Rudy nodded. The school bell rang, and he called out to his students, “All right, good work today. We’ll talk technique next class.” He headed back to the stables.
Kit walked over to the knot of students and horses. She arrived in time to hear Elaine tell Anya, “Your counter-canter was way off, Patel. You can’t just go and add your own little twist to it like that.”
“But that’s the way I was taught it,” Anya said.
“Well, it’s not the right way. You’d lose points, which would cost us. Everyone has to be perfect. You have to be perfect.”
Kit didn’t like the way Anya slumped in her saddle at Elaine’s criticism, so she blurted out, “You killed that course, Elaine,” hoping that praise would soothe the girl’s ego and make her back off. “You looked good, too, Anya,” she added hastily. “And what’s wrong with her doing it the way she wants to do it?”
“What’s wrong,” Elaine snapped, “is that it isn’t right.”
“Well, I thought it looked awesome.”
Kit had already noticed Elaine’s ability to make anyone she glared at feel about two inches tall. Elaine now turned that glare on Kit. “How could you possibly understand?”
Yup. Kit could practically feel herself shrinking. She turned around and scurried to the stables.
She found her dad in the tack room, lunching on a grilled cheese sandwich. He handed her a plate with another sandwich on it. Kit gave him a hug then accepted the plate and sat down. She took a huge bite and moaned, “This is so good, Dad.” She chewed and swallowed. “It almost makes me forget about all the horse stuff.”
“Tastes like home, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Kit examined the grilled cheese yumminess in her hand. “They only use one piece of bread here, and they call it cheese on toast. It’s just so wrong.” She took another bite and added with a full mouth, “But this is delicious!”
Rudy eyed her carefully. Kit knew he could sense that something was up and was just waiting to hear the details. She glanced away and then at him again.
“I gotta tell you something,” she finally said.
Rudy waited, chewing.
“I don’t think it’s going to work out between me and Covington. Aside from the fact that I have to wear a prison uniform all day, I don’t ride.”
Rudy took a breath as if to speak.
“And I know what you’re going to say: Why not give it a try? Well —”
“Actually, what I was going to say was what you said to me when we first got here. Change is good, even if it takes some getting used to. Remember what your mom used to always say? ‘Whatever you do, do it with all your might . . .’”
Kit finished, “‘Things done by halves are never done right.’”
“That’s the spirit, Kit.”
Kit thought about it. “So I just keep going?”
Rudy sighed. “Yeah.”
Even though he’d just given her a pep talk, Kit recognized the sadness that had crept into his voice. She moved closer to him on the bench and laid her head on his shoulder. “I miss her, too, Dad,” she said softly. She thought that he might say something more, but her dad had never been the kind to talk about emotional stuff, especially if the emotions happened to be his own.
He pulled away from her, kindly but pointedly. “I have to get ready for my next class.” He started fiddling with the papers on his desk.
“Dad?” Kit asked after a moment.
“Yeah?”
“What if I’m . . . scared?”
“Well, you used to be scared of ghosts and brussels sprouts.” He tousled her hair the way he used to when she was a kid. She hated it and made a face, but deep inside her, something cold warmed up a little. She missed her mother so much, and she knew how hard her dad was fighting to stay positive. He had loved her mother with all his heart, and watching him struggle day after day without her by his side often made Kit cry.
But she couldn’t afford to cry anymore. Her dad needed her to do well at Covington, so she would do her best, no matter the circumstances. And she would begin by wrapping up the rest of her grilled-cheese for later.
That was the plan, anyway. No sooner had she picked up a plastic bag to put it in than she heard a nearby horse snuffle. TK was standing in the doorway, which meant that he’d escaped his stall again. “TK? What the —”
He peeked in at her, but something seemed to disturb him. His ears flicked back and his nostrils flared as he backed up the way he’d come, disappearing from sight.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Kit hurried out and found him standing near the stable doorway, ears twitching. “What are you doing out of your stall? What is it? What —”
TK bolted outside.
