BEFORE LUNCH, I WALKED THE CROSS-COUNTRY course with Heather and Mr. Conner. Pacing cross-country was superimportant. I had to know the course to get Charm safely over the jumps. It had also given us a chance to estimate our time and figure out where we could shave off seconds. Unlike show jumping, nicking a jump didn’t equal a penalty. But refusing, taking a jump out of order, going in the wrong direction, or falling were all chances for penalties or elimination. If you rode over the time limit, that also meant faults.
Afterward, Callie and I grabbed lunch and brought it back to the stable to eat. I was starving—and I hadn’t even had a chance to talk to Mom and Dad until now.
“Way to go, honey!” Mom said, handing me a pink blanket from her oversize bag to sit on.
“Thanks, Mom,” I said, taking the blanket and spreading it in the empty (and clean!) stall. I looked up at her over the stall door and wondered if this was what Charm felt like when he was in his stall. It felt cozy and private and the walls kept us away from the madness going on in the stable.
“I heard you did great too, Callie,” Mom said.
Callie beamed. “Thank you!”
I devoured my turkey sub and then started on my chips.
“Where’s your mom?” Dad asked Callie, peering into the stall. A hunter green Canterwood Crest sweater peeked out from Dad’s leather jacket.
“She’s on the phone outside the stable, telling my dad about the show.”
Callie had been a little quiet since we’d started eating, but she looked relaxed now.
“We took so many pictures,” Dad said, brandishing his camera. “These’ll look great in the Silver family newsletter!”
“Da-ad.” I shook my head, but Callie laughed and I couldn’t help smiling.
“We’re going to get lunch with the other parents,” Mom said. “But we’ll see you out on the cross-country course.”
Dad popped his head farther over the door and took a final picture of us.
“Dad!”
“Going, going,” he said.
I turned to Callie, who was finishing her plain hot dog. She hated all condiments.
“Can you believe we both won?” I asked.
Callie snorted. “Actually? Yeah. We practiced really hard. When’s your next class?”
I checked my watch. “An hour. I’ve got to tack up and get over there soon. You?”
“Thirty-five minutes. It’s hunter hack—with Alison.”
I redid my bun and winced when the bobby pins poked into my scalp. “I’m with Heather this time.”
“Isn’t Jasmine in that class, too?”
My nose wrinkled at the sound of her name. “I
think so.”
If I lost to Jasmine, Heather would kill me.
I balled up my sandwich bag and frowned. “She’s probably ticked that we’re doing so well.”
“I hope so!” Callie wiggled her eyebrows up and down and we giggled. Finally, she took a deep breath and stood up. “I’m going to head over. Good luck.”
“You too.” I stretched out on the blanket while I finished my drink. The soda bubbles helped to soothe my stomach.
I decided that this was just what I needed—a moment to myself. I’d been running around since four this morning from grooming, calming Charm and helping Mr. Conner. I just needed to shut my eyes for a second. …
“Sasha! Sasha!” Mike stood over me. “Wake up! You start cross-country in twenty-five minutes!”
“What? Oh, my God! I fell asleep!” Charm wasn’t even tacked up—now I’d be late and miss my class! I’d blown it!
Who falls asleep in a STALL?!
“Take it easy,” Mike said. He offered me a hand and pulled me up. “Charm’s ready, but you need to go grab Heather and take your horses to the warm-up ring. Mr. Conner will meet you over there in a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Mike!” I left him and found Doug holding Charm at the end of the stable. Doug handed me my protective vest and I buckled it on.
Charm and I hurried to Aristocrat’s stall. I looked over the red stall guard and saw Aristocrat was untacked.
“What are you—” I started. Then I saw it. Something was wrong with Aristocrat’s coat.
Greasy liquid dripped off Aristocrat’s coat and fell to the ground. Clumps of sawdust were rubbed into his coat. He looked like an oil slick!
“Oh, my God,” I said. “What happened?”
Heather whipped around and the dripping cloth she clutched splattered oil onto the stall wall. “Jasmine happened!”
“No way,” I said.
“I know it was her—this is totally her M.O.,” Heather said.
I stuck a tacked up Charm in the empty stall next door and came back to Heather.
“She did this because of me,” I said. “You stood up for me and she oiled Aristocrat. I’m so sorry.”
Aristocrat had his head down. He flicked an ear dejectedly at the sound of my voice.
