BEST ENEMIES
Other books in the
CANTERWOOD CREST SERIES:
TAKE THE REINS
CHASING BLUE
BEHIND THE BIT
TRIPLE FAULT
CANTERWOOD CREST
BEST ENEMIES
JESSICA BURKHART
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN M!X
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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First Aladdin M!X edition October 2009
Text copyright © 2009 by Jessica Burkhart
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Designed by Jessica Handelman
The text of this book was set in Venetian 301 BT.
Manufactured in the United States of America
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Library of Congress Control Number 2009929573
ISBN 978-1-4169-9037-6
ISBN 978-1-4169-9692-7 (eBook)
To Twitter and HorseChick
for pulling a 007
that Bond would envy
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Alyssa Henkin, thank you for always being excited to read the latest adventure with Sasha & Co.
Kate Angelella—the Eric and Sasha date scene is my favorite of the series because of your sparkly note. Let’s discuss.
Thanks to my friends—both online and RL—who cheered me on through this draft.
Ross, thanks for showing me your version of NYC life, which is fast becoming mine.
And, Kate, you already know, but “lifesaver” doesn’t even begin to cover it. LYB!
Finally, to the fans who e-mail me photos and drawings and ask for boy advice—you’re the best!
BEST ENEMIES
1
THE VERDICT
THE LEADER OF THE TRIO STOOD FROZEN IN the doorway of the Winchester common room. I never imagined I’d live to see perfect, fierce Heather Fox looking this way. Her face was pale. Her usually glossed lips were bare and her mascara smudged.
My stomach tightened. The news about Julia’s and Alison’s fate couldn’t be good.
“Heather, what happened?” I asked again. “What? Tell me.” I slid off the couch and stood, facing her.
She walked to the fireplace and wrapped her arms across her chest.
“Heather—” I started.
Her blue eyes were teary when she looked at me. “It’s so awful,” she said. “Julia and Alison. They—” Heather buried her face in her hands and, in that moment, I forgot we were enemies.
“C’mon,” I said. I put my hand on her elbow and guided her toward the couch. I sat beside her, surprised when she didn’t snap at me to get out of her space.
After a few seconds she sat up straighter and began to talk.
“I waited in Orchard for Julia and Alison,” Heather said. “When they finally showed up, they were a mess. They were sobbing. I mean, I could barely understand them.”
“Okay,” I coaxed. “Then what?”
“Julia said that Headmistress Drake called their parents,” Heather said. “She told them that Julia and Alison had cheated on their history exam. Alison said they told the headmistress a million times they hadn’t, but Drake insisted there was proof.”
Heather sighed, rubbing her temples. Whatever she was about to say, I knew it was bad.
Heather took a deep breath, turning to me. Her face was blank. “Julia and Alison got kicked off the advanced team.”
2
PERMANENTLY
I TRUDGED THROUGH A LIGHT DRIZZLE ON the way to my advanced riding lesson the next morning. The dark gray clouds looked as if they’d burst into torrents at any second and all I wanted to do was turn around and climb back into bed.
Thinking about Julia and Alison had kept me awake all night. I’d gone back and forth between feeling sorry for them and being angry. If they’d really cheated then they deserved to be kicked off the team. But did they cheat? My gut said yes.
I ducked into the black and white stable, passing Trix’s stall. The bay mare had her head stuck over the dark-lacquered stall door, probably looking for Julia. “I’ll bring you a treat later,” I promised her.
I pulled open the tack room door. Rows of gleaming saddles sat along the walls and shiny bridles hung from gold hooks. The intricate, ornate details of Canterwood’s gorgeous stable never got old.
Callie Harper, my on-again BFF, stepped out from around the corner. She had Black Jack’s saddle and bridle in her arms. I noticed that she was wearing the new pair of brown breeches we’d picked out of the Dover catalog last week—online shopping had been just one of the many things I’d missed doing together when we’d been fighting weeks ago.
“It’s going to be weird without Julia and Alison today,” she said.
I nodded. “How long do you think they’ll be off the team?”
Callie shrugged, shifting the saddle. “A month maybe? I saw Julia in the Orchard common room right before I came to the stable.”
“What’d she say?”
“Nothing. She looked so mad—like she couldn’t even talk. She just brushed right by me.”
“Can you imagine? They can’t even ride. I mean, what about—”
“The YENT,” Callie said, finishing my sentence. “I know, I was thinking that too.”
“I guess we’ll find out in a few minutes.”
I gathered Charm’s tack and we left the room, splitting up in the aisle. The YENT—or the Youth Equestrian National Team—was the team we’d all been working toward since the beginning of the year. It was part of the most exclusive riding program in the country and only a few new riders were chosen each year. Callie, Julia, Heather, Alison, Jasmine, and I had made it through two rounds of testing for the YENT scouts. Our final test was only five weeks away.
