Lisa (29 page)

I think writing all those letters to my brother helped with that, too. At first I was trying to impress him, but once I relaxed and wrote what I was really thinking and feeling, everything got a lot better.

Reading back over what I just wrote reminds me of the one thing I wrote to Peter that wasn’t what I really thought or felt. I still feel weird about lying to him about what I thought of his screenplay. Should I have been more honest, even if it meant being hurtful? Should I have tried to come up with some more constructive criticism? Should I have just pretended the stupid thing got lost in the mail and never got here? I
really don’t know. I guess I’ll have to think about that some more.

But not now. Mom’s calling. A letter just came for me from Peter!

Dear Lisa
,

It was so great to hear your voice on the phone the other day! I hope you and Mom and Dad enjoyed your last evening in Italy, and that you had a good flight home.

That’s not really why I’m writing, though. I have some bad news. I hope you won’t be too disappointed, but I’ve decided not to finish
Riding for Your Life.
I was reading it over the other day and I realized I wasn’t writing because I really believed in the story—I was writing because I thought some people off in Hollywood might be interested in that kind of story. It really wasn’t what
I
wanted to write at all. I don’t care about escaped murderers or shadows and suspense. I don’t even go to see that kind of movie—why should I waste my time trying to write one? I hope you’re not too disappointed that you and your friends won’t be appearing “at a theater near you” anytime soon, or that you’ll never get to see how the story might have turned out. I know kids your age like that kind of movie. But I know now that I couldn’t possibly finish a script I don’t care about. I hope you can understand that. At this point, I don’t quite know what I want to write about instead, but I’m sure I’ll figure that out when the time is right. In the meantime, that old screenplay is going in the bottom of my suitcase. I was tempted to throw it out, but I figured I might need it someday to remind me what
not
to do.

In any case, my new job here in Africa is keeping me so busy I don’t have as much time as I thought I would for writing. That’s okay, though. I’m meeting some really interesting people in the villages we’re visiting, and my professor—oops, I guess now I should say my boss—is becoming a good friend even though he’s quite a bit older than me. I’m realizing more and more what a special time this is in my life. I really want to savor it and appreciate every moment. Maybe someday, when it’s all over, I’ll decide to write a screenplay about my experiences. Or maybe I’ll write about something else. But it will definitely be something I know something about.

Anyway, Lisa, I really hope you’re not offended or anything like that. I don’t mean to imply that I quit that script because I don’t care about you or think your life isn’t interesting. You should know that that’s not true. It’s just that I sort of forgot what all my writing teachers told me throughout school: “Write what you know.” I never thought that old saying was true; I figured if it was, nobody could ever write about visiting other planets or traveling to the past or the future. But I guess that’s not really what they meant. They just meant that if you’re trying to write a story you’re pulling from somewhere outside of yourself, or for some reason other than because you really, really want to tell it, it will never work. It has to come from
inside.
Does that make sense to you? I hope so, because I think it’s important. I also hope you’ll keep writing to me about what you’re doing even if it’s not going to be in the movies. Because whatever else I’ve learned from that ridiculous screenplay, the most important thing I’ve learned is to appreciate my little sister again.

Love,
Peter

Dear Diary
,

Well, I just pasted in Peter’s letter and then went back and read through the entire diary. I sure did a lot this year! Fun things just always seem to happen whenever Carole, Stevie, and I get together. I guess that’s the magic of The Saddle Club. Or maybe it’s just the magic of friendship. Or maybe they’re one and the same.

As things turned out, I’m glad I didn’t tell Peter what I really thought of his screenplay. Maybe someday, when I can sit down and talk to him face to face, I’ll explain that not everybody my age likes the same things. Some kids might have loved that silly horror movie he was trying to write. In fact, Stevie’s twin brother, Alex, probably would have thought it was great—he has terrible taste in movies. But my friends and I will probably end up liking whatever Peter writes next a lot better, especially if it comes from his heart instead of his ideas about kids my age.

