The Road Home

by Catherine Hapka

  “Nothing,” Leah said immediately, her voice going hard and wary again. “You can’t do anything. And you’d better not tell anyone else about this, or else! I mean it, Nina—nobody!”

  “But I’m sure other people would—” Nina began.

  “No!” Leah shot up from her place on the bench, glaring down at Nina with her fists clenched at her sides. “You have to swear to me you won’t breathe a word! Not to your friend out there—” She waved a hand in the general direction DeeDee had disappeared. “Not to people at school. Not to your parents. Nobody, okay?”

  “Okay, okay.” Nina stood up too. “I promise. But only if you promise me that you’ll only ride Breezy in the daytime from now on, and maybe try not to tire him out quite as much, either.”

  “Huh?” Leah blinked at her, clearly taken by surprise by the sudden change in topic. “Breezy?”

  “Yeah, you know that cute little pony you’ve been sneaking rides on?” Nina stepped over to pat Breezy, who was hanging his head out into the aisle watching them. “I know it must be killing you not to be able to ride. So you can keep riding him if you want.”

  “Really?” Leah stared from Nina to Breezy and back again, as if not daring to believe her ears.

  “Yeah. How about tomorrow?” Nina offered. “You can take my spot in our lesson.” Then she remembered something. “Oh, wait—except that’s when I invited Edie to come watch. Well, that’s okay, though, she probably won’t care if—”

  “Forget it,” Leah interrupted. “I’m definitely not riding in our regular lesson. Jordan’s supernosy; she’ll guess something’s going on, and I just don’t want to deal with it. And that new girl, Edie, talks way too much; if she finds out the whole school will know before long.”

  Nina didn’t think that was particularly fair—as far as she knew, Leah had barely spoken to Edie and had no grounds to accuse her of being a gossip. Under the circumstances, though, she figured it wasn’t worth arguing about.

  “Okay, okay,” Nina said. “Forget tomorrow, then. How about Sunday?”

  “I don’t know.” Leah frowned, kicking at the floor. “It’s not like I can exactly plan my life right now, okay? I’ll have to let you know.”

  She was starting to sound cranky again. Nina nodded. “Okay.”

  “Just remember—you promised not to tell, right?” Leah demanded. “You swore you wouldn’t say anything to anyone!”

  “Yeah, that’s right.” Nina smiled. “You can trust me, Leah. It’ll be okay.”

  Leah just shrugged at that. “I have to go,” she muttered. Pausing only long enough to give Breezy a brief rub on the nose, she rushed for the exit.

  Nina watched her go, feeling worried. A moment later her cousin came in.

  “I saw your friend run past,” DeeDee said. “Are you sure she’ll be okay by herself at this hour?”

  Nina hadn’t really thought about that. Normally she would have assumed that Leah might have called a cab to get home at this time of night. Now that she was poor, she probably didn’t have that option and would have to walk or take the bus. But it was too late to stop her now.

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Nina said, as much to reassure herself as DeeDee. “We can go home now.”

  As they crouched down to gather their things from the empty stall, DeeDee shot her a curious look. “Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”

  “I can’t.” Nina sat back on her heels and glanced at her cousin. “I wish I could, I really do. But I promised Leah I wouldn’t tell anyone what she just told me.”

  “Okay.” DeeDee nodded. “Can you at least tell me she’s not in any bodily danger? Nobody’s beating her up, or anything like that?”

  “No!” Nina’s eyes widened. “No way. It’s definitely nothing like that.”

  “Good.” DeeDee sounded relieved. “Okay, let’s feed the rest of these corn chips to that endless pit of a pony of yours, and then we can get out of here. I’m bushed.”

  “Yeah.” Nina walked over to give Breezy a pat, suddenly aware of just how exhausted she was. “Me too.”

  CHAPTER

  9

  NINA GROANED AS she felt a soft paw pat her on the cheek. Cracking one eye open, she found Teniers staring back at her with his vivid blue Siamese eyes. The room was filled with bright sunlight, telling her she’d slept very late.

  “Curse cats who taught themselves how to open doors,” Nina grumbled, opening her other eye as Bastet leaped onto the bed too, immediately attacking Nina’s elbow under the sheets. She pushed the cats aside and sat up, stretching and yawning. Then she glanced at the clock.

