No Time for Horses (10 page)

“You are such a hero.” I sat down next to his
chair and grabbed a slice of my favorite super-combo. “Now, I don’t
have to cook. Yippee!”

“Yeah, but there’s lots of laundry.” Worry
edged Cathy’s sky-blue eyes. “And Daddy didn’t have time to do
homework with us. I don’t know my spelling words, and I failed my
test on Friday, so I gotta do it again tomorrow.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m here,” Jack told
her. “I’m the bestest speller in the whole senior class.”

“Really?” A tiny smile tugged at Cathy’s
lips.

“Only if you let him brag,” I said. “Of
course, my English teacher says Jack has incredible talent when he
writes stories. Since she’s majorly tough on spelling, he could be
right.”

“I am.” Jack brought me a glass of milk.
“Just ask and I’ll tell you again.”

Darby came in from the laundry room. “I’ve
switched loads and started up the washer for you. If there isn’t
anything else I can do to help, I’m headed for my room. I have the
breakfast shift at the casino, and I have to be there early
tomorrow.”

“You two are amazing,” I said. “This will be
my easiest Sunday night ever.”

“And you may even get your own homework
done.” Jack sat next to me, curving an arm around my shoulders.
“Book clubs meet this week, so you really need to finish that novel
for your Coffeehouse discussion. Weaver’s harsh when it comes to
participation.”

* * * *

Monday, November 18th, 7:10 a.m.

I hit the Commons at the same time that Robin
did, taking my peppermint latte from her. “Have I ever told you
just how wonderful your older brother is?”

“All the time and it’s majorly gross,” Robin
said. “Do you know he took my dogs out yesterday where his evil
horse could stomp them?”

“He brought pizza for the kids and helped
them with their homework last night.” I led the way to one of our
favorite tables. “I think this woman who rented the master suite
may turn out to be okay. She was a real big help when Rick did his
Sunday night drop and dash.”

“Tell me about it,” Robin said, “and then
I’ll tell you about my internship yesterday. I got to sew up my
first horse. Dr. Larry said I did an awesome job.”

We sat and dished the dirt about our weekend.
Wow, I’d missed this. Mom had been in such a good mood last night
when she got home and found everything done that she actually
volunteered to get the kids off to school and daycare today and
tomorrow. That meant I could have a life, and I so needed one. When
Robin paused for breath, I told her about the extended cheer
practices so we’d be ready for the next competition.

“If I get stuck, will you pick up the kids
for me? The counselor says I’m only supposed to get them on
Thursdays, but I really can’t depend on Mom or Rick.”

“That’s a sad state of affairs, but what are
friends for? You can count on me, Vick.” Robin paused. “Don’t you
have to be the one to get them at the school?”

“Yes, but I’ll ask Ms. Walker for a break so
we can run over to the elementary school.”

“Great and I’ll talk to Bill. He’ll give us a
ride, and that will really speed us up. What about the daycare?
Will they freak if I’m the one who gets Chrissy?”

“Not if we do it the same way. I’ll give you
my keys, and you can take them home.”

“Works for me,” Robin said. “I’ll line up
Gwen, Porter, and Dani in case something happens and I have a
conflict.”

The first bell rang, and we jumped up to head
for Homeroom English. I spotted Evie and gave the cheer captain a
thumbs up sign. She waved back at me.

Mrs. Weaver waited for us at the classroom
door. “All right, ladies. What did you bring for the boxes?”

I blinked. “What boxes?”

“The food drive boxes.” She gave me a look
like I was a total idiot and waved to the brightly decorated
cartons near her desk. “The winning room gets an ice cream social,
and the teacher has all her final exams graded by the rest of the
Language Arts Department. I’m the champion, and I’m not losing my
title this year. What did you bring?”

“Nothing today, but I’ll bring two
non-perishable items tomorrow,” I said.

Meanwhile, my best friend opened her backpack
and pulled out a box of cereal and a can of tomato sauce. When I
gave her an evil look, Robin shrugged. “What can I say? I want the
cross-country team to kick butt so I have to lead by example.”

“You suck,” I told her and headed for my
desk. I glanced at the whiteboard for the entry task. Monday’s
extended write waited for me. Mrs. Weaver must have had a crazy
weekend too.
“Today is Mickey Mouse’s birthday. Describe the
party you would give for this famous character, who you would
invite, and why. What food would you serve?”

