"Maybe we can try something else," Joey suggested in photography class the next day while we touched up our digital images from the previous assignment.

I rubbed my face, trying to wake up. I was going to have to convince Ceci to bring us to the coffee shop before our riding lesson if I wanted to survive the afternoon. "What?"

Joey leaned in. "A fog machine."

I yawned. A big jaw-cracking yawn that made my eyes tear up. I reached for my bag, hoping I had some candy or something that might keep me awake. Otherwise I wouldn't make it to the end of the school day.

"Or not," Joey said, sitting back with a glum expression.

I shook myself. "Sorry, I'm just tired. A fog machine is a great idea. Considering I can't even get two feet into the woods to do this stupid assignment."

Joey perked up. "Yeah, we could even do your photo shoot inside. Enough fog, and no one would know. And you'd probably be able to do your self-portraits easier, too. Play with lighting better. Nature is the worst."

Nodding, I stared at my computer screen. Mr. Chamberlin had pointed out some areas in my portrait of Ceci that could use better lighting, but I wasn't seeing anything. Ceci had perfect skin, perfect hair. Every outfit she'd thrown on for this photoshoot had looked amazing on her. And she owned a Thoroughbred and her parents were rich. I sighed.

"I don't even know where to get a fog machine. The Halloween store?" I said.

Joey bumped me with his elbow. "I know where to get one, don't worry."

I gave him the side-eye. Joey didn't have a lot of friends, but he did sometimes hang out with the drama kids. Maybe the theater had a fog machine. "Okay."

"How about today after school for my photoshoot?" he asked, leaning in.

"Can't. I have riding lessons after school."

"Skip it."

I rolled my eyes. "Lessons cost a lot of money."

"Okay, fine. Tomorrow?"

Tomorrow was Friday, and my friends always wanted to go to the basketball games on Fridays to see if they could get invited to a party after, which usually didn't work because we're only juniors. Basketball was boring and I wouldn't miss it, but I was going to need an excuse.

"Yeah, okay. I'll tell my friends I'm baby-sitting the twins."

Joey made a face. "You can't just tell them you have other plans?"

"They know I don't have other friends. I don't want them to think I'm avoiding them."

"Like you'd need a reason to avoid Cesspool and her cronies," Joey mumbled.

"They're my friends," I said. "And I'd like them to stay that way."

The bell rang, and we started putting our stuff in our backpacks.

"I'm your friend too. Or so I thought." Joey muttered these words as he shouldered past me to leave.

I waited until several other kids had gone ahead of me before I left the room. Joey was my friend... I just couldn't be his friend at school. Case in point: Angelika was waiting for me just down the hall, where she took a painting class at the same time as my photography class. "Hey, girl," she said. If Angelika had seen me walking with Joey, word would have gotten back to Ceci, and I didn't need that kind of drama in my life.

#

After school, Ceci drove us all out to the stables. That was where Ceci, Angelika, and Maddy went most days after school. If I owned a horse, I'd spent every waking minute there, too. But I only leased a horse, and Stewie's owner rode him three days a week. Sometimes I still went with them and hung out and watched them ride and helped them groom their horses, but it wasn't as fun on the days when I could ride, too.

Maddy's horse, a dapple gray mare named Storm, gave her the runaround in the paddock, and I tried to help while Stewie waited patiently by the gate. There were days when I wished for a spirited horse that had energy, and then there were days like this when having a horse that didn't spook at anything was a blessing. With Storm finally clipped to a leadline, I brought Stewie into his stall and tied him, then pulled off his light blanket and began to rub him down.

Personally, I thought Stewie was prettier than any of my friends' horses. He was almost pure black, with a snip of white on his nose and one of his front fetlocks. He looked great on black and white film and I had dozens of rolls of photos to prove it.

The latte I'd gotten after school had perked me up, and it was a good day: our riding lesson in the outdoor ring, in the sunshine. Stewie didn't even need his usual prodding. His ears perked forward, he responded to my commands like he was actually interested in jumping over low crossrails. Storm, on the other hand, shied at every leaf skittering across the ring, and even Ceci's mount, a horse so trained that I'd heard other riders called it a "pushbutton" horse, got distracted and ran out on one of the fences.

I was feeling good until the ride home, when Ceci turned down Misty Valley Lane.

The fog loomed over my house. The porchlight was all we could see until we got closer. "Ugh," Ceci said, turning on her headlights. Everything had turned gray and bleak. "It's always so foggy down here."

"You have to move out of the swamp," Maddy said, as if this was something I had any control over.

I held my breath as I ran from the car into my house, waving briefly at Ceci's car, which was already driving away. Inside I sealed the door shut against the invading mists and exhaled. The world returned to its normal colors inside, and Betsy was sniffing my boots, tail wagging, and the warm scent of garlic and hot tomato sauce and Mom's favorite folk music coming out of the Amazon Echo surrounded me. I kicked off my boots by the door and headed into the kitchen, where I hopped up on the counter.

"Are we having meatballs? I'm starving."

"Chicken parm," Mom said. "How was riding?"

"Good. Stewie didn't give me any problems today." I knew I needed to ask her about Joey coming over, but that was only going to open the door for a million more questions. It was nicer to sit and listen to music with her, and help her chop vegetables for a salad when she pushed them over to me.

"Do you have a lot of homework?"

I hummed. "Not really."

"Maybe we can have a family movie night, then. After you shower. Dinner's almost ready. Your dad said he'd be back with the twins twenty minutes ago, he better not have been buying them McDonald's—"

Mom was interrupted by the door flying open. Dominick and Cameron stampeded through in their soccer cleats, and then Mom was shooing them out, screeching, "Shoes off at the door! You are not barn animals!" and then "You did not buy them McDonald's. We talked about this!"

"It was only some fries. They were starving!" Dad protested.

I slipped down from the counter and started setting the table. Then, seeing as how Mom and Dad were both upstairs peeling the boys out of their muddy practice clothes, I swept the clods of dirt out of the hallway and took the chicken parm out of the oven when the timer went off.

Outside, the fog swirled at the windows. 

___

I meant to post this last Friday.... oops!  I hope you're enjoying this so far - if you are, please vote and drop a comment!  I'd love to hear what you think :D