For now, though, I guess it’s probably better that Peter decided on his own to give up on his movie. Some things you just have to figure out for yourself. Even if I had told him what I really thought, it might not have made a difference—sort of the way I didn’t believe I could survive four weeks in Europe without my friends until I actually did it. Or the way Carole and Stevie thought they knew everything there was to know
about ranch life until High Meadow proved them wrong. Or the way I was so sure that mare was going to foal despite what the vet said, or how I insisted on riding Prancer in that horse show when she wasn’t ready, or how I thought I could get away with letting May do all the work in our Big Sister/Little Sister project. I didn’t listen to anything anyone else tried to tell me any of those times—I had to learn the hard way. So did Kate, sort of, when she wanted to adopt that wild stallion with the nick in his ear. And it’s the same kind of thing as how Nigel and Dorothy didn’t believe we could really throw them a wedding until we proved it. Or how Stevie and I didn’t believe Alice Jackson might have reasons for not wanting to jump until we absolutely couldn’t avoid the fact anymore. Or how Stevie was so sure she had that feed order right that Pine Hollow almost ended up with a whole stable full of feed and hay it didn’t need. And about a million other things we all did this year that didn’t turn out the way we expected.

Maybe that’s the best thing about this diary. If I hadn’t just read about all those things, I might never have noticed how much I’ve learned and changed and grown just in the past year. I wasn’t planning to let Carole and Stevie read it, but maybe I will after all. I don’t want to hog all this learning to myself!

Dear Peter
,

Wow, it seems weird to be writing to you in Africa. What’s it like there? You didn’t say that much about it in your last letter. I’d love to hear all about what you’re doing and seeing.

By the way, I’m writing the rough draft of this letter in the last few pages of my diary. For one thing, I thought it would be a nice way to remind myself of our correspondence. Also, I wanted to get what I want to say next just right.

It’s about your movie. Even though it would have been nice to see a movie all about The Saddle Club, I just want you to know that I’m not disappointed at all that you won’t be finishing that particular screenplay. You see, I understood exactly what you were saying about writing from inside, because that’s what I’ve been trying to do all year here in my diary. (Even if I didn’t quite know that was what I was doing until just recently.) Keeping track of my life here—and in my letters to you—has made it easier to learn from my mistakes. It’s also helped me remember all the fun and adventures I’ve had over the year. That’s why I’m sending you a brand-new diary along with this letter. It’s sort of an early birthday present, I guess. I thought it was important for you to have it now, in case you want to start writing down what you’re doing there in Africa. It will help you remember your time there forever, and who knows?—maybe someday it will help you write a fantastic, award-winning screenplay about your experiences! But even if it doesn’t, I think you’d get as much out of keeping a diary as I have. Now, and in the future, too.

When I went to the stationery store to buy you your diary, I picked up a new one for myself as well. Because like I said, this one is just about full. And when you’re part of The Saddle Club, life is always full of adventure.

I want to be ready!

Love,
Lisa

Bonnie Bryant is the author of more than a hundred books about horses, including The Saddle Club series, Saddle Club Super Editions, and the Pony Tails series. She has also written novels and movie novelizations under her married name, B. B. Hiller.

Ms. Bryant began writing The Saddle Club in 1986. Although she had done some riding before that, she intensified her studies then and found herself learning right along with her characters Stevie, Carole, and Lisa. She claims that they are all much better riders than she is.

Ms. Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She still lives there, in Greenwich Village, with her two sons.

SIDESADDLE
Saddle Club #88

There’s a new rider at Pine Hollow Stables, and her name is Tiffani. Carole Hanson and Lisa Atwood think Tiffani’s a good rider, but Stevie Lake can’t get over her riding gear—it’s pink and covered in lace and frills. On top of that, Stevie just doesn’t like Tiffani. It doesn’t make sense, but she can’t help it. When her boyfriend flirts with the new girl, Stevie stops seeing pink and starts seeing red. And when he praises Tiffani’s riding skills, Stevie goes wild.

