by Ann Hunter
Dejado flicked the TV off with the remote. “Because, at the end of the day, they’re just people. And circumstances don’t matter when it comes down to who you love.” He took her hand again, gazing into her eyes earnestly. “Own who you are. Love who you will. The rest of the world can bugger off.”
And that’s when Alex knew she might really love this boy.
METEORIC
Alex found a folded index card tucked into Venus Nights’s name plate. She pulled it out and opened it.
Meet me by the lake at twilight
Alex looked at Venus in her stall. “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with this?”
Venus swished her tail, then shook her mane.
Alex folded the card into her back pocket.
The last few days with Dejado had become somewhat of a game. She sort of felt like they were breaking some kind of rule, and the thrill of maybe getting caught gave her this ridiculous giddy feeling. They’d done nothing more than touch hands in passing, but every time it ignited those dumb lightning bugs and sparkles in her.
As she went through the day after getting the card, she didn’t see him at all. By mid-day, she was really looking forward to sneaking out. When had exercising racehorses lost its adrenaline effect to meeting someone on the beach?
Even the idea of figuring out how to wiggle out of dinner made her grin. A walk. Yeah, a really long walk. That would be her alibi.
Holy crap, that line actually worked. Hillary and Cade let her go, since she just wanted to get some air. She’d be down by Boyd’s Branch if they needed her, that much was true. Hopefully they wouldn’t. No more Breakfast Club pizza. Alex took a flashlight with her, just to be safe. The only narrow escape she dealt with was avoiding Laura coming along. Didn’t she have some girlie teen magazine to read?
Alex had walked down to the lake enough with Brooke and Laura, she was sure she could find her way in the last light of day. Still, she was relieved to see Dejado standing in the bed of his truck.
He offered his hand down to her. The stars above glittered like diamond dust, while the waves from the lake lapped the sandy shore.
The clearest sky she’d seen since the Belmont.
She took his hand and climbed up, setting her flashlight aside. Dejado had laid out a blanket over a soft mat for them.
“I thought we could watch the stars tonight. The weatherman said we’d be in for a bit of a meteor shower.”
He stepped closer to the cab, producing a couple of containers from a brown paper bag. “I got us dinner.”
He brought sushi, of all things.
“Hungry?”
How was raw fish remotely appetizing?
Alex looked at him skeptically. He passed her a set of chopsticks.
“Be brave.” He smiled.
She’d had Chinese food with the Showmans before, so chopsticks were familiar. She was no stranger to the art of the pinch. The only thing better than fortune cookies was playing with Laura, pretending the chopsticks were ravenous monsters and fighting each other.
She picked up a piece, grateful she couldn’t see all that was in it, other than rice wrapped in black stuff. Maybe a little pink and green in the middle. Surprisingly, sushi was easier to grab than any other oriental food she’d had.
“Down it,” he encouraged.
Alex shoved the whole piece in her mouth and chewed. It didn’t taste nearly as fishy as she’d thought it would. She hadn’t swallowed yet when she started playfully snapping her sticks at his cheek, leaving grains of rice behind. He offered her another piece.
“This one has sauce on it.”
She had to admit, sushi was growing on her quickly. They took a seat on the mat, chowing down on some of the other rolls he’d brought. Something between the good food and the lake air made Alex a little swimmy headed.
Dejado laid back on the mat with one arm behind his head, and the other resting on his full belly. “Do you like it?”
Alex finished chewing, and set her box and chopstick aside. “I’m not complaining,” she said as she slid down beside him.
They watched the sky for the meteor shower to start, but no runaway stars showed up yet. Dejado pointed out some of the constellations, telling her stories behind them from Greek mythology.
“And those stars, there. That’s Cassiopeia; the queen.”
Alex thought of her mother. The constellation rhymed with Angelina. Maybe they should’ve called it that instead of Cassio cassette player, or whatever it was.
