CHAPTER 4
The next morning, Molly woke up stiff and sore. Her muscles ached so much that it hurt to even brush her teeth. After she got dressed, she limped into the kitchen. Her family was already at the table.
“What’s wrong?” Mom asked. She poured Molly a glass of orange juice.
“My whole body hurts,” Molly moaned.
“That’s because riding uses muscles you haven’t used before,” her father said.
“No pain, no gain,” Ken added. “That’s what my football coach always says.”
“My next lesson is in two days,” Molly said. “How can I ride if I can hardly walk?”
“Take a hot bath after school,” her mother suggested. “That might help.”
“How did the riding go yesterday?” Dad asked.
“It wasn’t what I expected,” Molly said. “I thought I could just hop on and gallop off, but riding a horse is harder than it looks.”
Her mother gasped. “Did the horse try to run away with you?” she asked nervously.
“No!” Molly said. She rolled her eyes and laughed. “The horse I rode only has two speeds. Slow and very slow.”
“Good,” Mom said, looking relieved. She paused. Then she said, “I know we’ve always said you have to finish what you start, but we won’t be mad if you want to quit riding.”
“Quit? No way!” Molly exclaimed. She ached all over, and old Casper was slow, but Molly was already in love with horseback riding!
* * *
On the way to school, Molly started worrying. She wanted to ask Kari to come along to the next lesson, but Molly was pretty sure Kari had been bored during the riding class.
What if Kari didn’t want to go again? Molly knew that riding wouldn’t be as much fun without her best friend.
Molly didn’t say anything about it until they sat down for lunch. Then she asked Kari, “Are you busy Saturday?”
“I don’t think so,” Kari said. “Why?”
“I really want you to come to my next lesson,” Molly said. “It’ll make me less nervous if you’re there.”
Just then, Gabrielle and Lily walked by with their lunch trays. They stopped and looked at Molly.
“You’ll never learn to ride on that old horse you were riding yesterday,” Lily said. “He’s so old I bet he can’t even stand up for ten minutes at a time.”
The insult made Molly mad, but she didn’t want Lily and Gabrielle to know. “Casper is quiet and calm,” Molly told them. “That’s why he’s good for beginners.”
“Young horses can get too excited sometimes,” Kari said. “Sometimes they act up and buck or run away. Casper is a dependable horse.”
Molly blinked. When did Kari become a horse expert? she wondered.
“Good point, Kari,” Gabrielle said. “It’ll be a long time before Molly can handle a show horse like Rebel Wings.”
Gabrielle’s horse, Rebel Wings, was a junior jumper. Jumpers had to get over fences without knocking down rails. Points were taken off if a rail fell. Points were called faults, and a round with no faults was perfect. If more than one horse had zero faults, the fastest horse won.
Lily laughed. “There’s no way Molly would ever be able to ride Jubilee,” she said meanly.
Lily’s horse, Jubilee, was a junior hunter. Hunters had to get over the jumps and mind their manners. If a hunter bucked, it didn’t win.
“We’re riding in the Bay Meadows Junior Horse Show next week,” Lily added.
“That sounds like fun,” Molly said, “but you’re right, Gabrielle. Rebel Wings is too nervous for me. I’m working really hard, though. I want to ride as well as you someday.”
Molly could tell that the compliment surprised Gabrielle. Gabrielle just opened her mouth and then closed it again. Finally, she just mumbled, “Thanks.”
Lily and Gabrielle walked away. Then Molly looked at Kari and asked, “When did you learn so much about horses?”
“I listened to everything Ms. North told you,” Kari said. “Riding is a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.”
Molly grinned. “Does that mean you want to ride?” she asked.
“No!” Kari said loudly. She shook her head. “Absolutely not. But I will go to your lesson on Saturday.”
“Great!” Molly said. But she was starting to realize something. Kari, who was usually not afraid of anything, was afraid of horses!