The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

  “But,” he said again, “my biggest mistake was insisting that you still liked Jacob. I’m sorry, Sasha.”

  “What?” I tried to keep my mouth from flopping open. “Are you…you’re not breaking up with me?”

  “Of course I’m not breaking up with you!” Eric said, giving me a soft smile. “Are you kidding? Not a chance.”

  I threw my arms around him. He smelled so good—like mint and clean laundry—and the smell reminded me of the jacket he’d draped over my shoulders after Jacob had dumped me at the Sweetheart Soirée.

  Eric held me for a few seconds before stepping back so he could rest his hands on my waist. The fading sunlight lit up his face, and his eyes had that sparkle I loved—and had missed—so much.

  “If I broke up with you,” he said, “I’d never get to do this again.”

  He leaned forward and kissed me.

  I smiled at him. Eric. My boyfriend. Well, almost. Eric still owed me a date.

  33

  LIAR

  THE NEXT MORNING, PAIGE AND I WERE STILL talking about it.

  “It’s just so romantic,” Paige said, putting skinny silver hoops in her ears. “I hope someone kisses me like that someday.”

  “Of course someone will,” I said.

  Paige sighed and stared dreamily into her mirror. “But for now, I’ll just have to live vicariously through you.”

  “Fine by me.” I giggled.

  I smoothed my black wrap sweater and was stepping into my (read: Paige’s) ankle boots when my phone buzzed.

  Smthng 2 tell u in English.

  It was from Callie.

  Hint??

  She wrote back. Noo!; ^) Wait 4 it.

  :’-( Mean!

  I put my phone in my pocket. “I can’t believe that after everything that’s happened, Callie and I are friends and I have Eric.”

  “I’m so happy for you,” Paige said. “The secrets are finally over.”

  “Maybe I can finally get through a day without anything major happening,” I said, knocking on my wooden dresser for good measure.

  Morning classes dragged on as I waited for English. I’d texted Callie twice to beg her to give me more information, but she’d refused.

  When I finally got to English, I felt like I’d downed about thirteen sugar-free energy drinks. I took my seat in Mr. Davidson’s classroom and waited for Callie, not even unpacking my books and papers. Finally, Callie entered the classroom and hurried over.

  “I hate you!” I teased. “You made me wait all day!”

  Callie grinned. She dropped her bag on the floor and leaned over to me.

  “I shouldn’t be smiling ’cause it’s scary, but whatever,” she said. She looked over her shoulder, then back at me. “Jasmine came out of Orchard with the Belles this morning.”

  “Yeah, so? We knew they were hanging out.”

  Callie held up a hand. “There’s more. They were all laughing, and I distinctly heard Jasmine say, ‘They’ll be so sorry.’”

  Uh-oh. “Was she talking about us?”

  “Dunno. But she stopped talking when she saw me.”

  “What if she was talking about us—our entire team? Violet, Brianna, and Georgia probably still hate us for getting them in trouble.”

  Callie picked at her chipped chocolate brown nail polish. “But that’s so two months ago.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve had a couple of fights with Jasmine,” I admitted. More than a couple, actually.

  We both looked up when Mr. Davidson walked into the room. He went to his desk and picked up his attendance book.

  “There’s nothing we can do now,” Callie whispered. “We’ll just have to watch our backs.”

  We pulled out our phones to finish the conversation.

  We can tlk abt it @ riding. I wrote.

  Can’t come. Got 2 make up quiz 4 math.

  Callie and I put away our phones when Mr. Davidson started taking attendance.

  So much for one day without drama! Jasmine was probably rallying the Belles against us. The stunt she’d pulled about Callie and Jacob was no small threat. I had to warn the Trio.

  After English, Callie and I stepped into the hallway together. “I’m gonna text Heather,” I said. “I think we all need to talk.”

  Callie nodded. “Strange as it sounds to initiate talking to her, you’re right. Let me know what she says.”

  “I will.”

