The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

  DAYS TILL CLINIC: 1

  DAYS SINCE CALLIE HAS STOPPED BEING MY BFF: 3

  SUNDAY TV WAS THE WORST. PAIGE HAD LEFT for NYC two hours ago and I’d been flipping through channels and trying to distract myself. Nothing worked. Not even Animal Planet.

  Even Eric was probably home by now. I wished, once again, that he was on the advanced team. With Eric around, I wouldn’t feel so alone.

  I considered my options. I could go groom Charm, but then I’d probably run into someone I didn’t want to see. And what if Charm was still being bratty? I couldn’t handle that today.

  I flopped onto my stomach on my bed and sighed. When my phone started buzzing on the table, I flipped it open. Eric Rodriguez flashed on the screen.

  “Hi,” I said. “Glad to be home for break?”

  “Well,” Eric said. “I was going to go home, but something else came up.”

  I flicked off the TV. “Like what?”

  “I got an offer to assist a riding instructor during break. He thinks I have potential and if I help out, I’ll get to learn a ton.”

  “Eric! That’s great! What stable?”

  He laughed. “Canterwood. Mr. Conner asked me.”

  I smiled into the phone. “You’re staying for break? Really?” Finally! Something was going right! I already felt less lonely knowing that Eric would be around.

  “Really. So why don’t you come trail ride with me and you can tell me more about the clinic.”

  I paused. “I don’t know. Charm’s been kind of a pain lately and—”

  “Maybe he needs a break from lessons. C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

  Honestly, it did sound fun. The only reason I didn’t say yes right away had nothing to do with Charm, either. The truth was, I was afraid of what Callie would say. But thanks to Callie, I didn’t have any other friends on campus as the moment, so why was I so worried about what she would think?

  “Okay,” I said. “You’re probably right. Meet you in twenty minutes?”

  “See you then,” Eric said.

  I pushed end and looked at my phone. The wallpaper was a picture of Jacob that Callie had snapped a few days ago. I scrolled under “options” and changed my wallpaper to a picture of Charm. A trail ride sounded so much better than being alone and missing my friends.

  When I got to the stable, Eric had Luna crosstied and Charm’s tack was on the counter.

  “Hey, thanks,” I said.

  “No prob. Faster we tack up the more time we have to ride.”

  Charm was quiet while I groomed him and got him ready. I kept glancing around for Callie or Jasmine, but neither showed up. Eric and I buckled on our helmets and led the horses outside.

  As we hopped into our saddles, I noticed how comfortable Eric looked on Luna. His boots were tucked into his black breeches and he had on a well-worn hunter green pullover.

  “Where to?” I asked.

  Eric half stood in the stirrups and pointed to the woods behind Blackwell, one of the guys’ dorms. “How about that way?”

  “Let’s go!”

  The forty-something-degree air made my cheeks tingle and I adjusted the purple scarf around my neck. I dug into my pocket and pulled out my Red Raspberry Lip Smackers. As I smoothed it on, I looked around at the quiet campus. The wooden benches, usually crowded with students, were empty. Even the steps outside the library were desolate. Most of the buildings—usually ablaze with lights—were dark.

  Charm moved into an even walk and matched his stride to Luna’s. The mare eyed Charm and the horses sniffed muzzles.

  “I think Charm likes her,” Eric said.

  “Poor guy. The only mare he gets to hang out with during lessons is Julia’s mare Trix. He gets along with her about as well as I do with Julia.”

  We laughed. Soon, the campus was behind us and we found a dirt path that led into the woods. The trail was wide enough for us to walk our horses side by side, so I pulled Charm beside Luna.

  “So, tell me,” I said. “How’d you get the gig as Mr. Conner’s assistant?”

  Eric shifted in the saddle to look at me. “Mr. Conner called me into his office about a week ago. He said he was going to be busy with the clinic and he needed someone to help him keep track of the new riders and instructors. He said if I’d help, he’d let me sit in and watch a few lessons.”

  “Wow, that’s great experience.”

  Eric nodded. “I know. Mr. Conner said he thought I’d learn a lot and it would help me when I test for the advanced team in the fall.”

