Best Enemies

by Jessica Burkhart

  Jasmine, obviously having had enough, pulled Phoenix forward and led him out of the arena.

  Callie and I traded looks—this incident would clearly require several hours of discussion.

  “Sweet Shoppe?” I whispered to Callie.

  “Given,” she said.

  I led Charm over to Luna. Eric loosened her girth another notch and smiled when he saw me.

  “Callie and I are going to the Sweet Shoppe after this,” I said.

  “Cool,” Eric said. “Text you later.”

  “Sounds good,” I said.

  Callie and I groomed Jack and Charm and washed up in the Sweet Shoppe bathroom afterward. I watched as Callie expertly applied a layer of shiny pink gloss.

  “You didn’t used to be so into makeup,” I said.

  Callie glanced at me. “Yeah. I guess I didn’t. But I like it now.”

  Because of Jacob, I almost said. But I knew that would have been the wrong thing to say.

  We walked out by the counter and scanned the rows of treats behind the glass.

  “I’m feeling donuts,” I said.

  “Me too,” Callie agreed. “Glazed and chocolate.”

  “And that’s why we’re friends,” I said, giggling.

  Minutes later, we were eating donuts and sipping pink lemonade at a corner table. I noticed that Callie’s eyes were glued to the tabletop.

  “What’s up?” I asked. “You okay?”

  Callie picked at her donut and finally glanced up at me. “There’s so much going on right now,” she said.

  “You mean with riding and finals?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said. “And everything else.”

  I put down my glass. “Everything else?”

  “Jacob, I guess. I want to do things with him, too, but we’re both so busy. Riding takes up so much time. I mean, I love it, but I also wish we had more time to hang out before summer.”

  “I get why you feel that way,” I said. “But Jacob understands. He knows this is a huge opportunity. And things aren’t always going to be like this—you’re not going to be practicing for the YENT forever.”

  Callie nodded. “True,” she said. But she didn’t seem convinced.

  23

  SO BEYOND PIZZA PARTY

  ON SATURDAY MORNING, ERIC AND I MET UP for breakfast at the caf. He’d taken my order and brought us both plates of steaming hot blueberry waffles with whipped cream and giant glasses of OJ. He put down our plates and sat across from me.

  “It’s like our last meal,” I teased. “The last weekend before finals.”

  Eric groaned. “Don’t remind me.” He took a bite of waffle. “I’m trying to forget the fact that we’re about to go to the library to study for endless hours.”

  I ate a forkful of whipped cream. “And I’ll probably be there tomorrow too. And every day until Friday. But then…”

  “It’s over,” Eric finished. “You’ll be trying out and making the YENT. And I’ll be there cheering you on.”

  After breakfast, we went to the library and piled our books on top of a corner table and started studying. Eric quizzed me for bio and then it was my turn to test him on every detail about William Shakespeare.

  “Date of birth?” I asked.

  “1564,” Eric said.

  “Married to…”

  “Anne Hathaway,” Eric answered without pausing.

  I flipped to another page. “Those were too easy. Let me find a hard question.” I scanned Eric’s notes. “Okay. Name three plays.” I held up a finger. “Not including Hamlet.”

  Eric shook his head. “You call that a challenge? Twelfth Night. Othello . And…” he paused.

  “And?” I prompted.

  Eric’s eyes went to the ceiling. “King Lear!” he said finally.

  We studied together for a couple of more hours before my brain went fuzzy. “I’m done,” I said. “Brain. Hurts.”

  “Mine too.” Eric closed his book.

  “Just in time for my last film class. Mr. Ramirez is showing a couple of his favorite movies.”

  “Oh, right,” Eric said. “Weird that he’s doing that on a Saturday.”

  I paused. Should I tell him it was a party and Jacob would be there?

  “Well,” I said. “It’s instead of a final, remember?”

  “Oh, that’s cool,” Eric said.

  I pulled my strawberry banana Lip Smacker out of my purse and applied some. “Yeah, and… it’s a pizza party.”