  Callie went left and I went right. I stepped into a side hallway to text Heather.

  But when I pulled out my phone, it buzzed before I could type a message.

  Movie on Sat? U & me?

  Oh, my God. My first official date with Eric!! I forgot all about Jasmine and the Belles and did a nerd dance in the empty hallway.

  I tried to type back, but I was so excited that my fingers kept hitting the wrong buttons. I retyped the message twice, then gave up and left it with typos. He’d understand.

  Yws! Cab’t waut!

  It’s a date, Eric typed back.

  I grinned, hugging my phone to my chest. A date. A REAL date. I needed to get back to Winchester and start online shopping for clothes. Right now.

  I saved Eric’s message before I put away my phone. Who cared if Jasmine was plotting against us? Maybe she’d been talking about someone else. No more wasting time worrying about something I couldn’t control. I’d been doing that for months. If Jas came after the Trio, Callie, or me, we’d handle it. So. There.

  Just as I was heading for the exit, one of the classroom doors opened in front of me. Headmistress Drake walked out, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. She stopped in the hallway and turned back to look into the classroom. Her mouth was tight and her arms were folded across her chest.

  Julia and Alison walked out, stopping in front of Headmistress Drake. Julia’s face was a deep shade of red and she let her short hair fall in front of her eyes. Alison’s cheeks were splotchy and her right hand clutched a crumpled tissue, which she used to keep dabbing her eyes. Both of them kept their heads down, not even noticing me, as they shuffled by.

  What was going on?

  I wanted to say something to them, but the stern look on Headmistress Drake’s face told me to stay out of it.

  “This way, please,” the headmistress said to Julia and Alison, her tone cold and clipped.

  She ushered the girls in front of her and they started down the hallway. The students in the hall moved to the side—no one wanted to be in the headmistress’s way when she looked that furious. I bet even Georgia—the headmistress’s own daughter, apparently—would have moved out of the way.

  Julia, Alison, and Headmistress Drake left the building, the door slamming shut behind them. Whispers started the instant the door closed.

  “What did they do?” a girl asked.

  “I think the blond girl yelled at a teacher,” some guy said.

  Another girl shook her head, her spiral earrings shaking. “No. Way. Omigod!”

  I took out my phone to text Heather. There was no way she already knew about this. I started to type—OMG, Ju

  I stopped when I saw Jasmine exiting the same classroom Julia, Alison, and Headmistress Drake had just walked out of. I snapped my phone shut and hurried after her.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  Jasmine stopped and looked at me. She gave me an innocent shrug. “What do you mean?”

  “Julia and Alison!” I snapped.

  Jasmine smirked. “Oh. That. Like it’s a shock, but they cheated on our history exam. They got caught and Mr. Fields called Headmistress Drake.”

  “They would never do that.” But even as I said it, I remembered all the times I’d seen them texting and gossiping rather than studying—even when Heather was doing her work right next to them.

  “They wouldn’t?” Jasmine asked. “Please. They didn’t study one bit for this test, and everyone knows it. They thought they could get away with cheat sheets, but Mr. Fields saw them.”

  I clenched my fingers around my
phone. “Did they admit it?”

  “Are you stupid?” Jasmine asked, snorting. “Of course they didn’t.”

  “I’ve gotta go.” I left Jasmine standing there and walked away.

  “Don’t bother running to Princess Heather!” Jas called after me. “Even she can’t save them now.”

  I pushed the door open and walked outside, glad for the cold air on my warm face. Why would Julia and Alison cheat when they were this close to the YENT tryouts? It didn’t make any sense. But in my gut, I knew Jas had been right about one thing: Julia and Alison hadn’t studied. Even Heather would have to agree.

  I started a new text to Heather. U heard abt Julia & A?

  No. What??

  Meet by lib, I typed.

  1 min.

  I waited at the bottom of the library steps, pacing until Heather arrived.

