Home for Christmas Read online

  “I declare this dare complete,” Heather addressed us. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at me and my friends. “It was a surprise to have you join us and not bail, kids.”

  “It was fun. We’re the kind of ‘kids’ who don’t back down,” Khloe shot back.

  Alpha female against alpha female. Both blond girls eyed each other—neither breaking contact.

  Finally Heather nodded. “Maybe we’ll see you on the trails again while we’re here.”

  Sasha’s lips curved into a small smile. I wanted to dance in my saddle. We—the lowly just-turned seventh graders—had gotten an invitation from Heather Fox to ride with her. Heather was practically as big a deal on campus as Sasha. This was huge!

  “You should def text me when you’re coming over to ride,” Sasha said, looking at me. “We’ll join you if we’re free.”

  “Cool. I will,” I said.

  “Let’s get back on our turf before anything happens,” Sasha said.

  With that, we each took turns jumping our horses over the wall. I didn’t let out a full breath of relief until each and every one of us was back on Kim’s land. If this was what trail riding with Heather was like, something told me that I’d better prepare myself.

  9

  PUT ON YOUR ELF SUITS!

  Sasha

  IT WAS STILL DARK OUTSIDE when my alarm clock buzzed the next morning. It was six and time to get up and get ready to go to the first day at Safe Haven for Thoroughbreds. It didn’t even feel like a Monday, usually my least fave day of the week, since it was break.

  Callie rubbed her eyes, sitting up and smiling sleepily from the daybed. “I can’t wait to get to the rescue center,” she said.

  “Me either. This is going to be the super-best Christmas break ever,” I said. “We’ve got all of our friends, our horses, and we’re helping new horses find homes.” Like, one could come home with me, I thought. I’d dropped a few not-so-subtle hints to Mom and Dad that it would be giving back to the community if I adopted a horse from Safe Haven. But they’d said that I was doing more than enough by volunteering.

  “It’s a twenty-four-seven horse fest,” Callie said. She got up and picked breeches and a yellow thermal shirt from her suitcase. “Speaking of horses, I was kind of caught off guard by Lauren Towers and her friends yesterday.”

  It felt like old times between Callie and me. We were about to have a gossip fest, and it was like none of the baggage we had from the past existed. Maybe the holiday spirit helped wipe it all away.

  “I was surprised to see Lauren too,” I said. “More shocked, though, that she had all of her friends there. She planned a Christmas like ours.”

  “I figured we would probably run into her sometime at Briar Creek,” Callie said. “It was weird, though.”

  “Why?” I pulled a hunter-green wool sweater over my head. After our ride, Kim had explained to all of us that she’d kept quiet about each of our groups coming to BC because she’d wanted us to feel out the sitch ourselves.

  Callie shrugged. “It was almost like she was ready to compete with us or something. She and her friends didn’t hesitate at Heather’s dare. I mean, I’m glad they did it, because I got to see for myself that the rumors about them are true.”

  “What rumors?”

  “That they’re gunning for spots on their advanced team as soon as they have tryouts. That girl, Khloe, who’s already on the advanced team, is YENT material.”

  Callie and I both slid our feet into thick socks and started lacing up our boots.

  “They’re not our competition,” I said. “Lauren and her friends are a grade behind us. We don’t have to worry about our slots on the advanced team and the YENT.”

  “You sure?” Callie asked. “Tell me that you don’t think Mr. Conner might combine our advanced team with theirs for a practice every once in a while. Or offer them a chance to try out for the YENT sooner than our chances.”

  I shook my head. “That would never happen. Mr. Conner keeps every grade separate. He’d never let them jump ahead in line, either, no matter how good they are.”

  I finished tying my laces, my mind racing from what Callie had said. Lauren’s background was better than mine. She had a champion pedigree before I had even completed my first double oxer. I swallowed. Next semester wouldn’t bring that kind of change to Canterwood . . . would it?