* * * *

Monday, November 18th, 3:15 p.m.

We’d just finished our new ripple cheer and
were taking a quick break when my phone went off. I picked it up
and read the last message. It was from Lance’s teacher reminding me
that I needed to pick up the twins. Wait a minute. Wasn’t it
supposed to be Mom’s day? I called her super quick, and got the
message that she was unavailable. Oh my Gawd! I hated it when Robin
was right about anything. Usually, it worked the other way around.
I told my drama diva best friend when she was inappropriate.

“Do you have to leave, Vicky?” Ms. Walker
gave me her undivided attention while the rest of the cheerleaders
stared at me. “Haven’t we talked about this before?”

“Yes, we have, and I’ve made arrangements for
the kids to be babysat. I just need to get them and turn them over
to Robin. She should be back any minute from her practice.” I
texted her. While I waited for a response, I said, “I do understand
that this is a major pain for all of you and I’m really sorry. My
mom’s counselor actually told her that she needs to step up
more.”

“Amazing.” Fiona snapped her gum. That got
her our cheer coach’s undivided attention and a fierce glare. The
other flyer darted away to the garbage can to spit out the gum.

My phone buzzed, and I scanned the message
from Robin. “Okay, she has a ride for us. We’ll run to the
elementary school, and I’ll grab the kids. I’ll be back in fifteen
minutes. Promise.”

“Take twenty,” Evie told me. “It’ll give us
time to practice everything we need to do prior to the lifts, and
we need you back here alive.”

Ms. Walker nodded in agreement. Grateful for
their support, I darted to the gym door and nearly crashed into
Robin and Bill. We hurried to the parking lot. On the way to the
elementary school, I called and apologized to the twins’
kindergarten teacher, Mr. Diaz. “I’m so sorry for the breakdown in
communications. My parents were supposed to pick up the kids today
because of cheer practice.”

“It’s okay. I had some extra grading to do. I
have all four of them in my room right now.”

“Wonderful. Tell them to get started on their
homework,” I said. “If they have it done early, we’ll do a movie
night.”

“They’re already started,” Mr. Diaz said. “I
didn’t know about the movie night. Will that be okay with your
parents?”

“Come on. It’s November. You know by now that
I run their little lives. I am the teenager in charge of them.
Always have been, always will be.” Before he answered, I ended the
call. When I saw the look on Robin’s face, I asked, “What?”

“Don’t you think that will get back to your
mom?”

I shrugged. “Who cares if it does? What’s the
worst thing that will happen? She’ll be so pissed she takes care of
her own kids? Are you over yourself now?”

“You do have a point, but you don’t sound
furious, Vicky.”

“What’s the point? She has bills to pay, and
she probably got an extra shift and forgot to cover her bases. Or
she called Rick and, once again, he did his little slide-step. Adam
Chambers may say I’m an oxymoron, an honest politician in the
paper. What would he call my stepdad?”

“Things that are unprintable.” Bill pulled
into the parking lot in front of the school. “Go get the kids. Once
you turn them over to Robin, I’ll drive you to the daycare.”

Chapter Ten

Monday,
November 18th, 5:00 p.m.

When I walked in the door, I expected to find
Robin and the kids together, but I didn’t. Mom was in the kitchen
stirring something at the stove. Well, that was a surprise since I
prepared most of the meals. Another surprise, she wore sweatpants
and a T-shirt, not one of her casino uniforms. So, why hadn’t she
picked up the kids at school?

“Hi,” I said, looking around. “Where’s
Robin?”

“She left. She had to get to work.” Mom
narrowed her brown eyes and stared at me for a long moment. “I
thought we agreed that she wouldn’t come here anymore.”

“No, we didn’t agree,” I said. “You were mad
because she babysat so I could cheer at the football games during
September and October. I told you I’m not quitting the squad. What
did you expect me to do when the kindergarten teacher called me
again and told me nobody came to get the kids?
Again!
”

“It’s Monday. I count on you to get
them.”

“Yes, but Dr. O’Hara said you were supposed
to take over,” I reminded her. “I figured it was an emergency and
that you had to go to work. That was why you weren’t doing what
your counselor said you or Rick had to do.”