“Although she was placed there by the sea-god Neptune, he saw fit to humiliate her,” Dejado said, “placing her on a throne, but with her head facing Polaris. To spend half of eternity upside down.”
Alex gazed at the sky, feeling sympathy for the queen, then glanced at Dejado. She, herself, often felt like her life was upside down. Maybe she was being forced to face Perseus, who was there to save the day. She smiled at Dejado when he wasn’t looking. He certainly fit the profile.
He pointed excitedly at the stars. “There’s one!”
Alex wanted to look, but she was way too fixed on how excited he got over geeky stuff like this.
Dejado gazed at her. “You missed it.”
She really hadn’t. Not when she realized little things like Breakfast Club, Frankie Valli, and star gazing were what made him tick. He was still a dork, but she started to understand him. She turned her eyes skyward, seeking out the shooting stars. They seemed like flecks of chalk streaking across a big blackboard towards one another, bursting and impermanent.
When she noticed he hadn’t taken his eyes from her, she gazed back at him. He smiled, holding her stare.
“Can I tell you a secret?” he whispered, taking her hand.
Alex rolled onto her side to hear what he had to say. Her fingers intertwined with his.
“When we first met, I thought I wanted you. I thought it would make me happy. But this last year or so, I realized I was wrong. What I want desperately, more than anything else in the world is your happiness.” His head dipped to hers. “And if I were lucky enough to be even a small part of that happiness, I wouldn’t want anything else.”
She lifted her chin, her eyes fluttering shut.
“Ishmael…” he whispered.
Her answer was husky. “Call me Alex.”
Their mouths met with a tingle that prickled through her, right down to her core. Like spiced cider warming on the kitchen stove in winter. A slow, sweet headiness made her body want to magnet his in this fleeting moment, just like shooting stars.
He drove her home and lead her to the door. Alex stood on tiptoe to meet his lips again as he caressed her cheek. But their kiss was broken by the glaring light of an open door.
Cade cleared his throat loudly.
They broke apart faster than two cats getting sprayed by a hose. Being the gentleman he was, Dejado spouted, “I found her down by the beach. May I please date your daughter?”
Cade’s eyes narrowed. “If I say yes, that will set a double standard in this house. I won’t have a rift between my girls. If I say no, you’ll probably make some excuse to continue going behind my back.” His eyes fixed on Alex so firmly her shoulders rose to her ears. “Don’t think I didn’t notice, Alexandra.”
She glanced at Dejado to see a unique shade of red warm his tan face in the porchlight.
Cade continued. “But if I say nothing….”
Dejado glanced up, looking hopeful. See no evil, speak no evil. “I shall be meteoric. You never saw me.”
He pecked Alex on the cheek before dashing off the porch to his truck. Alex grinned when he called back “You didn’t see that!”
THE SWAN
“The biggest part of your job is physical endurance,” Joe said during Alex’s lesson one morning. “They’re not just going to see if you can break from a gate, they’ll want to know if you can sit the race, and that’ll take some doing.”
“A friend and I were doing trail runs together until recently.” Alex grimaced. She
kept going to Katie’s practices, cheering her on, even though Katie continued to ignore her. Sure enough, Brad was there every time too.
“You need to keep it up. Balance, endurance, strength, all of it.”
Alex nodded, hoping he thought she was coming along okay. With her birthday three months away, it was getting down to paperwork and finesse.
“Speaking of which,” Joe said, “we need to gate train you.”
She followed him out to the stables where a groom had tacked up a bay gelding.
“This is Einstein,” Joe said, rubbing the gelding’s neck.
Wait. Was he finally letting her on a real horse? No more Speedy? Alex could barely stifle the smile racing to her face. Hopefully this wasn’t some trick. The only time Joe let her on a horse before on the track was when she ponied the Thoroughbreds in training on a big, stocky Paint named Chuwie.
Joe tossed her a helmet, then disappeared into the tack room. He returned with a protective vest for her. “Jockey up.”
