The Road Home

by Catherine Hapka

  Beside Kim was her mother, Nina’s aunt Vi, who was helping Nina’s mother with something on the stove. The cats, Bastet and Teniers, were twining themselves around the humans’ legs and letting out an occasional piteous yowl.

  “Nina!” Aunt Vi exclaimed, gently shoving Teniers away with one foot. “You’re just in time to set the table.”

  Nina’s mother nodded, swiping a wispy strand of light brown hair off her forehead. “Your father just texted to say he’s on his way home from work,” she said. “We’ll eat as soon as he gets here.”

  “I’ll come help in a sec, okay?” Nina said. “I want to change out of my riding clothes first.”

  “Good idea,” Kim said with a laugh. “We’ve been working hard on this food, and we’d rather not have the kitchen smell like a barn.”

  Nina laughed too, and then continued down the long, narrow hall that bisected their hundred-year-old cottage. Her room lay between the kitchen and her mother’s art studio, which was at the back of the house.

  It took only a moment to shed her jods, socks, and sweaty riding T and pull on a cool, full-skirted sundress she’d found in one of her favorite vintage shops. Then she grabbed her laptop, which she’d left on the bed right after school. She knew her family wouldn’t mind if she took an extra few minutes to check in with the Pony Post—especially since she had such big news for them.

  When she logged in, Nina saw that all three of her friends had posted after school. She scanned their entries.

  [BROOKE] Hi, guys! Just waiting for Kiersten to get here—she’s coming over to help me teach Foxy some dressage stuff she learned in her lessons before she moved here. Can you believe it? Me and Foxy, getting all fancy, ha! I’ll let you know how it goes after.

  “I can believe it,” Nina murmured aloud, feeling proud of her friend for trying something new. Brooke had done almost all of Foxy’s training herself so far, which was a lot, since the chestnut mare had been a yearling when Brooke had bought her at the annual pony auction in Chincoteague, Virginia. Brooke might not enter as many competitions as Haley or take as many lessons as Nina or Maddie, but that didn’t mean she didn’t work hard on her riding.

  Nina glanced at the next entry, which had posted an hour and a half after Brooke’s.

  [MADDIE] Sounds cool, B! U and Foxy can do anything, and don’t u forget it!!! As for me, I only wish I could ride today. I forgot to take out the trash and my rotten sis tattled on me, so I’m grounded. Grrr! O well, I’ll be back at the barn soon. . . .

  [HALEY] Hi, everyone! Brooke, you’ll love dressage! I thought it was boring at first, but it’s actually pretty cool! Anyway, I’m just posting to show u all the pix of Wings that my cousin took yesterday. Isn’t he cute?

  Nina smiled as she scrolled down to the photos. In most of them, Haley and Wings were jumping various obstacles, from a pile of logs to a gate stuffed with brush. With help from her family, Haley had built a pretty substantial cross-country course to practice on in one of their cow fields.

  When she reached the end of the photos, Nina opened a new text box and began to type.

  [NINA] Hi, all! Brooke, psyched to hear more about yr dressage lesson. H, Wingsie looks adorable as always! I just had a lesson—B was a superstar. He had tons of energy today (for a change, lol). Anyway, I don’t have much time, so I’ll tell u more about my lesson later. Rt now I have to tell u the big news I’ve been dying to share all day. . . .

  Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she filled them in on her parents’ Expo surprise. She also told them that she’d already invited Jordan and Leah, and still needed to figure out who to bring with the third ticket.

  [NINA] I wish I could just bring one of you, lol! Actually I wish I could bring all 3 of you! Wouldn’t that be stupendous?? Anyway, gtg—I’m supposed to be helping with dinner. Will check in l8r so u can all tell me how jealous you are of my fab b’day gift, ha ha ha!

  Still smiling at that, she signed off and then headed back toward the kitchen.

  “Is that your phone buzzing, Nina?” Kim said.

  Dinner had ended a few minutes earlier, and Nina was rinsing plates in the kitchen while her cousin wiped down the counters. She stepped over and glanced at her cell phone, which she’d left on a wooden chair nearby.

