Nothing But Horses

by Shannon Kennedy

  “You know it.” He laughed. “I’m not hitting my emergency fund. That’s for catastrophic events, not everyday expenses.”

  “Makes sense.” I was out of there. Ingrid followed us to the parking lot. “See you next week,” I said.

  It was her turn to be a comedienne. “You know it.”

  On the way to his apartment, Tom told us about his Running Start classes. He’d been involved with the program for the past year and a half. When he graduated in June, he would not only have his high school diploma, he would also have his Associates degree. He was smarter than I’d thought. I didn’t tell him that.

  Once we dropped him, Vicky gave me a long look. “So, are you dating him?”

  “He hasn’t asked me out.”

  “When he does, what will you say?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “It depends on where he wants to go.”

  “That isn’t the question, Sierra.”

  “It’s my answer, Vick.”

  * * * *

  Marysville, Washington

  Wednesday, January 8th, 3:00 pm

  I was the first one ready to play that afternoon. I grabbed a ball and practiced my dunks. It surprised my last coach that I could jump and hit the basket at the same time. But, come on! I’d been riding since I was three. Back when I was tiny, I had to climb on logs, benches, stumps and mounting blocks to get on my pony. I taught myself to jump up and do a belly flop on Dream’s back. Then, I wiggled like a worm on a hook until I could sit up on her back. Yes, it was the same pony that my little sister adored now. Dream had been teaching little kids to ride for eons.

  Now, I had my humongous horse, Nevada. I could still jump onto him when I rode bareback. He was seventeen hands or 5’8” at the withers. I shot another basket, then dunked the ball again. I turned and saw Coach Norris watching from the far side of the gym. I picked up the ball and walked toward him. “What are we starting with today?”

  “Drills.” He ran a hand over his head. “You really are a natural, aren’t you, Sierra?”

  What was I supposed to say? If I agreed, I’d sound smug and like the diva he already thought I was. If I disagreed, we’d both know I was lying. I finally settled on the truth. “I do practice a lot.”

  “Because you love the game.” He smiled at me, a real smile this time that touched his eyes. “How much do you practice at home?”

  “Only for an hour or so after chores and supper. Longer if I don’t have a lot of homework and I can get Grandpa to come play with me when he visits.”

  “What kind of chores do you have to do?”

  “We own Shamrock Stable between Marysville and Stewart Falls.” I shrugged. “We close at six-thirty. I do one barn while my mom and little sister do the other. Watering, mucking stalls and feeding twenty horses. Then, I have to clean the indoor arena and set it up for the next day’s riding lessons.”

  “What kind of setting up does it take?”

  “It depends on the lessons,” I said. “Mondays, Mom teaches Western games so I put out the cones and barrels. Tuesdays, it’s English and that means jumps, cavalletti poles, the works. Wednesdays, it’s beginning Western either for the riders or the horses. I clean the mirrors, wash down the letters so the students can check their positions or forms when they ride and do patterns at certain parts of the ring. Thursdays, we’re closed but she still trains so she tells me what she wants and Fridays, it’s the Mommy and Me contingent from the local pre-schools.”

  “Then, you’re off on weekends?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “No way, Coach. Weekends are insane. Saturdays, we start at seven in the morning. Sundays, we feed early so we can go to church. We open the barn when we return. There are forty horses who want to eat at least three times a day and only ten have private owners who pay board. We have to support the rest because they belong to us.”

  “You mean your parents support the rest.”

  “No.” I glanced toward the locker room door when it opened and Cedar came into the gym, followed by Kanisha. “My mom is divorced, so it’s her, me and my sister. We take care of what is ours.”

  “I see.” He gestured toward the other girls. “Time to warm up. It was nice talking to you, Sierra. I hope to see your family at the game tomorrow.”

  “They’ll get here as soon as chores are done,” I said. “My grandparents are still visiting from Arizona. They’d love to see me on the court.”

  “They will,” Coach Norris promised. “Like I said, everyone on the team plays.”