If it weren’t for Einstein standing right there, Alex would’ve broken into a victory dance. She didn’t want to spook him, but her spirit soared. She snapped the chin strap of her helmet on, squealing under her breath. Einstein looked at her like she was crazy.
Once she zipped up the protective vest, Joe offered her a leg up. Two bounces, and she was astride the bay gelding. Alex gathered the reins and guided Einstein to the track behind Joe.
The old trainer lead them to the training gate. Einstein went in without hesitation, and only a mild ear twitch when Joe shut the back of the starting stall behind them. Joe went over to the platform with the starting mechanism and called out his orders.
“Gather his mane, or you’ll find yourself left behind in the dirt. Use his momentum to get on up into a racing stance as soon as you can. Ready?”
Alex wove her fingers into a hunk of black mane and crouched down over Einstein’s withers. “Let’s do this.”
There was a stillness in the swell of hot summer air around them. She sensed Einstein’s muscles coil beneath her, ready to spring. He mouthed the bit. Everything about this moment seemed electric to Alex. She could hardly stand the anticipation. Would Joe ring the bell already!
The gate snapped open. Einstein lurched forth. Alex bounced forward onto his neck, flopped hard to the side, and landed on the ground. Einstein only went a few strides before he realized he was riderless. He stopped, turned his head and stared at her, probably wondering why this idiot had been on his back.
Joe came to Alex, bracing his hands on his knees. He didn’t offer her a hand up. “Y’alright?”
Alex coughed away the dust trying to settle in her throat. How had she fallen? She had been ready. She pushed herself up. Einstein, surprisingly, ambled toward her.
“Again,” she insisted.
“Remember what I said the first time you ever asked me to train you? Learn how to fall.” Joe took Einstein’s reins, and boosted Alex back into the saddle.
Before Alex had time to gather the reins in her own hands, Einstein went back into the gate all by himself. She didn’t think much of it as she got ready for round two of this gate thing.
There was less excitement this time, and more focus and anticipation. The bell shrilled, the doors popped open, and this time Alex only bounced in the irons. She pulled herself up into racing position with fleeting momentum as Einstein had already slowed to a canter, like he’d taught a hundred kids before her how to ride.
When he went back into the gate without guidance, Alex took notice. “What, do you keep this guy around just for breaking jockeys in?”
Joe chuckled. “Smartest horse I ever had.”
Alex leaned into the crouch within the barriers of the gate, gathering Einstein’s mane and reins. She’d get the hang of this if it killed her.
***
Alex woke the next morning to Laura shining her cellphone in Alex’s face. “Look what Brooke sent.”
Alex opened one eye lazily. The text read Promenade says hi, with a picture of the colt doing that naughty grin of his; neck high, head tilted, lips curled to show his teeth, and those crazy eye whites looking down at Brooke’s phone.
Alex closed her eyes, mumbling, “He takes good selfies.”
“She says he and Mags are both doing good.”
Alex rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. The longer she slept, the longer she could ignore every aching muscle plaguing her from gate training. She’d never fallen off a horse that many times.
“By the way,” Laura said, peeling away Alex’s covers. “Mom’s taking us back-to-school shopping.”
Alex groaned, grabbing the blanket back and burrowing under the covers. It couldn’t be that time of year already, could it? Where did summer go? She didn’t think there was any day she hated more. She’d even take an entire day of training with Joe barking at her over clothes shopping.
“Get up,” Laura sang, “get up, get up, get up.”
“Go the fork away,” Alex muttered.
“Oh, don’t be such a spoiled sport, Sport. I did a good job last year picking out your clothes, didn’t I? And I even saved your ratty old shoes.”
She was right. Why was everyone else always right around here? “I burned those shoes when the virus ended.”
“And you’ve been wearing those hideous paddock boots all summer. So not sexy. Time to get you new ones!” Laura fell on top of her, playfully poking her through the blanket. “Get up, get up, get up.”