“No, no, no, no, no!” Kit cried, following him. He was so doggone jittery! What was causing it? “Easy, take it easy,” she told him. He’d stopped in front of the main school building, so she cautiously approached. “What is your problem?” She kept her voice soft and held her arms out to show him there was nothing to be afraid of.
TK tossed his head with another tense grunt.
Kit looked where his nose kept pointing, at her hand — her hand that was still holding the plastic bag. “It’s just a bag.”
TK pawed the dirt, ears flicking back and forth. His tail swished. It almost looked like he was telling her to take the bag away.
Kit stuffed it into her pocket, out of sight. “Look,” she said, holding out her empty hands for him to see.
The nervous glint in TK’s eyes disappeared. His ears swung forward, and he lowered his head. Was he actually apologizing?
“I’m not mad,” Kit assured him, “even though it is your fault that I’m on Elaine’s hit list.”
At that, TK snorted.
“Oh, really? Then you try being the new girl.”
TK nickered.
“You know what? I don’t blame you for busting out.” Kit touched his muzzle. He let out a hot horse-breath sigh as if he liked her touch, so she began to pet him.
What Kit didn’t know was that she was being watched. From the student lounge in the main building, Will, Anya, Josh, Nav, and Elaine were observing the scene. “Spectacular,” Nav said in wonder. “That girl is full of surprises.”
And from her office window up on the second floor, Lady Covington was also watching, her expression one of intense interest.
Outside, Kit wondered what might be TK’s real problem. Why did he always try to escape? I don’t like rules, she thought. What if he doesn’t, either? She decided to remove his bridle. “You know,” she said as she unbuckled the cheek piece, “if I could chew through my rope and wind up back home, I might do it. This place has too many rules.” She lifted the halter over his ears and slid it off his head. The bridle was off. “You good?”
TK grunted, tossing his head as if pleased with his new freedom.
Kit laughed. “You’re welcome! All you had to do was ask. Why is everyone so afraid of you, anyway? You’re not scary — as long as I don’t have to actually ride you. I don’t like the tie, and you don’t like the lead.”
When TK nodded his big head and whinnied, Kit’s eyes grew wide. “Were you just saying yes? When you nod your head like that?”
TK nodded again, then shook his head happily, making his long forelock and mane flop one way then the other.
Kit couldn’t believe it. “I’m talking to a horse! That’s so cool!”
In the main building’s lounge, five students continued to watch the scene. “Whoa, that’s a gift,” Josh said. “Will, even you couldn’t get him to do that.”
“I know,” Will agreed.
Anya just stared out the window in amazement. “That is a gift.”
Only Elaine remained unimpressed. “Would you guys stop drooling over her? That horse is a weirdo and so is she. They’re perfect for each other.”
Outside, Kit was growing bolder. She backed up, then motioned with her hand. “TK, come.”
TK walked to her.
Gleefully giggling, Kit improvised a goofy little dance, sidestepping and bouncing on her toes. “Know what a dance is?” she challenged him.
TK seemed to drink up her happy energy and rocked back and forth, prancing in place. Kit kept hopping and sidestepping, and TK hopped along with her, shaking his head and snorting.
As he did, another secret spectator pushed his Stetson back from his forehead and stared in wonder at his daughter and the dancing horse.
School days at Covington started with homeroom, known as registration or tutor time, when teachers took roll call and made general announcements. When Kit made her entrance to registration the next morning, she was glad to see that Lady Covington was already in the classroom, as was Sally. Most of the other students were in their seats, too. Good, she thought. Everything was in place for her to make her own big announcement.
It was all TK’s fault. He’d given her the idea the day before when they were dancing. During that moment, for the first time since arriving at Covington, Kit had felt free. She had felt like herself, not a confused newbie or a nonriding outsider, but Kit Bridges, daughter of Rudy and Elizabeth Bridges of Montana, U.S.A. It had been wonderful. So she had come up with an idea to keep that feeling.