  “Fun,” Eric said. He stuffed his books into his bag. “Way better than a final, that’s for sure. See you later?”

  “’Kay,” I said. “See you later.”

  I peered at my reflection one last time before heading to film. I’d picked out a summery white skirt, a pink tank, and white zip cardigan with silver sandals. I ran my fingers through my flatironed hair and fastened my small, silver hoop earrings.

  Paige smiled when she saw me. “Wow. You look amazing. That outfit is so beyond pizza party.”

  I frowned and looked in the mirror again. “It is?”

  Paige nodded and sat on her bed. “In the best possible way!”

  I picked up my purse and dropped my phone inside. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

  “Wait,” Paige said. She ran over to my desk and picked up my charm bracelet. “Want this?”

  “Definitely. I can’t believe I forgot it.” Paige fastened the bracelet to my wrist.

  I walked down the hallway, shaking my head. I’d never forgotten that bracelet. Especially not since Eric had given me my new charm.

  The common room door opened and Jasmine walked out into the hallway. She stopped, staring at me.

  “Date with Eric?” she asked, sounding bored.

  “Maybe.” Like I was going to explain to her where I was going.

  “Because you need to be aware of how dressy-slashhideous those clothes are,” Jasmine said. “Poor Eric.”

  “Whatever.” I brushed past her and walked outside. On my way to the media center, someone familiar walked a few feet in front of me.

  “Jacob?” I called.

  But he didn’t turn around. I hurried to catch up. “Jacob?” I called again. This time he stopped.

  “Oh, hey,” he said. His gaze was friendly and he stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

  Neither of us looked at each other as we walked.

  “I’m kind of sad this class is over,” I said. “Are you?”

  Jacob nodded. “Me too. Mr. R. is a cool guy.”

  I wished it could just be like this—friendly and not weird the way it had been. I couldn’t help but smile at him.

  When we got to the media center, he pulled open the door for me and we went into the theater together. The scent of pizza filled the theater.

  “Mmmm,” I said. “Pepperoni.”

  Jacob grinned and sniffed. “And Hawaiian.”

  Mr. Ramirez had a table set up along the wall and pizza boxes lined the tabletop. Jacob and I grabbed paper plates and I piled mine with three slices of pepperoni. We grabbed cups of soda and started toward our seats.

  “Oh,” I said, stopping before I started down our row. “I guess we don’t have to sit together anymore.”

  Jacob shrugged. “I’m sitting in my old seat.”

  “Okay,” I said, following him. “Me too.”

  We took our seats and started eating while Mr. Ramirez set up the film. I glanced at Jacob a couple of times. Something had changed. He’d shifted away from me and wasn’t talking anymore.

  The theater darkened and I took another bite of pizza. The movie, a comedy I’d never heard of, was hilarious and in five minutes, Jacob and I were laughing. I almost spilled my soda on my skirt and Jacob caught my eye and made me laugh harder. After the movie ended, Mr. Ramirez played a half-hour documentary about aspiring young filmmakers.

  “I’m glad I took film,” I said to Jacob as the credits rolled.

  “Me too. I’ll be quoting film lines all of the time now,” he said.
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  I looked at Jacob, pausing. I was sad that the class was over, but there was something else too, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

  “I hope everyone had fun tonight,” Mr. Ramirez said from the front of the class, pushing up his glasses. “Because I’ve truly enjoyed having you all in my class. Even if you never take another film class, it’s my hope that you’ll look at movies with a new appreciation.”

  I nodded. That was a given.

  “If you’d all come up to the table beside me, I have something for each of you.”

  Jacob and I were among the first ones at the table. Mr. Ramirez reached into a black box and pulled out a DVD case. “Here, Sasha. Thank you for taking my class.”

  I took the plastic case from him and looked at it. Mr. Ramirez handed the next one to Jacob. Horse Sense by Sasha Silver and Jacob Schwartz was typed on a DVD jacket. I opened the case and a disc was inside. Mr. Ramirez had made us all copies of our student films.

  “Wow!” I said. “Thank you so much.”