  “Yeah, it’s a text from my friend Jordan,” she said after scanning the readout.

  Kim nodded. “Right, the cute little girl you ride with who’s afraid of everything?”

  Nina laughed. “She’s not afraid of everything,” she corrected as she opened the text. Then she smiled. “Good news! Her parents said she can come to the Expo.”

  “Cool,” Kim said. Over dinner, Nina and her parents had told Kim and Vi all about Nina’s surprise gift. “What about the other girl you invited?”

  “Leah? Hmm, I don’t think she’s texted me about it yet. That’s kind of weird.” Nina scrolled through her recent texts to make sure she hadn’t missed any. “Usually she’s on her phone all the time—especially since she got her new one. Maybe her parents are working late or something.”

  She frowned, realizing that didn’t make sense. Leah’s mom had called her home while they were still at the barn, so Leah should have had a chance to ask about the Expo right away. Then again, maybe Leah was right and her parents were annoyed with her about something, which would explain why she might not have asked them yet. . . .

  Deciding not to worry about it, Nina stuck her phone in her pocket and got back to work. When she and Kim had finished up in the kitchen, Kim wandered off to join the other adults on the front porch, while Nina headed to her room, eager to see if the rest of the Pony Post had read about her news.

  Her laptop was still on the bed where she’d left it. Nina flopped down beside it and flipped it open. When she logged in, she saw that all three of the other Pony Posters had checked in since her last visit.

  [MADDIE] Great photos, Haley! U and Wingsie always look so professional when ur jumping. Not like me and Cloudy, lol. Usually I look like I’m about to fall off over even a teensy x-rail!

  [BROOKE] Ya, cute shots, H. I can’t believe some of the stuff you jump, you’re way braver than me, ha ha! Nina, sounds like a good lesson today, and fun news from ur parents.

  [HALEY] Thx, guys! Wings looks good in pics, right? So do all our ponies actually! Which reminds me, Nina, didn’t u promise us just yesterday that u would take pics at yr next lesson? We haven’t seen Breezy in ages!

  Nina realized that Haley was right. She’d been so distracted by the news about the Expo that she’d forgotten all about that promise.

  Speaking of the Expo . . . Nina scanned back through her friends’ latest posts, wondering if she’d missed something. But no—other than Brooke’s brief mention, none of them had said anything about her big news.

  “That’s weird,” she murmured, scrolling farther up to make sure her own message had posted. There it was, just as she remembered, right above her friends’ latest postings. So why hadn’t they said anything about the Expo? She had been so sure they’d be just as excited as she was herself. . . .

  “Nina? I’m heading out.” Kim poked her head in Nina’s half-open bedroom door. “See you tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah.” Nina took a lesson at Kim’s dance studio every Wednesday night. “I’ll be there.”

  Her cousin took a step into the room. “Hey, you okay? You look troubled.”

  Nina glanced up with a smile, amazed that she’d noticed. Then again, Kim could pinpoint a dancer’s tiniest loss of balance or slightest flaw in position. Why would Nina doubt that she could spot a perplexed mood just as easily?

  “I was just looking at the Pony Post.” Nina’s entire family knew all about the website and enjoyed hearing updates at most Friday-night dinners. “I told them all about the Expo earlier, and I was expecting a ton of questions and excitement and stuff. But it’s like they barely paid attention to what I said.”

  “Hmm.” Kim came closer, bending over to peer at the laptop screen. “Wha
t’d you say, sweetie? Maybe you made it sound so good that they’re a touch envious.”

  Nina snorted. “Envious? No way, they’re not like that.”

  Kim shrugged. “Just saying, not everybody is as lucky as you are, Nina. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

  “Sure.” Nina waved good-bye as her cousin headed out.

  Then she sat there for a moment staring into space. Could Kim be right? Had Nina bragged too much about her fantastic birthday gift?

  “No,” she whispered. Then she shook her head. “Maybe?”

  After all, Kim was right—not everybody was as lucky as Nina, with a great pony and generous parents who were able to surprise her with fabulous stuff whenever they felt like it.

  Scrolling back up, Nina studied each of her friends’ names in turn. Maddie’s parents made a comfortable living, but having four kids in the family meant that Maddie didn’t always get everything she wanted.

