North Oak 2- Yearling

by Ann Hunter

  "No. No, don't touch me. I don't…" Alex broke into tears. I don't want to love again. "It hurts." Alex choked. "It hurts too much."

  Carol's own pained expression barely registered through Alex's blur of tears. The harder Alex fought, the tighter Carol held her.

  Everything I love gets taken away!

  Alex eased, sobbing, "She's gone. She's gone. She's gone."

  “I’m here.” Carol pressed her cheek to Alex's. "And I’m not the one that needs protecting."

  Alex buried her face in Carol's shoulder, numb and yet alive. Aware of Carol's arms around her, unyielding, and in no hurry to relinquish her until all the tears ran dry. Warm and grounding.

  Hillary's words pushed through to Alex. Someday, someone's going to hold you so tight, all your broken pieces go back together.

  SUSPENDED

  I really screwed up, Brooke thought as she combed out Promenade's tail. Alex hadn't even come to work with her on the yearlings this morning. The Keeneland Yearling Sale was only six weeks away now.

  Was there anything she could do to make it up to her? In a mix of blind ambition and meaning well, Brooke worried that she had ruined their friendship permanently.

  She sighed as she tacked Promenade up, still holding out on the hope that Alex might come watch him work out. But when she had to ask one of the grooms for a leg up, she knew for sure she was going out on the track alone.

  Brooke halted Promenade at the gap in the outside rail near her grandfather, and buckled her helmet. "You're looking surprisingly sober this morning, Pop."

  Joe grumbled as he eyed the stopwatch in his hand, studying another trainee galloping by.

  "Whaddya think? Three furlongs?" I really wish Al were here.

  Joe waved his hand at her, looking pretty cranky.

  She clucked to Promenade and sent him down the center lane of the track at an easy lope. Once they were on the far side, she tugged him toward the inside and crouched down.

  Promenade must have sensed the change, because he leaned into the bit and hauled on the reins, eager to go. Brooke kept him calm until they got to the 5/8 pole, and then turned him loose.

  He dug in and cranked up the speed. His breathing came rhythmically, like the sound of a freight train. He kicked up clods of dirt that would have stung a new rider, but Brooke was used to it. She smiled to herself, reveling in his power.

  They swung round the turn like a string ripping to start a toy top. Brooke kneaded her knuckles against the colt's neck and he gave her another gear of speed. She could almost hear the stopwatch ticking in her head.

  A kick of guilt pricked at her. It should be Alex riding.

  Promenade tossed his head as she asked him to slow. He was the kind of horse that just wanted to go on forever. Brooke knew he probably would if she let him.

  And then it hit her.

  Alex and Promenade going on forever.

  When they got around to the gap again, Brooke swung from the saddle and passed the colt off to one of the grooms. She brushed passed her grandfather.

  "Don't you wanna know your time?" Joe asked.

  She shook her head. "Nah. He's fast. That's all I need to know."

  She couldn’t cross North Oak fast enough. When she reached the main office, she pounded on Mr. North's door. She tried again when no one answered. Please be there!

  The door swung open and North leaned over his desk, on the phone.

  "Well I can't go that high…. Yes, I know." He glanced up and waved Brooke in. She suddenly felt sheepish for interrupting business.

  Her eyes wandered the room, taking in the win photos on the wall. She locked on to one of North's sister, Angelina on Venus Galaxies when the filly was just a two-year-old.

  She squinted at the picture, wondering at how Angelina and Alex had similar qualities. But she broke from her thoughts when North ended his call.

  "What can I help you with?"

  "You can't sell Promenade."

  North dropped into his fancy leather chair, swung one leg over his other knee, and folded his hands in his lap. He leveled his gaze on Brooke with a stern expression.

  "Brooke, you were born on this farm. You of all people know how this works."

  "Yes, I know. But." She paused, wringing her hands. "I've made a mistake."

  "In his training?"

  Brooke shook her head. "No. Something bigger. Something worse."

  North opened a manila folder and jotted something down. "Have you done anything to decrease his value?"

  "No, sir."

  "Than what is the problem?"

