The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

  Charm, turning back an ear, focused and took the other jumps without a problem.

  “Great!” I said, patting his shoulder as we walked back to the group.

  Mr. Conner nodded at me. “Good ride, Sasha. Charm got distracted for a second, but the half halt worked to get his attention.”

  I relaxed into the saddle, relieved I hadn’t messed up.

  “See you all during the next class,” Mr. Conner said.

  I dismounted and led Charm out of the arena.

  “Thanks, boy,” I told Charm. “You were perfect.”

  I cooled Charm and untacked him. His chestnut coat had darkened with sweat where the wool saddle pad had been. I didn’t put him away until he was clean and dry. After I fed him, I went to Jack’s stall. I peered over the door at Callie as she groomed him.

  “How’s the patient?” I asked.

  “Still sore,” Callie said. “Not better yet.”

  I looked at Jack’s hoof and nodded. “But he will be. C’mon. You’ve been here for a while. Let’s go find a horse for you to ride.”

  Callie’s eyes widened. She reached up to cover Jack’s ears. “Don’t say that in front of him!”

  “Oops,” I said. “Sorry, Jack.”

  Callie left the stall and latched the door behind her. We walked down the aisle to Mr. Conner’s office. We peered through his open door and he waved us inside.

  “Looking for a horse?” he asked.

  Callie nodded. “Any recommendations?”

  “I’d try Santana, Greenlee, and Miles,” Mr. Conner said. “If you need help, come and get me.”

  “Santana first?” I asked, after we’d left his office. The blue roan gelding might be perfect for Callie.

  “Sure.”

  We tacked up Santana and took him to the indoor arena. Callie rode him for fifteen minutes before shaking her head.

  “Not a good fit, huh?” I called to her.

  She stopped him in front of me. “No. It’s not him, really. We just don’t click.” She dismounted and we left the arena. Mike took Santana from us and we got Miles ready. Callie rode him for almost twenty minutes, but she looked more uncomfortable on him than she had on Santana.

  “We’ve still got Greenlee,” I told her as we cooled and untacked Miles. “If she doesn’t work, we’ll ask Mr. Conner for different horses.”

  Callie was quiet as we tacked up Greenlee. I crossed my fingers when she mounted and started trotting the bay mare around the arena. Callie took Greenlee through a few exercises, and after a few minutes, I wanted to try her! The mare’s temperament was as sweet as the adorable star on her forehead. Callie grinned as she cantered Greenlee past me.

  “Looks good!” I said, glad that Callie had finally found a horse. She needed something to keep her mind off Jack—riding Greenlee would help.

  She slowed Greenlee, nodding. “She’s amazing! Nothing like Jack, of course, but I think she’ll be fun to practice with.” She hopped out of the saddle.

  “Yay,” I said. “You two will be great.”

  My phone buzzed. Meet me in front of stbl?

  I texted back to Eric. Sure. 1 sec.

  “I’ve got to go,” I said to Callie. “Text me if you need help with Jack.”

  “Okay. Thanks for helping me.” Callie patted Greenlee’s neck.

  “No prob.” I walked out of the arena. I couldn’t wait to see Eric! It was about time we got to hang out. We’d had crazy schedules for a few days and I’d missed him.

  “Hi,” Eric said when he saw me.

  I grinned. “Hey.”

  His eyes had a soft sparkle even in the faint sunlight. I loved sparkle. Loved. It. He’d pulled a knit cap over his hair, and his black down coat was zipped all the way up. We walked toward the center of campus and I glanced at him. He was awfully quiet today.

  “I helped Callie find a practice horse,” I said.

  Eric nodded. “Good.”

  We reached the courtyard and Eric paused in front of one of the stone benches. “Can we sit for a second?”

  “Sure,” I said, thinking this would be the perfect place for him to kiss me again. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my newest gloss—liquid Lip Smacker in Bubble Gum. I glossed my lips and sat on the bench, turning to face him.

  “Sasha,” Eric started. He looked down at his hands, then back at me. “Do you really want to go out with me? I honestly can’t tell sometimes. I hope that you do, but if you don’t, I want you to just say so.”