“Poor guy,” I said. I rubbed his cheek—the only part of him that wasn’t oily. He squeezed his eyes shut and let me pet him.
Heather shoved a handful of towels in my direction. “Help me get this off! I can’t wash him—it’s too cold. If I don’t get to cross-country, I’m out. I’m NOT going to lose because of Jasmine King!”
I started sopping up the oil from Aristocrat’s coat. If I’d been like Heather, I would have laughed and headed for cross-country, leaving her to deal with her mess. After what she’d done with Jacob, she deserved it. But I couldn’t. She was still my teammate and I couldn’t bail on her like that.
For ten minutes, we used dozens of towels and mopped the oil off Aristocrat’s darkened coat. Soon, we had a pile of dirty towels at our feet and Aristocrat didn’t look so slippery.
“We’ve got to go,” I said, looking at my watch. “Can we tack him up?”
Heather took one last swipe over his barrel and nodded. “We have to try.”
She tossed an absorbent saddle pad over his back. Together, we lifted the English saddle and set it down on top of him.
“The girth won’t slip, will it?” I asked.
Heather shrugged. Oil speckled our arms and we had sticky sawdust on our sleeves. At least the judges wouldn’t be able to see that on the cross-country course.
Heather tightened the girth and reached up to tug on the pommel of the saddle. The saddle didn’t slip.
“I think we’re okay,” Heather said. The color started to return to her face. She slipped the bridle over Aristocrat’s head and I grabbed Charm from his stall. We shoved on our helmets and tightened the straps on our cross-country protective vests.
We led them out of the stable and mounted. The horses moved into a trot and we hurried toward the warm-up arena.
Heather looked over at me. “Thanks,” she said.
“Sure,” I said, surprised.
When we reached Mr. Conner, he put his hands on his hips and stood between our horses.
“Where were you?” he questioned.
“I’m so sorry. I fell asleep and—” I started
“Well, Aristocrat got dirty—” Heather said at the same time.
He shook his head and put up a hand to stop both of us. “Never mind. Let’s go or you’ll both be late. Remember what we talked about? Absolutely no rushing. These jumps are solid. I’d rather have a safe round with a slower time than have you be reckless. Got it?”
Heather and I nodded. Mr. Conner was right—risking an injury to win wasn’t worth it.
“Head over there and I’ll meet you in a few minutes,” Mr. Conner said.
Heather and Aristocrat trotted forward, leaving me behind.
“I can’t believe we made it,” I said. Charm’s ears flicked back at my voice.
“Silver, be quiet,” Heather said. “I’m trying to concentrate on visualizing the course.”
“Sorry.”
The cross-country area had been roped off so spectators wouldn’t wander into the riders’ paths. Judges were stationed around the course, usually out of the rider’s eyesight. Half of the battle of cross-country was staying seated. The other half was enduring the grueling jumps and making good time.
Charm and I would go before Heather and Aristocrat. I rode Charm in serpentines while we waited for Mr. Conner. While Charm moved, I tried to visualize the course. What did I do about the bank jump? Did we canter fast or slow up to it? I looked for Mr. Conner, but he wasn’t here yet. What if he didn’t make it before I went? Something could have come up at the stable. I started to ask Heather, but she was deep in concentration, tracing the course in the air.
Charm was sensitive to my moods. If I got upset, it would make him jittery. Over the hill, I saw Mr. Conner’s head. I flopped onto Charm’s neck with relief.
I trotted Charm over to Mr. Conner.
“The bank jump,” I squeaked. “I’m really nervous about it. Slow or fast canter?”
“Sasha, you know Charm,” Mr. Conner said. He blinked against the strengthening sunlight that peeked from behind a cloud. “Trust him. Don’t start second-guessing yourself.”
“So, a slow canter? Or fast?” I grinned when he laughed.
“Try a slow canter and if you feel short on time, fast will be okay.”
“Number 56, you’re on deck,” called the announcer. That was us!
“Okay,” Mr. Conner said. “You’re on. Good luck, take your time.”
I mounted Charm and nodded to Mr. Conner. “Thank you.”
Charm trotted calmly into the starting box. The crowd stirred behind the ropes, but I pushed them out of my head and listened to Charm breathe. I put a bit of pressure on the reins and leaned forward slightly. My knees tightened on the saddle. “You can do this, Charm,” I whispered. “Let’s go get ’em.”