  Brooke sat on the edge of the chair, gripping the arms. She took a deep breath. "It's Alex. She needs him."

  North sat back again the way he had before. His chin moved around as though he chewed on something.

  "This whole me training yearlings…" Brooke swallowed. "It was a mistake. At least with Promenade. I should never have taken him on."

  "Why not?"

  "Because of what it's done to Alex. I've crushed her. She's finally in a home where she can be safe and stuff, and I've thrown away her faith in that."

  "And exactly what do you expect me to do, Miss Merrsal? I've already paid to have him nominated to the sale in September."

  "Take me off of Promenade then. Give him to someone else." She chewed her lip. "Let Alex be angry with someone else. Just do something."

  North leaned forward against his desk, hands still woven together. "It sounds like your business has turned personal."

  "I need to do right by both Alex and Promenade, sir. Isn't there any way to fix what I've done?"

  North continued to wiggle his chin. Brooke was sure now he was chewing his own thoughts, mulling them over until the sour taste changed. Finally, he shook his head. "'Fraid not."

  She rose and pressed her palms into the cool top of the desk. "Please, sir. She needs more time with him. She needs to come to terms with losing him. Promenade is the key to her grieving. You had to have had a reason to keep Alex here when she went to trial. Isn't there still a reason to help her now?"

  They stared at one another, Brooke more desperate by the minute. A clock's pendulum swung in the corner.

  Tick.

  Tock.

  Tick.

  Tock.

  Brooke winced. Time. I need time. Her eyes opened, suddenly afire. "Fasig-Tipton."

  North's eyebrow raised.

  "I know you've already got him down for Keeneland, but Fasig-Tipton is just as prestigious. It's only a month or so after the September sale, but it might be the time Alex needs to come to terms."

  Her fingers curled against the edge of a pile of papers. She shut her eyes tight, voice soft. "Please. I'm begging you."

  She bit her lip and faced North once again. "Give Alex this time to heal."

  Alex had barely gotten home from the test she and Carol had spent months getting ready for when North summoned her to his office.

  Her mind still clouded with numbers and words and facts, she had a hard time getting lucid.

  "How did you test go?" North asked.

  "Okay, I guess."

  "So you're starting school in then?"

  Alex's mind was fixed to the meeting she had had with Hillary, Cade, and the school board after. "Given her previous prison record, we remain wary of granting her entrance to school."

  "Are you kidding me?" Cade barked. "Check her test scores."

  "She spent the last four months preparing," Hillary chimed in. "She busted her butt for this."

  "And her scores are admissable, but barely so."

  “You’re a public school,” said Cade. “You have to let her in.”

  Alex winced at the memory of the man heading the school board meeting.

  She looked at Mr. North. "I think so."

  "That's good."

  "Please just cut to the thing you really wanted to say."

  North readjusted in his seat. "I know how you feel about Promenade. I know you're attached to him. But this is a business."


  Alex rolled her eyes "Not a petting zoo. Yadda yadda." She rose from her chair to leave. "Excuse me."

  "Wait. There's more."

  "Of course there is," Alex grumbled.

  "I run a business, and businesses need money to function. You have to spend money to make money. I spend money to send my mares to stallions, except when I think they're good matches for ours. I spend money to acquire fresh bloodlines to keep our stock strong. But at the end of it all, I have to make money to keep the place running."

  "Horses have to be fed." Alex muttered, "I get it."

  "So you understand that while we love our horses, we still have to part with them."

  She fiddled with a loose thread on the back of her chair. "Was there a point to this meeting?"

  "Promenade has to sell. There are certain expenditures I've acquired since your arrival that need to be accounted for. North Oak needs the money."

  Alex had a sinking feeling she was being blamed in part for the farm's debts, because of her court trial and medical expenses, and whatever North did to keep the authorities away. "You mean you need the money."

  North stared at her, then begrudgingly nodded. "Yes. There's a deadline for the bills. It's a time bomb. Promenade is our most promising prospect. If he doesn't sell, down the rabbit hole we go. Where we stop, nobody knows."

