I jerked my arm away from her. My head was pounding so hard I could barely hear. “You and Jacob. Jacob. And you told Julia?”
“She didn’t tell either of us anything,” Alison cut in. “But she wasn’t good at hiding it. We swiped her phone and read her texts. It was sooo much fun to see how desperate you were to get your BFF back knowing she’d stolen your boyfriend. Sadness.”
Heather elbowed Alison. “Shut up,” she said. “I didn’t know, Sasha.” She turned her blue eyes on Callie. “Pretty low, Cal. Aren’t you’re supposed to be her best friend?”
“I’m so sorry,” Callie said. “At first, we just started talking because we both missed you and we were upset. But then, we started talking about other things and it wasn’t meant like—I mean, I never—I really, really thought you were with Eric. I swear I did!”
“Forget it,” I choked out.
Jacob was getting closer with every step and I really didn’t want to see him.
I turned and ran toward the stable—away from Callie and Jacob. My best friend and my almost-boyfriend. My boots clunked against the concrete as I reached the front of the stable. I pulled open the door and slammed it behind me.
I knew Callie had been trying to tell me something. And she’d been so secretive about her texts, but I’d never thought…I held back a sob. I’d never even considered that they were from Jacob. But now it all made sense.
I swiped at my eyes, and that’s when I slammed into someone.
34
IT’S YOU
I LOOKED UP INTO ERIC’S FACE. HE HELD MY arms to steady me and his eyes flickered over my face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “What happened?”
“Everything!” I wailed. My voice caused a buckskin horse in front of us to pull his head into his stall.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t see you after flatwork,” Eric said. “Mr. Conner sent me on an errand. What happened on your ride?”
I looked around at the riders working in the stable.
“C’mon,” he said. “Let’s go by Charm’s stall.”
I followed him. There wasn’t anyone around—this part of the stable was quiet.
“Sit on the tack trunk,” he instructed. “Take some deep breaths, Sasha,” he soothed. “You’re so pale.”
I plopped onto the trunk and Eric sat next to me.
“Whatever happened,” he said. “I’m sure you tried as hard as you could.”
“I didn’t,” I whispered. “I blew it from the second I started flatwork. Before my ride, Heather came and told me that Jacob was here. I lost all my focus because I was excited that he came to see me.”
Eric paused. “Well, at least he showed up. That made you happy, right?”
“But he didn’t come to see me.” I barely got the words out. “He came for Callie. He’s been with her since sometime after the Soirée.”
Eric scooted closer to me. “Oh, Sasha. I’m so sorry. She should have told you.”
“She says she tried,” I said. “I knew something weird was going on, but I never thought it was that. She swears she really thought you and I were together. When she finally believed me, it was too late. She was already with Jacob.”
I let out a shuddering sigh and hunched forward. Eric started to rub my arm, then he pulled his hand back. He didn’t know what to do.
“I should have seen it, but I just never thought…ugh, she’d been texting him the whole time.”
“Jacob should have let you explain,” Eric said. He looked really angry, but like he was trying not to look too angry. I knew he didn’t want to upset me. “And he definitely shouldn’t have started dating your best friend. I can’t believe that guy.”
Charm popped his head over the stall door. He strained his neck toward me and his eyes locked on my face. He had the I’m-worried-about-you look.
“I’m fine, boy,” I said. I reached over and rubbed his cheek. Charm snorted and kept his head over the door. He always liked to eavesdrop on my conversations.
“I don’t want to sound like a jerk,” Eric said, “and I’m sorry you got your feelings hurt, but you deserve a better guy than Jacob.”
I smiled a wavery smile. “You’re a good friend,” I told him.
“So, what now?” Eric asked.
“I…don’t know. I’m so mad at Callie. I’m not wasting more energy being upset over Jacob, but Callie and I just got back our friendship. Whatever she believed about you and me, she should have told me about Jacob. He was with me first. She knew it would hurt my feelings. It’s best friend code!”
“Take a few minutes before you go find her,” Eric said. “Stay here and think.”
“I will. But what about you? Mr. Conner’s probably looking everywhere for you.”
“I don’t care,” Eric said. “I’ll tell him the truth—something more important came up.”
“You were so great through the whole clinic. I would have gone crazy if you’d been at home.”
Eric shifted and turned his body more toward me. “Nah. You would have been fine. But I’m glad I was here, too.” He looked down at his hands and then back at me. “And I have to admit, I was relieved that Callie turned me down.”
“You were? Why?”
“Honestly? I like someone else,” Eric said.
I felt a blush creeping over my face. “You do?”
He nodded. “Since my first day, when she offered to give me directions if I got lost.”
Oh, my God. He was talking about me. Eric Rodriguez liked me.
“Me?” I blurted out. “You like me? Are you sure?”
Eric laughed. “I’m sure.”
“But you took Callie’s cell number.”