Booong!
The deep-toned bell sounded. I pulled the reins to the right and dug my right heel into Charm’s side. With moves worthy of a barrel horse, he whirled around and cantered forward. We always had to start backward or Charm would bolt forward like a racehorse. We went through the yellow ropes that held back the crowd and headed for the first jump—a stone wall. Charm cantered strongly toward the three-foot high wall and leaped over the gray stones. The red flag was on our right, so I knew we’d at least taken the first jump in the right direction.
Charm snorted, tugging at the reins, and picked up his speed as we cantered over several yards of grass before approaching a brush fence. He hopped the fence and we entered the woods.
“Easy,” I said. I slowed his pace a fraction so I could peek at my watch. Right on time. We swept down a winding trail littered with acorns and flashed by a judge. Sunlight cast strange shadows in the woods—I’d have to make sure none of the shadows spooked Charm.
We thundered over a log jump and soared over an old park bench with peeling red paint. Charm cantered on flat ground out of the woods. His breathing quickened and his coat started to darken with sweat. I checked his stride and slowed him as we cantered up and down several rolling hills designed to test his endurance.
We hit flat ground again and cleared a picnic table. Charm was doing amazing! He was sweating and blowing a bit, but he didn’t hesitate before any jump.
“We’re almost there, big guy!”
The bank was next. Charm dug deep and found an extra burst of speed. I leaned back in the saddle as we cantered down the embankment and the creek rushed at us. The fast-moving water foamed as it rushed around rocks and surged around a bend. Three, two, and over! I squeezed with my knees and Charm lifted over the water and scrambled up the other side, which was torn up and muddy from horses who had stepped in the water.
We turned and cantered in a half circle. I lifted slightly out of the saddle to take pressure off Charm’s back and to give him a break. The final three jumps popped into view. “Just a little more, boy,” I said, glancing down at my watch. We’d lost a couple of seconds in the woods and needed to get over these fences and gallop to the finish line. “Ready to finish this?”
Charm stretched his neck and his legs struck the ground faster. “Let’s go!” We cantered over a metal gate, a water jump and were strides away from the trakehner. The trakehner required the horse to trust the rider. This jump had two rustic rails in front of a wooden ditch that looked like a coffin. A ditch was one jump that usually caused the most run-outs or refusals, so Charm had to believe I wasn’t going to let him fall into the scary box.
Charm’s rhythmic strides pounded the grass. I shoved my heels down into the stirrups to help my balance. The reins rubbed against the sweat breaking out Charm’s neck despite the cold. The rubber grips on my gloves kept my hands steady on the reins. We had seconds left on the clock, but I wasn’t going to push him. He’d done too much for me to force him to rush to the last fence when he was exhausted.
Charm’s body didn’t even tense before the trakehner. He tucked his knees and arched over the rails and the ditch. “Good, boy!” I leaned forward and kneaded my hands along his neck. Charm’s mane whipped in my face as he flattened into a ground-eating gallop and powered over the finish line.
Charm was giving his all for me. I thought of the sound his heart had made when I’d listened to it with the stethoscope. My horse had the biggest heart here.
Our time flashed on the board. We were two seconds off the maximum time, so that meant we’d racked up .8 of a penalty. Not bad for our first go at regional-level cross-country.
Heather trotted Aristocrat over to us. I hopped off Charm and loosened his saddle. “Nice job,” she said. She gave me a half-smile. “That’s a great score.”
“Thanks,” I said, leading Charm forward and away from the course. “You up soon?”
“Three riders to go and then me,” Heather said. “You should come back and watch.”
I turned back and nodded. “Maybe I will.”
Charm nickered tiredly as we walked away from the noise. White foam had formed around his saddle pad and the corners of his mouth were flecked with froth. His chest was darkened with sweat. He kept his head low.
“You were amazing, boy. You did everything I asked.”
“Sasha!” Dad called as he and Mom caught up with us. “We were in the crowd by the picnic table. That was amazing, sweetie!”
“I was watching with my eyes half closed,” Mom added. “That was a big jump!”
“Charm did all of the work,” I said. “He deserves a long rest.” Mom rubbed Charm’s neck and took his reins so I could lean into Dad. My legs were wobbly. I couldn’t even imagine how tired Charm felt. I knew our time hadn’t been fast enough to earn a ribbon, so I’d leave Charm at the stable when I went back to watch Heather ride.