  “Definitely! And, hello—I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this before now.”

  Eric looked at Luna’s mane and then back at me. “You had a lot going on with…things.”

  I was quiet for a minute.

  “Yeah,” I finally said. “But I’ve got to focus on the clinic and riding in general. This is a huge chance to prove to the scouts that I should be on the YENT. Plus, you’re my friend. I always have time to listen to stuff going on in your life.”

  Eric guided Luna closer. “You’ll show those scouts.”

  We smiled at each other. Eric always made me feel comfortable, like we’d known each other forever.

  I watched him on Luna—he was a skilled rider. He didn’t overpower Luna with hard hands or forceful legs. He listened to her. Luna and Charm, exhilarated by the brisk air, shook out their manes and tugged at the reins.

  “Do you want to trot?” I asked.

  Without answering, Eric let Luna take off.

  “Hey!” I called. Charm trotted after them and I laughed as he edged his nose in front of Luna’s. Then Luna inched in front of Charm. I let Charm out a notch and he was in front again.

  We weaved the horses through the woods and edged them around full evergreens and barren oak trees. Their hooves pounded the hard dirt and their hoofbeats seemed to resound through the quiet woods. Two cardinals, a bright red male and a brown female, scolded angrily as they flew up from a low-hanging tree branch.

  Eric and I made faces at each other and let our horses battle for the lead.

  After our ride, we cooled and groomed the horses. I latched Charm’s stall shut while Eric waited for me.

  “That was fun,” I said. “I really needed it.”

  “And Charm didn’t seem to have any problems,” Eric added, leaning against the stall next to Charm’s.

  “Nope. It was my fault the other day. I probably stressed him out.”

  I peered in at Charm, who had already stuffed his face with hay. Stalks stuck out of his mouth and he had droplets of water dribbling down his chin.

  I laughed and absently rubbed my hands up and down the arms of my thin yellow sweater.

  “Cold?” Eric asked.

  “Freezing,” I said.

  “It was pretty cold on the ride. Want to get something hot to drink from the Sweet Shoppe?”

  I looked at him. Could I do that? Even though I knew it wasn’t a date, Eric was still a guy. But he’s just a friend, I reminded myself. The only reason you’re even hesitating is because of Callie.

  “Um…,” I said, brilliantly.

  “They have a new mint hot chocolate and their apple cider is awesome,” he said.

  Charm snorted and bobbed his head.

  “What, boy?” I asked. “Apple?”

  Charm’s upper lip flapped up and down. Eric and I laughed until our stomachs were sore.

  “I guess that’s a sign,” I said.

  “Do you mind if I stop by Winchester and change first?” I asked, as we walked out of the stable. “Last week, I got the death stare when I came in covered in horse hair.”

  “Good idea. I’ll walk you to Winchester, go back to my dorm to change, and then swing back to Winchester to meet you.”

  “Perfect,” I said.

  The grounds were deserted. We walked past the courtyard where we’d seen Heather and Ben on Valentine’s Day. I shoved the memory out of my brain. We were almost to Winchester when I spotted someone pacing around outside t
he entrance.

  “Is that…?” I said.

  Callie! Maybe she’d come over to let me explain! But she turned and her smile disappeared the instant she saw Eric beside me. Before I could say anything, she bolted down the steps.

  “Callie, wait!” I left Eric standing there and went after her.

  Callie stopped and her nostrils flared. “What?”

  “I-I—” I wasn’t sure what to say with Eric nearby. I couldn’t embarrass Callie by saying anything about the fact that Callie had a crush on him.

  “I want to talk,” I tried again. “Can I come over later? Please?”

  Callie hesitated.

  “Callie, please. You’re my best friend. I miss you. Things just got mixed up—I promise it’s not at all what you think.”

  Callie looked at Eric over my shoulder. She pulled the collar of her snow-white wool coat up to her chin, and fidgeted with a button on the sleeve.

  “Maybe,” she said.

  I beamed. “Really?”

  “If you want, to, later,” Callie said. “We can go trail riding and talk as we ride?”