“I thought it would help you get your friendship back if I texted her. I just wanted you to be happy.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
Sweat started to prickle along the small of my back and I tried to figure out what I wanted to say. I didn’t even know how to express what I felt. Emotions swirled through me so fast, I felt almost dizzy. Charm, playing chaperone, looked down on us.
Eric had seen me through the Jacob mess, the fights with Callie, and the Belles disaster. He’d been the only one here with me through all of it. I’d been obsessing over Jacob for two weeks, but it was Eric I’d missed when he wasn’t around, Eric I turned to when things were confusing or bad. It was never that way with Jacob.
Before I could form words, Eric’s eyes locked on mine. He leaned closer and my chest thumped like I’d downed a dozen cappuccinos in five minutes. I’d never been this close to a guy before.
He stopped moving and looked at me, cautiously. “Is this okay?” he asked, brushing a stray lock of hair away from my cheek.
I looked at my lap and then up Eric. For two weeks, I’d been unsure about how to handle everything—Jacob, the Belles, Jasmine, and Callie. But now, for the first time in a while, I knew exactly what to say.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD JESSICA BURKHART is a former equestrian turned author. When she’s not writing books, she freelances for magazines such as Girls’ Life and The Writer. She loves volunteering with Shriners Hospital for Children where she had her own spinal fusion. Visit her website at jessicaburkhart.com for blog entries, “Diary of a Debut Author” vlogs, and more.
TRIPLE FAULT
Other books in the
CANTERWOOD CREST SERIES:
TAKE THE REINS
CHASING BLUE
BEHIND THE BIT
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 MIX
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
Text copyright © 2009 by Jessica Burkhart
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ALADDIN M!X and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1–866–248–3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Library of Congress Control Number 2009924911
ISBN-13: 978-1-44244-311-2 (eBook)
ISBN-10: 1-4169-9637-0
Visit us on the Web:
www.SimonandSchuster.com
To Kate Angelella.
For pink and purple edits.
For encouraging the sparkly.
For Brooklyn.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Alyssa Henkin, the plaque for Best Agent will be arriving at your office any day now.
Kate Angelella, just try to make this process more fun, okay? Seriously.
Thanks to everyone at S&S—especially Jessica “the Other Jess” Handelman, Nicole Russo, Lucille Rettino, and Venessa Williams.
Monica Stevenson, this is the most gorgeous cover photo. Thank you, Canterwood models!
Lesley Ward and Allison Griest at Young Rider, thanks for supporting Canterwood.
Thanks to my family and friends for all of their support.
Finally, hugs to all of the fans who have sent me e-mails, notes, and photos. You’re the best and you make me feel like a rock star.
TRIPLE FAULT
CONTENTS
1 SWAK. ALMOST.
2 UN-WELCOME TO WINCHESTER
3 POISONED HOT CHOCOLATE. YUM!
4 FAN GIRL
5 BIOHAZARD
6 ALMOST KISS AND TELL
7 SWEET SHOPPE SHOWDOWN
8 S & S SPLIT
9 WANNA SEE A REAL RIDER?
10 SO NOT A LUNCH DATE
11 NEVER A DRAMA-FREE MOMENT
12 FIGURES
13 TRIO VS. BELLES
14 CLUELESS
15 PASMINE?
16 WHEN BORED, GO RIDING!
17 TO SNITCH OR NOT TO SNITCH
18 DEFINE “SPORT”
19 PLUS ONE
20 KARMA OR SOMETHING
21 THE TALK
22 GOTTA LOVE THAT SPARKLE
23 PARTNERS. AGAIN.
24 DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAD A CHANCE?
25 IT’S YOUR REPORT CARD
26 HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO
27 MY FRIEND ERIC
28 GUEST LIST
29 RED-CARPET READY
30 THREE STRIKES
31 I HATE MONDAYS
32 TRUTH COMES OUT
33 LIAR
34 THE VERDICT
1
SWAK. ALMOST.
JUST SAY IT, I TOLD MYSELF. ANSWER HIM. I shifted on the tack trunk outside Charm’s stall. You’re supposed to reply when someone asks if they can kiss you. But with Eric just inches from my face, staring at me expectantly, I could barely think, let alone formulate a whole sentence.
My horse, Charm, snorted as he looked down at us like he too was waiting to hear my answer. And the truth was, right now I wasn’t thinking about how my ex–best friend Callie and my almost-boyfriend Jacob had betrayed me. Or how I’d almost blown my chance in front of the Youth Equestrian National Team scouts. I knew for sure what my answer was—I wanted to kiss Eric.
And by the ecstatic look on his face, it was clear that he knew what I was thinking.
His black hair fell over one eye as he leaned closer to me. I ignored the whooshing sound in my ears and the nerves making my stomach swirl. Eric’s lips were about to touch mine. My eyes fluttered shut.
Oh.
My.
“Eric?” someone called.
Our heads jerked up.
“Eric?” the man’s voice called again.
Mr. Conner! Our riding instructor’s boots thudded down the aisle.
“Omigod!” I whispered, jumping up off the tack trunk. I stumbled sideways and Eric stood up to grab me—keeping me upright. I tried to will the flush out of my cheeks.
