Take the Reins (14 page)

IT WAS TOO EARLY ON A WEDNESDAY MORNING
when my phone jolted me awake.

“What?” I grumbled.

“Grumpy, grumpy!” Mom said in that singsong voice that drove me crazy.

“I'm not grumpy. Just tired,” I said, groaning.

“I'm excited you're coming home this weekend, hon.”

“Me too,” I told her. I realized that over the past couple of days, I hadn't even thought of home—or Mom and Dad—once! If someone had told me two months ago I'd be at boarding school and not missing home like crazy, I'd have thought they were insane.

“I just wanted to remind you to bring your laundry home,” Mom said.

“Um, okay,” I said, looking guiltily at the heap of dirty clothes spilling out of my hamper.

“Are you all set for the dance?” she asked.

I smiled, thinking about how much my friends had helped me with all the planning. “It's going to be really fun, I think,” I told her.

“Well, have fun, sweetie. We'll see you soon.”

I pulled myself out of bed. There was a ton of packing to be done before Sunday. But first, I logged onto my IM. Immediately, a message popped up.

A smiley face!

“Yes!” I screamed, causing Paige to open one eye and sit up in bed.

“That better be something really, really good,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

“Jacob wants to come to the party!” I said, hopping up and down.

“Sasha!” Paige jumped out of bed and read the IM. “Oh, my God! He's totally in love with you. I know it.”

I laughed. “Let's see if he shows up to the dance first.”

After a quick shower, I slipped into a sweater and flared jeans on loan from Paige and headed to Livvie's office.

“What's up?” Livvie asked. She motioned for me to sit on her desk chair.

“I wanted to let you know that my parents will be here by five on Sunday.”

“Thanks,” Livvie said, marking the time off on her clipboard. “Do you feel ready to go home?”

“It feels kind of strange,” I admitted. “But I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again.”

“Do you think you'll visit your old stable?” Livvie asked.

Briar Creek. With all that had been going on, it hadn't even crossed my mind. “I don't know,” I said, thinking of B.C.'s new rider—Lauren.

Livvie seemed to know what I was thinking. “It's okay to go back. I bet your old instructor would love to see you.”

“Maybe,” I said, realizing that was probably true.

Livvie checked her watch. “You better get to English.”

As I headed for Mr. Davidson's class, I spotted Julia and Alison up ahead on a picnic bench.

“She thinks her dad's going to make her leave because of her grades,” I heard Julia say. “She said she may not even be here for—” Julia stopped and turned around. “Um, can we help you?” she asked me.

“Yeah, hello! Listen to other people's conversations much?” Alison added.

“Whatever,” I said, walking away. But I was too distracted to be mad at their snarks. Maybe they weren't even talking about Heather. Canterwood classes were notoriously tough—it could have been any girl they were talking about.

But if Mr. Fox did make Heather leave, he was more awful than I thought. Even Heather didn't deserve to be yanked out of her home.

 

I slid into my seat next to Callie. Mr. Davidson was bent over his desk.

“We're getting test grades back,” Callie whispered.

Mr. Davidson started calling out names and passing back papers. “Jen. Erika. Cole. Sasha.” He handed me my paper. It was folded over. I closed my eyes and pictured the letter A.

I let the paper unfold and opened my eyes. A.

I did it!

Callie got her paper and checked it. She smiled and slid it off the corner of her desk so I could see. B+
.

Maybe I was finally getting used to Canterwood classes after all.

“HEATHER'S WORSE THAN EVER!” I SAID TO
Callie in the tack room later that afternoon.

We were sorting laundry for Charm and Jack. Leg wraps, sweat sheets, and saddle pads needed to be washed before we went home on Sunday.

“I thought she'd be in a good mood because she's so sure she made the team, but she's being awful,” I said. “But I guess she would be, if her dad's threatening to make her leave.”

Yesterday, she had blocked the aisle with Aristocrat and had refused to let anyone go around her. She made such a fuss that anyone who needed to get out of the stable went around the back and walked through the frozen mud. No one had dared argue with her.

“She does seem nastier,” Callie agreed. “Maybe her dad said she's definitely going.”

“I don't know,” I said, tossing two of Charm's red leg wraps into the laundry pile. I had told Callie earlier about what I'd overheard. “Maybe you can find out something in Orchard.”

