The Road Home

by Catherine Hapka

  [NINA] I was kinda worried, so I gave up on riding and got someone to help me check his temp and stuff again. He still seemed fine—just tired I guess. So I decided to give him a nice, long grooming session to make him feel better. By the time I finished he looked so shiny and clean and perfect he was ready to be in a show or something, ha! Then I walked him out to the closest place with grass and let him eat a while. That perked him up, lol!

  She hit enter, and her words appeared on the screen below the others. Nina chewed on her lip, staring at a bird fluttering around in the vines on the garden wall and wondering if she really was making too big a deal out of her pony’s recent behavior. Maybe if he hadn’t been so perky on Tuesday, she wouldn’t even have noticed when he went back to being pokey.

  Then she blinked as another text box appeared on the screen below hers.

  [BROOKE] Nina, u still on??

  With a smile, Nina quickly opened another blank box. The Pony Posters all had such different schedules in their different time zones that they only occasionally ended up on the site at the same time. But it was always nice when it happened—a happy accident, as Nina’s grandmother liked to say.

  [NINA] I’m here! How r u? Did u ride Foxy today?

  She waited, and Brooke’s response came within a couple of minutes.

  [BROOKE] Ya, just a trail ride—ground is too wet from all the rain to do much jumping or ring stuff. But never mind that. U sound worried about BB—do u think he’s OK?

  That made Nina smile again. She’d long since decided that Brooke was the most thoughtful and sensitive of the four of them, often noticing when someone was in a funny mood or thinking of ideas that never would have occurred to the others.

  [NINA] I don’t know what to think. He seems to be as healthy as a—well, u know! But he’s just so LAZY! I mean he’s always lazy, but. . . .

  [BROOKE] U know him best. If you think something’s wrong u should trust ur instinct. (But don’t panic, lol!)

  [NINA] Lol! U know as much about horse health and stuff as anyone I know. Do u have any ideas? What could turn a slightly lazy pony into a total slug?

  [BROOKE] Hmm, dunno. If he was sick he’d prolly have a temp or something, you know? Maybe it’s just cuz he’s getting older.

  [NINA] Maybe. But he’s only 11 yrs old! Lots of ponies and horses I know are older than that and not slowing down at all. Like Haley’s Wings, for instance. And nobody would ever call HIM lazy, lol. . . .

  [BROOKE] OK then do u know if they’ve changed anything about his feed lately? Or got a new kind of hay? Sometimes that can make a diff. . . .

  They continued to speculate together for several more posts, but nothing Brooke suggested seemed like a likely cause of Breezy’s lazy attitude. Finally Nina decided it was time for a change of topic.

  [NINA] I’m sure he’s probably fine and I just got spoiled by that nice lesson earlier this week, ha ha! But even if he’s not sick, I’m a lil worried that someone else I know might be…

  She went on to share Leah’s absence from school and her moody behavior the day before. The more she typed, the more worried she felt. Breezy might be acting a little out of character lately, but Leah’s behavior was even more bizarre.

  [BROOKE] Wow, that’s crazy. I hope she’s OK. But I’m sure she’ll talk to u eventually, right?

  [NINA] Sure, I guess. The trouble is, I need to know if she’s coming to the Expo. It’s only 2 wks away now and I want to have time to figure out someone else to bring if she’s going to blow it off!!

  [BROOKE] Oops, sorry, my stepdad’s calling me to feed Foxy, gtg. Hang in there, OK?

  [NINA] OK, thx for listening!

  She waited, but there was no further response from Brooke, and Nina guessed she’d already signed off. She did the same, then wandered out to the kitchen to fix herself some dinner.

  CHAPTER

  5

  ON MONDAY BEFORE homeroom, Nina was trying to find her English book in the mess at the bottom of her locker when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around, hoping it was Leah. Nina had never received a reply to her texts over the weekend, so she still didn’t know why Leah had missed their lesson. She also still didn’t know whether Leah was coming to the Expo, and she wanted to find out before she invited anyone else.

  But it wasn’t Leah standing there. “Oh!” Nina blurted out. “Edie. Hey, what’s up?”

