14 

SQUIRREL PHOBIA

IT COULDN’T HAVE BEEN A BETTER TIME TO get away from the stable, campus, and, well, everything. Brit and I were quiet as we walked the horses over the grassy space behind the stable and headed for the woods. With every step Charm took, the anxiety I felt about everything going on lessened. Trail riding was one of my favorite things to do, and I needed it before tomorrow, when Jacob told Callie the truth.

“Callie’s a fantastic dressage rider,” Brit said, almost as if she could tell that I was thinking about her.

“She’s amazing,” I said. “She works harder than anyone I know. It was really awful when she didn’t make the YENT at our last tryouts.”

“Well, the way she just rode, I can’t believe she didn’t make it,” Brit said. “What happened?” She shook her head. “Sorry. You don’t have to tell me that. I know she used to be your best friend.”

“No, it’s okay,” I said. “It actually feels good to talk about the situation with someone who wasn’t around when it happened.”

The horses stepped onto the dirt path and I neck-reined Charm, taking in every bit of enjoyment from the ride.

“Callie was the most focused rider ever. Probably in, like, school history,” I said. “We were almost immediate best friends when I came to Canterwood. But …”

Siiigh. I just couldn’t tell Brit about the Jacob sitch yet. It was too risky before tomorrow.

“But,” I continued. “We let a guy get between us and now we’re not friends. Callie sort of lost focus on riding, which had been all she’d cared about, and it cost her a spot on the YENT. It was hard to see her go through that.”

I flashed back to the moment when Callie had left Mr. Conner’s office after he’d told her his decision. Heather and I had been waiting outside the bench, probably both equally nervous to hear the decision. Callie and Heather had never been friends, but Heather knew Callie was a great rider who deserved to make the team despite her mistakes in the days before testing.

“Hey,” Brit said, her voice soft. “Sorry. You look so sad. I didn’t mean to bring up something that made you upset.”

“No, no. It’s not that at all. I was just thinking about how Callie handled it when she didn’t make the team. At least when she tests this time, she’ll know she did everything she could—no matter what happens. Last time, she accepted the decision because she didn’t think she’d been focused enough.”

“That’s hard,” Brit said. “I went through something kind of like that last year. I crushed on this guy in science class and pretty much obsessed about him every second. Instead of practicing like I should have for a big show, I was going to all of his basketball games and hoping he’d notice me.”

“Did he?” I asked.

We both ducked as our horses entered the woods and walked under a low-hanging tree branch.

“I finally went up to him to say hi at one of his games,” Brit said. “And he had no clue who I was. He was like, ‘Don’t we have math together or something?’ I was so embarrassed! We’d shared a science textbook before and he didn’t even remember.”

“You shouldn’t have been embarrassed,” I said. “He should have been for not remembering you.” I sighed. “Boys.”

Brit and I laughed, letting Charm and Apollo pick their pace as they walked down the dirt path. Both horses seemed content with an easy walk, and Charm bobbed his head as he moved.

“I think they’re enjoying the scenery as much as I am,” Brit said. “It’s gorgeous out here.”

“I know—I love it too. There are a zillion trails around here that I can show you.”

Brit grinned. “Awesome.”

Apollo and Charm started down a slight incline, and Brit and I leaned back in the saddle to keep our balance. The dirt path leveled off after a few yards, and now the trees were so dense around us that I couldn’t see any part of campus. I tried to stay relaxed, but my mind kept shifting to Callie and Jacob. There was no way I could predict what was going to happen between them. Part of me wondered if Callie would want to talk to me tomorrow, but the other half felt like she wouldn’t, once Jacob told her that he and I were going to try dating.

A squirrel darted onto the path and then tore off into the brush causing a loud rustling. Apollo snorted, yanking on the reins and crabstepping. Brit pushed her heel into his side, but Apollo took another step sideways and caused my boot to bump against Brit’s. Caught off guard, I steadied myself in the saddle.

“Sorry!” Brit said. She halted Apollo and rubbed his neck. White showed around the gelding’s eyes and his nostrils flared pink.

“Omigosh, don’t worry about it,” I said. “It happens! He’s in a new surrounding, and Charm’s spooked plenty of times.”

Brit took a breath and turned Apollo in a few circles. “Thanks, Sash. I’ll keep a better eye on him. Your leg’s okay, right?”

I waved my hand. “Totally fine. You barely brushed against me. Let’s keep going. The trail gets even better—you’ll see.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to let him think we’re going home because of that,” Brit said. “He’ll calm down again as we keep walking.”

We started the horses forward at a walk and the trail widened. I scooted Charm a few inches away from Apollo, giving Brit extra room in case Apollo spooked again.

“He’s always been afraid of squirrels,” Brit said. “I don’t know what happened before I got him, but he has definite squirrel phobia. How long have you had Charm?”

“I got Charm when he was five, and I’ve had him for about four years. He was supergreen when my parents bought him. During our first few weeks together, I spent more time on the ground on my butt than in the saddle.”

