The Search for TK Read online

  “It’s not going to help.”

  Kit paused. Why would he say that? “It might have,” she said.

  “I mean the whole idea.” Will seemed to gather himself, as if preparing a speech. “If I were you,” he said in a firm voice, “I would move on. Forget about the past and start fresh.” He nodded as though mentally checking over what he’d said and finding it acceptable. Then he gazed firmly into Kit’s eyes, his jaw muscles tight and his whole body tense.

  “What?” was all Kit could say. Was he for real?

  Apparently he was, though some doubt seemed to creep into his voice as he repeated, “I think you should move on . . . ?”

  “Why are you acting like that?”

  “I’m being decisive.”

  “You’re being decisively annoying.”

  “Yeah, but, I thought —” Will waved his hand around as if trying to catch what he wanted to say out of thin air. “I thought that’s what you needed ‘cause — you’re a girl and all that.”

  “Because I’m a girl?” Kit expected flames to shoot out of her eyes. “I don’t even want to know what that means!”

  At this point, Will seemed so confused that all he did was shrug at her, his mouth opening and closing like a gawping goldfish.

  Kit calmed down. “All I need is a friend. And if I don’t get TK back, I honestly don’t even know if I want to be here.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Will agreed.

  “That I should leave?” With a growl, Kit stalked away. On a good day, Will tended to fumble with words, and Kit usually found it rather endearing, but this — this was way beyond fumbling! He thinks I’m indecisive? He thinks I need somebody to tell me what to do? Because I’m a GIRL? She felt like a teakettle full of roiling boiling water about to let loose with a window-cracking whistle.

  What was Will thinking?

  As the morning wore on, Will felt worse and worse about his conversation with Kit. He was so distracted by it that he almost flubbed up a math quiz, and history class turned into a real trial — Kit was in the same class, and she refused to acknowledge him the whole time.

  What had he been thinking, saying what he’d said to her? Everything had come out wrong! He’d never meant to tell her that she needed someone to make decisions for her because she was a girl. He would never say a thing like that to a girl, especially one as strong and willful as Kit. And when he’d said, “Yeah, you’re right,” he’d been referring to her comment about needing a friend, as in, “Yeah, you’re right, you need a friend, and I want to be that friend for you.” He hadn’t meant she should leave Covington. That was the last thing he wanted!

  He couldn’t have bungled things up more if he’d tried.

  He needed to find Elaine. History class was about to end, and lunch was next. When class let out (Kit swept past him and out the door without a word), he hurried outside. Elaine was probably on her way to lunch, too, so he loitered around the door until he spotted her coming up the path from Rose Cottage, her big tote bag slung over her shoulder.

  He trotted up to her. “Your advice was terrible,” he said in greeting. “I’m pretty sure she’s never going to speak to me again.”

  “What are you going on about?” Elaine asked. Then, “Oh, you got it! ‘Your advice was terrible, therefore she’s never going to speak to me again.’ Very nicely done.”

  No, no, no, she wasn’t following him at all. “I’m serious,” he told her. “I really messed up.”

  “Look, don’t be embarrassed. We’ll get your grades up. There’s no way you’re leaving Covington.”

  A big neon DUH sign flashed in Will’s head. “Ohhhh, you were tutoring me!”

  Elaine gave him a flirty smile. “I know. We get on so well, it doesn’t feel like work to me, either!”

  Will glanced behind him at the practice ring where Kit had appeared to be headed after class. “All right, fine, I just need to —”

  Elaine didn’t give him a chance to finish. She seemed so pleased at how her tutoring was going that she slipped her arm through his, saying, “Dining hall?”— though it clearly wasn’t really a question, as she steered him in that direction.

  Will jerked his thumb back. “Yeah, but I should really —”

  “Work hard to get your marks up?”

  Oh, it was no use. When Elaine got like this, there was no way to stop her, so Will gave up. “Okay, sure. Let’s go.”

  A special introduction was taking place in the practice ring. “Kit,” said Rudy, “this is Coco Pie. Coco Pie, this is Kit.”