  The new girl smiled at her. “Happy Monday. How was your weekend? Did you ride?”

  “Yeah,” Nina said. “Well, sort of.”

  Edie cocked her head, looking amused. “Sort of? You sort of rode? What does that mean?”

  Nina laughed. “Sorry, that sounded weird, didn’t it? See, my pony was superlazy in our lesson on Saturday, so on Sunday I didn’t really ride for long.”

  “Is he always so lazy?” Edie leaned against the next locker. “That’s the worst. I rode this huge draft cross in Ireland once who was so lazy I thought my legs were going to fall off. Anytime someone tells me riding isn’t a real sport because the horse does all the work, I think of that guy!”

  Nina laughed again. “Breezy’s always lazy, just not quite this lazy,” she said. “But it’s okay—my legs are strong from years of dance class.”

  “You dance?” Edie sounded interested. “What style?”

  “All of them, pretty much.” Nina finally spotted her English book. She grabbed it and then slammed the locker door shut. “My cousin is a dance instructor, and I’ve taken every style she teaches—jazz, contemporary, hip hop . . .”

  They spent the next few minutes chatting about dancing and ponies and various other topics. Nina had never had much trouble talking to anyone about anything, but Edie was especially easy to talk to. Nina was about to suggest they head for homeroom when she glanced up and saw Leah approaching.

  “Leah!” Nina called, waving. “Hi, I’ve been trying to reach you.” She shot Edie an apologetic look. “Can I catch up to you in homeroom? I really need to talk to Leah about something.”

  “Sure, no worries.” With a little wave, Edie hurried off down the hall. She smiled and said hi to Leah when she passed her, but Leah didn’t seem to notice. Nina couldn’t help thinking that Leah looked kind of haggard.

  “You feeling okay?” Nina asked, stepping closer. “You look kind of, I don’t know, tired.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Sarcasm dripped from Leah’s voice. “Just what every girl loves to hear on a Monday morning.”

  Nina cleared her throat. “Um, sorry. I just meant—”

  “Whatever,” Leah interrupted. “Now, excuse me. I have to hit my locker before I’m late.”

  “Okay, but we need to talk.” Nina broke into a jog to keep up as Leah rushed toward her locker. “Are you sure you’re okay? When you didn’t show up for lessons the other day, we were kind of worried. Plus you still haven’t given me an answer about the Expo—”

  “Sorry,” Leah snapped, not sounding sorry at all. “I happen to have more important things on my mind right now than some stupid Expo, okay?”

  Nina wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Um, okay,” she said. “It’s just that it’s less than two weeks away now, and . . .”

  She let her voice trail off, since Leah had just put on a burst of speed, leaving her behind. Nina stopped where she was, deciding not to try to catch up.

  Leah doesn’t seem to be in the mood to talk, she told herself, turning and wandering slowly back toward her homeroom. Does that mean she doesn’t want to go to the Expo? Is that why she’s acting weird?

  But that didn’t make sense. Leah wasn’t exactly shy—if she didn’t want to go, she wouldn’t hesitate to just come right out and say so. Besides, she loved everything about horses and riding. Why in the world wouldn’t she want to go to the Expo?

  Nina stopped short again, hugging her books to her chest as another thought struck her. Had she been right the other day when she’d worried that her friend might be sicker than she was letting on? What if Leah really did have some terr
ible disease and wasn’t telling anyone?

  “Yikes,” Nina whispered to herself.

  Then the bell rang, startling her out of those unsettling thoughts. After one last glance back in the direction Leah had gone, Nina took off at top speed so she wouldn’t be late for homeroom.

  Once again, Leah managed to avoid Nina and their other friends for most of the day, disappearing into the library during lunch and arriving at most of her classes just as the bell rang. The more Nina observed her friend’s behavior, the more uneasy she felt.

  She was still thinking about Leah when she arrived at the barn after school. Their next group lesson was the following afternoon. Would Leah show up this time? If so, maybe Nina could talk to her then.

  When she turned into the aisle where Breezy’s stall was located, she saw her riding instructor coming toward her with a bridle slung over her shoulder and a saddle balanced against her hip.

