No Time for Horses (23 page)

“And then it’s riding time.” Robin snagged
all three of our plastic pitchforks and carried them toward the
storage area. “Vicky, are you going to invite Sierra to your
slumber party?”

“Your what?” Sierra strolled beside me to the
end door of the barn. “She’s playing with us, right? You never have
friends at your house. Your parents would majorly freak.”

“My stepdad was the one who threw fits,” I
said, “but my mom had an epiphany when she heard about me filing
for emancipation. She’s trying to act like a grown-up and treat me
like a real kid. I don’t think it will last for long, but she said
I could have a sleepover tonight.”

“Who all is coming?” Sierra asked.

“You, I hope. Robin, Gwen, Porter, and
Evie.”

“I wish I could, but my life is nothing but
horses. I can’t leave Mom home alone with them.”

“If your mom is good with it, we’ll send up a
crew of Jack’s friends to help tomorrow. You could come home with
me, spend the night, and we’ll go Christmas shopping all day
Monday. What do you think?”

“That it sounds like heaven,” Sierra said. “I
need to get a bunch of decorations to finish the barns, and we
haven’t had a chance to go anywhere since this snow started.”

“Did she tell you the plan?” Robin asked when
she joined us. “What do you think, Sierra?”

“That I’m good with it provided Mom is, and
if she’s not, maybe we can move the party here instead.”

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Tuesday,
December 10th, 9:00 a.m.

A lot of the snow had melted off in the past
two days, but we still had a foot of the white stuff in most of
Marysville. However, school was back in session with a two-hour
late start. When I walked into the Commons, I spotted Robin at our
usual table. I went and joined her, taking my peppermint latte from
her. “That was majorly fun yesterday.”

“I didn’t know your mom could be so nice.”
Robin reached down for her backpack. “Now I feel awful about what
my parents did.”

“What did they do?” I asked.

“My dad printed off a list of the rules for
our house so you’d know what you have to contend with if you decide
to come live with us.”

“That was decent of him.” I took the pages
she held out and stuffed them in my bag. “I can discuss them with
Ingrid at our meeting today.”

“You’re not upset?”

“Everybody has rules. My mom’s would probably
make you nuts.”

“Good point.” Robin smiled when a petite
blonde came over to join us. “Hey, Dani. How was your weekend? We
missed you at the horsy poop-fest on Sunday.”

“Yeah, well it took us forever to get home
from one of my dad’s business trips,” Dani said. “We flew out
before the storm and then when we got back yesterday, I think we
spent three hours driving back from Seattle. How’s Lady?”

“She’s fine,” Robin said. “I groomed her and
fed her tons of carrots when I took care of Prince Charming. He
wasn’t happy about sharing the treats, but I told him to get over
himself.”

Dani laughed and pulled up a chair. “I heard
I missed your sleepover, Vicky. Do I get to come to the next
one?”

“Definitely,” I said. “And we won’t wait for
a snow event either.”

Robin pulled out her phone and brought up
pictures. “Wait until you see the awesome Christmas tree that
Vicky’s mom designed. It’s totally eco-friendly. We got to take
cookies off it.”

“That’s amazing.” Dani told me. “Now, I
really need an invite. So, did your mom rent the downstairs
apartment yet?”

“No. Darby was supposed to have a friend take
it, but when she saw how many kids live in the house, she freaked
and said she’d find somewhere else.” I lowered my voice, even
though it was just the three of us. “Mom was upset. She got laid
off at the casino, and she was really counting on the rent to help
make ends meet.”

“Like I told you before, my au-pair always
has friends looking for decent places to live,” Dani said. “They’re
studying to be elementary teachers, so there’s not much that your
brothers and sisters could do to send them packing.”

“Hey, the kids were really good. Kevin even
called a cease-fire on the snowball wars when she arrived, and
nobody hit her car with a single shot. Since you’re talking a bunch
of five to ten-year-olds, I was happy.”

“So was Darby,” Robin said. “She actually
told the woman to get over herself and grow a brain when she
freaked about us making popcorn balls.”

