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here.”
    Everybody’s hand went up. Stevie seemed genuinely surprised, but had the grace to laugh. Carole thought the direction Stevie was taking was positively refreshing. It was hard to believe it was the same girl who’d called her twice before breakfast with “tips” for success.
    “Well, it’s true,” she confessed. “Anyway, what happened, between the couple of practices we had, is that we got better. So, although it wasn’t much fun, it worked and I’m beginning to get the feeling that we can really show those kids from Cross County who can play polocrosse and who can’t. Let’s go for it!”
    A few of the Pony Clubbers started clapping. Stevie had turned the meeting into a pep rally and, Carole thought, maybe that wasn’t a bad idea. After all, unpleasant as Stevie had been, they had learned some things. Maybe they did have a chance. Maybe.
    The Cross County Pony Club was arriving at Pine Hollow with all its members and their horse vans by thetime the Horse Wise members filed out of Max’s office. Max greeted Mr. Baker, their instructor, and all the parent volunteers shook hands with one another and introduced themselves.
    The Pony Clubbers stood apart and regarded one another warily. Stevie stood at the front of the pack of Horse Wise, Phil at the front of Cross County.
    “Hi, Stevie,” Phil said.
    “Hello,” Stevie returned.
    Carole noticed that it was almost as if the two of them had never met before. The awkward moment passed quickly, though, because it was time for the teams to tack up and saddle up.
    There were six players from Horse Wise. The agreement was that, just before the game began, they would draw numbers to determine squads and positions. Max showed them the cards. They read 1A, 2A, and 3A and 1B, 2B, and 3B. That would determine the A squad and the B squad and which position, Attack, Center, or Defense, would be played.
    Max held out the hat with the cards for Horse Wise. Mr. Baker did the same for Cross County’s team of six.
    Carole unfolded her slip of paper. It read 3A. She showed it to her friends as they opened theirs. Somehow, it worked. The Saddle Club was on the same squad. Stevie was the Attack, Lisa the Center, and Carole the Defense. They would be playing at the same time. According to what Max said, the A squads would playthe first and third chukkas, the B squads would play second and fourth.
    “We’ll have a chance to draw first blood!”
    So much for Stevie’s change of heart.
    Stevie, Lisa, and Carole lined up across from Phil and two of his teammates, waiting for the umpire, Max, to toss in the ball, beginning the first six-minute chukka.
    “Begin play!” Max announced. He threw the ball right between the rows of riders.
    Phil picked it up first. He was the Attack for his team. He tossed it to his Center. Stevie was closest to the Center. She rode after him, reaching across the Center’s horse to try to hit the Center’s stick from below.
    “Foul!”
    Play stopped.
    “Stevie, you can’t reach across another rider’s horse to try to get the ball out of an opponent’s racquet,” Max said.
    “Oh, yeah,” Stevie said, recalling the rule she’d read that very morning.
    “Penalty free throw!” he announced.
    The Cross County Center took the ball, tossed it to Phil across the penalty line, and he neatly tossed it right through the goalposts.
    “Score!” Max called out.
    “Huh?” Stevie said. It had happened so fast. First she’d made a mistake, then Phil’s team had scored. Her own team hadn’t even tried to defend against the goal attempt.
    “Carole!” Stevie shrieked in anger. “What were you doing? You should have been there, and stopped it!”
    “One nothing. Let’s begin play!”
    This time, Lisa managed to swat her racquet at the ball as it whizzed toward her. She did succeed in getting it down onto the ground, just in time for Cross County’s Defense player to pick it up and pass it to their Center.
    Carole saw trouble coming and