  As soon as I got home, I told Grandma about the first game of the season and she promised that she would make sure everyone was there. I hurried to change clothes and went to saddle up Nevada so I could ride in the last lesson. When I reached the barn, I saw Mom and Grandpa saddling Wyoming. They didn’t see me right away. I started to call out to them, then stopped when I saw the look on my grandfather’s face, as if he was about to cry.

  His jaw tightened and he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Rocky. I’m so sorry.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Mom said. “It took me a lot of conversations with my counselor to figure out that it wasn’t mine either. Nobody deserves to be abused. Dave told me I needed to share this with you.”

  “I wish you’d told me sooner.” Grandpa started to reach for her, then stopped like he didn’t know if he should or not. “I love you so much.”

  “I know, Dad. It’s why I blamed myself.” She turned into his arms. “I felt like I failed you when I allowed someone to brutalize me.”

  I stepped back toward the tack-room before they spotted me. I didn’t know exactly what, or who they were discussing, but I wouldn’t find out if they knew I was around. I still didn’t hear anything because she lowered her voice. When he answered, Grandpa barely whispered.

  I gathered up my brushes, conditioner and Nevada’s halter. Then, I headed down to my horse’s stall. Mom managed a smile when she saw me, but it wasn’t the usual bright one. “Hey,” I said, “my first basketball game is tomorrow. Will you be able to make it?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Mom said. “Vicky and Robin told me that you had an idea to improve business. Your grandpa and I would love to hear it.”

  “Are you sure?” I glanced at my grandfather who was busy wiping his eyes with a red bandanna. “Are you all right, Grandpa?”

  “It’s that oat hay your momma bought. It always makes me sneeze.”

  I didn’t see any crumbs left from horsy lunch in the stall, but I wasn’t going to tell either of them that. Instead, I shared what Cathy and Lisa had told me about having clubs based at their barns. “I thought if we started a riding group here, our boarders and pre-owners could join. I checked it out online and the 4-H organization rules say that members need horses to ride, but they don’t have to legally own them. They can lease them. What do you think?”

  “That it needs some research,” Mom said. “Is this for the business, Sierra, or are you just trying to get out of the Silver Spurs?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I had a call from Tanya Jamison today.” Mom came across to Nevada’s door so she could look at me. “Tanya said you embarrassed her and the rest of the club last Saturday. What happened?”

  “Not much.” I focused on working conditioner into Nevada’s thick golden tail. “She told me I wasn’t welcome there and Cathy Tiernan invited me to join the Horse Heaven Angels. So, I sat with them instead.”

  “And Lisa? Was she rude to you?”

  “No way. Lisa was great. She wanted me to bring Nevada up for the clinic so he could learn to do three-day eventing. She thinks I should talk to you about being in her Pony Club. It’s based on the same rules as the associations in Europe.”

  “And what happens when your horse cuts loose in one of his bucking sprees?” Mom demanded. “Do you get a parachute? No way, Sierra. If you want to do eventing, we’ll buy you a real horse. You’re not taking No, No Veda into a situation where you have to take flying lesson
s instead of jumping ones.”

  I moved up to my big, red monster’s side and squirted conditioner into his mane. “That’s so not my thing. We’re going to do Western games after he learns to be good at equitation. So, what about a club, Mom? Can we start our own?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Marysville, Washington

  Thursday, January 9th, 7:05 am

  As soon as I walked through the main doors at Lincoln High that morning, I spotted Robin in the Commons. I went across to her table. She pushed a cardboard cup my way. “What’s this?”

  “A sixteen-ounce mocha. Normally, I’d let you get your own, but today’s the first basketball game with you on the team. I can’t wait to see the girls win.” She drank some of hers. “They lost the game they played in December. Tonight’s game with Baker View was moved because of the snow and the match with Mount Pilchuck isn’t until the middle of the season. Olivia says that’s good because they dreaded facing you and their squad.”

  “Nothing to dread.” I pulled out a chair and sat down. “With the new coach at M.P., I probably wouldn’t have turned out anyway. There was way too much politics and I wasn’t fighting to be point guard.”