  Kit folded her arms and said nothing. She simply stared at the white mare before her, all tacked up and ready to ride.

  Coco Pie swung her head around and blinked lazily at Kit through incredibly long white lashes. She was smaller than TK. She held her head at the same level as Kit’s, and Kit could see right over her back. Her mane was cut short so that sections of it stuck straight up, and her forelock grew thick, giving her a cute blow-dry look.

  “Coco Pie’s a good horse, kid,” said Rudy. “She’s strong, gentle, responsive. And you’ve made so much progress just getting back into riding —”

  Kit knew that her father was trying to help, but he didn’t understand. “It’s not just about riding,” she cut in. “TK and I were a team. You of all people should know that. I’m not just going to jump onto some random horse!”

  Coco Pie made a rumbling noise deep in her chest.

  “No offense,” Kit said to the mare. “You seem nice, and . . . I like your whiskers.” She figured that Coco Pie deserved a compliment. After all, it hadn’t been her idea to get all tacked up only to be rejected by a complete stranger.

  Rudy gave Kit one of his I’m trying to work with you here looks. Kit knew it well. It was the expression he wore whenever he was trying to get her to do something she didn’t want to do. “Let’s say you did find TK,” he said. “Horses cost money. Do you have thirty-five years’ worth of allowance to buy him?”

  Why is he bringing up money? Kit thought. That’s not fair! I don’t have any, and he knows it! “I’d figure something out,” she snapped. She knew she was bordering on disrespect. Her dad was only trying to help her stay in school. Oh, why did everything have to be so hard? “I don’t care,” she said, referring to money and Coco Pie and the impossible reality of her situation. All that mattered was TK. “I’m finding him!”

  Even during lunch, Elaine tutored Will. In her view, his entire future now depended on her. Besides, it forced him to stay with her!

  She carried his plate over to a table, saying, “So you could say that the peanut butter”— she indicated the contents of the plate — “is the conjunction in this sandwich. Why is that?”

  “Um, because it’s sticky?” Will ventured, following behind her like a cute little puppy.

  At least, that’s how Elaine thought of him — an adorable puppy’s personality hidden beneath the surface of one very handsome face. “Yes!” she said happily. “Yes, think of conjunctions as sticky, just like your favorite sandwich filling!” They sat down at a table, and Elaine handed Will his plate. She wasn’t going to eat. She just wanted to watch him.

  Nav entered the dining hall and angrily headed for the buffet table, saying to Josh behind him, “The whole thing was my idea. If you hadn’t jumped in like a china shop full of bulls, I might have gotten somewhere!”

  “I’m just trying to help, roomie,” Josh said.

  “One, stop calling me that!” Nav had had enough. Josh was driving him crazy! “And two, stop trying to help!”

  In his typical overly dramatic fashion, Josh pantomimed getting an arrow to the heart. He jerked back, clutching at his chest. “Ouch, dude! Look, I thought me and you were simpatico, seeing as how we’re roomies and all. . . .”

  There was that word again! Nav clenched his teeth.

  Elaine could hear Nav and Josh arguing, but she didn’t care. What other students did in the dining hall was inconsequential — unless it created a situation that directl
y benefited her. So, ignoring the rising voices by the buffet table, she leaned in close to Will and purred, “I have a surprise for you.”

  “All right, yeah?” Will said, chewing.

  Elaine nearly swooned. All he’d said was “All right, yeah,” but the way he said it made her heart flutter. She had noticed long ago that Will Palmerston never seemed to get nervous or overexcited. He always appeared in control, and she found that very attractive. For example, right now he was staring at her with a stony, blank face. It made him appear terribly manly, and she couldn’t wait to share her big surprise. “Pop quiz!” she announced, holding up a grammar quiz sheet she’d made. It was laminated, of course.

  “You ready?” she asked him.

  “Yeah, great.” Will picked up his empty glass. “Do you mind if I get a drink first?”

  “Sure.” Elaine couldn’t expect the poor fellow to eat peanut butter and take a pop quiz without something to drink, now could she? Besides, this would prolong the moment. She liked doing that, prolonging good moments. Feeling this good could last forever, as far as she was concerned.