  “Only a little more than an hour until I have to be at the barn for my lesson,” she told the cats. “Guess I’d better get up. . . .”

  She crawled out of bed and grabbed her robe. Then she noticed her laptop lying on the desk where she’d dropped it the evening before. She and DeeDee had stopped at the house right after dinner to pick up the snacks and picnic blanket. While DeeDee was raiding the pantry, Nina had hurried to her room to grab a sweater in case it got chilly. While she was there, she’d briefly logged on to the Pony Post to give them a quick update on the stakeout.

  Yawning again, she flipped open the computer and turned it on. Soon she was on the site. All three of her friends had left responses to her last post.

  [HALEY] O gosh, Nina! A stakeout? That sounds so, I don’t know, like a TV show or something! I hope ur careful!!!!

  [BROOKE] Yes, I can’t even imagine hiding out in the middle of New Orleans in the middle of the night like that, waiting for who knows who!! Then again, I can’t imagine living in a big city like that in the first place, lol, so what do I know? But I agree with H—pls be careful!

  [MADDIE] You guys worry too much. I always knew Neens was a super secret agent ninja superhero type. She’ll be fine. N, just make sure you get back here asap and let us know who u catch stealing rides on Breezy Boy!!!!!!!!!

  Nina read over the messages a second time, smiling at Maddie’s comments and wondering what to do. Leah had sworn her to secrecy, and so far Nina had stuck to that. She hadn’t told DeeDee about Leah’s news, and she hadn’t told her parents, either, when she got home last night. They’d understood, since they knew Leah and they trusted Nina. But how was Nina supposed to explain all this to the Pony Post? If she told them she’d found out her friend was Breezy’s secret rider, they’d want to know why. She didn’t want to break Leah’s trust, but she also didn’t want to lie to her other friends—or keep secrets from them, either. She almost wished she hadn’t told the Pony Post about the stakeout in the first place.

  But she took back that thought immediately. It was already weird enough not really discussing the Expo with her online friends. No way did she want to add something else to the list!

  Besides, Leah herself always referred to the Pony Posters as Nina’s imaginary friends, right? So what was the harm in spilling Leah’s secret to people she considered imaginary? She could no more get mad about that than if Nina whispered the news to her battered old stuffed penguin. . . .

  “It’s not like any of them will ever even meet Leah in person, right?” she murmured to Teniers, who head butted her arm in response.

  Nina decided to take that as a yes. Opening a new text box, she started typing before she could second-guess herself. She poured out the whole story, along with her worries about what would happen to Leah and her family now.

  As soon as she hit send, she logged off and set the computer aside. She would have to hurry if she wanted to shower and eat something before it was time to head to the barn.

  “Go, Breezy!” Jordan cheered as Nina and her pony cleared the last of a small course of jumps that Miss Adaline had set up as the final exercise of the day. “I guess his secret rider didn’t wear him out last night, huh?”

  “Guess not.” Nina tried to sound light and casual. She hadn’t breathed a word about last night’s adventures to Jordan, Miss Adaline, or Edie, who was watching the lesson from he
r perch on the ring fence. But it was obvious to everyone that the Chincoteague pony was feeling lively that day.

  Nina gave Breezy a pat as she pulled up next to Jordan. Freckles had already taken his turn over the course, so Miss Adaline clapped her hands.

  “Okay, let’s let them quit there,” she said. “Good work, girls. Walk around the ring a few times to cool out, and I’ll see you next time.”

  With a little wave, she hurried out of the ring to prepare for her next lesson. Edie hopped down from the fence, hurrying over to walk between the two ponies as their riders steered them around the ring.

  “That was great,” she said, patting one pony and then the other. “Miss Adaline is a really good teacher, isn’t she?”

  “She’s the best.” Jordan smiled down at her. Nina had introduced the two of them when Edie had arrived at the barn, and they’d hit it off right away. Then again, Nina was starting to realize that Edie had a talent for hitting it off with just about anyone. She supposed that was a skill you had to acquire when you moved around as much as Edie did.