“Hi, Charm,” I said, calling to my chestnut Thoroughbred/Belgian gelding. Charm nickered to me and I reached out to rub his blaze.
I clipped a lead line onto his brown leather halter and led him out of his roomy box stall. He stood still while I attached the crossties. I hurried through grooming him, ready to get to the arena. I wanted to get through Mr. Conner’s announcement and start focusing on what really mattered—the YENT.
I trotted Charm into the arena and joined Heather and Callie, who were already warming up Aristocrat and Jack along the wall. Heather’s seat was stiff and Aristocrat—Heather’s Thoroughbred—jerked his head up and down, seesawing the reins against his neck. Mr. Conner, our riding instructor, walked into the center of t
he arena.
“Please line up in front of me,” he called.
Jack and Charm flanked Aristocrat as we all came to a stop in front of Mr. Conner. He folded his arms and his six-foot frame made him look intimidating, even from my spot on horseback. “By now, I’m sure you’re all aware that Julia and Alison will not be joining us,” Mr. Conner said. “They have been removed from the advanced team. Permanently.”
Beside me, Callie gasped. Permanently. Not a month. Not until fall. But permanently.
Beside me, Heather backed Aristocrat out from between Jack and Charm. She looked at Mr. Conner, her face red. “I have to—excuse me,” she mumbled.
Mr. Conner only nodded and watched as Heather spun Aristocrat away from us and trotted him out of the arena.
Um, wow. No one had ever walked out on a lesson before. But Mr. Conner must have understood how hard this was for Heather—Julia and Alison were her best friends.
“Cheating is not tolerated by Canterwood Crest Academy,” Mr. Conner continued. “And it’s certainly not acceptable behavior for riders on any of my teams. Julia and Alison will not be riding until next January. When they do resume lessons, they’ll be joining the intermediate team. From there, they’ll have to prove that they’re ready to join the advanced team again.”
“But what about the YENT?” Callie asked, her eyes wide. “Tryouts.”
Mr. Conner shook his head. “They are no longer part of the advanced team, so they will not be riding for scouts.”
Charm snorted and stepped back. I looked down and realized I’d pulled on the reins. “Sorry,” I whispered.
Mr. Conner would never change his mind. Julia and Alison’s YENT dreams were officially over for the year. I couldn’t even imagine how they must have felt finding that out.
“Since there are now two fewer riders on the advanced team,” Mr. Conner said. “I’ll be testing two promising intermediate riders within the next couple of weeks. If their tests are successful, they will join the advanced team.”
Eric and Jasmine—it had to be. Eric’s riding improved with every passing week and if Jasmine hadn’t been so forceful with Phoenix during the last test, she would have already made the team.
“I know this is upsetting news,” Mr. Conner said. “But the best thing for us to do is just get back to work. So move your horses out to the wall and do a sitting trot.”
For the next half hour, I went through the motions of the lesson. Charm did his best—like always—but my mind was on Julia and Alison. One stupid mistake had cost them everything.
After class, I handed Charm to Mike—my favorite groom who took care of Charm after morning lessons—and headed out of the stable. On my way out of the stable, my phone buzzed.
Guess what?
Eric—my boyfriend. I grinned when I thought the b-word to myself. It was still totally new to me.
What?
Mr. C wants 2 test me 4 adv team.
I KNEW IT!!! :) Tell me mr ltr!
I pocketed my phone, smiling as I walked. There were so many positive things to think about. My boyfriend was going to make the advanced team—I knew he would. After all Callie and I had gone through, we were BFFs again. Jasmine, even though she was still a threat, was at least on Heather’s radar and I knew that Heather could deal with it. Charm and I were going to practice nonstop for the YENT. My smile faltered when I thought about Julia and Alison.
But they had made their choices, I reminded myself—I had to stay focused on mine.
3
TABLE FOR TWO
I SLID INTO MY TABLE AT THE NOISY CAF AND Eric took the seat across from me. A table for two. We’d finally gone public on Monday after I’d told Callie and Jacob that I was with Eric. Our open BF/GF status still felt a little weird after keeping it under wraps for so long.
“Feels strange without Paige chaperoning, huh?” Eric asked, reading my mind.
I laughed. “My thoughts exactly.”
Paige Parker, my other BFF and roommate, had covered for Eric and me for weeks. I’d kept Eric a secret because I’d been afraid of losing him like I’d lost Jacob—my ex–almost-boyfriend. Heather had almost broken us up, but it had ultimately been Callie who finished the job. She hadn’t meant to, but while things between me and Jacob were at their rockiest, Callie had fallen for him. It had taken weeks for Callie and me to work through it, but now we’d moved on.
Callie was happy with Jacob. I was crazy about Eric. Happily ever blah, blah, blah.