Callie nodded. “I'll ask around when I go back to my room.” She aimed for the laundry pile and Jack's blue leg wrap sailed through the air and hit me on the knee.

“Ow!” I yelped, feigning pain from the neoprene wrap. “Now I'll have a limp.”

Callie laughed and chucked another wrap at me. “Take that!”

I ducked behind the saddle racks and tossed a balled-up saddle cover at her.

“Truce! Truce!” Callie squealed, waving one of Jack's white neck sweats. She collapsed on the floor and laughed. I flopped down beside her on a hay bale and we laughed until our sides were sore.

 

I was settled into bed, watching an episode of
Southampton Socialites,
when my phone rang. Paige was flipping through
Hot Hairstyles
trying to decide if she needed bangs. My vote was no, but she wasn't convinced.

“You will
not
believe this!” Callie half-shouted into the phone. “I know what's going on with Heather!”

I pushed the speakerphone button and put my ear close to the phone. “Paige is listening, too.”

“I heard that Heather's parents are transferring her out of Canterwood for
sure
,” Callie said.

“No,” I said, not really believing it. “Really?”

“Heather and Aristocrat leave this weekend,” Callie confirmed. “I heard it from this girl in my dorm who overheard Alison and Julia talking about it. She won't even be at the team announcements.”

“That's awful,” Paige said.

“I feel bad,” I said. “Heather must have been devastated when she found out.”

Callie chewed into the phone as she spoke. “I hate to be the one to say it, but our chances at making the advanced team just drastically improved,” she said.

I was silent, but Callie was right. Heather had been our biggest competition. We still weren't guaranteed spots, but our future at Canterwood suddenly looked brighter.

I knew I should have felt happier. If victory was closer than ever, why did it feel so bittersweet?

CHARM MUST HAVE JUST TAKEN A DRINK
because when he came to greet me, bits of hay and sticky grain were stuck to his chin hairs. The tidbits now resided on my black jacket.

“Thanks,” I said.

His ears swiveled toward me.

“I missed you, too.”

He rubbed his slobbering muzzle on my coat sleeve and tried to knock the grain bucket from my hand. The more time I spent practicing with Charm, the more we missed each other when I was in class or studying. I rubbed his back in small circles the way he liked and lightly kneaded his neck with my knuckles. He grunted with pleasure.

A couple of stalls over, Callie fed Black Jack a few
mint candies she had swiped from the tin outside Mr. Conner's office. Jack had an insatiable sweet tooth and Callie occasionally indulged him with candy. Peppermint was his favorite treat.

“You coming?” I asked, stepping up to Jack's stall.

She eyed a tangle in Jack's dark mane. “I better get that out,” she said. “See you tomorrow for our ride?”

“Absolutely,” I said, passing Julia and Alison near the tack room door. They scowled at me, but didn't say a word.

I walked down to Mr. Conner's office. There, in the aisle, was the team trophy case. The wooden board with gold plaques glittered at me as I read the names of last year's advanced team. I put a finger on the cold glass.

“What are you doing here?” Julia asked, standing with her arms folded.

“I'm afraid I won't make it,” I said truthfully. I expected Julia to laugh at me, but she didn't.

“We all are,” she said. “The amount we practice, we should
all
make the team.”

“You're a good rider,” I said, not looking away from the case.

“You don't suck either,” she said.

We laughed, and then stood in silence.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine hearing Mr. Conner call my name for the advanced team. The word “congratulations” rolled around in my head. A smile crept over across my face.

When I opened my eyes, Julia was gone.

GLOOMY SKIES HUNG OVER US AS CALLIE,
Jack, Charm, and I headed down the trail toward Canterwood. The fat, gray clouds looked as though they'd burst over us at any minute. Charm shivered and I adjusted the blanket draped across his hindquarters. He skirted around a clump of mud, left over from a slushy sleet from last night, and nearly stepped off the trail into a patch of burrs. I pressed my left boot firmly into his side to get his attention. He chomped on the bit and tugged on the reins.

“What's his deal today?” Callie asked.

“He's been off since we started,” I said, stroking Charm's neck. I guided him Western style, with the reins in my left hand.

Black Jack eyed Charm warily, as if afraid of getting a nip on the neck.

Charm had never bitten anyone or anything, but he was certainly moody today.

“He's nervous,” Callie said. Jack tossed his head at Callie's voice.

Since we had started our ride twenty-five minutes earlier, Callie had chattered nonstop about what making the team would do for us and our stable status.