  He smiled. “I want you all to be proud of your films and keep working on your talents.”

  “Jacob, isn’t this—” But I stopped short when I saw that no one was next to me. Jacob was already gone.

  24

  DID THEY OR DIDN’T THEY?

  BY SEVEN THIRTY ON MONDAY MORNING, Paige and I had been up and studying for hours. Our room looked like Office Depot. Pens, highlighters, notebooks, and paper clips were everywhere. My math final was today and Paige had English.

  “We’ve got this, right?” I asked. I started to rub my face with my hand until I saw the pen marks and highlighter streaks on it.

  “Totally,” Paige said. “We’ll do great. And we’ll keep counting them down till Friday.”

  We gathered our things and left for class. When I took my seat in the classroom, I took a shaky breath and gripped my pen with sweaty fingers. Ms. Utz, my math teacher and guidance counselor, passed out testing booklets. She towered over the class—all six feet of her.

  I smiled at the memory of the first time I’d heard about Ms. Utz and her championship wrestling career. Jacob had told me. That day in Utz’s office was the first time I’d ever spoken to him. His warnings about Utz had made me less nervous about deciding my schedule.

  And I’d given a similar warning to Eric when he’d transferred to Canterwood this semester.

  “Does everyone have a test?” Ms. Utz asked.

  We nodded. I turned on my calculator and sat up straighter.

  “Then you may begin,” she said.

  I opened the test booklet and started solving for x.

  After school I changed into my riding clothes and started toward the stable. Afternoon riding lessons were never mandatory during midterms or finals, but Mr. Conner had to know that none of us trying out for the YENT would take a break.

  I texted Callie. Made it thru final. U?

  Me 2. Won’t b @ stbl 4 1 hr.

  C u then.

  I texted Eric next. U riding now?

  Can’t. Got paper 2 write.

  Good luck!

  I grabbed Charm’s tack and saw Alison and Julia grooming Trix and Sunstruck in the aisle. Julia’s short blond hair was pushed back with a skinny plastic headband—something she’d never be able to wear if she was riding.

  “Hey,” I said. “How’s it going?”

  Julia rolled her eyes. “How do you think it’s going? We’re stuck missing the YENT tryouts because of something we didn’t do. So, Sasha, not so great.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “I was just asking.”

  Alison flicked a purple body brush over Sunstruck’s shoulder. “It’s just a little hard to watch you, Callie, Heather, and Jas get ready for the YENT when we can’t.”

  “If you really didn’t do it, I’m sure you’ll find some way to get back on the team,” I said.

  “Are you going to talk to us all day or are you actually going to ride?” Julia snapped.

  Alison shot me an I’m sorry look behind Julia’s back.

  I walked away from them and tacked up Charm. I hugged him before I got into the saddle, taking in his sweet scent of hay and grain.

  “I’m really, really nervous about tryouts,” I whispered to him. “You think we can do it?”

  Charm looked at me, then rubbed his head on my arm, leaving white hairs on my blue sleeve.

  “Thanks,” I said, rolling my eyes. “My shirt needed something extra.”

  I started to lead Charm toward the outdoor arena, then changed my mind. I turned him and we went to the smaller back arena instead. I warmed Charm up by walking and trotting him around the arena for a few minutes before starting figure eights. I maneuvered him through the pattern and then switched to spirals. Charm moved well under me and it made me a little less nervous about Saturday.

  Callie and Jack walked around the side of the stable and Callie waved at me. She mounted and I stopped Charm so we could talk.

  “Did you see Heather on your way over here?” Callie asked.

  “No. Why?”

  “I saw her a minute ago,” Callie said. “She was on the phone and holding Aristocrat. She looked really upset.”

  Her dad, I thought.

  “Julia and Alison are in the stable,” I said. “I’m sure she’ll talk to them if something’s up.”

  “Right. You ready to work?” Jack shifted under Callie and pawed the dirt.

  “Ready. Let’s do it.” We let the horses trot and spent an hour working them through different patterns.

  “Do you think Julia and Alison will find a way to make it to YENT tryouts?” I asked Callie when we stopped for a break.

