After dinner, Ron helped carry plates to the sink and offered to wash.
“Okay, thanks,” Pam replied. “I’ll dry.”
“I guess I’ll go to my room and work on homework,” Sierra stated, watching how her mom smiled at Ron as she handed him the dish soap and dishrag.
“Kitten, you can work at the table here,” Pam assured her. Sierra and her mother usually worked on homework together, either at the kitchen table or snuggled on the sofa in the living room.
“S’okay,” Sierra answered, and fled to her room. The thought of sitting at the table with that man next to her mother at their kitchen sink was somehow unbearable.
*****
16 School’s Out, Summer’s In
A man on a horse is spiritually, as well as physically, bigger then a man on foot. – John Steinbeck
*****
April and May passed in a flurry of busy activity as Sierra juggled her time at the stable with her increased schoolwork as finals approached. The playful Saturday with River when they had bathed Storm, was the last full weekend they had together. Tess had him out competing every weekend, pushing him to qualify for preliminary level this season. He needed four qualifying rides at training level before he could move up, and she had entered him in two trials in April that involved traveling a longer distance than normal for the Pegasus team. The only other weekend in April she had him compete in a dressage show which took him away most of the day on Sunday.
In spite of his inexperience in competing, River placed first in all his classes.
The Pegasus team competed at their first event of the season, the first Saturday in May. Sierra rode novice level on Minstrel, and the other three girls rode training level.
For their first time out together, Sierra was very pleased with Minstrel and happy when they placed fourth. Minstrel went clean cross country and in stadium jumping, but his dressage score had not been very good. She had received many of the same comments given to them at the dressage show. Maybe she would ask River to give her a few lessons on Minstrel instead of Fiel, and work on some of her problems.
Katrina and Calliope placed sixth, and again it was their dressage score that brought down their points, for they had also finished clean in cross country and stadium. Gloria did not place at all. She actually finished with a better dressage score than Katrina, but Silver had trouble with the training level heights of up to three feet, three inches, and the more difficult combinations. He had one refusal cross country and took down two rails in stadium jumping.
Crystal and Diva came away with a solid first place win. Diva carried her rider flawlessly through the dressage test, and clean over the jumping courses. Crystal was unbearable; flaunting her trophy and reiterating how well she had done. Sierra listened quietly, amazed at how she gave very little credit to her horse, who was the true champion of the day.
River did not compete at the May show for he had ridden Moose the prior weekend, and Tess agreed Moose needed at least two weeks off between events. But he was back out the following week at another distant show, and again placed first. He needed only one more qualifying ride and Tess would push him up to preliminary. In only two months, River had earned a reputation as a formidable competitor, and the local eventing community had their eyes on him.
*****
May passed into June and Sierra’s freshman year wound down to an end. The hallways resonated with the gossip of proms and parties and end-of-year pranks. Sierra tuned it all out, concentrating on preparing for final exams or else thinking dreamily of riding after school.
Her interest in gossip did perk up when Katrina rushed into the cafeteria one lunch period and dropped her backpack on the table where Sierra and Allison were sitting.
“Did you hear about Crystal?” she asked as she slid into a chair.
“What?”
“She broke up with Justin. Stuart Kincaid asked her to the junior class prom!”
Allison smirked and said, “Score for Crystal.”
Stuart Kincaid, a tall, husky jock, was the school’s sports star, having outshone even his senior teammates in football, basketball, and now track. What a boost to Crystal’s status to be going out with him. “Yeah, first prize,” Sierra added her own sarcastic comment.
“Justin is in so much trouble,” Katrina continued divulging the gossip. “He was going to get suspended but since it’s the end of the year, he’s going to have to go in for detention during the summer school session. And he’s off of all sports next year.”
“What did he do?” Sierra asked.
“Some kid finally had the guts to turn him in for using that electric shock thing he has.”
“Good for whoever that was,” Sierra stated with a feeling of vindication.
“But what really got him in the most trouble was he went into some kind of frenzy in the parking lot and he slashed the tires of the kid who turned him in, and also the tires of Stuart’s car, and someone saw him. What an idiot!”
Yes, Justin is an idiot, Sierra thought to herself. But he is also dangerous. She wondered if Stuart would be as willing as Justin to assist Crystal in plaguing her enemies.
Sierra figured the best way to deal with Crystal was to keep out of her sight, and she often went out of her way to avoid her. Since the prom and her reconciliation with River, Crystal had glared at her with an iciness that penetrated the space between them. But so far she had done nothing worse than make derogatory remarks about her at school.
Luke still called Sierra at least once a week, and it was not too much of a surprise when he asked her to the spring ball, the last dance of the year for freshmen and sophomores. She was more surprised when Billy Bruber, the boy who had plagued her with his unwanted attentions in eighth grade, summoned his courage and called to ask her to the dance. But what really amazed her was when David Schulman, a freshman boy that shared many of her classes, cornered her in the hallway and suggested they go together. Sierra politely declined all invitations. None of those boys attracted her and she didn’t want to waste her energy going through the stress of a date.