“Yeah, can you imagine how crazy it would
have been if I’d actually had the eight girls my mom said I could
invite? That would have been a major meltdown.”

“Eight girls?” Dani looked impressed. “Plus
your brothers and sisters. Your mom must be trying out to be a
hero.”

“No, she’s just taking over the house and
changing things since she doesn’t have to do what my stepdad says
anymore.” The first bell rang. I swallowed the last of my latte and
got up, grabbing my backpack. “So, will you tell your au-pair to
pass out the word about the apartment? It’s six hundred a month
without babysitting and four hundred if the person wants to work
out part of the rent.”

“That’s too cheap.” Dani walked beside us
toward the English wing. “Let’s say it’s six and eight. You’re
talking a one bedroom apartment and covered parking under the
carport, right?”

“Right,” I said. “My mom will be checking
references too.”

“No worries. To even be considered for a spot
in the graduate program at the college, the students have to pass
all the requirements that regular teachers do,” Dani said. “This is
going to work out great, and it will get my au-pair off my back.
She’s been nagging me to ask you.”

“Well, you did, and we’re all going to be
happy ever after,” Robin told us.

I laughed at them. We may have been happy,
but Adam didn’t look like he was. He and Mrs. Weaver stood up by
her desk having a serious chat. Whatever she was telling him made
his scowl deeper. When she paused for breath, he turned and stomped
out of the classroom.

She sighed and then came over to me. “How are
things at home, Vicky?”

“Getting better,” I said. “Why?”

“Because it’s your turn to be featured in the
school paper,” Mrs. Weaver told me. “It’s a puff piece. Whoever
interviews you will ask about hobbies, college plans and
sports.”

“Why Vicky?” Robin asked. “Why now?”

“It’s her turn,” Mrs. Weaver repeated. “We’ve
done most of the student council and now we’re onto the Lincoln
High class presidents. Do you have pictures of the horse that
you’re training for your core project, Vicky?”

“Several. I’ll bring you the best shots
tomorrow,” I said. “Is Adam concerned about the feature?”

“He may be editor this year, but I’m the
advisor so he’ll do it the way I say,” Mrs. Weaver said. “It’s my
way or the highway. Now, let’s get onto today’s write.”

I glanced at the blank whiteboard and then
said, “Is it a free-write? Do we get to pick what we want to
say?”

Faint red crept into the teacher’s face and
then she nodded. “Yes. That’s what I had in mind. You’d better go
write it down for me, Vicky, in case other people decide it’s a
holiday.”

“All right!” I put my backpack by my desk and
headed up front to sort through the various dry-erase markers, so I
could design the board just the way I liked.

* * * *

Tuesday, December 10th, 4:00 p.m.

Latte in hand, I curled up in my favorite
chair, ready to share my week with Ingrid. It didn’t take long to
tell her about the days at home, the sleepover and how peaceful it
was without Mom griping about Rick. “I learned stuff I didn’t
know.”

“Like what?” Ingrid asked. “I’m sure she
shared that she was a foster kid.”

“Well, sure. But, she never told me that she
always felt like she had to please him to make him love her. Or how
scared she was of being abandoned. Or getting kicked out. He
totally used that stuff against her.”

“Didn’t he use it against you too?” Ingrid
asked. “How does learning about the shortcomings in your mother
make you feel?”

I sighed and stirred my coffee with the
straws. “Well, on the one hand I do feel sorry for her. But, then I
also want to yell at her and remind her that I’m a kid. I shouldn’t
have to help raise her and make the world right. She ought to be
doing that for me.”

“Do you think it’s likely to happen?”

“Not overnight,” I said, “but she’s trying
harder to be a better mom. She told me that she’s not going to call
and remind Rick to pick up the kids anymore. I didn’t know that she
was. What’s up with the guy? How can he reject his own children
like that?”

“Think about what you said earlier. What if
he wants your mom to do certain things? If he just avoids your
brothers and sisters, what is her pattern? Didn’t he reject
you?”

“Yeah. He said it was for the money, but I
don’t actually believe that anymore.” I sucked up some of my latte.
“Am I paranoid if I figure he’s still trying to get at Mom?”

