North Oak 5- Far Turn

by Ann Hunter

  “He wants me to get close to you. To find your darkest secret. So he can get back at you.”

  Alex pulled away, almost feeling like this moment was a lie.

  Katie reached for her, her breath catching. “But I won’t do it. I’d never hurt you.”

  Alex couldn’t help remember escaping all the bad times behind her. Running was what she was good at. Running made her forget.

  So she ran.

  ***

  With Promenade fighting for his life, the Kentucky Derby was a somber occasion. Normally Mr. North had a big party at his manor home, no matter if he had a horse entered or not. It was usually a welcomed pause from all the work that happened every day.

  But this year, it was the celebration that was on pause. Alex smuggled Cade’s phone to the quarantine barn to watch the race. If it was even worth watching without Promenade there. She sat close to his head, showing him the screen. Maybe seeing the race he was destined for would make him fight a little harder.

  “Black Scotch,” Alex muttered. “’Member him? Puh.”

  The dark colt Promenade had faced in several races before was going off as the favorite. He looked good, no lie, but Alex didn’t want to admit it. “Thunder Rush and Rock Star are there too.” She angled the phone better. “See?”

  Promenade groaned. Alex rubbed his neck to ease his pain.

  “Oh look, your jockey Enrique picked up Black Scotch.” Alex grunted, “Traitor.”

  There were a few other horses Alex sort of recognized from following the three-year-old campaign on TVG off and on over the winter, but Thunder Rush, Black Scotch, and Rock Star stood out the most. Alex laughed when she realized Black Scotch’s name shortened to a bunch of BS.

  “Get it?” she chuckled to Promenade. “B.S. We’ll see if he’s full of it, or if he’s really got game. You smashed him every time this year.”

  Alex bit her lip as Promenade’s eyes closed, his lip going all pookey, revealing his teeth. She continued to massage his failing muscles. “He’s got nothin’ on you, Pro.”

  Alex closed her eyes too as the crowd began singing My Old Kentucky Home. She refused to cry, even though there was a giant war going on inside her. She willed herself not to recall the smell of the dirt at Churchill right by the rail, or the way the tack on the colts going by jingled in the song that called to her. She would not, could not mourn her colt’s absence at the race he was bred to run.

  She listened in blindness to the ring of the starting bell, and the announcer’s hum as he called the race. Alex clenched a part of Promenade’s mane and hung on.

  “You doing okay down there?” Brooke called after the race coverage had ended.

  Alex wiped the tears from her eyes. Not really, but, “Sure.”

  “That sounded convincing.”

  It didn’t help that Katie’s confession still ate away at Alex. How could she even respond to that? She shouldn’t have run. She should have stayed there and talked it out. Words escaped her before her brain could apprehend them. “There’s… this girl.”

  “Hmmm. Kinda sounds like ‘so there’s this boy’.”

  Alex shook her head, rubbing Promenade’s neck. “It’s not like that.”

  “No, of course not. You’re all about Carol.”

  “Will you shut up for a minute, Stick.”

  Brooke sighed. “I’m listening.”

  “I really like her. She’s great and all. But I don’t like her the way she likes me.”

  Morning Glory’s door rolled open, and footsteps sounded down the aisle. Alex looked up at Brooke peering in on her, arms folded. Who better to tell than someone who had gone through this? Brooke had been jilted by Dejado. She’d been in Katie’s shoes, in a way.

  “It takes guts to tell someone how you really feel, y’know.”

  Alex picked at her cuticles. Would it help to tell her that Brad had a hand in it? Katie seemed genuine, but was she telling the truth? Alex looked up slowly. “What do I do?”

  “The best thing you can do is be there for her. And be grateful someone loves you like that. Because at the end of the day, love is love. Everyone deserves that.”

  What would Alex even say to Katie when she saw her again? There’d be no avoiding her at school. Would Katie even want to talk to her after the way Alex had left?

  “Dejado, Carol, Katie, they all come and go. I’ve noticed you getting all knotted up in your relationships, even from the far end of this barn. What about your jockey goals? You still into that?”

