Shelby scuffed her foot on the driveway and watched the oncoming traffic. Soon the Alfa came into view, slowed and drew into the shoulder of the road.
'What's going on, chicken? Normally I have to wait for you, not the other way around.' Shelby's father leaned over the steering wheel so that he could see his daughter through the passenger window.
'Everybody hates me,' Shelby huffed and slammed the door behind her.
Her father winced at the sound. 'What did you do?' he asked.
'I don't want to talk about it.' She rolled the window down with vigour – to her father's horror – and then rested her elbow on the windowsill. Next she put her feet on the dashboard.
Her father looked over his shoulder, waiting to merge into the traffic. 'Rapid mood swings. Communicates in grunts. Disregard for the delicacy of other people's vehicles. I think your teenhood is coming along beautifully! Have you been drinking?'
'What? No!' Shelby snorted.
'Why not? What's wrong with you?'
'Do you think I should?' she asked.
He rubbed his stubbly chin. 'I don't think you should, but I think you will, eventually.'
Shelby regarded him sombrely. 'What will you do when I do?'
Dad shook his head. 'I haven't a clue. It keeps me up at night. What do you think I should do?'
'What if I went away for a while and came back grown up? I could do my experimenting with drinking and you wouldn't have to see,' she suggested.
Her father pulled a face. 'Unsupervised! That's a parent's least favourite word. Tell me why everyone hates you.'
It hurt when he said it aloud like that. Shelby stared out the window, trying to look as though she didn't care. They passed the shopfronts and strolling pedestrians. She recognised a group of girls from the stables that were hanging around the newsagent. They waved to her and she raised her hand in reply.
'Not everyone hates you then,' her father commented.
'Maybe they haven't heard yet,' Shelby mumbled, inspecting her dirty fingernails.
'Heard what?'
Shelby sighed. 'Lindsey hates Keisha because she thinks Keisha stole Diablo. Erin and Hayley hate Keisha because Lindsey does. Keisha doesn't like me very much, or at least I don't think she does. She's kind of weird because she's home-schooled. She wants me to join their troupe anyway, and she said so in front of everyone, now Lindsey hates me, and Erin and Hayley hate me because Lindsey does.'
'I see. And Diablo is . . .?'
'A horse.'
'Right.' Her father nodded. 'Did Keisha steal Diablo?'
Shelby kicked off her boots and folded her feet underneath her. 'I asked Keisha and she said she didn't, but then she changed the subject onto the whole troupe business.'
'Ah!' said Dad, knowingly. 'The old switcheroo.'
Shelby waited for her dad to enquire about the 'troupe business', but he obviously missed it. Never mind. There would be opportunities to bring it up later.
'Keisha wasn't avoiding it; it was as if she didn't think it was worth talking about. I don't think she did it. Chad doesn't either.'
'And Chad is the elusive um friend?'
'He's just a friend, Dad.'
'Good.' They drove for a while in silence. 'Well, it seems to me that Lesley –'
'Lindsey,' corrected Shelby.
'Lindsey,' continued her father, 'is the one full of hate here, so the rest of you should just stop being friends with her and be your own troupe.'
'Lindsey's mum owns the stables.'
'Oh,' said her father, turning into their street. 'Well then, the sooner you find this Diablo beast the better!'
'No, Diablo is back already,' Shelby explained.
'He is? So the problem is . . .?'
Shelby stared at him as he pulled the car into the driveway.
'This is a girl thing, isn't it?' Dad observed.
Shelby nodded.
'Righto. Best talk to Marie, I'd say.'
'Thanks for trying,' she said.
He ruffled her hair, and then pinched her nose. He stuck his thumb between index and middle fingers. 'I got your nose!'
'Dad!' Shelby rolled her eyes.