It was either that or go completely bananas.
“Miss Bridges,” came the headmistress’s voice before Kit even reached her seat. Kit obediently turned around as the head of the school scrutinized her from head to foot. “Are you aiming for a detention?” Lady Covington demanded.
Kit had her speech ready. “Good morning, Lady Covington. According to the Covington Book of Rules and Regulations, I am wearing my uniform to code.”
“That is, however, a boys’ uniform — from the turn of last century!”
That was entirely true. Kit had gotten her hands on a pair of gray pinstriped trousers, a black knit vest, and even a pocket watch, the chain of which hung in a proper loop from her vest pocket. Last, she had fashioned a bow tie in the proper school colors by cutting up her regular tie. She wore her usual white uniform shirt, shoes, and blazer. She thought she looked pretty spiffy, considering.
But that wasn’t the point. They hadn’t gotten to the point yet. “Who’s to say, really, if this is a boys’ or girls’ uniform?” Kit asked.
Lady Covington’s eyes flared. “I’m to say.”
Kit almost withered under that look, but she fought to maintain her courage, knowing that she was in deep now. She had to make her point. All the other students were watching in awe. “Fair enough,” she said. “Would you also say that all your students are great riders?”
The shift in topic came suddenly, but Lady Covington obviously knew the arts of discussion and debate. With a hint of curiosity in her tone, she smoothly replied, “Well, I would certainly say that they’re on their way to getting there.”
“Even though they all ride differently?”
Now Lady Covington was getting miffed. “Your point?”
“I respect that you have your own way of doing things around here, but” — Kit gestured at her roommate — “look at Anya. She rides so gracefully, she’s like a bird or something. Put that with Will’s raw talent and Josh’s determination, and you’ve got a serious secret weapon.” Anya, Will, and Josh grinned in surprise while Lady Covington remained silent, so Kit went on. “Nav sails over jumps like they’re nothing, and Elaine is technically and strategically perfect.” Nav’s face lit up with one of his trademark suave smiles, while Elaine didn’t move a muscle. Kit ran for the finish line: “Mash up those skills, and you’ve got something deadly. We’re all different, and that’s okay. And that’s why I’m wearing this outfit, because . . . I need to be me.”
Kit waited, wondering if the world — her world — was about to crash down upon her forever. She expected Lady Covington to make some kind of response, but of all people, it was Anya who spoke next. “I need to be me, too,” she said, and stood up, looping a red scarf around her neck.
Nav stood up and removed his blazer. “This is a little more me,” he said, still smiling.
At the front of the class, Sally stood still as a stone, her eyes big and round, her eyebrows crawling up her forehead as she regarded her boss. Nobody knew what was going to happen next.
Lady Covington seemed to be holding a formal debate in her own head, herself versus herself. Several expressions grabbed at her features so that it was impossible to tell precisely what she was thinking. She finally let out an infuriated, “Oh!” and stormed for the door. Kit thought she was going to leave, but the woman stopped in the doorway and whirled around to face the class. “Very well,” she stated in a crisp voice. “No detention.”
Kit was sure that the entire class screamed a silent what?
“There will, however, be a new Covington rule book. Posthaste.” She strode out.
The tension in the air popped, with everybody giggling, laughing, and gasping in stunned relief. Sally released the breath she’d been holding in a big whoof sound, giving Kit what Rudy referred to as the you’re lucky to be alive look. Anya patted Kit’s shoulder, and Josh gave Kit a high five. Even Will, who was usually so reserved, grinned at Kit in amazement.
But not everything was grins and cheering. When Kit went to the stables later on, Elaine intercepted her. “Lady Covington never bends the rules for anybody,” she stated flatly.
“She didn’t really bend anything,” Kit said. “I got her on a technicality.”
“Still.” Elaine frowned. “She never gives up that easy. Something’s not right.”