  “Did you say ‘trail riding’?” Eric asked. “Because Sasha and I just found the coolest trail.” He gave me a look as if he thought he was helping. “You guys should totally go on that one. Sasha, if you want, we can meet up later. I don’t mind.”

  I wanted to clap my hand over his mouth, but it was too late.

  Callie stepped back, the all-too-familiar frown clouding her face once again. “Never mind. I’ve gotta go.”

  “Cal, no!” I cried. But this time she didn’t turn around.

  Eric looked at me and knitted his eyebrows with concern. “What happened? Did I say something wrong?”

  I felt bad for him—he had no idea what was going on and I really couldn’t tell him. “No, she’s upset about something else. I’ll talk to her later.”

  “Oh…well, okay. We can talk about it at the Sweet Shoppe—figure out how to fix things, maybe? I’ll be back in twenty minutes to pick you up,” Eric said.

  I shoved my hands in my coat pockets. “Eric, I want to go, but I can’t. I’m sorry. I just need to figure out things with Callie on my own.”

  Eric didn’t argue. “Understood. Well, maybe after our next ride.”

  “Deal.”

  He smiled at me before walking away. I’d thought I was making the right decision, but with every step farther away that Eric got, I wondered. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and Callie seemed determined to hate me anyway.

  I thought about how great Eric had been since everything had blown up at the Soirée. Was it worth giving up a really good friend for someone who seemed angry at me no matter what I did?

  5

  AND SO IT BEGINS

  DAYS TILL CLINIC: 0 (OMG!)

  DAYS I’VE BEEN MISSING JACOB: 5

  RIDING CLINIC ORIENTATION DAY. GULP. I peered into the stable’s meeting room. It was packed. Usually, I only met with my seventh-grade advanced teammates, but now there were fifteen other students in the room.

  Callie, flanked by Julia and Alison, sat in the center of the room. Callie looked chic in a new light blue and white–striped v-neck sweater and beige breeches. If we were still friends, we would be talking about exactly where she got the sweater, if those colors would look good on me, and when we could go shopping so I could get one too.

  I grabbed a chair off to the side and looked behind me at Callie. But she didn’t even glance up from her phone. Texting. Again. I wondered who she was even texting—she never used to text when we’d hung out!

  Behind Callie, Julia, and Alison, Jasmine sat with pink earbuds in her ears. I turned back around when she caught me looking at her.

  Heather, looking polished and pretty in white breeches, a hunter green and gold argyle long-sleeve shirt and expensive-looking brown leather boots, walked into the room and took the seat next to me.

  “Why are you sitting next to me?” I whispered.

  Heather rolled her eyes and leaned closer. “Because sitting next to you is only somewhat less pathetic than sitting by myself.”

  I knew I shouldn’t have asked.

  Mr. Conner stepped into the room and three people—one man and two women—followed him.

  “Welcome, everyone! I’m Mr. Conner, the instructor at Canterwood Crest. Thank you all for coming to our riding clinic. Before we begin, allow me to introduce my colleagues.”

  I craned my neck to see and Heather did the same.

  “Your jumping coach will be Virginia Thorne from St. Anne’s Preparatory in Vermont. Ms. Thorne has trained riders for the United States Equestrian Team and she’s a former Grand Prix competitor.”

  Ms. Thorne stepped forward and nodded at us. There was no trace of a smile on her face. She was insanely tall and supermodel skinny. But she was more gangly than modellike.

  “Your flatwork and dressage instructor is Miss Abby Cho,” Mr. Conner said. “She has been teaching students for fifteen years and many of her riders have gone on to win national competitions.”

  Miss Cho waved at us and smiled. She was petite and had straight black hair, which she wore in a low ponytail. She looked especially tiny next to Ms. Thorne.

  “And finally,” Mr. Conner said. “You’ll learn about horse nutrition, holistic remedies and relaxation techniques from Mr. Edwin Bright. Mr. Bright has worked with some of the country’s best horse whisperers including Monty Roberts and Pat Parelli. You’re all fortunate to have the opportunity work with him.”

  “The Horse Whisperer is one of my favorite movies,” I whispered to Heather.

  Mr. Bright dipped his head to us. His gray hair was cropped short and he was tan—probably from spending hours taming wild horses on a ranch.