Brit grinned. “I’ve ridden plenty of those horses. But it seems like you guys are bonded now.”

“We definitely are,” I said. “I swear that he knows what I’m thinking sometimes.”

“I feel the same about Apollo. We’re usually so in tune—I should have anticipated his reaction to the squirrel—it all just happened so fast. I’ve only been riding him for about six months, but it feels so much longer than that.”

“Six months?” I couldn’t keep the shock out of my voice. “Are you serious? You guys look as if you’ve been practicing together for years.”

“Thanks,” Brit said, blushing. “I’ve always ridden stable horses and my parents couldn’t afford to buy a horse. We’re leasing Apollo from a girl at my old stable who’s away at college.”

“That’s cool that she let you lease him,” I said. “So do you get to lease him for as long as you want?”

Brit looked at me, sadness in her dark brown eyes. “Probably only until she graduates. Or, if she decides she wants more money, she could sell him. Our lease was for a year, so I could lose Apollo in six months if she ends our deal then.”

I stared at her. “No way. That couldn’t happen. You guys are perfect for each other. I’m sure if she ever decided to sell him that you could talk her into letting you keep leasing him. I mean, you made the YENT with him. And who knows, maybe she’ll grow out of horses. Some people do when they’re in college.”

“Not me,” Brit said. “My dream is to take Apollo with me wherever I go. I’m crossing my fingers that I can buy him eventually.”

I felt for her. It had to be a constant worry if she was going to lose her horse. I’d never had that with Charm.

“I’d keep doing what you are by working hard and proving you both make the best team.”

“That’s all I can do for right now,” Brit said. “I’m grateful every day to have this guy.” Apollo bounced, arching his neck as if he understood her. “Oh, don’t get a huge ego,” Brit told him, laughing.

The trail narrowed and twisted, so we had to ride single file while we talked.

“So we’ve covered how we got our horses,” I said. “What about family? Got any brothers or sisters?”

“Two older sisters,” Brit said. “Ainslee’s a junior at MIT, and Rachelle’s a freshman at CalArts.”

“Wow, they’re both so different. MIT and CalArts—that’s awesome. So you’ve got one sister who’s a math genius and one who loves art.”

“Rachelle’s an amazing painter,” Brit said. “She’s always wanted to live in California. She almost died when she got accepted.”

“I’m awful at math, and I can’t even finger paint,” I said. “So it’ll definitely never be either of those schools for me. I love to read, though. English is my favorite subject.”

“I love books too,” Brit said. “History’s my favorite class. I love my teacher, and I’ve always liked history as long as I don’t have to memorize dates. I’ve got the worst memory with that!”

“Meee too. I’m awful with dates.”

We reached the meadow and had enough room to ride side by side. Apollo seemed much calmer once he was out of the woods and in an open field.

“What about you? Any brothers or sisters?” Brit asked.

“Only child. That’s why I never learned how to share,” I joked.

Brit laughed. “So that’s what your problem was when I asked to borrow a dandy brush the other day.”

We bantered back and forth as the horses walked. It seemed to only take a couple of minutes for us to reach the fence that separated Canterwood property from a neighboring farm.

“We’ve got to turn around here,” I said. “But we can go back a different way that’s out of the woods, mostly, and has a few places to jump. Interested?”

“Um, yeah!” Brit turned Apollo in a circle away from the fence.

“We’ve got tons of room to canter and let the horses stretch their legs after that workout. Charm doesn’t seem tired from the lesson, so I don’t think he’ll mind a few jumps.”

“Same with Apollo. He’s good to go.”

“Follow me!” I said. Leaning forward in the saddle, I ran my hands along Charm’s neck and gave him rein. Charm moved into a smooth canter that carried him with ease over the grass. I could hear Apollo behind us, and I guided Charm to the side of the meadow so he could canter alongside the stone wall. We moved fast past the gray stones with ivy growing over and around them.

Up ahead, I spotted the first of three brush hedges. Apollo’s hoofbeats dropped slightly further behind Charm to give us plenty of room. It was common courtesy and safety in case something went wrong. But Charm was ready for the jumps. He cleared the first brush hedge with barely a pause and cantered for the next. We soared over the second jump, and I heard Apollo and Brit land. Charm pulled against the reins, wanting to go faster, but I held him at the same pace. He didn’t need to get into a bad habit of always rushing the last jump.

Charm didn’t fight me again in the final stride to the hedge. He leaped up and cleared the jump. I knew his hooves didn’t even come close to touching the greenery.

We kept cantering, and a few strides later Brit and Apollo were beside us.

“That was great!” Brit said. “It just feels so good to get out of the arena.”

“I know. I love practicing and we need to for the show, but we already did that today. Sometimes, I really think taking a little time off helps the horses get focused again.”

“And maybe the riders, too,” Brit added, smiling.

“Definitely.”

I looked ahead, making sure I was thinking of the right path. “Okay, so if we trot for a few yards, we’re going to reach the woods. There are a couple of log jumps that Mr. Conner set up and a stream to wade through.”