  “Hi, Nina,” Miss Adaline said, sounding a bit harried. “We don’t have a lesson scheduled today, do we?”

  “Nope,” Nina replied. “I just came to check on Breezy. Maybe go for a short ride if he’s up to it.”

  “Okay, have fun.” As the instructor disappeared around the corner, Nina headed for her pony’s stall.

  When she arrived, Breezy was nibbling at a pile of hay. But he stepped to the door eagerly when he heard the rustle of the wrapping on the mint Nina had brought him.

  “Hi, buddy,” she said as the pony lipped the treat off her palm. “How’s it going? Feeling more energetic today?”

  She figured there was only one sure way to find out. She didn’t bother with a saddle, instead just slipping on the pony’s bridle and then leading him outside. It had been a while since she’d ridden bareback, but she always enjoyed it.

  Breezy stood patiently by the outdoor mounting block while Nina vaulted onto his broad back. He flicked an ear back toward her when she gave a cluck and a squeeze to ask him to move off.

  “Let’s go for a walk, Breezy,” she said, squeezing again. “Walk on!”

  This time the pony obeyed, ambling off toward the trail leading out into the park. Did his walk feel extra slow, or did it just feel different because Nina wasn’t used to riding bareback these days? She wasn’t sure. So as soon as they reached a wide, flat spot on the trail, with no bicyclists or strollers in sight to get in the way, she asked for a trot.

  This time there was no doubt—Breezy obeyed her request, but from the first stride he felt sluggish and uninspired. As soon as Nina stopped pushing him forward with her legs, he drifted to a halt.

  “Oh, Breezy.” Nina felt like crying as she leaned forward to rub his neck. “What’s wrong with you? I wish you could just tell me!”

  She slid down and looped the reins back over his head. Then she led him over to a green patch in a sunny clearing beside the trail. The pony dove eagerly for the grass, leading Nina around as he gobbled one tasty mouthful of blades after another.

  Nina watched him graze. “Well, whatever’s wrong with you, it doesn’t seem to be affecting your appetite,” she joked weakly. Then she bit her lip. What in the world was going on with her pony?

  She let him graze for about half an hour, then led him back to the barn. On the way inside, she passed Miss Adaline again. The riding instructor was leading the stable’s smallest school pony with a tiny child perched precariously in the saddle.

  “Have a fun ride!” Nina told the little girl with a smile.

  “Thanks!” The young rider beamed at her. “Giddy up, Sweetpea!”

  “Easy, there.” Miss Adaline kept a hand on the pony’s bridle, even though Sweetpea was completely ignoring the tiny rider’s orders. “Nina, you’d better not put that pony back in his stall until you groom that saddle mark off of him.” She winked at the little girl on Sweetpea. “See? You’re not the only one who sometimes forgets to brush your pony after a ride.”

  “Saddle mark?” Nina laughed uncertainly, wondering if Miss Adaline was joking. “I don’t think so—I rode bareback today.”

  “Ooh! I want to try riding bareback!” The little girl was so excited that she dropped her reins, which slid halfway down Sweetpea’s neck.

  Miss Adaline picked them up and handed them back to the girl. “Okay, then I guess you forgot to groom him yesterday,” she told Nina. “Either way, he’s got a massive girth mark.”

  “Yesterday? But I groomed him from head to hoof after I rode yesterday.” Nina turned and stared at Breezy. For the first time, she noticed that he did, indeed, have a spot of rumpled hair where the girth would go. But how had it gotten there? She was positive that she’d left him spotless the day before.

  Miss Adaline shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you,” she said. “I haven’t used him, and I’m pretty sure nobody else would touch him without permission. Couldn’t hurt to ask around though.”

  Nina nodded, more confused than ever. Breezy was such a quiet, well-trained pony that Miss Adaline occasionally borrowed him to teach a beginner student. But she always checked with Nina first. Had one of the other instructors misunderstood their agreement and decided to give him a try?

  Moments later Breezy was back in his stall. “Be back soon,” Nina told him with a pat. “I’ll groom that girth mark off you—right after I figure out how it got there.”