  Callie stood, helmet in hand. “Ready?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Let’s go gather everybody and grab some breakfast. No more thinking or talking about Lauren until we see her again. Deal?”

  Callie smiled. “Deal.”

  We left my room, and the boys’ door was already open. The smell of bacon, eggs, and sausage lingered in the air.

  Callie and I walked into the kitchen and found Paige at the stove, flitting between pots and pans like a hummingbird.

  “Morning!” Paige said, smiling. She was dressed in a pair of my boots and breeches. “Sash, I told your mom that I’d love to cook breakfast for everyone. I wanted to do something since she’s letting us stay here.”

  I grinned. “My parents will never let you leave,” I said. “Not once they’ve tasted Chef Parker’s cooking.”

  With a flick of her wrist and a satisfied smile, Paige flipped a perf omelet onto a plate in front of me.

  10

  DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

  Lauren

  “WELCOME, EVERYONE!”

  My friends and I stood in a warm indoor arena at Safe Haven for Thoroughbreds. I eyed the fifteen or so other volunteers with us—most of them looking like they were in college or older. We had gathered around the volunteer director as she stood on a mounting block to address us.

  “I’m Lyssa, a name you might recognize from e-mails from our group,” the petite brunette said. “I can’t thank you all enough for being here this morning and for the time you have offered to dedicate to some very deserving horses.”

  Taylor and I exchanged excited smiles. We’d all gotten here early this morning and signed in—wanting to make a good impression on our first day. The rest of my friends surrounded us and directed their attention to Lyssa.

  “As many of you know, life for ex-racehorses can be extremely challenging,” Lyssa said. “For some, their life begins and ends with the track. I want to make it clear that I am not here to advocate against the sport of horse racing—only to inform you about the reality of what happens to some, not all, ex-racehorses.”

  From somewhere in the stable, a whinny from one horse set off a chorus of neighs.

  Lyssa smiled. “I’m an ex-jockey. I started racing in high school and rode for many years. My career ended about five years ago due to an injury. I knew nothing else but racing. What was I supposed to do with my life? That’s kind of what it’s like for some of our horses.”

  “It’s so cool that she used to be a jockey,” Ana whispered to me.

  I nodded. “She got hurt and she’s still involved with horses. That’s awesome.”

  “Some racehorses suffer injuries during their careers and are put down by their owners,” Lyssa said. “Not all earn enough money from races to make valuable studs or broodmares. Those that aren’t put down are sometimes sent to the auction block to be sold and retrained for various uses. Others are sold for practically pennies to slaughterhouses.”

  My stomach turned. I couldn’t even think about or really try to process Lyssa’s last sentence. It wasn’t something that I didn’t already know, but hearing it was different. Maybe the fact that we were surrounded by horses made it harder to think about too.

  “Safe Haven, like many similar groups, is a nonprofit organization that rescues ex-racehorses who are in danger of being euthanized. Sadly, we cannot save every horse. Even some that we do rescue have to be put down because their injuries are so severe. We don’t want to keep a horse alive if there’s no chance of recovering and if the quality of life is not pleasant for that animal.”

  Lyssa shifted on the block. She looked down, almost as if comp
osing herself, then glanced back up at us.

  “But for the horses we save,” Lyssa said, a smile on her face, “we are lucky enough to get to know them, care for them, and rehabilitate them for a new life. Their new purpose could vary from a light pleasure horse, to a stable horse for lessons, a therapy horse used for children and adults with disabilities, or a companion that cannot be ridden but can be loved by an adopter.”

  Lyssa nodded at an older girl who had her hand raised.

  “Are all the horses up for adoption?” the girl asked.

  “No,” Lyssa said. “Some horses have been through too much trauma for us to feel comfortable placing them in a new home. Some of the horses who are up for adoption have been with us for months or years and haven’t found the right match yet.”

  I frowned. It made me sad to think of a horse waiting to be chosen for a new home.

  “We do not euthanize those horses,” Lyssa continued. “Through donations, we are able to provide them with a place to live out the rest of their natural lives.”