Sierra and Allison studied together in the library and a few afternoons the week before finals. They both finished their freshman year in the academic top ten of their class.
*****
The back seats of the school bus were traditionally taken by the tougher kids of school, which was another way to say the losers, River always thought. He hunched into the corner of the last seat, gazing out the window. The kids around him left him alone. No one dared bully him.
River had been going to school with most of the same kids since the fourth grade when he came to live with his father and aunt. The bullies had quickly identified River as an outsider who was hurting; something bullies are keen at sensing. They started teasing with name-calling and then with minor torments such as tripping him on the playground or stealing his lunch sack. After three weeks, River put an end to their harassment. One day after recess when everyone had returned to their seats, River got up from his desk and deliberately walked over to the toughest of his tormentors and punched him as hard as he could in the face, giving him a bloody nose. Of course he was sent to the principal’s office and he had to stay in at recess for a month. But that incident earned him the reputation as tough and crazy and nobody bothered him after that. A few other fights where he was the aggressor confirmed his reputation, and throughout grade school, middle school, and now in high school, he was still known as the messed up, crazy kid who could be dangerous. That suited him just fine because that meant they left him alone. He had not been in a fight since sixth grade.
He knew he was different. He didn’t like the things normal kids enjoyed or liked to talk about. Television annoyed him, he didn’t like to read, he didn’t like to play games, and he thought most sports were boring. He had never had a friend his own age. Once in awhile he did enjoy a movie at a theater, which had a whole different feel from watching on a television set. He loved listening to music. Other than that, his lif
e centered around horses and his only ambition had been to quit school as soon as he turned sixteen, and work full time at a stable or the track. He didn’t care about money and would have been content to work as a stable hand, groom, exercise boy, or whatever for the rest of his life…so he thought.
But inside his backpack was his preliminary grade report. For the first time in his school history he had passed all his courses with at least a C grade, and most of them Bs. He even had one A in metal shop. Okay, so he had repeated his freshman year since he had missed the last weeks of school last year when he ran away, but now he was a full-fledged sophomore. Maybe he wasn’t quite as stupid as he had always thought. Maybe João had been right.
He had Laila to thank for his grades. With her teasing and coaxing, and using her body as motivation, she had kept him at his studies. He loved her for that and his heart was full of gratitude. He was proud of what he had accomplished, but also harbored some shame that Laila was the one who had managed to force him to study rather than João, who had wanted so badly to help him. He just hoped that maybe João’s spirit might know and be proud of him…and his mother too.
Now, he seriously considered the possibility of taking advantage of the college fund João had left him. Could he possibly handle the studying required to be a veterinarian? He knew he would like that work. He thought about Sierra and smiled to himself at the memory of them talking about a partnership. What if..?
Well, he would have to deal with his father.
Ever since Cray had discovered his son had a talent with horses, he had used that to his advantage. A year after bringing River to live at his aunt’s house, he sent River to work at Pegasus Equestrian Center in exchange for reduced board for the few race horses he had in the off season. Cray decided that River should quit school as soon as he was legally able and work with him at the track. Cray would no longer have to hire a groom or exercise boys, and if River’s talent extended to training race horses, he might even make him a partner.
River had always agreed with the plan for it was the easiest way to deal with his father. Perhaps at one time he had seriously considered it. But River knew the last thing he wanted now was to spend any time around his father, least of all work for him. Since his sixteenth birthday last January, his father had been pressuring him to quit school but River had pleaded to at least finish out the school year. Cray had reluctantly agreed, but River knew he expected him to start working for him this summer and not return to school in the fall.
No, I won’t do it.
The bus pulled up to his stop and River shoved his way past the two losers on the bench seat next to him, ignoring their glowering looks. He jumped off the steps and jogged along the gravel road that took him to his aunt’s house. Storm bounded out of the barn to meet him, her tail wagging wildly as she jumped around him, expressing her extreme happiness that he was finally home.
“Hey, girl.” River greeted her with pats on her head and the two hurried up to his room where he dropped his backpack happily onto the floor; won’t be needing that for three months. With a sense of freedom, River quickly changed into work clothes and he and Storm retraced their steps back outside to head to the stable. He looked forward to telling Sierra that he had passed all his classes. And later tonight he would tell Laila. Laila had graduated, but not being one to participate in school activities, she had said she would pick him up tonight and they would go somewhere to celebrate.
As River stepped out of the barn, a red Camaro pulled into the driveway and parked. River recognized his cousin Warren, Steve’s older brother, as he got out of the driver’s side. Steve and two girls also climbed out of the car, carrying grocery sacks. They were all laughing and talking in loud voices, a party happening. River noted sardonically how both girls had their eyes on Warren.