“Apollo loves water,” Brit said. “I’m totally game.”

We nodded at each other and let the horses trot. Apollo and Charm stayed beside each other until we reached the woods. Brit let Apollo drop back and get behind Charm and me.

Charm kept the same smooth pace as he entered the woods and didn’t shy at any of the kind of scary-looking shadows the trees cast along the path. I gave him more rein and he bounced forward into a canter. But I didn’t let him go too fast—not in the woods. We stayed at a slow pace, reaching the first of two log jumps. These types of jumps always made me a little nervous because they were solid. If I made a mistake and let Charm take off at the wrong time, he could be seriously injured if he hit a log.

But I wasn’t going to think about that. If I got nervous, so would Charm. Staying loose in the saddle, I moved with him and let him head for the log. The giant object loomed before us.

You’ve done this a zillion times! I told myself.

I started counting strides to distract myself from worrying. Five, four, three, two, one, now!

On my silent “now,” Charm lifted into the air and tucked his knees under his body. The second he left the ground, I knew he would clear the log. His timing had been perfect and he’d had the right amount of speed to get over the jump. The log flashed under us and Charm landed on the other side. We kept cantering, and, seconds later, I heard Apollo land behind us. Charm and I cantered around a bend in the trail and the path started to curve. The next log wasn’t as immediately visible as the first.

We rounded a corner, and I spotted the log only strides ahead of us. A soft breeze blew back Charm’s mane as he cantered for the log, not even hesitating. And that was part of the reason I loved Charm—he was a fearless jumper and he trusted me enough to get him over any obstacle.

Leaves and branches swept by my face as we neared the log. At what felt like the right second, I eased my hands along his neck and lifted out of the saddle. Charm pushed off with his hind legs and launched over the log. If Mr. Conner could see this I was certain he’d give Charm’s form a ten.

We landed and I pulled him to a trot, easing him to the side of the trail while we waited for Brit and Apollo. It took them only seconds to reach us, and Brit’s excitement was all over her face.

“That was amazing,” she said. “I love jumping logs—the adrenaline is insane. This is a great course!”

“Isn’t it awesome?” I asked. “I love it. And it’s good for Charm too, to get used to moving from an open field to the woods. He needs the challenge of moving fast then having to adjust to a slower pace when I want him to.”

“Good point,” Brit said. “The horses do have to acclimate to the lighting, the pacing, like you said, and the different footing.”

We eased the horses to walks since we were nearing the end of the ride and neither of us wanted barn sour horses. The stream I’d told Brit about appeared and, just like Brit had said, Apollo stepped right in. Charm followed beside him and both horses seemed to enjoy the coolness of the water against their legs after our lesson and trail ride. I remembered how Charm used to be afraid of water and how Callie had helped me get him past it.

I let the reins dangle from one hand, relaxing in the saddle. Brit kicked her feet out of the stirrups and let Apollo move at a lazy walk.

“What are you doing after this?” Brit asked.

“After Charm’s taken care of, I’m going back to my room to attack the mountain of homework that’s waiting for me. What about you?”

“Same, unfortunately. Want to come back to my room to do homework?”

“Well, I …” I paused. I was hoping Paige would be in our room so we could finally talk about the Callie thing, but even if that didn’t come up I wanted to hang out with her. But she had mentioned that she was hoping to see Geena—and I had to believe she meant Geena—after she did her own homework.

“Let me text my roommate when we get back,” I said. “If she’s not in our room, it would be great to do homework together.”

“Cool,” Brit said.

We finished the walk back and I found my phone in my tack trunk.

R u doing hmwk in r room? I texted Paige.

Nope, decided 2 go 2 Geena’s.

OK—gonna go 2 Brit’s 4 hmwk and c u back in r room aftr.

K!

I put away my phone and called down the aisle to Brit, who had Apollo in crossties. “My roommate’s going to be out for a while,” I said. “So, if it’s still cool, I’d love to do homework at your place.”

“Of course it’s still cool. I know you have to get your stuff, but we can head out together if you want.”

“Definitely.”

I grabbed the dandy brush to brush off dirt that clung to Charm’s legs from the trail ride. It took me a little longer to get his sock clean, but when it was pure white again, I went back to the rest of his coat. It didn’t take much to make his chestnut coat glossy, and he blinked sleepily as I brushed him with a softer body brush. If I allowed him to eat while I groomed him, he’d let me brush him all day. But food was his top priority.

I finished grooming him, mucked his stall, and gave him a flake of hay. His water bucket was full, so he was set for the night.

“Okay, boy,” I said. “I had so much fun with you today. You were perfect, and I’m so proud of you.”

Charm let me kiss his muzzle, then I turned him loose in his stall. Like always, he went straight for his hay net and had torn a mouthful of hay from the flake before I’d even left the stall.

I shook my head, laughing, and gathered his tack. Brit and I ran into each other in the tack room, and we put away our horses’ stuff. We left the stable and headed for our dorms.

“I’ll grab my homework, change, and meet you at your room,” I said.

“Cool. See you in a few.”