  I looked at the four adults standing in front of us. I was sure they’d have different teaching styles—I’d have to adapt to the different styles. But most of the students here were probably like Callie—they’d already worked with different instructors from some of the best riding schools. What if I was the only one who hadn’t?

  “We’re going to break you up into groups of five,” Miss Cho said. “Ms. Thorne and I will briefly evaluate your skills.” Miss Cho took a clipboard off the table. “All right. Group A. Julia Myer, Alison Robb, Kristin Henderson, Georgia Walker, and Callie Harper.”

  I looked behind me as Callie, Julia, and Alison high-fived and giggled together.

  Ms. Thorne called out Group B, which included Heather and four other girls.

  “Group C,” Miss Cho said. “Will be Jasmine King, Violet Locke, Cole Martin, Sasha Silver, and Aaron Thompson.”

  Great—Jasmine. I didn’t know Aaron or Cole, but Violet was from Canterwood. She was on the eighth-grade advanced team.

  Miss Cho assigned the rest of the groups and Ms. Thorne stepped forward.

  “Get your horses tacked and be in the indoor arena in twenty minutes,” she said in a deep voice. “Or you’ll be watching the lesson from the ground.”

  Heather and I both stood up.

  “I’m so glad you’re in my group, Sash!” Jasmine said. She smiled and then looked at Heather. “Have you been avoiding me? I haven’t seen you since I got here!”

  Heather crossed her arms. “Please. Like I have any reason to avoid you. But if you even think about getting in my face, I’ll send you right back to Wellington.”

  Jasmine’s smile slipped.

  I left for the tack room, with Heather on my heels, and kept an eye on my watch the entire time. This was going to be an interesting day.

  6

  GROUP C, F RIDE

  “LISTEN UP!” MS. THORNE SAID TO MY GROUP. Violet, Cole, Jasmine, Aaron, and I had our horses lined up in front of her. “You are Group C. Remember the people in your group. You’ll be riding and learning with them for the next two weeks. Today, Miss Cho and I will be rotating among the groups.”

  I wondered what Callie, Julia, and Alison were doing in their group.

  “But we’re wasting time talking. Let
’s get to work.” Ms. Thorne folded her arms and moved to the center of the arena.

  I took a deep breath. Charm eyed the other horses around us.

  “Warm up with two laps at a walk and then do the same at a trot.”

  The five of us moved our horses along the wall. Violet urged her bay gelding in front of Charm and used her hands to encourage her horse to stretch. She rode as if she’d already graduated from the clinic.

  Aaron, who had rich, mocha-colored skin just a shade lighter than Callie’s and dark hair that was buzzed close to his scalp, led in front. His seat was as quiet as Violet’s. I swallowed. Charm and I had to be the least trained pair here.

  Ms. Thorne put up a hand after we’d made four circuits around the arena. “Canter, please,” she said. She left the arena’s center and walked over to a folding table along the wall where she had a stack of folders.

  I let Charm move into a canter just behind Violet’s horse. Charm flicked an ear back as hoofbeats pounded too close behind us.

  I looked over my shoulder. Jasmine and Phoenix rode up on Charm’s heels. She’d let him edge up so close behind us that his muzzle almost bumped Charm’s tail!

  Charm snorted and tossed his head. He couldn’t go any faster, or we’d crowd Violet’s horse. Jasmine was not forcing me out of line. I waited for Ms. Thorne to say something, but she was still shuffling through the folders.

  “Jasmine!” I hissed. “Back off!”

  But she only let Phoenix inch closer. Charm hated it when horses tailgated. He put back his ears and his canter changed from smooth to choppy.

  “Ms. King and Ms. Silver!” Ms. Thorne snapped. “Either space your horses properly or leave my class.”

  Jasmine checked Phoenix and he dropped back three strides. I couldn’t believe Ms. Thorne had yelled at me! Charm and I hadn’t done anything. If Callie were here, she’d…no. I reminded myself to focus.

  A few more laps and the horses were warmed up. Mike and Doug came into the arena and set up three verticals of increasing heights to just over three feet.

  “Ms. Locke, you’ll ride first. Begin when you’re ready.”