“Not to me,” Ingrid said. “It sounds pretty
smart.”

“Well, that’s me then.”

“And with that settled, let’s move on.”
Ingrid picked up a file folder. “I have a list of household rules
from John and Maura Gibson. Shall we discuss those?”

“I got them too.” I put my cup on the table
beside my chair and dug out the five pages that Robin gave me this
morning. “They’re a fun pair, but I’m not taking up running
cross-country to find time to breathe.”

“How would you have time?” Ingrid asked.
“You’re already cheerleading and involved in student government,
the honor roll, and horseback riding. They do want you to take
karate and they’re willing to pay for classes.”

“Why would I do that?”

“They seem to think that all girls need to
know how to defend themselves.”

“Robin doesn’t do karate,” I said.

“Not now, but I understand that she and her
sister both took it for three years when they were in middle
school. Both of them have their black belts.”

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Oh my Gawd! I
hate it when you’re right. I’d forgotten all about that. Okay,
let’s get started.”

I scanned the first page. It basically laid
out all our names, the address of the Gibson house, phone numbers,
and the date. After that, the contract detailed responsibilities in
the house. Most had to do with the chores that everyone else did.
If I moved in, I was supposed to help with the supper dishes two
nights a week, cook one meal a week, take out the garbage, and help
feed the dogs every night. If I helped with the livestock down in
the barns, I’d have to split the chore money with Jack and
Robin.

“Whoa, did you see this, Ingrid? They pay for
grades. I can clean up since I’m already on the Headmaster’s List.
Fifty bucks for each A, plus there are bonuses for extracurricular
activities.”

“What do you think about the allowance?”
Ingrid asked.

“Well, it explains how Robin always brings me
a latte every day,” I said. “She has some major opportunities to
make money.”

Ingrid laughed, and I went onto the next
page. It detailed other things I had to do, such as keeping my
bedroom and the bathroom clean. I had to do my own laundry. Robin
would change the sheets on my bed once a week, but if I wanted it
done more often, that was my responsibility. No sleepovers during
the week, unless it was a school break. No dates on weeknights, and
Sundays counted as those. Fridays and Saturdays, I had to be home
no later than midnight. John and Maura had to approve of whoever I
dated. And Jack’s room was definitely off-limits!

“No drugs, alcohol, or wild parties,” Ingrid
read, arching a brow. “What do you think?”

“That you’d have to be crazy to even try that
crap,” I said. “John and Maura are total helicopter parents. One of
them is always around, so how could you arrange a party?”

“What would your mother say about these
rules?”

I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t think
she would even include them in her repertoire. First off, the
household chores are all mine. If I only did the dishes twice a
week, I’d have to buy a truckload of paper plates and plastic
silverware. And if I only cooked one day, everyone would
starve.”

“What about the garbage?”

“Oh, I make Kevin take that out. Cathy always
snivels when she has to help him, so she gets to do all the
recycling. The twins have gotten pretty good at unloading the
dishwasher.”

“What else do you notice?”

“They must buy the groceries,” I said.
“That’s not included anywhere in the rules.”

“What about the bills? Does it say anything
about money management or their finances?”

I went back through the five pages, reading
it line by line. She was right. It didn’t say a thing about the
mortgage or turning off all the lights in empty rooms to save
electricity or not calling long distance on the landline. “Wow,
more stuff that kids don’t need to worry their little heads about,
huh?”

“How do you feel about not being in charge of
all the details, Vicky?”

I had to think about it. Okay, so my mom did
drop a lot on my shoulders, but being out of the loop bothered me
too. “Can’t there be a happy medium, Ingrid? I like knowing what’s
going on around the house and having my mom talk to me like I’m an
equal. She let me have a pretty big sleepover on Sunday night. Five
other girls and she said I could build up to eight guests. It was a
blast.”

“Who cleaned up afterwards?”

“I did, of course. It was my party.” I went
back and read the fine print in the rules. “Well, no wonder Maura
limits the number of guests to four. She does the clean-up
afterwards. That sucks. Next time I stay over, I’ve got to do more.
It’s only fair.”