  Wh-what?!

  “Eric, what are you talking about? Of course I want to go out with you. I like you. A lot.”

  My voice shook as I spoke. Why on Earth would Eric think I didn’t want to go out with him?

  “It’s just—we still haven’t gone out,” Eric said. “I want to be able to take you on a real date.”

  “I want that too. But last time I went public with a relationship, everything got so messed up. And with Callie—we just got our friendship back. If I tell her about us, I’m really afraid of losing her again.”

  I took a breath, mad at myself for making Eric question our relationship.

  “It’s not…about Jacob?” he asked. His eyes met mine—worry had replaced the sparkle.

  “Not at all,” I said, shaking my head and almost laughing at how far from the truth that was. “Really. Jacob’s with Callie. But even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t want him back. I swear.”

  Eric’s shoulders relaxed. He nodded and reached out to touch my hand. “I’m glad. You deserve better than that guy.”

  “It’s not him that I’m interested in,” I said. “Promise.”

  We looked at each other for a few seconds. I felt awful for making him worry. I’d been juggling so many things that I hadn’t even noticed how upset Eric had been. Some almost-girlfriend I was.

  “Okay,” Eric said, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. “But I want to take you out the second you tell everyone about us. Try to stop worrying about other people breaking us up, okay? It’s not going to happen.”

  “Deal,” I said, smiling. “And…I’m going to tell everyone soon.”

  Eric smiled. “Good.”

  I knew now that it wasn’t fair to Eric to make him wait anymore—I really did have to tell everyone. Soon.

  23

  PARTNERS. AGAIN.

  “I THOUGHT FRIDAY WAS NEVER GOING TO come,” I said to Paige.

  She spun in her desk chair to look at me. “I know. Longest. Week. Ever.”

  “At least we have something to look forward to!” I said, checking my calendar. “Only two more weeks till the Teen Cuisine party.”

  “I know!” Paige exclaimed.

  We’d been planning the party whenever we had a spare second. I might have been using it as a diversion to keep me from worrying about when and how to spill my I’m-with-Eric news to everyone. I was in charge of decorations, which was plenty time-consuming, and I was keeping them a secret from Paige.

  “Your decorations are going to be amaaaazing,” I said in a teasing tone.

  “Mean!” Paige stuck out her tongue. “You sure you don’t want to give me a little hint?”

  “No way! You’ll see at the party.”

  Paige smiled. “Fine. But I seriously can’t wait.”

  “You still nervous about the show?” I got up off the bed and started packing my bag for class.

  “Kinda. But excited too.”

  I smiled. “I know it’s going to be awesome.”

  I put on my coat, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “Time for film class. See you after.”

  “Have fun.”

  On my way out, I paused by Livvie’s office. Her door was open and I gave her a wave. “Going to film,” I told her.

  “Make sure you get the film quote right,” she said, looking up from her laptop.

  “I’ll try!”

  I pushed open the door just as Jasmine and the Belles were making their way up the sidewalk toward Winchester.

  “Sasha,” Violet said. “
You’re a little early for a midnight ride.”

  The girls stepped around me, laughing. Ignoring them, I kept walking. The door slammed behind me. Ugh. Was Jasmine going to be bringing them to Winchester more often? I didn’t want to have to avoid more people in my own dorm.

  Since it was Friday evening, the campus was busy and lights glowed from the media center. I stepped inside, rubbing my chilly fingers together. Inside the theater I sank into my seat, grateful that Jacob wasn’t there yet. I sort of wanted to confront him about his riding’s-not-a-sport comment, but part of me didn’t even want to talk to him. Period. By the time he sat down a few minutes later, I’d settled on ignoring him.

  Mr. Ramirez walked to the front of the classroom and I leaned forward. I wanted to get this quote. Jacob shifted next to me, his eyes down. Maybe he felt bad about the fight with Eric. Well, he totally should, I reminded myself.

  “‘Teenagers,’” Mr. Ramirez said. “‘They think they know everything. You give them an inch and they swim all over you.’”

  Ooooh! I closed my eyes. What was that from?! I’d heard it a zillion times.