  “I don’t know. They’ve worked so hard—I hope so. But it doesn’t seem likely. They’d have to prove they didn’t cheat.”

  I still wasn’t sure. But the more I talked to Alison, the more I thought they might be innocent.

  25

  SNARKY NEW CATCHPHRASE, ANYONE?

  TODAY WAS SCARY FINAL DAY FOR ME.

  Biology.

  If I didn’t pass biology, it wouldn’t matter if my YENT tryout ride was flawless. I had to get good grades. I turned away from the classroom door and leaned against the wall, squeezing my eyes shut and taking a deep breath.

  “You okay?”

  When I opened my eyes, Callie and Jacob were standing in front of me.

  “Oh, yeah,” I said. “Just getting ready to take my bio final.”

  Callie stepped closer to me, shifting her books from one arm to the other. “You’re going to do great. I know it. Don’t be nervous.”

  “You’ll ace it,” Jacob said. “You studied a ton.”

  “Right,” I said. “True. Feeling less hyperventilate-y now. Thanks!”

  They laughed as I walked into the classroom, feeling better. I sat down and took out a pen and paper. Jasmine walked by me, letting her big fat Coach bag bump against my shoulder.

  “Oops,” she said. “Sorry.”

  Right.

  I ignored her and watched Julia and Alison take their seats in front of me. Neither girl turned around. My phone buzzed in my bag. Oops—that needed to be on silent. I leaned down to check my text.

  U will rock it. G luck!

  Eric. I turned down my phone and put it away.

  “Getting last minute help?” Jasmine asked, turning to me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Puh-lease. Who’s texting you definitions for the test?”

  I glared at her. “Excuse me? I can look at my phone whenever I want. And FYI, the texts have nothing to do with bio.”

  “Sure, Sasha. Not that you’d ever even be able to pull off a Julia-and-Alison.”

  Julia and Alison turned around and stared at Jas. “A what?” Julia snapped.

  “You know what you did,” Jasmine said. “We all know.”

  Julia’s face reddened. “You don’t know anything! And if you ever say that again, I’ll—”

  Julia closed her mouth when Ms. Peterson walked into the r
oom. She eyed the four of us and Julia and Alison turned back around in their seats.

  Ms. Peterson handed everyone in the front row a stack of test booklets to pass back. I pushed up my sleeves, ignoring my slamming heartbeat.

  “Please open your test booklets and begin,” Ms. Peterson said.

  I flipped the page and stared at the first question. What does DNA stand for? Four choices. A, B, C, D. I filled in the bubble next to B, Deoxyribonucleic Acid, and went to the next question. I moved quickly through the multiple choice questions, determined to at least guess for a shot at credit if I didn’t know the answer. Forty minutes later, Ms. Peterson cleared her throat.

  “Pens and pencils down,” she said. “Please make sure your name is on your booklet and pass them forward.”

  I handed my test to Julia and ran through answers in my head, trying to think if I’d missed anything. But there was nothing I could do now. The test was over. After all of the papers were turned in, I gathered my stuff and left. On my way out, I texted Eric.

  Done! B @ stbl in 25 mins.

  Already here, he texted back.

  When I got to the stable, I hurried down the aisle and found Eric grooming Luna. He smiled when he saw me.

  “How’d it go?” he asked.

  “Not bad,” I said. “I know I missed a few questions about cells, but I can’t think of any sections I totally bombed.”

  “That’s great.” Eric said. “But now I’m really going to test you.”

  “Oh, you are?”

  “Yep. I’m going to coach you on show jumping and you can work with me on cross-country.”

  I nodded. “Deal. But FYI, all of your finals are going to be easier than the course I’m going to make you jump.”

  Eric held back a laugh. “Go get Charm—I’ll be ready in ten.”

  “You’re on.”

  Exactly ten minutes later we were on horseback and heading to the outdoor arena. Mr. Conner had set up a new course with a couple of difficult combinations and I was ready to try it. Eric and I warmed up the horses and looked over the course.