She's Tougher Than She Looks.

"His name is Okeechobee. He's still green so it'll be a fun trip, as long as you're careful." Dad said. I let Okie sniff my hand and he nuzzled me. I giggled. My very own horse! Finally!

"You ready to go?" Dad asked. I turned and nodded.

Four Years Later

A little boy ran in front of me, and it's a good thing Okie isn't the green horse he was when I first got him.

I glanced around, watching people walk by with a bunch of shopping bags. I was looking for one shopping bag-holder in particular, though.

I saw a flash a blue up the street, and stirred my legs to move into a jog that took me to Carly. I slowed down beside her, her completely unaware that I was riding next to her. Her skirt swished around her legs and her hair pins were failing her.

I bent over, grabbed her arm and pulled her up behind me. She shrieked. Until she realized who had grabbed her. Then she just glared at the air.

I moved as fast as I could out of town, then moved Okie as fast as was safe. I was uneasy leaving an eight year old alone, but Jessie was a good girl. Better than the sister currently sitting behind me.

It was funny. Everyone expected me to be the trouble one.

But I guess you're parents dying when your thirteen causes you to grow up fast.

"How much did you spend?" I questioned Carly, quiet so Jessie wouldn't hear. She hated it when we fought. Carly winced, then glared at me determinedly.

"Not much." She said, daring me to point out that "not much" was still too much.

"What did you get?" I asked, instead of falling for the bait. Carly raised her chin.

"A dress." She said. I fought the scowl coming over my face.

"For the dance?" I asked. She nodded. "And what's wrong with all your other dresses?" She scrunched her face slightly.

"Their old. And have been mended a thousand times." She said slowly, trying to make me understand how humiliating having an out of style dress was. "Come on, Har, it was one dress. It didn't cost that much, and it's so embarrassing to have to wear the same dress, because you can't afford one new dress."

"But it costs enough so that when we run out of something in the next few days, we won't be able to get more for who knows how long." I said slowly, struggling to keep my voice calm. "And it's so much less important when you're neighbors come to 'check on you' and have them find no food in your cupboards and an eight year old crying from hunger pains." I finished, and realized I was yelling. I lowered my voice.

"You're right. It's so much worse to have an out of fashion dress, than to not be able to eat." Carly was crying now.

"I-I'll return the dress." She said, trying to hold in the sobs.

"Don't bother." I said, then left the room.

Jessie was in the backyard, watering the plants. She was our resident gardener and she also took care of the goat, chickens, and rabbits. Leelee (I call her that because she couldn't say my name when she was younger) was in charge of things like sewing, cooking, cleaning, etc. I was everything else.

I knelt next to her. "Hey." I said softly, helping her pluck leaves from a plant. Jessie didn't look at me. I sighed.

She heard us fighting.

"Jessie." I said, trying to get her to look at me.

"Why didn't you tell Carly about the dress?" She asked. I lowered my eyes and didn't respond for a second.

I knew what she was talking about. I had bought Carly a dress for the dance as a surprise, because she was being so good about not complaining how we rarely have anything to spare. Then she took some rainy day money and went into town while I was asleep.

I felt bad about the entire thing. No one is going to employ a seventeen year old girl, at least not for any good amount of money. Which meant I spent most of my time in the woods, hunting, or training horses (that people actually will give to a girl; in other words, I don't train a lot of horses), or doing some sort of home repair (again, that doesn't happen a lot).

So, we are not exactly over flowing with money. We can't afford frivolous things, like dresses, that will only be worn once, then thrown in the back of a closet.

Still, I bought Carly a dress. Then she spent money we really didn't have on another. I was really to blame, I suppose, because I didn't tell her about the dress. But she still shouldn't have went out spending money she shouldn't have.

I couldn't explain this to Jessie; she shouldn't worry about such things. Even if it meant her blaming me, I'll take it, because then she won't know how hard it was to get food on her plate.

Later, Carly got her nerve back.

"So." She said, setting her fork down. "I noticed that there was quite a bit of money missing from the rainy day fund. I wonder where it went?" She glared at me. Great, I thought sarcastically. She thinks I've been spending the money.

I got up and left the house. I went into the barn, and brought out the dress. The barn was the only place Carly didn't go. I walked back inside, to the table, and threw the dress at Carly's startled face.

Then I went back to the only living thing that didn't give me a headache. My paint gelding, Okeechobee.

Hey! So. This is my third story, and is completely different than the first two. So, maybe those of you that have read Stupid, Chauvinistic Werewolves will not like this one. Then, this might get new fans.

And same thing goes, I need feedback, because I'm not gonna write if no one likes.

Vote! Comment!

P.S. I named the horse Okeechobee because I had a gold fish named Okeechobee. Yes, I did name a horse after a fish. Haven't YOU ever done that?