  Then there was Brooke, who had paid for Foxy with her own money and still paid a large share of the pony’s expenses. And Haley, who had to scrimp and save to afford lessons and competitions.

  “Oops,” Nina said aloud, reaching out to pat Bastet as the cat leaped gracefully onto her bed, followed by Teniers. “Maybe I did brag a little,” Nina told the cats, pulling her laptop away just before Teniers strolled across the keyboard.

  Nina propped the computer on her pillow and stared at the screen. Should she apologize to her friends for bragging?

  Then she shook her head, deciding that might only make things worse. “This is one of those times when it’s kind of hard having imaginary friends,” she told Teniers, scratching his favorite spot under his chin. “It would be a lot easier to smooth things over if I could just talk to them face to face like I can with my local friends. . . .” She sighed, then blinked. Speaking of her local friends, she still hadn’t heard from Leah about the Expo.

  Nina shut her computer down and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She sent Leah a quick text asking if she’d talked to her parents yet, then sat there petting the cats and waiting for a response.

  Ten minutes later none had come. Nina finally shook her head and set the phone aside.

  “Guess she’s busy tonight or something,” she said, rolling onto her back so Bastet could walk onto her stomach as she loved to do. “That’s okay, I’ll just talk to her at school tomorr—eep! That tickles!”

  Dissolving into laughter, she grabbed both cats in a big group hug.

  CHAPTER

  3

  “HEY, PERALT!” SOMEONE called as Nina emerged from the musty back stairwell into the second-floor hallway of her school.

  She waved over her shoulder without bothering to see who it was. She’d just spotted a familiar cloud of wavy red hair ahead.

  “Yo, Trin!” she yelled. “Hold up, girl!”

  Her friend Trinity turned and waved. “What’s up, Nina?” she said. “Did you hear there’s a new girl?”

  “Yeah.” Nina had all but forgotten about Leah’s gossip, but she wasn’t really focused on what Trinity was saying. “Listen, have you seen Leah?”

  “Not yet. Why?” Trinity fell into step beside Nina as they headed toward their lockers, which were both located in one of the school’s crooked back hallways. Their school was a converted Greek Revival mansion and it retained much of the charm of the original building, from the columns on the porch to the third floor dormer windows.

  “I need to talk to her about something. No biggie.” Nina didn’t say anything about the Expo. Trinity wasn’t the type of girl to be offended if she wasn’t invited—especially since she had virtually no interest in horses—but Nina didn’t want to say anything until she’d decided what to do with that last ticket. “Guess I’ll catch up with her in homeroom.”

  But when she stepped into the classroom, Leah’s seat was empty. A bunch of kids were gathered around a desk near the back of the room, but Nina didn’t spot Leah’s sleek auburn hair in the crowd there, either.

  “Check it out.” Trinity was looking the same direction. “That must be her?”

  “Where?” Nina blurted out, before realizing that Trinity wasn’t talking about Leah. “Oh, the new girl. Right. Let’s go say hi.”

  She pushed her way through the crowd. A girl was perched on the edge of a desk, looking as comfortable as if she’d been attending the school since kindergarten the way Nina and most of the other kids gathered around her had. She was petite, with big brown eyes, a heart-shaped face, and a sleek dark bob.

  “Nina!” A boy named Jacob looked up with a smile. “Did you meet Edith yet?”

  The girl laughed. “I told you guys, call me Edie,” she exclaimed. “Edith’s my grandmama.” Her voice had an extra little lilt on top of her regular local accent that made her sound exotic.

  “Hi, Edie,” Nina said. “I’m Nina Peralt. Welcome to New Orleans.”

  “Welcome back, you mean,” another girl interjected. “Edie grew up here.”

  Edie nodded, making her shiny brown hair bounce. “I was born here, and I’ve lived here off and on my whole life,” she explained. “My parents are both diplomats, which means we move around a lot—mostly overseas. But still, New Orleans is home, you know?”

  “I hear you.” Nina couldn’t help liking the new girl. She had a friendly, open way about her that made Nina pretty sure she’d fit right in. “So welcome back, then.”