Suddenly she’s in competition with Tiffani and she’ll do anything to win—even if it means learning to jump fences while riding sidesaddle. Stevie’s friends are convinced she’s lost her mind. But Stevie’s determined to “out-girl” Tiffani. She’s even bought a fluffy pink sweater!

MEET THE SADDLE CLUB

Horse lover CAROLE …

Practical joker STEVIE …

Straight-A LISA …

#1 HORSE CRAZY

#2 HORSE SHY

#3 HORSE SENSE

#4 HORSE POWER

#5 TRAIL MATES

#6 DUDE RANCH

#7 HORSE PLAY

#8 HORSE SHOW

#9 HOOF BEAT

#10 RIDING CAMP

#11 HORSE WISE

#12 RODEO RIDER

#13 STARLIGHT CHRISTMAS

#14 SEA HORSE

#15 TEAM PLAY

#16 HORSE GAMES

#17 HORSENAPPED

#18 PACK TRIP

#19 STAR RIDER

#20 SNOW RIDE

#21 RACEHORSE

#22 FOX HUNT

#23 HORSE TROUBLE

#24 GHOST RIDER

#25 SHOW HORSE

#26 BEACH RIDE

#27 BRIDLE PATH

#28 STABLE MANNERS

#29 RANCH HANDS

#30 AUTUMN TRAIL

#31 HAYRIDE

#32 CHOCOLATE HORSE

#33 HIGH HORSE

#34 HAY FEVER

#35 HORSE TALE

#36 RIDING LESSON

#37 STAGE COACH

#38 HORSE TRADE

#39 PUREBRED

#40 GIFT HORSE

#41 STABLE WITCH

#42 SADDLEBAGS

#43 PHOTO FINISH

#44 HORSESHOE

#45 STABLE GROOM

#46 FLYING HORSE

#47 HORSE MAGIC

#48 MYSTERY RIDE

#49 STABLE FAREWELL

#50 YANKEE SWAP

#51 PLEASURE HORSE

#52 RIDING CLASS

#53 HORSE-SITTERS

#54 GOLD MEDAL RIDER

#55 GOLD MEDAL HORSE

#56 CUTTING HORSE

#57 TIGHT REIN

#58 WILD HORSES

#59 PHANTOM HORSE

#60 HOBBYHORSE

#61 BROKEN HORSE

#62 HORSE BLUES

#63 STABLE HEARTS

#64 HORSE CAPADES

#65 SILVER STIRRUPS

#66 SADDLE SORE

#67 SUMMER HORSE

#68 SUMMER RIDER

#69 ENDURANCE RIDE

#70 HORSE RACE

#71 HORSE TALK

#72 HOLIDAY HORSE

#73 HORSE GUEST

#74 HORSE WHISPERS

#75 PAINTED HORSE

#76 HORSE CARE

#77 ROCKING HORSE

#78 HORSEFLIES

#79 ENGLISH HORSE

#80 ENGLISH RIDER

#81 WAGON TRAIL

#82 QUARTER HORSE

#83 HORSE THIEF

#84 SCHOOLING HORSE

#85 HORSE FEVER

#86 SECRET HORSE

#87 SHOW JUMPER

#88 SIDESADDLE

THE SADDLE CLUB SUPER EDITIONS

#1 A SUMMER WITHOUT HORSES

#2 THE SECRET OF THE STALLION

#3 WESTERN STAR

#4 DREAM HORSE

#5 BEFORE THEY RODE HORSES

#6 NIGHTMARE

#7 CHRISTMAS TREASURE

THE SADDLE CLUB SPECIAL EDITIONS

#1 STEVIE: THE INSIDE STORY

#2 LISA: THE INSIDE STORY

STEVIE: THE INSIDE STORY

Stevie Lake is in trouble. Big trouble. She’s failing classes, and if she doesn’t pull her grades up fast it means summer school and, worst of all, no riding. She has one last chance to redeem herself. She’s got to write a report explaining why she hasn’t done her homework or studied for the past few months—and the explanation had better be good. Stevie’s determined. She’s committed. And she’s going to get this assignment done if it kills her.