But things can’t stay bad forever. Case in point: time does what time usually does and reduces the makeup episode into a distant memory. It is no longer quite monstrously hideous, but instead is merely humiliating. And in fact, at this moment, it’s not even a speck on the radar screen of my past. Because I am standing under a blue Montana sky that stretches wide into the forever, just like the blue of Lake Casco. Montana really is what they say—Big Sky Country. Endless gold plains under a... Read Full Story

Do you love horses? Do you love wild horses? (Photo: Jill Starr and one of her beloved wild mustangs) Then you'll love Jill Starr, whose mission in life is to promote, protect, and preserve America's wild horses. Jill is one of Animal Planet's 10 nominees for Animal Hero of the Year. And she really deserves the title. Her non-profit foundation, Lifesavers, Inc., is devoted to helping wild horses become partners to humans. She and a small band of devoted staff members spend their days... Read Full Story

If someone asked you why you love horses, you'd probably be able to spend about three hours explaining why, right? In Chapter Five, Olivia talks about being a horse girl. Read what she says by clicking here--and then join the contest and tell readers of Box of Stars why you love horses and what makes you a horse girl! Contest rules: The rules are simple. First things first--ask your parents if it's okay with them. Since we want to know what city you live in, it's important to get your... Read Full Story

I swallow down the hard, dry chunk that has risen in my throat. “Party?” Dallas’s face beams like someone just handed her anew pair of shoes. “Party!” she confirms. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move! No, move. Go to your room. I’ll meet you there.” And then she is gone. I am left alone in foreign territory—the sewing room--with my mother and her explosion of taffeta. “Congratulations,” she says. I shrug, and offer a smile so shy it seems it will bury itself inside me. “I got in.” I... Read Full Story

As Dallas grabs my hand and drags me down the stairs, I feel that Lakeside letter press against the insides of my brain. It’s like a I’ve developed a mental daisy, and, one by one, I am picking off the delicate petals. I want to know. I don’t want to know. I want to know. I don’t want to know. I want to know. I… To quote that famous literary character, Charlie Brown, “Arrrghhh!” Then Dallas shrieks. It startles me so much I think my skin will jump right off my body. She screams, “Mommmm... Read Full Story

“He called you a what?” I stare at Dallas, my eyes so shiny with the pleasure of telling her all about Will Winfield that they feel like they’re going to pop right out their sockets. We are sitting on my bed, our knees pressed together, and I keep grabbing her arms or her hands as I recount how I ran into Will Winfield. I repeat, “A monster.” Dallas narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. “And…you think that’s a compliment?” She says it like she’s seriously evaluating me for... Read Full Story

You can’t stay committed all the time. If my coach heard me say that, she tell me to sell my horse and give up riding forever. At the least, she’d tell me to find a new coach. Then again, she hasn’t seen Will Winfield. So I stop. The only problem is that I can’t say a word. I put my hands on my knees, bend over, and gasp. I feel my rib cage push into my back as if I’m growing wings that want to flap. When Will Winfield inquires again, “Don’t I know you?” I just... Read Full Story

I’m gasping by the time our paths intersect. I can’t even lift my head to say “Hi.” Not that I would. I barely know him. I’ve only seen him a few times in my life, all of them from across the pews at church on Sunday morning. And not even that often. I think his family is what my mom calls “Occasionals.” They attend occasionally, on occasions, like Christmas and Easter. Not that we are much better. My parents are big on the religion thing, but I don’t think the people that schedule horse... Read Full Story

This has been the best day of my life! I can’t believe a day that started out so…crappy could end so brilliantly. The crap part started the minute I opened my eyes. I woke up just…I don’t know…pee-ohed. For no reason at all. Well, maybe not for no reason at all. If I really gave it any thought, I could probably trace my crap mood to the fact that my very first thought of the day was, “Am I ever going to hear from Lakeside about whether or not I got into school?” Stupid eighth grade is... Read Full Story

I gather up my reins and take Finn back to the rail. I close my eyes and fix a picture in my head. It’s of me, posting the trot without stirrups. I blow the picture up. I make it even bigger, and I imagine it being a piece of cake. I see my calves gripping the barrel of my horse easily, my thighs feeling powerful, filled with endless strength. Then I open my eyes and squeeze my seat bones so that Finn moves easily into the trot. It is not a piece of cake. It’s not even a micro-crumb of... Read Full Story