  That wasn’t even up for debate with Alex. Of course she still wanted to ride. But this virus…

  “Might want to ask yourself are you participating in life, or just letting it happen to you.”

  Alex stared at her.

  Brooke continued, “You all want me to stay strong for Mags. So it’s only right I challenge you back to stay strong for Pro. In a year, we might really amount to something. Don’t let this virus be an excuse to run from the things that matter.”

  ***

  After their talk, Alex was never more grateful for a second, a minute, an hour in her life. Because every moment she had left with Promenade was a blessing.

  She had so much hope when Brooke led Morning Glory out of the quarantine barn for a graze. The filly was looking like her old self again. It appeared whatever Brooke and Hillary had been trying with her was working.

  Alex watched for any of it to improve on Promenade. Her relief was immense when he started showing interest in food again. He just needed to be on his feet more. The last thing she wanted was for him to go out like Chauncey, squirting and oozing all over himself. She wouldn’t have it.

  Promenade was strong enough for anything. Alex knew it in her gut. He’d survived the first strike of EHV, and this relapse hadn’t killed him yet. She got to her feet, reminded that she still needed to fight for Promenade, and for her dreams

  “Get up.”

  Promenade looked at her lazily, twitching an ear like her words were a bother.

  “Get. Up,” she said again, firmly.

  Alex knelt by him, grasping his halter and looking him straight on. “I will fight for you I swear, but you have to do this one thing for me.”

  She started to pull.

  “Get up!”

  Promenade fought her, shaking his head against the resistance, but Alex wouldn’t quit. She yelled at him, cajoled him, whatever she had to do to get him to rise.

  “I won’t lose you like the others. Get up,” she hollered.

  Promenade groaned and rolled onto his knees, forcing himself upwards. He staggered and leaned against the wall briefly. Alex panted, keeping him straight.

  “You got this, Pro. You got this.”

  She stepped closer to him, grasping his ear to whisper, “I got you.”

  Promenade snorted and straightened himself. He stepped stiffly, but he wasn’t wobbly at all. The colt lowered his head, pressing it against Alex’s chest. She smoothed his forelock, letting tears roll down her cheeks shamelessly.

  The twenty-one day clock to bust this prison known as the quarantine barn was ticking again.

  #LIFEGOALS

  Alex wished she could melt into the door of Dejado’s truck and disappear. She huddled closer and closer to it, a feeling of danger rushing into her that the door might swing open and she’d turn into a puddle of goo on the highway. If only osmosis worked on human skin.

  Carol, of course was oblivious, or at least seemed like it. The last few days at school had been rough trying to avoid Katie, but it was nearly impossible. Because avoiding Katie meant avoiding Carol too, since they had all started hanging out more. And Alex was sure she hadn’t been in more pain since Promenade had been near death. When would she ever catch a break?

  The second they parked near the Showman’s home, Alex rushed to the quarantine barn and slipped inside Promenade’s stall. The shine in his coat was gradually returning, and she hugged his head close to her, half-waking him from an afternoon nap.

  She knew s
he couldn’t avoid Carol and Katie forever. Ignore one, and she had to avoid the other. Alex dug into her pocket, unfolding a note she’d found in her locker.

  Saturday, 10 A.M. School track

  It was in Katie’s handwriting. No doubt, an invitation to her track meet. She’d told Katie she would go to her meets, before she learned Brad was trying to get at the both of them. And all she’d been doing was running away, while Katie was trying to patch things up between them.

  “Katie, one; Jerkface Alex, zero,” she said under her breath.

  “I feel like you’ve been avoiding me,” Carol said.

  Alex jumped, shoving the paper back into her pocket. Promenade tossed his head, skirting away.

  “Why would I do that?” Alex said quickly.

  Carol let herself into the stall. “Oh, I dunno. You get certain ideas into your head sometimes.”

  It wasn’t fair Carol knew her so well. Yet it made Alex love her even more. She wasn’t sure she could look her in the eye.