  That didn’t turn out to be as easy as she’d hoped. Nina checked with the barn manager, several of the grooms, and one of the other instructors. But none of them knew anything about that girth mark. Nina even called Jordan, remembering that her brother had played a prank on her once and moved Breezy to another stall. Could he be messing with Nina again by messing with her pony? But Jordan assured her that Brett had been glued to some dumb new video game all weekend and hadn’t been anywhere near the stables.

  “I worked all afternoon yesterday,” a groom named Manny told Nina when she talked to him, scratching his beard. “Got in first thing this morning for feeding, too. If anyone had been hanging around your pony, I would’ve seen it.”

  “Okay,” Nina said. “But someone messed with him between yesterday afternoon and now, and it wasn’t me. What time did you leave last night?”

  “Hmm, must’ve been a little before eight, I think?” Manny shrugged. “I was the last one here, actually. So if anyone did take that pony of yours for a joyride, it must’ve been after I left.”

  “Thanks.” Nina wandered off, feeling uneasy. Could someone have sneaked into the barn after dark and saddled up Breezy for a ride? It was a scary thought.

  She returned to the pony’s stall and gave him another good grooming. Just as she finished, she heard a familiar laugh in the aisle nearby.

  “Edie?” she called in surprise, sticking her head out of the stall. “Hi! What are you doing here?”

  “Hi, Nina.” Edie sounded surprised too, as she straightened up from tickling one of the barn cats. She glanced up and down the aisle, then smiled and took a step toward Nina. “I’m surprised to be here too. I told my parents that you ride here, and they secretly set up a lesson for me.” She laughed. “Aren’t they sneaky?”

  “Awesomely sneaky.” Nina let herself out of the stall. “Which horse are you riding? I can help you get ready if you want—you know, show you where everything is.”

  “Um, thanks. I’m riding a pony called Simba. The manager said my instructor is teaching a lesson right now but she’ll be done soon, so if you don’t have time to help . . .”

  “No, it’s totally fine.” Was it Nina’s imagination, or was Edie sounding a little more formal than usual—almost standoffish? But she shrugged off the thought, figuring that Edie was probably just nervous about her first ride at a new place. “Simba’s stall is this way—come on.”

  Soon Simba, a friendly Haflinger cross, was parked in the cross-ties. Nina showed Edie to the tack room and helped her find grooming tools. They chatted about school and other topics as they worked, though Nina couldn’t help noticing that the new girl still didn’t seem quite as open and frien
dly as she had before.

  Finally, when she straightened up from Simba’s hoof to find Edie shooting her an odd look, Nina could no longer ignore the feeling that something was different between them. She already had one friend keeping her guessing about how she was feeling—she wasn’t about to let that kind of situation get started with her new friend.

  “Is everything okay with you?” she asked Edie bluntly. “No offense, but you’re acting a little funny.”

  “What?” Edie let out a high-pitched peal of laughter. “No, I’m fine! Here, let me do his other feet.”

  She grabbed the hoof pick and hurried around to the other side of the horse. Nina followed.

  “No, I’m serious,” she said. “Did I say something to make you mad or what? Because if I did, I’m sorry. Just be honest with me, okay? Seriously, I can take it—tell me what I did wrong.”

  Edie stared at her for a moment, then sighed. “It’s just—I heard something at school today,” she said softly. “I didn’t really believe it, at least I didn’t want to, but . . .”

  Nina shook her head, confused. “What do you mean? What did you hear? Something about me?”

  “Yeah.” Edie played with the hoof pick, not quite meeting Nina’s gaze. “Some girls were talking to one another in the restroom, saying they heard you’re, um . . .”

  “I’m what?” Nina said. “Too talkative? Weird and pushy? That I smell like a horse?”

  Edie looked surprised, and then laughed at the last one. “Not that,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

  “What, then?” Nina pressed. “What were they saying?”

  “Um . . .” Edie glanced around, clearly not wanting to be overheard. “I guess someone told one of them that you’re, uh, a kleptomaniac who just got caught stealing stuff out of people’s lockers.”

  “What?” Nina squawked so loudly that Simba jumped and eyed her suspiciously. “Who told them that?”