  “Hey, Edie,” Nina said. “I talked to Miss Adaline before you got here, and she said it would be okay if you tried riding Breezy after the lesson. So what do you say? Want to take him for a little spin? Maybe you can finish cooling him out for me.”

  Edie gasped. “Are you kidding?” she exclaimed. “Thanks, Nina! That sounds amazing!”

  Nina dismounted and unbuckled her helmet. “Here,” she said, handing it to Edie. “This should fit you okay.”

  Nina strapped on the helmet, then followed as Nina led Breezy over to the mounting block. Soon she was in the saddle.

  “Stirrups look a little long,” Nina said. “Here, let me help you.”

  She fiddled with the left stirrup, moving it up two holes. When she looked up, she realized that Edie was already adjusting the other stirrup herself. Nina smiled, relieved to see that the other girl really did seem to know what she was doing in the saddle. That was good. She’d brought more than one friend to the stable who had claimed to be an experienced rider, only to discover once they were on Breezy’s back that they’d only been on a vacation trail ride or two and really didn’t know much at all.

  Meanwhile, Jordan had finished walking Freckles the rest of the way around the ring. Now she rode over and dismounted near the gate.

  “I wish I could stay and watch your ride,” she told Edie. “But I promised my mom I’d come straight home today—we’re supposed to take my grandma shopping and she gets grouchy if we’re even half a second late.”

  “It’s just as well,” Edie said with a smile. “That way, if I fall off nobody will ever need to know.”

  Jordan laughed. “See you around, Edie. Bye, Neens.”

  “See you Tuesday,” Nina said.

  “Oh! No you won’t, actually.” Jordan shrugged. “I have a dentist’s appointment, so I have to miss our next lesson.”

  “Oh. Well, see you around the neighborhood, then.”

  “For sure. Bye!”

  As Jordan let herself and Freckles out of the ring, Nina checked Breezy’s girth to make sure it hadn’t loosened during the lesson. Then she stepped back and smiled at Edie.

  “Okay, he’s all yours,” she said. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  Edie turned out to be a decent rider. After a few minutes of walking, Nina suggested she try a little trot. Breezy stepped off into the faster gait as soon as Edie asked, and Edie transitioned smoothly into a rising trot.

  “Nice!” Nina said when Edie brought the pony to a crisp halt in front of her a few minutes later. “You look good up there!”

  “Thanks.” Edie’s cheeks were flushed with exertion and happiness. “My dad would say it runs in my blood.”

  “What do you mean?” Nina fell into step beside Breezy as Edie sent him into an ambling walk again to finish cooling out.

  “I was named after my great-grandmother Edith,” Edie explained, letting the reins slip through her fingers so Breezy could lower his head and relax. “She died way before I was born, but everyone tells me I look just like her. Anyway, she used to take the students from our school riding here in the park. It was, like, part of the curriculum I guess, at least it was when she first founded the place as a private school for young ladies way back in the day.”

  “Founded it?” For a second Nina didn’t understand. “Wait—you mean your great-grandma founded our school? As in, started it?”

  “Uh-huh.” Edie shrugged. “You know the portrait hanging over the fireplace in the headmaster’s office? That’s Great-Grandmother Edith.”

  “Wow.” Nina vaguely knew the portrait Edie meant, though she’d never paid much attention to it. Now she vowed to check it out more carefully the next chance she got. “I mean, I knew the school used to be all girls, and I knew it had been around awhile.” She shook her head. “But I never knew riding used to be part of the deal! Too bad they stopped doing that.”

  “Yeah.” Edie laughed. “Anyway, what about your family? Are they from New Orleans originally?”

  “Not my mom,” Nina said, reaching over to swish away a fly buzzing around Breezy’s ears. “She grew up in New Jersey and went to art school up north too. She came down on vacation after she graduated, met my dad in a jazz club, and never went back.”

  “Really? That’s so romantic!” Edie looked impressed.

  “Yeah, I know, they’re total saps.” Nina giggled. “Anyway, my dad’s side of the family has been in this city since at least the early 1800s, maybe longer. . . .” She went on to tell Edie more about her family’s history, including the tales about Serena.