  Will reached the buffet table as Josh stomped away from Nav. Will figured they’d had an argument. As he began filling his glass with fruit juice, Nav sidled over to him and hissed, “Why did you trade rooms with him?”

  Will replied, “We made a bet.” Unfortunately, Will had lost that bet. That was how he’d ended up moving out of his nice big dorm room with Nav and moving into a smaller room with world champion snorer Leo Ducasse.

  It had happened like this: During the House Cup competition a week ago, Will had been itching to teach Nav a lesson after Nav had badly insulted him. So he’d specially tutored Josh on his jumping technique, helping him beat Nav in the jumping competition. Josh had done a good job, and Will had enjoyed watching Nav lose quite spectacularly. The downside was that Josh’s price had been a room trade — Josh didn’t like rooming with Leo, either. Thus, Nav had suddenly found himself with motormouth Josh in his dorm room instead of Will.

  “Why wasn’t I consulted in this bet?” Nav asked. “I had a stake in it, surely!”

  Will debated how to answer. He couldn’t tell the truth. If he did, Nav would find out that the whole mess was just a play for revenge. Nav wouldn’t like that. So Will made his response vague. “Well, don’t forget, mate — according to you, I’m messy, and I listen to my music too loud —”

  “That’s nothing compared to that guy!” In a low voice edged with disgust, Nav said, “He does not. Stop. Speaking! Particularly when I want to speak.”

  Will nodded. That sounded like Josh, all right.

  “He calls me roomie or dude,” Nav continued with a snarl. “I’m not sure if he knows my real name!”

  “Oh, now, I’m sure he knows your real name,” Will said with a grin. Seeing Nav so flustered was more revenge, and he was enjoying it. Still, a part of him — a small part, mind you — couldn’t help but sympathize. Josh really did talk a lot. He could probably outtalk an auctioneer.

  “And he won’t stop bragging about the fact that he beat me at the Covington House Cup!” Nav went on. “He has videos!”

  “Yeah, that does sound pretty vexing,” Will admitted. Then he heard something that sounded like plates and cutlery getting pushed around.

  “It does matter!” came Josh’s voice. “It does matter! It does matter!”

  “It doesn’t concern you!” Elaine’s voice countered.

  Will and Josh turned to see Josh fighting with Elaine over — Will couldn’t believe it — the pop quiz Elaine had made for him! Josh was stretching his arms over Elaine’s head to get at it, while Elaine kept a death grip on it, struggling to pull it away. If the thing hadn’t been laminated, it would have been ripped to shreds.

  “And what are you doing with Elaine?” Nav asked Will as they watched.

  That was a really good question, one for which Will didn’t have a good answer. “I’m not really sure,” he said.

  Elaine turned in her chair and hunkered protectively over the quiz paper. “You’re going to break it!” she told Josh.

  “Dude, you can’t break paper! Just let me look at it! C’mon, chill!”

  “But it’s not for you!”

  Will didn’t need this nonsense. He pointed at Nav, then himself, then the door. Nav nodded, and they both sprinted out as the battle for the laminated quiz continued.

  Will and Nav parted ways once they’d escaped the dining hall, but now Will was faced with finding a place to go. He knew that the second Elaine noticed he was gone, she would hunt him down, and he didn’t want to deal with her anymore, not without a break first.

  He ended up charging through the tack-room door and almost knocking his riding instructor off his feet.

  “Whoa!” Rudy cried in surprise, almost dropping the stack of clean saddle pads in his hands.

  “You’ve got to let me hide in here,” Will pleaded. “I just need five minutes without Elaine!”

  That sparked Rudy’s interest. “What’s going on?”

  Will opened his mouth to explain, then debated what to say. Rudy was Kit’s dad, after all. “Okay, so I wanted advice about”— he fidgeted — “a girl . . . that I like . . . but Elaine thinks she tutoring me, and worse, now I think she might fancy me again.”

  Rudy gave him a weird look that looked as if . . . well, Will wasn’t sure what it looked like.

