carole gulped. This definitely was not the old Stevie. The old Stevie would have been laughing as hard as her friends. What had come over her? It was eerie and a little frightening. Carole could tell that nothing she and Lisa said about the event was going to make Stevie see any humor in it. She decided to change the
“Yes, ma’am,” said the maid.
Once again, everything was peaceful in the diAngelo household.
“H ELLO , V ERONICA ,” L ISA greeted her the next day at their riding class. “Wearing the same old jacket again?”
“Yes,” Veronica said sweetly. She smiled at Lisa, then walked past her without another word.
Clearly Veronica was not going to give Lisa the satisfaction of admitting that she knew Lisa had bested her with the flattery and the sign on her back the previous day. It was all right. Lisa knew and Carole knew and everybody else knew. That was quite enough. Even though Stevie was still in bed recovering from her concussion, Lisa could almost feel her spirit. Lisa could let Veronica try to pretend the sign on her back hadn’thappened, but she couldn’t let Veronica get away scot-free.
“How’s your little photographic project coming along?” Lisa asked with as much condescension as she could muster.
“Just fine,” said Veronica. “Wonderfully, in fact. Just yesterday I came up with an idea that is sure to win me first place.”
“What’s that?” Lisa asked.
“Skyscapes,” said Veronica.
“How nice,” said Lisa, hoping she sounded as if she didn’t mean it.
“Yes,” Veronica agreed. She wafted out of the locker area.
Lisa looked over to where Carole was straightening her blouse and tucking it into her riding pants. “I think I’ll do better if I just don’t speak to her again, don’t you?”
“I always feel that way,” Carole said. “But there is a person I do want to speak to, and that’s Stevie. Are we on for visiting her after class?”
“Definitely,” said Lisa. “There’s so much to tell her, and it’ll be great to see her because by now she must be feeling better, don’t you think?”
“And acting more normal, I hope,” Carole said.
Two hours later, when class was over and they’dgroomed Starlight and Prancer and looked after Belle, the girls tromped over to Stevie’s house.
“How’s she doing?” Carole asked Stevie’s twin brother, Alex, when he opened the door for them.
“The doctor was here,” he said. “He told Mom that Stevie’s making a wonderful recovery.”
“Great,” said Carole.
“But the problem is that he didn’t know Stevie before she got hit on the head.”
“Still?”
“See for yourself,” Alex said, inviting them to go upstairs.
“The story about Veronica’s sign will do wonders for her,” Carole said to Lisa.
“And wait until we tell her about Blindie—I mean, Blondie,” said Lisa.
She crossed her fingers for luck as they went into Stevie’s room. Everything
seemed
normal. Stevie was clearly glad to have them there, and she greeted them warmly. She did want to hear about everything that had been going on. Lisa began with the story of the sign on Veronica’s back.
“… and then I told her she had a loose thread on the back of her jacket,” said Lisa.
“She played Veronica like a violin!” said Carole.
“Well, Veronica’s easy to read,” Lisa said humbly. “Anyway, while I pulled the imaginary thread off her jacket, I put a sign across her back—just like in your dream.”
“You should have seen her in class!” Carole said. “Everybody got it. They all laughed and pointed. It was hysterical!”
Lisa giggled. “The look on Veronica’s face was priceless! Of course, she couldn’t admit that anything was going on. She just kept a straight face and went through the entire class with everyone laughing and pointing!”
Stevie looked a little confused. “Sure everybody laughed and pointed. There was a sign on Veronica’s back that told them to. Why wouldn’t they?”
Carole gulped. This definitely was not the old Stevie. The old Stevie would have been laughing as hard as her friends. What had come over her? It was eerie and a little frightening. Carole could tell that nothing she and Lisa said about the event was going to make Stevie see any humor in it. She decided to change the
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