  “The Little Mermaid!” called a girl from the front row. Argh. Too slow!

  “That’s right! Good job,” Mr. Ramirez told her. “And that’s today’s film. The Little Mermaid debuted in 1989. We’re watching it because it was the film that began the Disney Renaissance. This movie gave Disney back its critical acclaim after a string of flops. After we view it, we’ll talk homework.”

  Mr. Ramirez turned down the lights and started the film. I squirmed through the first few minutes, uncomfortable about sitting so close to Jacob.

  Even the “Under the Sea” song, one of my fave parts, didn’t make me smile. The credits finally rolled and I pulled my book bag onto my lap. I wanted to be ready for a quick getaway, but Mr. Ramirez seemed to take forever to pass out homework.

  “Please have those completed by next Friday,” he said. “And we’ll go over them in class.”

  I tucked the sheet into my folder, ready to bolt from the theater.

  “Before you go,” Mr. Ramirez said in slo-mo, “I need to assign a paper.”

  I let out a tiny sigh.

  “You’re going to write a four-page paper on one of three topics that I’ll e-mail you after class,” Mr. Ramirez said. “You will swap your paper with another student and you’ll critique each other’s work.”

  I looked around. I’d ask—

  “To keep things simple, you’ll work with your partner from the last project.”

  No.

  Way.

  Jacob and I looked at each other. He swallowed. I tried to stay calm. We were partners. Again.

  “Remember, check your e-mail for all of the details about the assignment—including the deadline,” Mr. Ramirez said. “Contact me with any questions. Otherwise, I’ll see you next week.”

  I barely noticed as other students packed up to leave. The timing was awful. I didn’t want Callie to be uncomfortable that I was paired up with her boyfriend. And Eric was already insecure about Jacob. It’s just an assignment, I told myself. Only one paper. I crossed my fingers that it would be that easy.

  24

  DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAD A CHANCE?

  ON SUNDAY I MET CALLIE AT JACK’S STALL. It had been a week since his injury, and his hoof was almost healed. The soreness seemed to fade more with every passing day. And each day that Jack felt a little bit better, Callie was happier and happier. But since we’d become friends again, there was still something I had to do—tell her about the e-mail I’d sent to Jacob during the clinic.

  Today, I noticed that Callie’s lips, usually bare at the stable, were shiny with what I swore was Lip Smackers Lip Frosting. I sniffed. In Coconut Cream. But then I realized this makeup thing wasn’t about Callie feeling better—it was about Jacob! Every time she got ready to see him, she always wore makeup.

  “Look,” Callie said, pointing to Jack’s hoof. “He’s resting his weight on it now.”

  I nodded. “You’ll be riding him in a few days. I know it.”

  Callie grinned. “We’ll see. I don’t want to rush him.”

  “True. So, new gloss?” I blurted out.

  “Yeah, I got it last week. I saved it for today.” Callie locked Jack’s stall door and stepped into the aisle.

  “What’s today?”

  Callie paused, blinking. “Oh, um. Jacob’s taking me to the movies,” Callie said. “I just came to check on Jack.”

  “Fun,” I said slowly. “I mean, good. Have fun at the movies.”

  “Thanks,” Callie said quietly.

  Tell her now about the e-mail, I told myself.

  “Um, about Jacob,” I said. “I wanted to tell you that, like, a long time ago—before I found out about, uh, you guys—I sent Jacob this stupid e-mail and told him that I liked him and wanted to try again. But he never got it. So if he gets it now, he should just delete it.”

  Callie nodded. She didn’t look upset. “Okay. Thanks for telling me.”

  “And,” I said quietly. “The Belles know about it. That’s what Violet tried to blackmail me with to get me to ride Charm that night.”

  Callie’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  I nodded.

  “Forget about them,” Callie said. “Look. Clean slate. As of now, nothing matters except the present and the future.”

  I smiled, relieved. “Okay. Same here.”

  When she walked away, she was practically skipping. Phew. At least she hadn’t been mad about the e-mail.