  He blundered on. “Yeah, it gets better, by which I mean it gets worse. So I actually used her advice on . . . the girl I like.”

  “And how did that go?” Rudy asked, setting the saddle pads on a storage shelf.

  “How do you think? I’m hiding in the barn with you.”

  “Does this girl know how you feel?”

  “No. That’s the point. I acted like an idiot, and now she’s never going to talk to me again!”

  The last thing Will expected was Rudy’s response: he chuckled.

  “Thanks a lot!” Will snapped.

  “I’m only laughing because it’s happened to me,” Rudy confessed. He picked up another pile of saddle pads. “I was about your age. Gabrielle was her name. I’d start tripping over myself and forget how to speak every time she was within a mile of me.” He put the stack on top of the others with a soft whump sound. “And do you know why?”

  Will had no idea what this Gabrielle had to do with anything. He shook his head.

  “Because I liked her.” Rudy chuckled again. “That’s just how it works. I don’t know why.”

  Well, what good was that? Will had a crush on Kit and acted like a complete fool whenever he was around her, and there was no way to fix it? That was simply how crushes worked? What kind of lame advice was that? “So what am I supposed to do?”

  “I’d start by being honest with Elaine. You don’t want her to get the wrong idea.”

  “That’s the easy part. What about —?”

  “The other girl? I think I’d start with an apology. After all, you are friends, right?” Rudy put an unmistakable emphasis on the word friends.

  What did he mean by that? “Friends, yeah,” Will agreed.

  “Yeah,” Rudy said. “Friends. For a long time.” He put a hand on Will’s shoulder. “A long, long time.”

  Oh. Will realized that Rudy knew exactly who the mysterious object of his affections was. He nodded, trying to look like he was casually accepting advice when, in fact, he was accepting Official Advice from the Father.

  He had to find Kit right away, but he didn’t know her schedule well enough to know if she had a class right now. The easiest place to check first would be the student lounge, so he headed there.

  The second he poked his head through the door, Elaine said, “Hi!” She was seated at one of the red couches exactly as she’d sat during their first tutoring session. “I thought you’d forgotten about our study date.”

  Which, of course, he had forgotten. But now Will was glad that he’d stumbled into it. As much as he needed to straighten things out with Kit, he als
o needed to tell Elaine the truth. It wasn’t going to be fun, but Rudy was right — it wasn’t fair to let her keep hoping.

  “I was thinking we could try something new today,” Elaine said as he sat next to her.

  “Yeah, um . . .” Will cast a glance around the room. Good, Kit wasn’t there. Funny how he’d come looking for her and now was glad he hadn’t found her. He cleared his throat nervously, wondering how to derail Elaine’s plans without breaking her heart. “Do you mind if I start?” he asked as an idea came to him.

  This seemed to delight her. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises! I just knew once you got into the Whiltshire Study Method, you’d be hooked.”

  Seeing her so pleased made it all the harder for Will to forge ahead. “So,” he began gently, “we’ll go back to Walt.”

  “Okay.”

  “And we’ll say that Walt has . . . a friend.”

  Elaine nodded, entranced.

  “And we’ll call her Frances.”

  “Okay.”

  This was so hard. Now that he knew what was really going on, he could see Elaine’s crush so clearly. Her eyes sparkled with it. Her whole body radiated it. She was so filled with absolute crushiness that Will forced his vision to go out of focus on purpose, so he wouldn’t see the details of her expression when he delivered the blow. “And Frances is really great,” he resumed. “And she helps Walt with all sorts of things, because she really cares about him . . . as a friend.” He tensed, feeling Elaine’s full attention on him like a lead weight on his conscience. “So, to put this properly, Walt . . . likes . . . another girl.” There it was. The blow was delivered.

  It struck home. Elaine looked away.

  Will blinked and brought his vision back into focus, feeling like a coward. Here he was, hurting a girl he did care about, just not . . . that way . . . and he was trying to avoid the consequences. The least he could do was be honest, both with her and with himself. “Um . . . and Walt just wants to make sure that he’s clear about that . . . with Frances.”