  Mom and Dad were in trouble. Now I wanted to adopt a stable full of ex-racehorses! Somehow, I didn’t think that was a Christmas present they would go for. I thought back to my birthday party, when I’d asked for donations to SHT. It wasn’t the same as actually adopting a horse, but raising money to help the cause was something I was going to keep doing.

  “The details of jobs we need completed are listed in the information packet that I’ll pass out now,” Lyssa said. “Please make sure everyone gets one, and read through the entire packet. Many of you signed up with friends, and the coordinators did their best to keep those groups together during specific time slots. The times and days we’re expecting you vary. If you have more time to spare, you’re obviously more than welcome to come whenever you’d like.”

  A stack of packets reached me. I took one of the thick packets and handed the rest to Brielle. She did the same and passed it to Zack, who was shoulder to shoulder with Khloe. The two weren’t officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but they had been on enough dates that I bet Zack was going to ask KK the big question soon. They complemented each other perfectly. Zack was funny and animated like Khloe. He was also très cute, with dark-blond hair—something Khloe especially liked.

  “Each task is labeled with the required experience needed from you,” Lyssa said. “For example, you’ll see on page five that ‘Advertising’ has a label of ‘No experience.’ The task of ‘Exercising’ has a label of ‘Advanced’ beside it. Each task is color coordinated to match the name tag you should have picked up when you signed in this morning.”

  I looked down at the laminated card that hung from my neck. My name was highlighted in green. Advanced tasks were green. All of my friends’ tags matched mine in color. Taylor’s name on his tag was in red—no experience. I wondered if he felt uncomfortable with a red tag, but as I looked around the crowd, I saw more red tags than I’d expected. Hopefully, that would make Tay feel like he fit in.

  “There are lockers for you to store water bottles, snacks—whatever you’d like,” Lyssa said. “You’ll find the lockers just outside the arena near the tack room. Since it’s the first day, your only task today was to attend orientation. Since I’m not here all of the time, there are different coordinators to help steer you in the right direction.”

  “How do we know who’s a coordinator?” a guy from the other side of the crowd asked.

  “All coordinators’ names are typed in bold font and have a star next to them,” Lyssa said.

  I spotted a starred badge a few people away. If I volunteer here every holiday and each summer, I wonder if I could be a coordinator? I thought.

  “If you’d like to stay,” Lyssa continued, “please feel free to do so. You’re welcome to watch some of our regular volunteers and get a feel for what you may be doing during your time with us.”

  Lyssa smiled and clasped her hands in front of her. “Thank you all for your time during the holiday season. We wouldn’t be able to hold our annual adopt-a-thon without people like you. I’ll be here if anyone has questions, and please come ready to work when your first shift arrives. You’ll find the name of your coordinator next to your time slot. Again, thank you, and I can’t wait to get started!”

  The arena filled with applause. I clapped so hard, my hands stung. With a little wave, Lyssa stepped off the mounting block. I turned to my friends.

  “Is this the coolest thing or what?” I asked.

  “I’m so excited!” Cole said. His green eyes were wide and almost the same color as the highlighted text on his name tag.

  Garret flipped through the packet. “Are we all in the same group?”

  I flipped a few pages and stopped.

  “Yep!” Clare said. “There are all of our names. We’re on Tuesday afternoon. Score!”

  “Uh . . . ,” Khloe started, an odd look on her face. “Do you guys see—”

  “No way!” I said. I peered at my paper. I was having a hallucination. I mean, I’ve never had one before, but this had to be one. I blinked. But the words were there in black ink, not disappearing no matter how many times I blinked.

  “Looks like we have company,” Drew said, his voice low.

  I looked at him, expecting him to be staring at the paper too, but he was gazing over my shoulder.

  “Are you stalking us?” Sasha asked as I turned around to face her. Her smile assured me she was kidding.