Kit was tempted to respond, but she decided it wasn’t worth it. Besides, she felt good. She had made her point. That’s all she’d wanted to do. She headed for TK’s stall, pulling a fat carrot out of her pocket. It was only right that TK should share in the celebration, after all.
But the stall was empty. “TK?” she called. “You’d better not be pulling another disappearing act on me. We have to take this show on the road!”
There was no response, so Kit headed out into the back courtyard. There she found TK being led toward a horse trailer by a stranger. Her father was there, too. “Dad, what is going on? What is this?”
“Lady C ordered that he be shipped out,” replied Rudy as TK began giving his handler a rough time. He reared up and whinnied.
“Shipped out to where?” Kit asked.
Rudy spoke reluctantly. “Auction. I’m sorry, Kit. It’s her call. I saw you earlier. . . . I know this must be hard, but nobody rides him. And you’ve seen how he behaves.”
“But I can change that! She can’t do this! I won’t let her! Dad, we can’t!”
As if in agreement, TK reared up again, forcing his handler to back away as lethal hooves pawed the air.
Ignoring the danger, Kit stepped over to him, hand held out. TK quieted the moment she touched him. “It’s okay, boy,” she said, stroking his neck as he nuzzled her. How could this be happening? Everything had looked so sunny, and now it was all going wrong! She knew that her dad would fix the situation if he could, but still she pleaded, “Dad, this is the first time in years that I haven’t been afraid of a horse!”
Rudy grimaced, hating his words even as he said them. “Honey, back up. You’re making a scene.”
“I don’t care! I have to do something!”
“There’s nothing we can do,” Rudy said, the pain in his face clear.
“Well, I have to do something!” Kit marched to the base of the trailer ramp and sat down in front of it. “I am not moving until TK is back in his stall. Tell Lady C if you have to, but I am not moving.” Then she folded her arms and lay down on the ground, in the straw and mud, not caring one whit. TK was worth it. He was so worth it!
All she needed was for Lady Covington to understand that.
That evening, the scene outside Lady Covington’s office was not entirely normal. Three uniformed students stood with their ears pressed against the closed door.
“We’re going to get into trouble!” Anya whispered.<
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Nav nodded. “This is breaking at least four rules.”
“Go, then,” Will hissed in irritation. “I mean, if you’re scared.”
That got Nav right where it hurt. “No,” he whispered quickly. “I’m good.”
“I can’t believe Kit just lay right down in the mud!” Anya whispered. “Oh, it must be so shouty in there. . . .”
“With Lady Covington?” Nav shuddered. “Shouting isn’t imposing enough. She whispers, like she’s shooting icicles straight into your soul.”
Will moved closer to the door. “Shhh.”
Inside the office, Kit stood before Lady Covington’s desk, her boy’s uniform caked with mud. Mud was on her hands, in her hair — everywhere.
Seated at her desk, Lady Covington was speaking angrily about that very fact. “And we do not lie in the mud at Covington!”
“It was a protest!” Kit explained. “I didn’t want you to take my horse away!”
“That animal is going to auction whether you lay in the mud or not.”
“But I —”
“An unruly horse in the stable is both a hindrance and dangerous, to say nothing of the fact that no one is riding him.”
“Then I’ll ride him!” Kit blurted out.
Lady Covington almost did a double take. “You’re terrified of horses, and yet you cannot live without the wildest horse in the stable. And now you’re saying you’ll ride him. Why?”
“I don’t think he’s wild,” Kit said, groping to make sense of what she herself had only recently discovered. “I just think he’s misunderstood. Please, give us a chance.”
“He’s had chances, plenty of them.”
“But not with me!”
Lady Covington sighed.
Outside the door, Sally discovered three students in a place where they weren’t supposed to be. “Hello, all,” she greeted them cheerfully. “Waiting to see the headmistress?”
Nav, Anya, and Will spun around. They couldn’t have looked more guilty if they’d tried. “I — I — I was merely passing by. I’m late for tea. Good-bye!” Anya said, and darted away.
Kit Meets Covington Page 4