I took a bite of my grilled cheese and looked across the caf. Jasmine was sitting with Violet, Brianna, and Georgia—riders on the eighth-grade advanced team who called themselves the Belles. No one walked too close to that table. Not unless you were one of them. The three girls threw back their heads in laughter at something pretty, dark-haired Jasmine had just said.
I looked away from them, glancing at Eric. Snap out of it, I told myself.
“So, did Mr. Conner give you a testing date yet?” I asked.
“Not yet,” Eric said. “But I hope I’m ready.”
I reached across the table and touched his hand. “You’re ready. And weirdly calm, by the way.”
“It’s all an act,” Eric said, laughing. “I’m actually kind of freaking out.”
I smiled. “It’s too bad you can’t ride for the YENT scouts too,” I said. Eric hadn’t already ridden twice in front of the scouts to qualify for the June YENT trials.
“I guess. But to be honest, I want to spend some time on the advanced team first—if I make it. I’ve got a long way to go before I’d even be ready for YENT tryouts.”
I shook my head. “No way. You’re the best jumper at Canterwood. They’d be lucky to have you.”
“You’re biased,” Eric said with a laugh, popping a French fry into his mouth. “And this is your time. You’re going to be the seventh-grade star who makes the YENT. I’m telling you—I can feel it.”
At that moment I just wanted to kiss him. But people were eating and that would be gross, right? I settled for smiling.
“So… tomorrow,” I said. “You do remember what tomorrow is, right?”
“Tomorrow?” Eric drummed his fingers on the table. “Hmm. Nope. Can’t think of anything going on tomorrow.”
“Eric!” I kicked him under the table. “You remember.”
He gave me a blank stare for a couple of seconds before smiling. “Ohhh, tomorrow. Yeah, now that you mentioned it. I’m going on my first official date with my girlfriend what’s-her-name. Remind her if you see her, okay?”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, whoever she is, I bet she’s superexcited.”
And nervous. And thrilled. And probably won’t-be-sleeping-at-all-tonight.
Heels clicked on the floor and I looked up to see Heather. She didn’t look as pale as yesterday, but I could still see the stress on her face—even concealer couldn’t hide her dark circles. She gave me a half smile and nodded at Eric.
“Finally, Silver,” she said, walking off before I could say anything.
Heather had guessed my secret at Paige’s Teen Cuisine premiere party on Friday. She’d encouraged—and by “encouraged,” I mean “threatened”—me to tell Callie about Eric so I could finally be open about our relationship. The party, meant to spotlight Paige’s new gig as the host of a show on The Food Network for Kids, hadn’t gone at all like I’d planned.
Eric looked at me sideways.
“She actually gave me good advice once,” I said. “Not that I ever admitted that.”
“Admitted what?”
Eric and I finished eating and agreed to text each other later. I was hurrying down the hallway, shuffling through songs on my iPod, when I looked up to see Julia and Alison.
“Stop looking at us like that,” Julia said.
“Like what?” I asked.
Julia tucked a lock of her blond bob behind her ear. “Like we’re losers who cheat.”
I shrugged. “Not that I was looking at you in any way. But you did cheat.”
Alison’s cheeks went pink. “We. Did. Not. Cheat!”
“You never studied,” I said. “Every time we were at the library, I saw you messing around instead of studying.”
“So we didn’t study at the library. So what? You don’t live at Orchard—you wouldn’t have seen the work we did there,” Julia argued. “And why would we cheat this close to the YENT? We’d never mess with that.”
It was just too difficult to believe her. Canterwood classes were beyond hard—no one knew that more than me. If they hadn’t studied enough, it wouldn’t have taken a big leap to believe they’d cheated. And the headmistress had said there’d been proof—so what were we even arguing about?
Julia stepped closer to me when a group of girls walked by us. “You know what? I wouldn’t have cared what anyone thought—but they took riding away from us for something we didn’t do.”
I sighed. “But if you didn’t—”
“We didn’t,” Alison interrupted.
“Then prove it,” I said, walking away.
4
KEYWORD: EMERGENCY
WHEN I GOT TO WINCHESTER LATER THAT afternoon, I dropped my heavy book bag on the floor of our dorm room and went straight to my closet. Paige wasn’t back yet, which was very unfortunate because this was prime BFF/roommate bonding material. I pulled open the doors and started yanking out every possible date outfit. Why was everything I owned suddenly so pathetic and horrible? I tugged every shirt off its hanger, took out all of my shoes, and went through every skirt in my closet. Nothing screamed first date.
The only thing I was sure that I’d wear was my charm bracelet. Not exactly an outfit.
The dorm room door opened. Paige stopped and put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the mess. Clothes were piled on my purple bedspread, over our tiny coffee table, and on my desk.
“Um,” she said, closing the door.
“Paige!” I wailed. “All of this is wrong. Help!”
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