  “What was were you reading?” Carol asked.

  Alex shrugged. “Katie wants me to go to her track meet.”

  “And you’re avoiding her, becaaaauuuuse…?”

  Alex sighed. “Brad’s been bullying her, trying to get to me. And if I stay away, he can’t.”

  Carol rubbed Promenade’s blaze, the cogs clearly ticking in that beautiful mind of hers. Alex softened inside a little, letting down her defenses. She scratched the colt’s shoulder passively.

  “We should go,” Carol finally said.

  Alex cocked an eyebrow.

  “We’re her friends. She needs to know we support her.”

  “It’s more than that, Car. With Brad’s hand in all this— “

  Carol hugged Alex’s shoulders. “All the more reason to let her know we’ve got her back.”

  The next few days at school were still awkward, as Alex struggled to find the right words to say to Katie. She didn’t even know how to let her know she’d be coming. She thought, maybe, she could drop a note into Katie’s locker with a C’ya there or something, but every time she worked up the nerve, she was either occupied in class, or going to the next class. She couldn’t catch a break.

  When Saturday came, Alex went down to the quarantine barn to bring Promenade his breakfast, and give him a good grooming.

  Beneath her trained hands, she felt his muscles regaining their strength. She spoke quietly to him, trying to dispel the nerves crawling up her arms and back. Even if she couldn’t return Katie’s feelings, no matter how genuine, she could still show her love.

  Alex went to the feed room to fill the colt’s bucket. When she ducked under the cross ties to get to his stall, he barreled his head into her to get to the food. Alex pushed his head away, scolding him softly, even as grain dropped from his muzzle onto the aisle below. She hung his bucket, before taking a hold of him.

  Promenade didn’t even need to be lead. He headed to his stall all on his own, eager to feed.

  Following him into the stall, Alex mumbled to herself what she should say about Katie. She reached to removed Promenade’s halter before he could get into his breakfast.

  He must have understood what was going on. He dropped his head and nudged Alex hard, shoving her toward the stall door.

  She caught herself against the wood, looking back over her shoulder. “Alright. I get it.” Alex pointed at him. “But don’t die while I’m gone.”

  Promenade dove into his feed bucket with a throaty whicker.

  Laura drove Alex and Carol to the high school, and took a seat on the bleachers with them. Cheerleaders, dressed in Hamlin High’s maroon outfits, practiced on the infield.

  “Let’s go, Razorbacks, let’s go!”

  The grandstands were half-full with people scattered in various rows. Alex looked over her shoulder at them, leaning back on her elbows on the bleacher behind her. She wasn’t paying attention when runners lined up for the three hundred meter hurdle race.

  The starter raised his arm in the air and pulled the trigger on the gun. Alex jumped at the noise, falling on the footpath between the bleachers, folding like a lawn chair. She swore under her breath.

  Carol and Laura jumped, too, at Alex’s clumsiness and hurried to help her. Heat rose to Alex’s ears as they pulled her back onto the seat.

  They watched the race wordlessly. Alex shuddered again, less dramatically, when the next race started with a gunshot. She plugged her fingers into her ears. “I hate that guy.”

  “It’s the gun, isn’t it?” Carol asked.

  Alex bit her lip. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.”

  Laura leaned forward to look at her. “I haven’t seen your friend yet. I hope we didn’t miss her class.”

  Alex and Carol both scanned the field, before finding Katie on the other side of the track, warming up for her race.

  “Eight hundred meter dash,” Carol said, glancing down at the program.

  “Isn’t that kind of long?” Laura asked.

  Alex shook her head. “She wants to go out for cross country this summer. She needs the longer races to start conditioning.”

  Katie and the other runners lined up. Alex plugged her ears, shrugging down into her shoulders and bracing for the gunshot.

  Muffled, the gun went off, and the starter stepped away from the field. Katie got off well, and appeared to be pacing herself back behind the front runners.

  Alex leaned toward Carol, training her gaze on Katie. “How far is eight hundred meters?”

  “About half a mile.” Carol cheered and clapped her hands. “Go, Katie!”