  By the time they untacked Breezy together and started grooming him, they’d moved on to talking about Edie’s travels. After that they moved on to other things—school, friends, and more. Eventually Nina even found herself telling Edie about the Pony Post.

  “And ever since the site went live, all four of us post almost every day. Just stuff about our ponies, our lives, keeping in touch . . .” Nina shot Edie a slightly sheepish glance. “Go ahead, make fun of me for being so into it. Everybody else does.”

  “No way, not me.” Edie ran a brush over Breezy’s back. “Actually I belong to a similar site myself.”

  “You do?”

  “Uh-huh.” Edie dropped the brush back in Nina’s tote. “It’s me and a bunch of other expat kids I met while living overseas.”

  “Expat?” Nina echoed uncertainly. She’d heard the term before but wasn’t sure what it meant.

  “It’s short for ‘expatriate,’ ” Edie explained. “It means someone living in a country where they’re not a citizen. Anyway, being a diplomat’s kid means meeting tons of cool people and then having to leave them behind when you move again. On the site, we can all keep in touch and keep track of where everyone’s living and stuff like that.”

  “Cool.” Nina smiled. “Sounds like your site probably has more than four members, huh?”

  “Definitely.” Edie giggled. “It’s not as exclusive as the Pony Post, but it’s still pretty great. Want to see?” She dug her phone out of her pocket.

  Nina peered over her shoulder as Edie pulled up the site. After that, Nina showed Edie the Pony Post, scrolling through some of the photos her friends had posted of their ponies lately.

  They were laughing over a shot of Maddie trying to do a handstand on Cloudy’s back when Breezy suddenly nudged Nina in the side. She glanced at him.

  “Oops,” she said. “I think Breezy is tired of looking at websites. Want to help me take him for a walk on the levee now?”

  Edie checked her watch. “I wish I could,” she said. “But I’m supposed to go to a party with my parents soon, and they’ll kill me if I’m late. Maybe next time?”

  “Sure.” Nina was sure there would be a next time. That was partly because she could tell that Edie was a real horse lover, and partly because the new girl was already feeling like a real friend. “Hey,” she added impulsively. “I just had an idea. Want to go the
Big Easy Horse Expo with me next weekend?”

  “The what?” Edie said.

  Nina quickly explained. “So Jordan is coming, and probably Leah, too.” She didn’t bother to explain about the Leah situation. “The third ticket is yours if you want it.”

  “Really?” Edie gasped. “That sounds so amazing, Nina! A whole day of horses? How great is that? Thank you so much! I’ll call home right now and get permission.”

  Nina finished picking out Breezy’s hooves while Edie placed her call. She could tell even before the other girl hung up that it was good news.

  “They said yes!” Edie sang out, doing a funny little dance step. “I’m so excited!”

  “Me too!” Nina laughed and imitated the dance step. “It’ll be a blast!”

  After Edie left, Nina took Breezy out to graze, though she decided to stick to the grassy areas near the barn instead of walking all the way out to the levee. Talking about the Expo had reminded her of Leah and her problems.

  “Not that I should have needed reminding,” she murmured to her pony, who kept his nose buried in the grass. “I can’t believe I’ve barely thought about her all morning since I got here.”

  She couldn’t help feeling a little guilty for having such a good time with a new friend while an old friend was hurting. Still, it wasn’t as if there was much she could do to help.

  But maybe she should at least try. Maybe just being there would make Leah feel better. Remembering that she’d intended to go over to her friend’s house to confront her after riding today, Nina decided to stick to that plan, even though she already knew what was wrong. Feeling better immediately, she gave a tug on the lead rope.

  “Sorry for the short meal today, Breezy Boy,” she said, heading back to the barn with the reluctant pony in tow. “But I have a feeling Leah needs me more than you need more grass. I’ll take you for a nice, long graze on the levee soon to make up for it—promise!”

  Leah’s family lived in a neighborhood known as the Marigny, which was on the opposite side of the French Quarter from Nina’s house and the barn. None of the streetcar lines went that far, so Nina took the bus. When she climbed the steps to Leah’s front porch, she was surprised to find the wide wooden floorboards covered in dust and leaves. When she knocked on the door, nothing happened—there was no sound from inside, not even the barking of Leah’s yappy little dog.