  “Thanks.” Edie pointed. “Hey, cool bracelet.”

  Nina lifted her arm, making the bracelet she was wearing jangle. It was a silvery chain with a several dangling horse head charms. “Thanks. I found it in this neat little shop over in Metairie.”

  “Cool. Are you into horses, or did you just like the bracelet?”

  “Oh, Nina’s definitely into horses.” Trinity rolled her eyes, while several of the other kids laughed. “Don’t get her started!”

  Edie laughed too. “Hey, that’s awesome,” she said. “I love horses! I try to do some riding in every country we visit. My favorite was riding an Andalusian in Spain. It was amazing!”

  Several of the other kids looked impressed. Nina felt the same way, though she also couldn’t help flashing back to what Kim had said the evening before. Would Jordan—or other people, like the Pony Posters—think that what Edie had just told them was snobby, or merely interesting and exotic? Was it really bragging if it was true?

  Nina tuned back in when she realized everyone was staring at her, becoming vaguely aware that Edie might have just spoken to her. “Um, sorry?” she said.

  “I said, do you have a horse of your own?” Edie asked.

  Nina nodded, all thoughts of snobbery flying out of her mind. “Yeah, I have a pony named Bay Breeze—Breezy for short,” she said, warming up quickly to her favorite subject. “He’s a Chincoteague pony—that means he came from this little island up in Virginia, where they round up the wild ponies once a year and—”

  “Yeah, I know!” Edie broke in, sounding excited. “I must’ve read Misty of Chincoteague a zillion times when I was younger. That’s so cool! I’ve never even met a real Chincoteague pony before.”

  “You’ll have to come out to the barn sometime.” Nina smiled warmly, tempted to mention the Pony Post, since Edie seemed so interested in the breed. But she didn’t feel like listening to Trinity and the others tease her about her imaginary friends, so she decided to save that for another time. “But anyway, riding in Spain, huh? That’s incredible,” she said instead. “What other countries have you lived in?”

  “Oh, we never actually lived in Spain,” Edie said with a shrug. “We just went down there for a vacation while Mom was posted in Paris, and . . .”

  From there, Edie regaled them with tales of her life in France, Scotland, Morocco, and various other places until the teacher came in and called the class to order.

  “See you guys next week!” Nina waved as the last few members of the dance class headed for the door with their bags slung over their shoulders.

  When they we
re gone, Nina walked over and slipped her bare feet into a pair of flip-flops lying beside her own gym bag. Then she glanced over at Kim, who was by the window jotting some notes on a pad.

  “I’ll start sweeping up,” Nina called.

  Kim glanced up, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll help in a sec.”

  Nina’s class was the last one of the evening, so she usually stuck around to help Kim tidy up in exchange for a ride home. As a bonus, that usually meant that Kim ended up staying for dinner.

  Humming under her breath, Nina hurried to the closet and grabbed a couple of brooms. She left one of them leaning against the barre, then started sweeping with the other one. After a moment Kim tossed her pad aside and picked up the second broom.

  “Good class tonight,” Nina told her cousin with a smile. “I’m going to be sore tomorrow!”

  Kim laughed. “That’s always my goal,” she teased with a wink. “So what’s new since last night?”

  “Lots, actually.” Nina was sweeping near the big plate glass window that formed the far wall of the studio. Noticing a smudge on the glass, she rubbed at it with the hem of her T-shirt. “There’s a new girl at school. Her name’s Edie, and she just moved back here from Paris.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Yeah, she is,” Nina said. “But I didn’t even tell you the best part yet. She’s into horses!”

  Kim chuckled. “What are the odds? You seem to find them everywhere—here in New Orleans, off in California, all over the Internet . . .”

  “What can I say? I have a gift,” Nina joked. Then she frowned slightly. “Oh, and speaking of horses—there’s some other news, too, if you can call it that. I still haven’t found out if Leah is coming to the Expo or not.”

  “What do you mean?” Kim shot her a confused look. “Didn’t you ask her about it at school today?”

  “She was absent.” Nina leaned on her broom. “Nobody knew why.”