  "How much you think you'll get for Pro?"

  North sighed, peeking into a manila folder. "Last year I needed two million to keep us afloat. I almost considered selling Venus Galaxies, but opted to keep her instead and sell Promenade. Our expenses have grown."

  "How much?"

  "I've set a reserve on him for five million."

  Alex swore under her breath.

  Alex couldn't stomach her bowl of cereal. Not on the first day of school. Not after what she did to Carol last night.

  "We can't be friends."

  "What? Why?"

  "Laura said it's important to set your reputation right away. Yours is spoiled. Don't expect to sit together on the bus."

  "You don't mean that."

  "It's been real. Goodbye, Carol."

  She told herself it was better this way. She was protecting Carol. Protecting Ashley's memory. Any closer to Marshmallow and Alex would be toast.

  Her hand trembled on the spoon before she dropped it in her dish and groaned into her hands.

  "You okay, Sport?" Cade asked.

  "First day jitters, I bet," Laura chirped.

  "Deep breath, Alex," Hillary reassured her from across the kitchen. "You're going to be fine."

  "Better than fine," Cade added.

  You say you're okay, but you're not okay… and that's okay.

  Alex wondered what she had done. Her one friend in the world right now to help her get through the first day of school, and she'd cut her off with no less kindness than an ugly wart.

  Laura tossed her bowl in the sink and ruffled Alex's hair. "Don't worry. Brooke and I will check on you at lunch, and I'm sure we'll see eachother in the halls. We've got your back. And Carol said you had at least half your classes together."

  Alex slunk lower in chair, peeking between her fingers. Laura slung her backpack over her shoulder.

  "Come on, you'll miss the bus."

  "Can't I ride with you?" Alex asked, her voice muffled.

  "Sorry, all full. I'm taking Brooke and John, and our stuff is ridiculous."

  A rush of breath escaped Alex. She kicked back her chair, smoothed her hair, and shouldered her own backpack.

  Hillary dried her hands by the sink. "Aren't you going to finish your breakfast?"

  Alex pushed the bowl across the table. "Not hungry."

  Hillary smiled. "Alright. Have a great day."

  Cade sipped from his coffee mug. "Knock 'em dead, Sport."

  Alex gulped as the school bus doors folded open. A big fat man in overstuffed jeans and scruffy whiskers stared down from the driver's seat.

  "Hamlin High?" he asked.

  Alex readjusted her backpack over her shoulder and ascended the steps. Unfamiliar faces crowded before her, rambunctious and loud. She swung round, wanting to get off, but the doors squeaked shut.

  Alex braced against the green leather seat as the bus rolled forward, and scanned for a place to sit. One lonely seat in the back remained. She barreled through arms and stray legs to it, and hunkered down near the window.

  It was the first time she'd been away from North Oak in six months.

  The dark fences of the farm faded away behind the bus, with nothing but trees and pavement for miles. She tried to mentally block out the noise around her, aware how her heart was going about as fast as the bus down the highway.

  Gradually, the bus rolled to a stop in front of a little brick house flanked by a couple of shrubs, and a lamp on the curb. Alex looked away as Carol got on.

  She clutched a small stack of books close to her as her eyes darted back and forth. Her mouth was drawn, and a pit formed in Alex's stomach when she caught a glimpse of Carol's red, puffy eyes, like she'd spent a good deal of time crying and not sleeping at all.

  Alex stretched her legs across the seat, and leaned back against the window. She picked at her fingernails as Carol approached.

  "Alex?" Carol murmured.

  "Taken," Alex answered.

  Carol's voice trembled. "Please."

  Alex tipped her head to her right. "Looks like there's a space open there."

  "That's right in front of…"

  "Not my monkeys, not my circus, Carol."

  "Right," Carol said. "Cuz your monkeys fly."

  Alex chewed her nail. "Yup."

  Carol moved down several seats and asked to sit next to a tall, skinny boy in glasses. He didn't seem to mind the company. But as Alex kept glancing toward her, she couldn't help notice the brawny young man behind Carol who kept leaning forward against her seat, whispering something or other.

