Sagehen Mesa Part 10 - Jolene's Scheme and Other Teen Drama

 Hi, it's Jolene reporting in again. 

Dad's considering getting a horse for Kathy since she's showing interest in being an equestrian. It's supposed to be a belated birthday present. The next morning he announced that he found a horse that will be a good fit - but it's untrained. He says he's going to have to train it up before Kathy can start riding it. 

"Did you hear? We're getting a new horse!" Kathy exclaimed. 

"If you would get your grades up to a reasonable level, we'd love to get something special for you too," Dad said. 

Don't hold your breath, I've been put in time out more times than I can count over my grades. 

If I don't turn things around, I might not get into college, and I've REALLY got to get out of this hick town. I told Kathy that if I don't get into college, I'm going to join the military and see the world. 

Dad's threatened to send me off to military school on more than one occasion, but I know he can't afford it. 

Prom's coming up soon, and Clancy asked me to go - as well he should! We've been spending a lot of quality time together. 

Clancy's parents split up, and he chose to move with his mom and baby sister. He felt they might need some extra support as his mom hasn't had to make it on her own ever. I guess she married Clancy's dad right out of college and never completed her own degree in Fine Arts because Clancy's dad claimed he'd make enough for both of them, so she'd never really have to work outside the home. At the time, this appealed to Clancy's mom, but things change. 

When Clancy's mom got kicked out of the house, Dr. Ellen was the first person she turned to for help. 

Dr. Ellen and her new husband Mr. Towel, I mean Mr. McDowell, are going to let her trade one of her sculptures for the first month's rent on Mr. McDowells house, since he's moved in with Dr. Ellen and isn't living there anymore.  

They just asked that Clancy and his mom didn't trash the place.

Clancy says they are very happy with their new home and new situation. 

His mom told him she was going to start right away working of some sculptures and that Dr. Ellen said she had some connections in other markets for selling them. 

Back at home, Dad got Kathy a horse named Clark. Kathy was really interested in the horse - at first.

But she quickly lost interest when Dad wouldn't let her ride him right away. Dad spent so much time training Clark up, that he neglected the bills, and the repo man took one of our saddles. 

So Dad mostly rides Clark bareback. Dad says Clark is the most sure-footed horse he's ever seen. 

I overheard Mom and Dad talking when they thought I had gone up to bed. I guess while Dad was out riding Clark, he happened upon a buzzberry farm! Finally something exciting is happening around here!

I finally got my grades up to the point where I could talk my parents into buying me a video camera, and I'd LOVE to sneak up there and take some footage of the place. 

One night when Clancy was getting off work and his mom was picking him up, (and I was over at the school releasing the frogs from the biology classroom), Clancy and I were talking on the phone, and he overheard a paparazzi telling his mother some juicy information. 

"Yeah, Mom and I were about to go home, but this paparazzi lady came in and is telling Mom that she found a buzzberry farm," he whispered . . . 

. . . "and it looks like someone had been drilling a tunnel up there. She's been asking around and learned that Dad's the only one in town with equipment for drilling, so she was wondering if Mom knows anything about it."

"She's thinking there might be quite the performance enhancement scandal going on right under our noses!"

"Mom's laughing it off. So how's the 'frog project' going? Wanna skip tomorrow?"

Clancy's brother Tim asked Kathy to the prom, so that's who she's going with. She has all the info on who is going with who. 

I'm kind of disappointed in Clancy because I want to go check out the buzzberry farm, but he's refusing to go on account of his dad might be involved and he doesn't want to be thought guilty by association if we get caught. The most I could get him to commit to was to go to his father's mine and wait for me while I checked to see if the tunnel there connected to the buzzberry farm. 

I had a close call when the cave started falling in on me.

Clancy was in no position to help me. I decided the hole as just too dangerous, and after Clancy headed for home, I stayed behind and filled it in. 

I'm sure Mr. Mahon will drill more holes, but at least this one is safe. 

I still plan on checking out the buzzberry farm, but I would feel better if I had some backup just in case. I know not to tell any adults my plan or they would snitch to my parents and ruin everything. I can't tell Kathy for the same reason. So I thought I'd work on Hector Lopez and see if he's up for an adventure. I need to ease into it, so I offered to go home from school with him and help him with his math homework. 

While I was there, I was feeling pretty stinky, so I made an excuse and slipped off to use the shower. Whether it was by mistake or no not, I don't know, but Hector walked in on me! How embarrassing!

He swears he thought I went to check out their chickens and he just needed to use the toilet. Maybe I can use this to my advantage. He kinda had a crush on me in 8th grade. Maybe he still likes me. I'm a little ticked off at Clancy anyway, because he sat with Kathy instead of me when he came home with us after school the other day. 

But then, I got a letter from Clancy's little brother Tim.

Did he confuse me with Kathy? I wonder. Anyway, Kathy found the letter and told him off. Luckily it was after prom when this happened. 

Between the bus incident and the not going with me into the tunnel incident, I feel I'm justified in flirting with Hector to get him to assist me in this caper. 

It seems that Mr. Mahon neglected to pay some maintenance fees on his mining claim and the claim lapsed. The town put the property up for sale, and there seemed to be a lot of interest. Of course Mr. Mahon was also checking the place out, doing his best to convince the rest of them not to buy the land because he planned to scrape together enough money to get it back. (We had words.)

Hector and I met up there, and it's obvious he DOES still like me. 

I think I can get Hector to join me on my quest, but it's going to cost me. Clancy's mom looked really mad that I was flirting with Hector. I guess she thinks I'm cheating on Clancy. Even Clancy's dad didn't seem happy with me, and he doesn't even like Clancy. 

Now to hatch my plan.