Mom glared at me before she glanced at the
clock. “I got called in for graveyard. You’ll have to drop off the
kids tomorrow morning.”

“All right.” I shifted my backpack on my
shoulder. “I promised them a movie night. Where are they?”

“Cleaning their rooms,” Mom said. “Dinner
will be ready in an hour.”

“Good. That gives me time to do my
homework.”

“Switch out the laundry for me first,” Mom
said. “We need clean diapers for Chrissy.”

“You got it.”

I headed into the little pantry off the
kitchen, glad that was the end of my mother’s fit. While I pulled
diapers out of the dryer, I texted Robin.
“R U ok?”

She answered with a little smiley face.
“Fine. C U 2-morrow.”

Laundry folded and sorted, I returned to the
kitchen. Cathy was setting the table and telling Mom all about the
spelling test. She’d passed it thanks to Jack’s coaching. I smiled
at the two of them. “I’m going downstairs to study. Back in a
bit.”

Mom added mushrooms to the sauce on the
stove. “You’ll need to clean it up later. I want to show it to one
of Darby’s friends. She’s looking for a place to rent.”

“What? Where am I supposed to live?”

“You’ve got a room upstairs with your
sisters.” Mom dumped noodles into a pot of boiling water. “I don’t
want to listen to one of your teen angst moments, Victoria
Elizabeth. I need the money to take care of the six of you.”

“Really?” I glared at her back. “How much do
you want for the apartment? I can get a job and pay rent.”

“Who would hire you?”

“Let’s see. The restaurant where Tom works.
Shamrock Stable. The daycare. And that’s before I even look in the
newspaper or on the bulletin board at school.”

“Save the drama for someone else,” Mom said.
“You’re not getting a job. I need you to look after your brothers
and sisters.”

“Half-brothers and half-sisters.” I turned
and stomped downstairs to the daylight basement apartment. It
wasn’t fair. I never had any privacy and even when it looked like
things were going to get better, they didn’t. I
so
needed an
escape ticket from this rathole before my eighteenth birthday. If I
had to stay here and be chief cook, nanny, and bottle-washer for
the next year and a half, I’d go insane.

* * * *

Tuesday, November 19th, 4:45 p.m.

Ingrid and I sat in her office. She was at
the big table with a pad of paper in front of her and a pen so she
could make notes. This time she wore a pale pink pantsuit. Somebody
should bring this old lady up to the now, instead of leaving her
back in the 1970s. I’d left her sitting by herself and sat in a
comfy, cushiony chair on the other side of the room by the
bookcase.

I gave up on out-waiting her to talk. “What
are we doing today?”

“Whatever you want.” She smiled at me. “This
is your time, Vicky.”

“Hello. If it was my time, I’d be hanging out
with my friends or going up to Shamrock Stable or at Jack’s house
so I could exercise his horse. This wasn’t my idea.”

“Tell me about Jack.”

“Why? So, you can rat him out to Rick and my
mom? They want us to break up, but they don’t admit it most of the
time.”

“Why would they want that?” She cocked her
head to one side, looking like an inquisitive pink rabbit. “Is he a
bad guy?”

“Jack? No way! He’s incredible. He’s totally
cute in a cowboy kind of way. He’s smart.” I eyed her. “He writes
poetry for me. It’s good but not in a Hallmark card kind of way.
None of the guys on the football team know, but that’s how Jack got
me.”

“Got you?”

“Okay, a lot of guys think cheerleaders are
hot and they want us as if we’re all some kind of accessories that
are sold at the student store. Those guys never see us as people
first.”

“And Jack does?”

I nodded. “He comes to my recreational cheer
competitions, and he’s always honest about how my squad looks, but
he’s not mean.”

Ingrid put down her pen. She folded her hands
and kept watching me. “What else does he do?”

“He’s a decent athlete, but grades come
first.” I lifted my chin. “Best of all, he’s nice. And I don’t mean
in that wimpy, slimy, fakey kind of way like Rick. He’s all ‘please
and thank you’ right before he dumps the work on everyone
else.”

“Jack sounds like a decent boy,” Ingrid said.
“Why don’t your parents want you to date him?”