“Excellent ride,” Mr. Conner said, stepping beside me. He had a light blanket folded over his arm. He shook it out and put it over Charm’s back. “Get him untacked, cooled, and check his legs for heat. I’m going to Alison’s class, but call me if you need to. Make sure you take Charm to the vet box.”
Half an hour later, Charm was cool, dry, and taking a few slow sips of water under the watchful eyes of Mike.
Julia and Alison walked Trix and Sunstruck around the yard to cool them down after their class.
“Hey!” I called as Callie walked over. She and Jack were done for the day, but she had to untack him and assist Mr. Conner.
“Alison got first in her class and Julia got second,” Callie whispered.
“Really? Wow!” I said.
“I know! You going to watch Heather?”
“I’m on my way right now,” I said.
“Call me if anything happens.”
“I will.”
I left Callie and headed toward cross-country. I weaved through the crowd of people with umbrellas, blankets and lawn chairs.
When the bell sounded, Aristocrat shot out of the starting box. Heather guided him easily over the stone wall and they disappeared into the woods. I walked through the grass and found a clear spot near the course’s end. I plopped onto the cold grass and drew my knees to my chin, snuggling into my coat.
While I waited for Heather and Aristocrat to finish the course, I texted Jacob.
First place!! :o) I typed.
A second later, my phone chimed.
Told you! Congrats!!!
I wanted to break into a nerd dance. Three exclamation points.
It didn’t take Heather and Aristocrat long to emerge from the woods. When they raced toward the finish line, I knew their time had been waaaay faster than Charm’s and mine.
Heather guided Aristocrat over to me after his vet check and we waited for the judges to announce the winners.
“Good ride,” I said.
Aristocrat’s sides heaved as Heather walked him in circles.
“Thanks.” Heather took off her helmet and snapped it onto one of Aristocrat’s stirrup irons.
“How sad that you’re still here,” a voice snipped.
Heather and I turned. Jasmine had one hand on her hip and the other on Phoenix’s reins. I’d missed her ride when I’d been cooling Charm.
“You really think you placed, Heather?” Jasmine asked. “At least Sasha was smart enough not to even bother bringing her nag for the ribbon ceremony.”
I’d had it. She could insult me, but no one dissed Charm.
“Charm is NOT a nag!” I yelled. “Don’t ever call him that again. I’m not like you. I wouldn’t push him or risk an injury to win.”
“Please,” Jasmine said. “He’s just a horse.”
“Well, I bet my horse beat yours,” Heather interjected in a sweet voice. “But you totally helped me.”
“What?” Jasmine narrowed her eyes.
Heather stepped closer. “The oil you put on Aristocrat helped us glide over the course. Right to the blue ribbon.”
Jasmine’s mouth opened and closed.
“Thanks for that!” Heather chirped with a giant smile.
Jasmine pulled Phoenix away to wait.
“And now, the ribbons are to be awarded for cross-country,” the announcer said.
“Third place goes to Abigail Hille on Orbit, for Priestly Day School,” the judge announced. A short girl on a leggy mare accepted her yellow ribbon.
“Second place goes to …” Heather and Jasmine glared at each other. “Jasmine King on Phoenix, for Wellington Prep.”
A smattering of applause broke out. Jasmine tugged poor Phoenix forward and snatched the red ribbon from the judge’s hand. She crumpled it into her hand and disappeared off the course. I blew a silent breath of relief.
I stuck out my hand by my knee and gave Heather a low high-five.
“Our first-place rider is Heather Fox on Aristocrat, for Canterwood Crest Academy,” the judge said.
“Congratulations!” I said.
Heather smiled and patted Aristocrat’s neck. They headed up to the judges. The judge held out a hand to Heather. She shook his hand and returned the smile. Heather took the ribbon and held it in front of Aristocrat. The gelding lowered his head and nosed it.
A grin crept over my face. Heather did deserve to win cross-country. Sure, after the show, everything would go back to normal between Heather and me. But at least we’d pulled it together for today. For Canterwood.
The rest of the results went up on a wooden announcement board. Charm and I had snagged fifth place. Not bad!
“Excellent, excellent job, girls,” Mr. Conner said. He smiled at us, but his attention was on Aristocrat. “Let’s get him cooled. When you’re finished, I want you to come out by the van, okay?”