  “But, you’re not the point guard here,” Robin said.

  “Not yet. I have to prove myself.” I shrugged. “Once Coach Norris realizes I am that good, he’ll let me show it.”

  Robin laughed, shaking her head. “Don’t count on it. He’s all about teamwork. He may say that winners never quit and quitters never win, but his other mantra is that there isn’t an “i” in team. You have to work together.”

  “Did he lose it when the squad did?” I asked. “My old coach would have had us running lines for the next three practices.”

  “No way. Olivia said he was disappointed, but he told them that they just had to work harder on trusting one another and team building exercises. They were tougher on each other than he ever was. The same thing happened when we ran cross-country.”

  I let her talk while I drank my coffee. I might not tell her but I had to admit that the coach impressed me with the way he motivated his kids. Who wouldn’t put in more effort with someone who wasn’t nagging or carping at you about your failures? I’d never heard of a coach who didn’t shout at his players.

  When Vicky arrived a few minutes later, Robin passed her a cup. Vicky took a sip of her latte and then turned to me. “What did Rocky say about a riding club? Can we design some posters?”

  “No posters yet, but soon. She and Grandma are visiting the 4-H office today and talking to the county extension agent. After that, they’re having lunch with the Weldons. Herb and Virginia founded the Silver Spurs back when my mom was a kid. Mom says if they’ll advise her, she can run an old-fashioned club.”

  “Old-fashioned?” Vicky rolled her eyes. “What does that mean? We have to learn to ride side-saddle?”

  “Not that old, but she said no whips or spurs for beginners. It also means no cliques, no bullying, no snarky, snotty crap. Mom told me that if she was the leader, I’d have to do what she said and not argue with her in front of the other kids. She wants the adult riders to be associate members so they don’t feel shut-out of what happens at the barn. I definitely can’t set a bad example.”

  “Do you actually argue with Rocky?” Robin gave me the big-eye look. “I can’t imagine anyone doing that. She’s so tough.”

  “She’s my mother. Of course, I fight with her. I’m not perfect and neither is she. I’m not as bad as Autumn. I don’t tell Mom that she isn’t the boss of me.”

  Both Robin and Vicky laughed at that. The bell rang and we headed for English class, dropping our cups in the garbage on the way. When I saw Dani in Choir, I told her about the new riding club and she promised to come up with some potential names for it. She said that she’d popped in to visit her horse after supper when I’d gone to church to sing with the teen group.

  “How was it?” Dani asked, as she organized her music. “Are you going to join the chorus?”

  “It was fun. I ran into some of the kids from Salmon Pond there. One of the girls attends a puppy obedience class on Friday afternoons. I’m going to check my basketball practice schedule and see if I can take Charlie.”

  “How will Rocky feel about that? I know she depends on you to do a lot.”

  “As long as she doesn’t need me for the last Mommy and Me class, it should be okay. She wants me to train Charlie so he won’t be a nuisance around the barn. I’d be home in time to help untack, groom and do chores.” I slid my papers into position as the bell rang. Mr. Haller walked over to close the door as two of the sopranos pelted inside.

  He didn’t wait for them to get it together. That wasn’t the Lincoln High way. I felt a moment’s pity for them, but it faded as we began our warm-up exercises. We started with hissing for fifteen seconds while he counted down, then we did it again, this time from twenty and finally from thirty. Then, we sang the alphabet song on a five-note scale. After that, it was the “do, re, mi” one from The Sound of Music.

  I’d sung it like a thousand times before I transferred to this school, but Mr. Haller made us do it in rounds and that was a lot harder. At Mount Pilchuck, this would have been enough work for the day, but here it was just the first fifteen minutes and now, we were supposed to be ready to really sing. And we did!

  * * * *

  Since we had a game that evening, we didn’t have practice after school. I stopped by the gym to get my Lincoln High basketball uniforms. I’d wear the white and blue one tonight since we were playing at our school. The blue and gold set was for times when we visited other teams. Then, I headed home. When I arrived, Queenie raced to meet me at the back yard gate, Charlie right behind her, both dogs barking in excitement. I put down my backpack and scooped him up for a puppy kiss and hug session. “I missed you too, buddy.”