Warren possessed the dark good looks of the Blackthorns; tall, muscular, and very fit. He wore a pair of camouflage fatigue pants and a tee-shirt with Ranger printed on the back. He walked with a swagger and exuded an aura of ‘don’t mess with me’. Steve, who might have been considered good-looking, was in contrast scrawny in build and had the sallow complexion of one who over-indulges in drugs and alcohol and rarely goes outside in daylight. Too bad for the girl who gets stuck with Steve, River thought with spiteful humor.
River smiled and waved a greeting. He liked Warren who unlike Steve, had always been friendly to him and had even intervened a few times when his father was on a drunken rampage. Warren had been arrested two years ago for some sort of brawl in a bar, but somehow had managed to enlist in the army rather than go to jail. The army suited him; especially since he had been accepted into Ranger training, and he now planned to stay in the army as a career. River guessed he must be home now on leave.
Warren waved back and called out,” Hey, cuz.” He never stuck ‘gay’ in front of the word the way Steve did. “How’s it going?”
“Good, how about you?”
“Never better. Come on in and have a drink. We’ll catch up.”
“Later, I’m on my way to work, but thanks.”
Warren nodded and then put his arm around one of the girls who had sidled up to him, and they went inside the house.
*****
17 Training Level Event
At its finest, rider and horse are joined not by tack, but by trust. Each is totally reliant upon the other. Each is the selfless guardian of the other’s very well-being. – Author Unknown
*****
“Are you ever going to talk to River?” Katrina asked. It was the first week of summer vacation and Katrina had been coming to the stable every afternoon to ride Calliope.
“I guess I kind of forgot about it,” Sierra admitted.
“Please, Sierra.”
“Okay, I’ll ask him today,” Sierra promised. They were leading Minstrel and Calliope to the mounting block at the back field. Sierra was happy to have Katrina as a friend, someone who shared her love of horses. But when Katrina was around, River would find things to do elsewhere. Sierra preferred to ride with River and was beginning to dread a summer in which she would be torn between her two friends.
They rode together on a long loop of the trail with intervals of trotting and galloping. Then after untacking and rinsing the sweat off their horses, they led them to the field to hand graze while they dried off.
“I’ll hold Minstrel for you if you go ask him now,” Katrina offered. “I saw him working Penny in the indoor arena.”
“Okay,” Sierra agreed and handed Katrina Minstrel’s lead rope. She might as well get it over with. “I’m not promising anything.”
“All I ask is that you try.”
Sierra went to the observation platform of the indoor arena and watched River schooling Pendragon. They were working on canter pirouettes, a movement required at the fourth and higher levels of dressage. Penny blew through his nose in rhythm with his collected canter as River brought him onto a smaller and smaller circle until he appeared to pivot around his deeply flexed inside hind leg in a half turn, or pirouette.
“Bien,” she heard River murmur, and then he brought Penny down to a working trot, giving him the reins to allow him to stretch his nose forward.
“Was that a good pirouette?” Sierra asked, once he transitioned to a walk and as he passed by on the rail. Sierra had learned not to say, ‘that’s awesome,’ or ‘beautiful’, because often River would laugh and then tell her all the things that were incorrect.
“Yeah, I’m happy with it for now,” River answered. “We lost the rhythm on the first one but his second pirouette was better...still lost impulsion though.”
Sierra accompanied River to the crossties asking questions about pirouettes. He answered willingly, always more verbal when it concerned horses.
“I have to ask you a question,” Sierra began.
“Yeah?” River stood up from removing the wraps from Penny’s legs.
“Katrina has been begging me to ask if you would consider giving her lessons.”
; “No,” River replied emphatically. With Penny untacked, he clipped the lead rope to his halter and led him to the wash stall with Sierra trailing along.
“Um, why not?” she persisted.
“She takes lessons from Tess.”
“She’s figured out what I have about Tess’s style and she is not happy.”
River turned on the water and gently hosed the sweat from Pendragon. Sierra waited. Satisfied that he was rinsed off well enough, River shut off the water and sluiced the excess off of Penny with a sweat scraper. Sierra folded her arms and set her jaw. Finally River turned to face her. “Sierra, giving lessons is not what I want to do.”
“Oh. So, giving me lessons..?”
“You deserved lessons and Tess was going to make you wait,” River explained. “Besides, helping you doesn’t feel like…well, with you it’s just different.”
The way he said that made Sierra feel like she was different in a good way, and suddenly she felt herself blushing. She ducked her head quickly. “Thanks. I guess I’ve never really let you know how grateful I am.”
“Yes you have.”
“River…” Sierra looked up. He smiled and she smiled back. “Thanks. Okay, I promised Katrina I would ask you; so now I’ve asked. I’ll just tell her you said no.”
“Good…and is she going to hang around here all summer?”
“What have you got against Katrina?”
“She’s Crystal’s friend.”
“Not anymore. Haven’t you noticed they’re not hanging around? Crystal hates her.”
“Oh.” River thought for a minute, scrunching his brow. “I hadn’t really noticed.”
“Katrina told Crystal that you ride better than her and that she should listen to you.”
The Boy Who Loves Horses (Pegasus Equestrian Center Series) Page 17