  “What’s wrong?” she snapped. Her cashmere scarf had come undone around her neck, and her books were in a messy pile in her arms.

  “Julia and Alison just left history class with Headmistress Drake. Jasmine told me that they got caught cheating.”

  “Oh, God,” Heather said. She pressed her fingertips to her lips, shaking her head. “I’ve got to go.” She turned and jogged down the sidewalk.

  “Where are you going?” I called after her. But she didn’t stop to answer. She was probably headed to the headmistress’s office. Not that anyone would let her in, but I knew she wouldn’t give up without trying. She cared about Julia and Alison, whether she admitted it or not. She’d do whatever she could to protect them—even when they messed up.

  I stood on the steps, unsure what to do. I speed-dialed Callie.

  “What’s up?” she answered.

  “Julia and Alison are in big trouble,” I said.

  “What happened?” Callie asked.

  And as I told Callie the whole story, I realized that Julia and Alison were in more trouble than anyone, even Heather, could get them out of.

  34

  THE VERDICT

  I REPLAYED THE SCENE IN MY HEAD FOR THE millionth time. Julia’s red face. Alison’s teary eyes. The anger in Headmistress Drake’s voice.

  It had happened just an hour ago, but the entire mood—even in the stable—felt different. I’d wanted to skip my riding lesson, but Callie had talked me into coming. And she was right—we’d just gotten riding privileges back. Not to mention that there was nothing I could do for Julia or Alison if they had cheated. Whatever was going to happen, I couldn’t stop it. Still, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for them.

  I remembered how I’d slogged through biology class last fall, often unsure if I’d even pass. My grade had slipped dangerously low, and no matter how much I studied, I kept flunking. It had taken a while before I finally got my grade back up. So I understood how tough it was at Canterwood—the school was known for its superdifficult classes. But they also didn’t study, I reminded myself.

  In the tack room, I grabbed Charm’s saddle, pad, and bridle. All of the Trio’s tack was still on the racks. Heather never missed a lesson.

  I pulled open the tack room door and saw Violet on the other side. She stopped what she was doing and stared at me.

  “Too bad about Julia and Alison,” Violet said, shaking her head. “They’ll be lucky to ride again before high school.”

  I felt the sudden urge to defend them to Violet. “We don’t know for sure yet if they really did anything.”

  Violet laughed and a lock of hair escaped from behind her ear. “Oh, please.” She walked toward me, grinning. “Maybe,” she said as she passed me, “you’ll get your answer in an e-mail.”

  Ignoring her, I let the tack room door shut, separating us. I had no reason to worry about the Jacob e-mail. I’d already told Callie, so there was nothing Violet could do with it now.

  I tacked up Charm and we went to the indoor arena. He craned his neck to look at me as I slid my foot into the stirrup.

  “It’s okay, boy,” I soothed. “Jack’s not going to be here, but you’ll see him in the pasture.”

  I was the only one in the indoor arena. I warmed up Charm for a few minutes, then looked up when hoofbeats echoed in the arena and Heather trotted Aristocrat inside. I definitely didn’t expect her to come to the lesson. I examined Heather carefully—she was wearing the same sweater and breeches she’d worn during the last class. And her hair was in a sloppy ponytail under her helmet.

  Heather rode Aristocrat up to Charm.

  “Did you see them?” I asked.

  “They were in the headmistress’s lobby,” Heather said. “I only had a few seconds to talk to them before Drake’s crazy secretary kicked me out.”

  And?” I gripped Charm’s reins.

  Heather shook her head. “They swore they didn’t cheat. Julia was practically hysterical. But they sort of calmed down after I said I believed them.”

  “You really do?” I asked. “After all the times they didn’t study?”

  “If Julia and Alison tell me that they didn’t cheat, then they didn’t,” Heather said, glaring at me.

  Fine. I wasn’t going to argue with her. If she believed them, that was fine. But I still wasn’t sure. Charm shifted beneath me—he wanted to get away from Aristocrat.