  I turned my head in time to miss his nip at my nose and cuddled the tri-mix even tighter. “Did you have the lonely cobble-wobbles like me?”

  No answer, of course. He was a dog, after all. Well, at least he’d be one someday. Right now, he was a collie mix puppy with the fastest tongue in the West who swiped at my cheek. I put him down and petted Queenie who acted like she had never been his age, size or a fur monster. The three of us trooped to the back door. They came in with me for snack time.

  They opted for doggie cookies and I went for the frosted ones left over from Christmas. I was a good big sister. I saved a couple for Autumn. After that, I headed for my room to change. Charlie trotted behind me. He flopped on his puppy bed, cuddling with a stuffed teddy bear. Since we were alone, I sat down by him. I stroked his gold and black fur, and then whispered in his ear that I was nervous about the game tonight. Nobody else needed to know.

  We couldn’t lose. I wasn’t letting that happen. This was a new team, a new school. If it was meant to be, it was up to me. I didn’t have anyone to depend on, except myself. What else was new? It had always been that way and I didn’t see changes on the horizon.

  I took a deep breath. I had to be totally in control. If I wasn’t, I’d disappoint myself and my family. I’d go help with chores, eat supper and be on time for the game. No mistakes, I told myself. I’d score tonight. That was a given. The question was how many points.

  I took the dogs with me to the arena barn. I had to water, muck and feed before we could go anywhere. I found Grandma already running the hose. I grabbed a plastic manure fork and the bale of pine shavings so I could get started.

  “Are you apprehensive about tonight?” Grandma asked.

  “No. It’s a good team. We’ll be fine.”

  “I haven’t seen you play since middle school. I’m looking forward to it. Are you the quarterback?”

  “That’s football, Grandma.” I laughed and felt my tension slide away. “In basketball, the point guard runs the plays the coach gives. No, I’m not anybody yet. This new guy rotates the positions all the time. I don’t know what he plans for tonight.”

  “Yo
u’ll find out when we get there. I know you can handle it.”

  “You bet,” I said. “It’s what McElroys do, right? We take care of the details.”

  It was one thing to talk positive to my grandmother. It was another when I returned to the school. In the locker room, Coach Norris sat us down and went over the schedule. I would play the second and fourth quarters, subbing in for first string players. That was more than fair since I’d only been on the team for a week. Patricia was the point guard for the first half and Olivia was for the last half. Cedar shot me a look, but I didn’t complain. I was new and hadn’t paid my dues yet.

  The bleachers weren’t full when we ran into the gym to warm up. Still it was a fair sized crowd for a girl’s game. I was pretty sure that tomorrow night’s game when the guys played Baker View would fill the place. I spotted my mom sitting next to Dave, Grandma, Grandpa and Autumn. Tom was up there too. I waved at my little sister who jumped up and called my name. She was my favorite cheerleader. I saw Vicky and Robin move up there too, boyfriends in tow. I definitely couldn’t screw up tonight, not with all of them watching.

  I sat between Cedar and Olivia while the first five players ran onto the court. “Congrats on being point guard tonight.”

  “I don’t know what Coach is thinking,” Olivia muttered. “You’d do an amazing job. We might even win.”

  “We’ll win,” I said. “Baker’s good, but we’re better. Have confidence.”

  Olivia narrowed her dark eyes and glared at me. “I’m confident all right. We need you out there for the whole game, not half of it.”

  “What she said,” Cedar agreed.

  I glanced at Kanisha who sat in a crunched up heap on Olivia’s other side. “What’s up with you? We’re not even up yet. Why are you nervous?”

  She chewed on the end of a black braid and didn’t answer. Olivia did. “Her dad is here and he’s a major jerk.”

  “Been that, done there,” I said. “It super-sucks. My mom always insisted her husbands come to my games and I used to give the jerks numbers instead of bothering to remember their names.”