  But it bothered me that Callie was going to the movies. Not because she was going with Jacob—I really, truly didn’t care about that now that I had Eric. It was just, why did Callie get to go on dates but I couldn’t? I knew it had been my choice to keep my relationship with Eric on the DL, but the idea of going out on my first date ever wouldn’t go away. Thinking about seeing a movie, going out to dinner, or just strolling around campus with Eric made my chest feel all fluttery. I had to tell everyone. Eric was right—I just couldn’t keep worrying about this forever.

  I watched Black Jack for a few more seconds before going to grab Charm’s tack. Eric had invited me to ride with him, Ben, Troy, and Andy. I’d never ridden with Eric’s friends before, but I knew the guys from around the stable.

  “Hey, Sasha,” Eric said, tossing me a smile as I entered the indoor arena.

  Troy, Ben, and Andy all said hi. Like Eric, they were all intermediate riders. Ben had been Julia’s boyfriend until he started dating Heather. Heather had broken up with him, but I didn’t know if Ben and Julia were back together or not.

  “I was thinking we should do the entire practice without stirrups,” I joked.

  “Ha,” Andy said, laughing. “You first.”

  I grinned at the guys, shrugging. “Fine. Fine. We’ll be wimps and ride with stirrups.”

  We moved our horses out along the arena wall. I eased Charm behind Luna and in front of Andy’s standardbred mare. After we warmed up the horses, Ben rode into the center of the arena. I could see why Julia had liked him—he was cute and a good rider. And I could see him being Julia’s type—pale skin, dark hair, and pretty blue eyes.

  “We should play a game or something,” Ben suggested.

  “Like what?” Troy asked. He stopped his dappled gray gelding beside Charm.

  “Musical chairs is a fun game,” I said. “You guys ever play?”

  Ben, Troy, and Andy nodded yeses.

  Eric shook his head. “I haven’t.”

  “It’s easy,” I said, looking at Eric. “Since there are five of us, we start with four traffic cones. We’ll set them up in different places around the arena. Someone who isn’t playing starts and stops the music. When the music stops, you race your horse over to an empty cone and dismount. If you get a cone to yourself, you’re safe. You don’t and you’re out.”

  “That sounds fun,” Eric said. “But no one’s here to do the music.”

  “I’ll do it,” ca
lled someone from the skybox.

  We all turned to see Jasmine peering down at us. She looked like a dark-haired Rapunzel with her long hair hanging down over the skybox railing.

  “How long have you been there?” I snapped. Did she follow me everywhere?!

  “I’ll be the DJ so you guys can play your little game,” she said, ignoring me.

  Eric looked at me as if to say, “Your call.” I didn’t want to look like a bad sport in front of all the other guys, and besides, Jasmine wasn’t going away, so how would anything ever get better if I always tried to exclude her? Like it or not, she was there to stay.

  “Fine,” I said, glancing at Jas. “If you really want to.”

  “Be right down,” she said.

  “I’ll set up the cones,” Andy offered. He rode over to the wall, dismounted, and picked up four cones. He started spacing them around the arena.

  “This is gonna be interesting,” I whispered to Eric.

  “Don’t worry about Jasmine,” Eric said. “She won’t do anything in front of all the guys.”

  I moved Charm away from Luna as Jasmine carried Mr. Conner’s portable stereo into the arena. She put it on a table and climbed up to sit beside it. Jas folded her hands in her lap, giving us a smile that made me nervous.

  Andy finished setting up the cones and we spaced our horses around the outer edge of the arena. We let the horses trot around a few times, making sure none of them were spooked by the cones. Charm didn’t even look at them.

  “Okay,” Ben called over to Jasmine. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Jasmine nodded and hit play. Pop music streamed out of the speakers. Charm, loving the tunes, stretched his neck and tossed his head. I kept one eye on Jasmine and the other on the positions of the cones. In our spot at the south end of the arena, Charm and I were the farthest away from the closest cone and—

  Silence.

  “Go!” I yelled, urging Charm into a canter. He dashed toward the nearest cone. Andy, caught off guard, was trotting his horse toward the same cone, but he wasn’t fast enough. Charm skidded to a halt and I threw myself out of the saddle. I hopped to the ground, touching my toe to the cone just as Andy jumped to the ground. Victory!