  “When do you think we’ll know what’s going to happen?” I asked.

  “Probably after class,” Heather said. She started to say something else, but closed her mouth when Mr. Conner walked into the arena. He held up a hand, motioning for us to face him.

  “Today, we’re going to work on you—the riders,” Mr. Conner said, looking at us.

  Okay, so he clearly wasn’t going to mention Julia’s and Alison’s noticeable absence…. It was weird with just two of us.

  “Instead of working the horses, we’re going to run through a few stretches and balance exercises for you. As riders, it’s important that you’re balanced and comfortable in the saddle.”

  At least this wouldn’t require a ton of concentration.

  “Spread your horses a few feet apart,” Mr. Conner said. “Then we’ll get started.”

  Heather and I separated Aristocrat and Charm.

  “Cross your stirrups over the pommel,” he said.

  We did, and I let my feet dangle against Charm’s sides.

  “Lean back and grasp the cantle,” Mr. Conner instructed. “Hold on and lift your left leg while keeping your knee bent and your heel down.”

  Heather and I stretched our legs in front of us. My abs tensed and I concentrated on staying centered. Okay, so maybe this wouldn’t be as easy as I’d thought.

  “Now, bring your leg as far over your horse’s neck as you can. But stay centered in the saddle.”

  I crossed my leg, holding it in the air. I wobbled and tried to keep myself in the saddle. Oww!

  “Now, switch legs,” Mr. Conner said.

  With a grateful sigh, I brought my leg back to its normal position. After Heather and I stretched our opposite legs, Mr. Conner made us do arm circles, twists, and back stretches. By the end of the lesson, Charm was sleepy from standing for forty-five minutes. I, however, was exhausted.

  “Great job, girls,” Mr. Conner said. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  We dismounted and led our horses to the crossties. Neither of them needed to be cooled. I untacked Charm, groomed him, and turned him loose in his stall. He nudged my back as I walked to the door.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “Forgot your hug.”

  I squeezed him hard. “I’ll give you a special treat tomorrow, okay?”

  Charm nodded. I kissed his muzzle and shut the door behind me.

  The aisle was deserted—Aristocrat was back in his stall and Heather was already gone.

  As I walked back to Winchester, all I could think about was the look on Headmistress Drake’s face when she came out of the classroom. One dumb mistake had probably cost Julia and Alison everything. They’d worked so hard to get on the advanced team and to prep for the YENT.

  Back in my room,
I showered and threw on a pair of worn-soft jeans and an old sweater. Paige was at the library and our room felt too small and quiet. I grabbed my books, Jacob’s film paper, and my phone. I left my room and peered into the common room. Empty. Perfect.

  I snuggled into the couch and picked up Jacob’s film paper. I read the title. “The Importance of Costume Accuracy in War Films.” Hmm. Did Jacob even like war films?

  Just as I was about to start the paper, my phone buzzed and Eric’s name popped up on the screen.

  “Hey,” I said, not able to keep from smiling. Interesting—even amid all of the drama, he still had that effect on me.

  “I just heard a rumor that Julia and Alison are in major trouble,” Eric said. “True?”

  “Yeah, unfortunately. They got caught cheating in history class,” I said. “I was right there when Headmistress Drake walked them out.”

  Eric whistled. “Whoa. That’s bad news.”

  “Totally. I was nervous and she wasn’t even mad at me.”

  “What do you think will happen?” Eric asked.

  I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see me. “I don’t know. Heather said—” I looked up and stopped short. “I have to call you back,” I murmured, clicking my phone shut. Heather stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed.

  “Heather, what happened?” I asked. But I had a feeling I already knew the answer.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Twenty-two-year-old Jessica Burkhart is a writer from New York City. Like Sasha, she’s crazy about horses, lip gloss, and all things pink and sparkly. Jess was an equestrian before she started writing and had a horse like Charm. To watch Jess’s vlogs and read her blog, visit www.jessicaburkhart.com.