  Alex started to smile. Finally, a sport she could understand and get into. It wasn’t that different than watching a horse race. Half a mile was four furlongs.

  She rose as the girls on the track rounded the turn, and hollered, “Come on Katie!”

  Carol joined her, cupping her mouth to call out, “You got this!”

  The finish line wasn’t much further. Katie overtook the girl in second place, and battled for first.

  Laura cajoled them on with a hardy whoop.

  In a blink, the race was over, too close to call as far as Alex could tell. She looked for a place where results might be posted. On a digital board above the other grandstand across the track, the last names of the runners went up, with Katie in second place.

  Laura, Carol, and Alex all agreed Katie had done great.

  Alex clambered down the bleachers toward the track as Katie crossed the field toward her. Katie picked up a run, stopping only a foot from Alex.

  They held each other’s gazes. Katie breathless, and shining against the early afternoon sun. “You came.”

  Alex flung her arms around her shoulders, hugging her tight.

  “I’m all sweaty,” Katie laughed.

  Alex squeezed her tighter. “I shouldn’t have left you like that. I should have heard what you had to say.”

  Katie turned her head to whisper in Alex’s ear, “I said it.”

  At her words, Alex allowed the flow of forgiveness and acceptance between them stream in. Katie leaned her forehead against Alex’s dark hair momentarily, before pulling back.

  Laura and Carol bounded up to them, sweeping their own arms around the girls. Laura stretched her phone out in front of them. “Smile!”

  The phone screen shuttered quickly, then Laura moved away to take a picture of Katie, Alex, and Carol.

  “Do you have any more races today?” Alex asked.

  Katie shook her head quickly between pictures. “I had a couple this morning, but I wanted you here for this last one.”

  Alex didn’t know if she could ever run that much. “You’re amazing.”

  Carol stepped away. Laura took a picture of Katie staring at Alex with more admiration and surprise than words could say.

  Laura clapped. “Let’s get some food!”

  ***

  Twenty-one days finally flew by without a hitch. The morning Alex was to lead Promenade back to the training b
arn, Mr. North showed up.

  Hillary was already deep into her examination, while Alex stood at the colt’s head, stroking his blaze.

  North stepped to Promenade’s shoulder and ran his hand over the coiled muscles. A slow smile worked the edge of his mouth.

  Hillary glanced to Alex. “Think you’ll come be a member of our family again, instead of sleeping in the barn most of the time?”

  Normally Alex would’ve kept a wary eye on North, but Promenade was the only thing in her world right now. She smirked. “That depends. What’s for dinner?”

  “Meatloaf, your favorite.”

  Alex wrinkled her nose. “We just had that.”

  Hillary focused in on Promenade, pressing her stethoscope to his lungs. “Your second favorite then.”

  “Good luck guessing that one, doc,” Alex teased.

  North worked his way around Promenade, casually interjecting, “How’s your training coming along, Alexandra?”

  The question caught her off guard. Save for the occasional ride in the morning on a horse in training, her jockey goals had been derailed. When was the last time she’d been on ol’ Speedy? The banter in her voice and smile went dry. “I’ve been going on runs with a friend of mine. Staying in shape.”

  North paused by Promenade’s flank, glaring over his shoulder at her. “And your diet?”

  Alex tensed. “Is this some kind of shakedown? I thought you were here to check in on your prize.”

  “I am,” he said tersely. His stare went right to the core of her, and she felt like he wasn’t referring to the most valuable horse in his racing string at all.

  Promenade danced aside, sensing the energy between them. He snorted. Alex reached for his halter to steady him; her gaze locked with North.

  “Hills, let’s have triple cheeseburgers, chili fries, and milkshakes,” she said, just to spite this man who said he was her uncle.

  Hillary laughed. “Why not. We’re celebrating.”

  She put her equipment back into her vet bag and stepped to Alex, squeezing her shoulder. Alex’s locked gaze broke to meet hers, and Hillary’s eyes said everything Alex needed to know. She was stepping up now.