SOLVED. YA (Published 70s/80s?): Girl with learning disability from neglected home, trains small dog for 4-H, jealous of only friend's new friendship. Spoiler ahead. [s]

[Sarah]

A book I read in the early 90s as a pre-teen, rather dark for YA.

A young girl who has a learning disability, she's probably 14-15, lives with her mom and countless other siblings in a dilapidated house, the mom doesn't work but keeps having kids from different men for checks from the state and treats main character (MC) like garbage. MC has a small dog (jack russell?) that she trains for 4-H (agility?). She has a friend that is smart, pretty, I think she lives on the same street, and they have been friends since they were very young. However they are growing apart as they get older and go to Jr. High because the friend is smart and pretty and hangs out with other smart pretty people, and MC has no friends because she is placed in the special education classes and people bully her. But friend and MC still have a little bit of a friendship, friend tries to involve main character in stuff. Friend gets close with a rich girl from school who is also pretty and smart but mean to MC. MC becomes intensely jealous of friend and rich girl's friendship. Rich girl gets a new car (Pinto? Pretty sure this book was written in the 70s, maybe early 80s) as a birthday present. MC is walking down some dirt road at some point, and rich girl pulls over and offers her a ride. At some point during the ride, MC grabs the wheel and yanks it, sending the car spiraling and crashes into a ditch. MC walks away but rich girl is dead. MC runs away, hides in an abandoned building (I think an old freight train station?) thinking she's going to be caught. This is where I start to get fuzzy... she eventually comes home, the crash has been discovered but no one has any idea she was there, they don't know what happened. I THINK eventually she confesses but I can't remember beyond that.

A shot in the dark but appreciate any help!

[Ayshe]

Just One Friend looks likely?

[Sarah]

Ayshe wrote: "Just One Friend looks likely?"

WOW that was fast Ayshe!!!! THANK YOU! This is absolutely it!!!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Sarah. I removed what sounds like a spoiler from the header/ topic title.

SPOILER:







(view spoiler)[Girl with learning disability ... accidentally kills girl. (hide spoiler)]

Note: The Spoiler html tag doesn't work on the Mobile App -- the spoiler text is always displayed.