Free Snow Ride by Bonnie Bryant

surely some of her cuts and bruises would be visible, and her parents would start asking questions.
    Stevie to the rescue.
    “How about a moonlight Frisbee game?” she proposed, locating a pie tin that had just been used to carry a load of snow for Sugar-on-Snow. The young riders in the crowd eagerly agreed. Pretty soon Stevie had a game organized.
    All Stevie wanted was to get enough kids outside sothat Dinah could disappear in the dark. She could sit somewhere quietly, and nobody would notice how odd she looked and how uncomfortable she was.
    Betsy threw the pie plate to Stevie. It glinted in the moonlight and caught the stream of light that came from the windows of the Sugar Hut. Stevie made a dash for it. She almost caught it, when she ran smack into Jodi, who was headed toward the Sugar Hut from the woods beyond. The two of them ended up in the snow together.
    Stevie laughed at the ridiculous situation. But the older girl just stood up and brushed off the snow. Then, without a word, she marched toward the trail that led to the stable. Stevie wouldn’t have minded if Jodi had said hello, but Jodi seemed very angry and in a big rush.
    Stevie retrieved the fallen pie plate, tossed it back to Betsy, and decided to explore where Jodi had come from. She wanted to know what had gotten Jodi riled up. It wasn’t hard to follow her footsteps back into the woods. It got easier when she heard the whimpering sound.
    There was Dinah, perched uncomfortably on a snow-covered rock, crying her heart out.
    Suddenly Stevie was filled with doubt. If Dinah hurt so badly, then maybe she ought to see a doctor. Maybe something really was wrong. She shared her thoughts.
    “No,” Dinah said. “I don’t hurt that badly. I’m okay.”
    “Then what are you crying about?” Stevie asked.
    “Nothing,” was all Dinah would say.

W HEN MORNING CAME , Stevie still felt worried about Dinah. She wasn’t worried about her cuts and bruises so much. They were turning horrendous colors, and it was obvious that they hurt, but it was clear to Stevie that something else was hurting Dinah even more. What was worse, she wouldn’t talk about it.
    “What happened last night at the Sugar Hut?” Stevie asked.
    “Oh, I just got hit on the head with a falling icicle,” Dinah said.
    “Come on, Dinah,” Stevie said, persisting.
    “It was nothing,” Dinah insisted. “And I don’t want to talk about it.”
    Stevie was irritated with her friend, and she looked ather to tell her that without words. What she saw, however, made all her irritation disappear. Dinah was crying. Tears welled up in her eyes and splashed down on her cheeks.
    “I think I just need to be alone,” Dinah said. “Please?”
    Stevie relented. Dinah just wasn’t in the mood to talk. Stevie could understand that—sort of. Even with Lisa and Carole, there were times when they didn’t want to talk—not many, though. Thinking about her friends made her wish they were there. They’d know what to do and how to take care of Dinah. And if they were here, maybe Phil could come, too.…
    Stevie let her mind wander. Thoughts of Phil made her remember the Pony Club meeting that was coming up. She hoped her friends had remembered to call him. Of course they had, she assured herself. They were her
friends.
Friends helped one another, doing things like calling boyfriends and collecting sap. That thought brought Stevie back to the reality of Dinah’s bedroom.
    “How about collecting? We’re supposed to go out with Betsy today. Are you up for it?”
    Dinah shook her head. “Cover for me, will you?”
    “Okay,” Stevie said. She slipped into her clothes and went downstairs, leaving Dinah alone to sleep and heal. Not knowing what her friend was crying about bothered Stevie, but she knew there were times when you shouldn’t push. This was one of them.
    Mrs. Slattery laid out a big breakfast of pancakes and the last of last year’s maple syrup for Stevie. Stevie explained that Dinah still