Heather and I nodded. Mr. Conner walked off and we followed behind him. I was just glad Jasmine was gone. She made even Heather look nice. I never wanted to see her again!
“Sorry your mom and dad couldn’t come,” I said to Heather as she led Aristocrat back to the stable.
“Whatever,” she snapped. “I didn’t want them here anyway.”
“Oh,” I said, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut.
“But I’m glad I won,” Heather said, her voice softer now. She straightened and looked at me. “I proved to my dad that I don’t need him in my face to win. I win because I’m good.”
The last sentence could have sounded cocky or like Heather was bragging. But she wasn’t. She was good. The moments when she acted like a human and not an Ice Queen were few, but it gave me hope. Maybe we had a shot at being civil to each other more often.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “We were both good today.”
With that, we walked in silence the rest of the way to the stable.
The Canterwood riders were officially dirty, cold, and ready to go home.
“Bye, Mom and Dad,” I said, hugging them one last time.
“Great job today, honey,” Mom added.
“We love you,” Dad said.
I waved as they headed for the car.
Callie’s mom, as pretty as Callie with her same dark features and long eyelashes, hugged Callie again.
Heather stood off to the side while Mr. Robb kissed Alison’s forehead and Mrs. Myer practically crushed Julia with her enthusiastic hug.
The horses were bandaged, blanketed, and ready for the trip back to Canterwood. I knew Charm couldn’t wait to get back in his old stall and sleep. We were both taking tomorrow off and I’d hand-walk him on Monday instead of riding him. He’d worked so hard and I wanted him to get enough rest.
The five of us gathered around Mr. Conner.
“You’ve all done well today.” Mr. Conner smiled. “Several other instructors noticed your rides and commented to me that I’ve got a strong, capable team.”
We looked at each other.
“I’ve kept this quiet until now, but during midwinter break, I’ll be overseeing an intensive and exclusive clinic at Canterwood. Various instructors from other top schools in New England will be teaching different areas in the clinic. Competitive riders from other schools will be staying at Canterwood for the clinic. Only a few select riders will be offered slots.”
Callie and I eyed each other.
“I want to extend seats to the five of you and your horses. If your parents agree to allow you to spend midwinter break at Canterwood, I’d love for you to attend.”
“What?” Alison said. “No way!” Julia clasped her hands.
“I take it that you’re interested, then.” Mr. Conner smiled.
“I’m in!” I said. No way Mom and Dad would say no. Charm and I would learn a million things from the clinic!
“Me too!” Heather added.
Julia and Callie nodded.
“Good,” Mr. Conner said. “Talk to your parents and get their permission. It won’t be an easy week, but you’ll learn a lot. Let’s load these tired horses so we can get them back home.”
I went to Charm’s stall and clipped a lead line to his halter. “You did great today, boy,” I said. I stroked his blaze and rubbed his neck. “Change of plans for midwinter break. I won’t be going home and you won’t be eating all day and hanging out with Jack.” Charm gave me an evil eye. “But I’ll be staying with you and we’ll be riding in Mr. Conner’s clinic.”
I leaned into Charm and he bumped me with his muzzle. I kissed the end of his blaze and hugged him.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and peered at the lit-up screen. Paige!
“How’d you do?” she asked. Her voice was squeaky.
“First in show jumping and fifth in cross-country,” I said proudly.
“Sash! That’s great!”
“I’m really excited! Plus, guess what?”
“What?”
“Mr. Conner invited the Trio, Callie, and me to a clinic at Canterwood. Charm and I are staying on campus for midwinter break!”
“Wow!” Paige squealed. “That’s awesome. But it figures.”
“I was going to stay on campus for break, but I can’t now.”
“Why?”
“Because … I got a call today from The Food Network for Kids!”
“No!” I screamed. Charm cocked his head toward the phone. I held it close to his ear so he could hear, too.
“Yes! I got it! I’m the new host of Teen Cuisine!”
“PAIGE! OMIGOD!!”
“I have to go to New York City over break and tape the shows,” Paige said. “That’s why I can’t stay on campus.”
“That’s the best reason EVER,” I said.
Paige laughed. “We’ll have to celebrate double victories tonight.”
“Get the movies ready,” I said. “And the chocolate. And the chips.”
After we hung up, I took Charm’s blue ribbon from my coat and pinned it on his halter. He’d want to wear it on the van ride home just in case Aristocrat gave him a hard time.