  “Totally,” I teased back. “We not only chose the same place to volunteer, but we also made sure we got almost every time slot that you guys did.”

  The other Canterwood students stopped next to us. Most of them smiled at my comment. I realized that Sasha and I were the two who stood slightly in front of the rest of our friends. She was the leader of the legendary Sasha & Co., but I certainly wasn’t a “leader” of my group. I took a tiny step back so I was aligned with Drew.

  “I can’t believe you’re all here too,” Sasha said. “Lauren, was this how you convinced your parents to let you bring friends home for Christmas?”

  “Actually, yes,” I said. “And our horses, too.”

  “We should all wear matching Canterwood Crest sweatshirts every day,” Paige said.

  “Ooh, yeah!” Callie said with a giggle as she high-fived Paige. “We are representing Canterwood.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Speaking of school,” Garret said, adjusting the black beanie over his red hair, “I’m sure Headmistress Drake has spies here somewhere making sure we don’t”—he paused—“ ‘tarnish the reputation of an elite institution.’ ”

  Everybody laughed.

  “That’s exactly what Headmistress Drake would say,” Eric said. “Your impression was dead-on too.”

  The dark-haired guy smiled at Garret. I’d heard stories that Sasha, who was now dating Jacob, had dated Eric. Does every guy who meets Sasha ask her out? I thought.

  “The headmistress probably had cameras installed in the stable,” Brit Chan said. The pretty girl had her long black hair in a low side braid. I knew that she was Sasha’s roommate at school.

  I realized both of our groups had melded into a cluster as we bantered back and forth.

  “That’s not enough,” Lexa said. Her big brown eyes were wide. “I bet there are tiny cameras hidden somewhere on the tack so she can monitor us when we’re exercising the horses.”

  Heather gave Lexa a quick grin. “Not bad. I was thinking the same thing.”

  I could almost feel Lexa’s excitement from Heather’s compliment.

  “I’m glad you guys were here,” Sasha said. “We were ready on time, but my dad overslept.”

  “You probably want to sign in,” I said. “You’ll get a name badge like this.” I held mine up. “Lyssa, the volunteer director, has info packets. She’s . . .” I looked for her and finally spotted the woman, surrounded by volunteers. I pointed. “. . . the one being swarmed by people.”

  Taylor held out his info packet to Jacob. “You want to k
eep that and make copies for you guys? It would probably take you longer to get to Lyssa.”

  Jacob, smiling, took the papers. “Thanks. Taylor, right? Sorry—I’m bad with names.”

  Taylor nodded. “You can keep mine. I’ll share with one of my friends.”

  “Thank you,” Sasha said. “I really didn’t want to have to go up to Lyssa and have our first impression be that we’re the ones who missed orientation.”

  “Lyssa’s really nice,” I said. “I don’t think she’d hold anything against you. Nothing she said was info that’s not in the packet.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up,” Jacob said. “And if Drake’s watching us, we better stop standing around talking.”

  Sasha smiled at Jacob, slipping her hand into his. “Good point. Let’s go sign in, guys.”

  We traded “See you laters,” and my group hung back as Sasha and her friends left the arena to sign in.

  I turned to my friends. “I don’t know about you guys, but it feels like it would be kind of a waste of time to call my dad to come get us. We really just got here. What do you think?”

  “I agree,” Ana said. “I really want to look around.”

  Garret nodded. “Me too.”

  “Okay!” Khloe said, bouncing on her toes. “Girl time!”

  “Girl time?” Zack asked, shaking his head. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

  Khloe lightly smacked Zack’s upper arm. “It means you guys are going to go do whatever boys do for a while so the girls can talk.” She smiled sweetly at Zack.

  “You were together all night and this morning,” Cole said. “There’s still more to talk about?”

  “Um, always!” Clare said. She shook her head, and the rest of us joined in with pretend disgusted looks at the boys.

  “Guys, meet us at the stable entrance in an hour?” Lexa asked.

  With nods of agreement, we split up.