“Just be cool,” Eric whispered, laughing.
“Gee, thanks!” I hissed, my cheeks still hot.
Mr. Conner walked up to us. He stopped and his dark eyes zeroed in on me!
“Wewerejusttalkingaboutthedemo,” I rambled.
Eric shot me an it’s-cute-when-you-dork-out look and I mushed my lips closed.
“Okay,” Mr. Conner said, staring at me for a second.
I squirmed. Did I have an I-almost-kissed-a-boy look on my face?
I draped one arm over Charm’s stall door and leaned against it, trying to look casual.
“Eric, I need your help finding some paperwork for the scouts before they leave,” Mr. Conner said.
“Sure,” Eric agreed.
“See you around,” I said to Eric. “Or not. I mean, I’m not going to look for you or anything. You know. If I see you—great. If not, that’s fine too.”
Stop talking! I yelled to myself.
Mr. Conner looked at me again, shaking his head slightly, before walking back down the aisle.
Eric began to follow him, but then turned back to look at me. “Very cool,” he mouthed.
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help grinning. When Mr. Conner and Eric were gone, I slumped against Charm’s stall door. Life as a famous actress was not in my future.
“Hey,” Paige Parker, my friend and roommate, said as she walked up to me. “Ready to go back to the room?”
Earlier in the afternoon, Paige had come to the stable to watch me ride in the demonstration for the YENT scouts, but she had no idea how much drama had gone down behind the scenes.
“I’ll meet you there,” I said. “I just need a few minutes with Charm.” And to wait for Eric.
Paige nodded. “Okay.” She paused, almost like she suspected something was wrong, but I gave her a bright smile before she left.
I slipped into Charm’s stall and hugged his neck. He blinked sleepily as I rubbed his blaze and reached up to straighten his chestnut mane. I almost had to stand on my tiptoes to reach up by his ears. Even for a Thoroughbred/ Belgian mix, he was tall.
“I almost kissed Eric!” I whispered giddily to Charm. Not even the awful things that had happened today could erase my this-close-to-kissing excitement.
“Look,” I told Charm, “I know our ride got messed up because I was upset about Jacob, but the scouts said that they thought I was just nervous—so that’s good.”
There were still up to three open YENT seats for the five of us on the Canterwood advanced team. If Charm and I wowed the scouts at the upcoming June tryouts, we had a chance. If not, our YENT dreams were over.
Buzz.
I flipped open my phone. It was Eric.
Stuck w Mr. C for an hr or more. Sry. Txt u ltr?
Sigh. No prob. TTYL.
I wanted to see Eric now. But wait. Then we might actually…kiss. And now that I’d had time to think about it, I was starting to wonder if I was prepared enough. I had no clue how to kiss a boy—what if I was horrible? Now I was glad Mr. Conner had interrupted us. I needed kissing tips stat.
I gave Charm a final pat. “Bye, boy.”
As I headed for the exit, horses and riders began trickling into the aisle from the arena. Visiting students had armfuls of blankets, tail wraps, and leg bandages to prepare their horses for the trip home. I ducked my head, suddenly wishing I was invisible—there were too many people I didn’t want to run into. But as I skirted around a blue roan mare in crossties, I turned a sharp corner and almost slammed right into Callie and Jacob.
I held back a groan. Jacob’s eyes flicked from me to the ground.
“Sasha, please,” Callie said. Her voice sounded wobbly and her pink eyes told me that she’d definitely been crying. “Can’t we just—�
��
I turned away. “I have to go,” I said.
“Sash,” Jacob pleaded. His gray-green eyes finally connected with mine. He really did look sorry, but I didn’t care.
It killed me to see them standing next to each other—so familiar and easy. The worst part was that they had been going behind my back this whole time. Callie had even been mad at me because she thought I’d been interested in Eric. Which, at the time, I wasn’t. At the time, all I could think about was Jacob. And I guess all Jacob was thinking about was Callie.
I shook my head and, sidestepping Callie, walked out the door. I shivered in the chilly March air and wrapped my arms across my chest. The campus was eerily quiet. Most of the Canterwood students wouldn’t be back from midwinter break until tomorrow. The sun, which had been bright during testing, had slipped behind a fat gray cloud. I kicked a patch of dry brown grass with my boot. I didn’t know how to feel. One second I was giddy from my almost kiss with Eric. And the next I wanted to curl up in a ball because of what Callie and Jacob had done.
For the first time in a while, I wished I were home. Mom would bring me raspberry tea in bed and Dad would sing embarrassing old-people songs and play air guitar to make me laugh. But now it was too late to go home—classes started on Monday.
I didn’t want to think about sitting through English class with Callie. Some best friend. If only I had a class with Eric instead. Just thinking about him made me smile. I’d been all about Jacob for months—so much that I’d missed noticing what a cute, smart, and amazing guy Eric was. Until today, I’d only thought of Jacob in that way. Ugh. Did not want to think about Jacob.
The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books Page 47