Alex squirmed and wiggled out from under her, landing on the other side of her bed in a tangle of sheets. Were big sisters supposed to be this obnoxious? She hocked her pillow at Laura. “Get outta here so I can get dressed.”
Laura dodged, scuttling to the door with a laugh.
The only thing that made shopping better was their lunch break. Alex was able to hide on the far side of the booth, well enough to sort of duck behind Laura who gushed on about her new clothes.
“Have you given any more thought about the colleges you want to apply to?” Hillary asked.
Laura paused with her salad fork half-way to her mouth. “Mom, you know I’m re-applying to Harvard.”
Hillary wiped her mouth. “I know, dear, but you should send out to several others, in case— ”
“In case what?” Laura asked, lowering fork, as though there were no others. She couldn’t be that innocent and naiive, right? Alex shook her head at the Harvard thing. There were no other options in Laura’s book. “I’m going to Harvard Law School.”
“And I’m going to be the leading apprentice jockey in the nation,” Alex added. Hey, if Laura was going to Harvard, Alex was going places too.
Hillary threw down her fork and leaned back in the booth, unamused. “Sure. Why not.”
“Like it’s hard?” Laura squeezed Alex’s neck with a grin. Alex snorted a laugh.
A few more stores after lunch, and Alex thought they couldn’t get home soon enough. She felt a little fried as she put her new clothes away. With the sun headed west, there was still an hour or so before dinner. She headed outside to decompress.
A little fresh air with a hint of horse should’ve unwound her, but something framed in evening glow stopped Alex dead in her tracks. Her breath hitched. “Carol?”
The girl in the lane ahead turned, the breeze pressing her dress against her. All of Carol’s baby fat had given way to curves and the soft camber of young womanhood. She had been pretty before, but now…
Alex felt like the first time Dejado kissed her.
She raced to Carol, then stood breathless, staring into her eyes. Oh, how she’d missed those eyes that weren’t quite blue or lavender.
“Is it my hair? I wasn’t sure about it.” Carol blushed. “Still not sure.”
Alex threw her arms around her, a million words stuck in her throat so tight, it was like a traffic jam. None of them were going anywhere. She stepped back.
“You cut your hair.”
Carol reached for Alex’s tentatively, almo
st in admiration. “You grew yours out.”
Alex hugged her hard again, wanting to disappear into her. “I missed you so much.”
Carol hugged her back, then stepped away. “I’m actually here to see someone else.”
Alex staggered. Who else could Carol possibly come to see besides Alex? Her gaze followed Carol as she headed toward North’s manor house. What did he want with her?
ALTERCATION
Leading up to school, Carol spent time at North Oak, but Alex saw little of her, except her coming and going. What could possibly be going on at North’s manor that was so interesting? They were plotting something. Alex reminded herself that North was her uncle, and her sixteenth birthday was coming up. Surely he’d plan something extravagant, and Carol was the person who knew her better than anyone. That had to be it.
Every time she caught a glimpse of Carol, Alex couldn’t fight the feeling that had overcome her. Her heart beat a little harder, a fierce pull tided in her, all of her went a little wobbly inside. The need to be close to her sent Alex reeling.
She was even frustrated that they hadn’t spent any time together yet since Carol got back from New York. No last hurrahs for summer by riding out to the grove, or even reading some dusty old tome to prepare for school. She’d take piles of math prep just to be near her.
***
The first day of school, Dejado picked Alex up.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Alex tipped to buckle herself, but she turned her head just as he leaned to kiss her cheek. Her lips met his, and instead of melting, she just got more riled up. All of her wanted to crash into him, and smack him all at once. He laughed a little behind her mouth.
“Hello to you too,” he said.
Alex bit back snapping words. He didn’t deserve that. She turned on the radio. It wasn’t his fault he mistook her feistiness. She put her hand on his knee to ground herself. He tossed a smile her way, and moved his hand from the steering wheel to hers.
