What’s her deal asked the Latina girl with bushy hair glancing back over the seats at Hanna and not appearing to care that anyone else could hear her She hasn’t said a word since we left the airport The redhead with the upturned nose shrugged She’s probably messed up As if everyone here wasn’t messed up in some way thought Hanna Par ents didn’t send their kids to Quartz Creek Ranch for fun It was rehab for struggling youth as the brochure had put it Without using the word rehab of course But Hanna wasn’t a struggling youth Okay so she’d made some bad judgment calls She cer tainly didn’t deserve being banished like this Six weeks in the dead heat of summer in the middle of nowhere Colorado You’ve always liked horses Hanna her mom had said as she filled out Hanna’s application for rehab camp even attaching a pristine school photo in the top corner Horses You should be happy Learning to ride will be great for your posture They’ll teach you discipline and manners You could use some of those The van took a sharp right turn and Hanna grabbed the ripped seat back for balance At least 3
there was one rule about this place she liked par ents couldn’t call or write letters Kids couldn’t even bring phones or computers with them Quartz Creek Ranch was a no-contact zone for a whole six weeks Like going to Antarctica This is Bridlemile Road said Madison ges turing out the front window to the gravel road that ran between a row of trees and a glittering creek Named for Will Bridle’s great-grandpa Mr Bridle’s family has ranched on this land for generations Fletch followed up with a few jolly honks of the van’s horn Hanna closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat Maybe this whole thing could be all right she thought Maybe her mother sending her off to this remote place could be cool as long as she was left alone to enjoy its natural beauty By herself Alone Maybe the horses were optional Soon the van stopped and Madison bounded off to open the gate for them Through the windshield Hanna could make out a sign erected above it QUARTZ CREEK RANCH The letters were smoky and black ened around the edges like a cattle brand 4
Once the van had passed through the gate Madison closed it behind them and hopped back in You may think Disneyland is the most fun place on Earth she said conspiratorially but it doesn’t hold a candle to Quartz Creek The girls at the front rolled their eyes and laughed to each other As the van drove by horses trotted up to the fence on the other side of the creek snorting and swinging their heads Hanna’s chest tightened at the sight of them Ooooh said Frizzy-Hair Girl I hope I get to ride that pretty black one Right they’d expect Hanna to ride here The tightness in her chest dropped into her stom ach Those weren’t six-inch-tall plastic critters with painted-on manes like the hundreds of toy horses she’d amassed on her bedroom shelves as a little girl the ones that had made her mom think the ranch was a good idea No Out in the field stood real living breathing horses a thousand pounds each and all of it hooves and muscle Even if Hanna could get on a horse she’d never be any good at riding She’d end up thrown and trampled and her mom’s long list of 5
ways Hanna hadn’t lived up to her expectations would grow longer Soon the van pulled into a driveway and parked in a lot in front of a big ranch house Hanna waited until she was the last one in the van before departing with her backpack Fletch was waiting for her as she came out the sliding door You okay he asked when he saw her face Of course she wasn’t okay She could be hanging out with her friends back home swimming in the neighborhood pool going camping with her dad and getting ready for track season Instead she was stuck here for six weeks Fine Hanna said I’m fine Fletch tilted his head his hat almost slipping off his short hair All right well head on inside the house Hanna He said her name like he knew her like they were friends already It made her happy and sad all at the same time because she knew she’d disappoint him as she always disappointed everyone else 6