  Carol hunched, like she was trying to get away from him.

  Alex reminded herself not to get involved, that one more move toward Carol would be the tipping point.

  The young man bugging Carol had shaggy brown hair, and was built like a brick. Probably dumb as one too, Alex thought.

  He started flicking Carol's ears. She covered her head. His voice got louder as the bus turned a corner and the school came into view.

  "Where's your feather, Chief Chunk-a-lunk? Did it fly away? It couldn't stand you either?" He tugged on her hair.

  Alex bit into her thumb to keep her mouth shut.

  He slugged the boy sitting next to Carol. "This your boyfriend, Chunk? Or did you finally get your official nerd card?"

  He grabbed their opposite shoulders and shoved them together. "You're so pathetic. You're both a bunch of loser brainiacs. Perfect for eachother."

  Alex willed herself to stay out of it.

  The brick grabbed Carol's face, leaning in close. "Why don't you say anything, Chunk? Did your tongue get too fat for your mouth?"

  Alex gripped the seat in front of her, kicking it. The girl sitting in it looked over her shoulder with annoyance. Alex pushed herself back into her seat and crossed her arms.

  Why wasn't the bus driver doing anything about that creep? Couldn't he see him? Didn't he see what he was doing to Carol? Someone had to stop it.

  The bus drew closer to the school. Alex thought there were a lot of kids on her bus, but it was nothing compared to those swarming around Hamlin High. There had to be at least four more bus loads on the front lawn alone.

  Brick wrapped his arm around Carol's throat. Alex leaned forward to hear him. "I've missed you, Chunk. We are going to have such a great year together. And you're gonna serve it up on a silver platter."

  He leaned back and opened his backpack, pulling out an apple. "Look what I brought for you. I think you’re going to look great on that silver platter with it."

  Brick brought it to Carol's mouth and forced it against her lips. "Eat it."

  Carol tried to turn her head away, but he
held her tight.

  "I want to hear you squeal." He snorted like a pig. "Eat it."

  The bus rolled to a stop and the doors opened. Carol flung his arm from her and jumped to her feet. She hurried to the front, but her bully was right on her heels.

  Aw, Hell. Alex wasn’t sure where the space between her seat and Brick went, but the next thing she was aware of was leaping from the top step of the bus on to his back. She wrapped her arms as tight as she could around his throat and knotted her legs around his waist.

  "You want something handed to you on a silver platter, numb nuts?" She hollered. "How 'bout a taste of your own poison."

  She swung back an arm and pounded a fist into his head. She pulled herself higher on him and sank her teeth into his ear. Other kids gathered around, chanting, "Fight, fight, fight, fight!"

  The bus driver tumbled off the bus, nearly tripping at the bottom. He tried to split them apart, but it was no use. Alex inched around the brick and socked him in the windpipe.

  No sooner had he gone to his knees, than Alex grabbed his face and sent another fist sailing through his perfect nose until it bled.

  The young man cupped his face, gagging for air. Alex kicked him in the ribs, then pinned him to the ground. She pummeled his face, setting his brow black and blue.

  "Brad's getting beat up by a girl," a boy cried.

  The Brickhead started crying, he rolled over to try and hide from the humiliating gathering. Alex planted her foot in his behind.

  Satisfied he'd gotten the message, she backed off. When he rolled over, he stared at her, face red and pulsing. "Who are you? Chunk's little guard dog or something?"

  Alex ran a hand through her hair to smooth it out. "Damn straight." She pointed her finger at him. "And you better watch yourself, because you know what they say about yappy little dogs? Napoleon Complex."

  She bent over him, lowering her voice to a snarl. "So don't think for a minute I'm too small to kick your ass in the future. Cuz I sure as hell will."

  When she straightened, she noticed one of the women who had been at the school board meeting after her test. Alex jabbed a finger in the bully's direction. "Are you gonna clean this hot mess up? Cuz this little problem has gone on for far too long." She put her hands on her waist. “I am very concerned about this school’s lack of security, and just letting any old animal in. Don’t you worry for the safety of your students?”