“Sorry, but I can't help it,” she said. “When we get back, Mr. Conner is going to make the announcement. We have a real shot at this.”

“There are a lot of good riders,” I said.

Charm's gait quickened into an extended walk as we neared the stables. He probably sensed my jitters. The waiting we had endured this week had been an absolute killer, and the depressing weather hadn't helped much either.

By the time we got back to the stable, Charm was cool and didn't need to be walked. I untacked him and noticed Mike had filled his hay net and water bucket.

“Treat?” I asked.

Charm made a face that suggested I should have known the answer to my question. I stuck my hand in the
plastic bag outside of his stall and offered him one of the apple-flavored cookies. He snatched it from my hand and devoured it in seconds, crumbs flying everywhere.

“Piggy,” I laughed. With Charm still munching, I latched his stall and headed for the bathroom.

I leaned over the sink, splashing water on my face, and redid my ponytail. I smoothed a coat of my new tangerine lip gloss over my lips, but my stomach still felt queasy.
Yoga breathing
, I reminded myself.

I entered the meeting room off the arena and took a seat. Mr. Conner had the room draped in green and gold streamers and a six-or seven-foot banner said,
CONGRATULATIONS CANTERWOOD CREST RIDERS
! The tables were cloaked in white tablecloths and dotted with glasses of ginger ale in champagne flutes. A horseshoe-shaped cake with “Welcome New Teammates!” had green icing with tiny gold horses around the cake's edge.

“Nervous?” Sam asked. She was one of the lucky ones already on the advanced team.

“How did you stand the wait?” I asked back.

“I cleaned my dorm room from top to bottom, for a week straight. My roommate hated me because I wouldn't stop,” she said.

I looked for Callie, but she wasn't here yet. Nicole,
sitting a few seats over, waved. Alison and Julia sat with arms crossed and matching glares. The newly formed “duo” looked lost without their ringleader. Aristocrat was still in his stall, but I hadn't seen Heather all day.

Callie came into the room and sat next to me.

“Where were you?” I whispered.

“Look!” she said, pointing toward the door.

Heather Fox.

Heather sashayed in front of the room and headed for her friends. A smug Julia removed her hobo purse and gave Heather a seat. They pushed their chairs closer and started chatting. My chances of team glory began to fade away.

“Why didn't you tell me?” I asked Callie.

“I just found out! I heard that she convinced her parents to let her stay.”

We kept our eyes on Heather. The large wall clock in the room seemed to tick loud enough that each second echoed in my ears. Where was Mr. Conner? The man was never late.

Finally, the door creaked open and Mr. Conner stepped through. He carried two large cardboard boxes under his arm. One box was sealed with clear masking tape and the other was open and filled with papers. Mr. Conner took
his time as he set the boxes on the table. He reached into the box and pulled out a few white papers.

The room was silent. All eyes were focused on Mr. Conner. This was it!

“Do you see our names?” Callie asked, her brown eyes wide.

“I can't read through paper!” I said.

I wondered, briefly, what Mr. Conner would he do if I ran up and snatched the papers out of his hands.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” he said. “There were a few last-minute details that needed my attention. I know you're all anxious to hear the news. So, I won't drag this out. Let's get started.”

“Good luck,” Callie whispered.

“Good luck to both of us,” I said.

“Just a reminder that I used several criteria in each of your evaluations,” Mr. Conner said. “I chose members for the advanced team who met the highest standards of talent, responsibility, drive, and strong team relations. The advanced team will represent Canterwood at the leading equestrian competitions across the country.”

He peered down at the papers.

“With great pleasure, I'm pleased to announce your new advanced team representatives.”

A hush fell over the arena. No one moved. I reached over and took Callie's hand.

“Julia Myer,” Mr. Conner called. His voice echoed in the small space as cheers and clapping erupted from the students. Heather and Alison stood and clapped their hands above their heads. Julia shook Mr. Conner's hand and took the paper. “Congratulations,” Mr. Conner said.

“Thankyousomuch!” Julia said, spitting out her sentence. She danced back to her seat.

One slot gone. Four to go.

Mr. Conner took out the next piece of paper. “Our next addition to the team is Callie Harper!”

Callie turned to me with a dazed look. “Did he just say my name?”

“Yes,” I said, shoving her out of her seat. “Get up there!”

Callie stepped up to Mr. Conner. She almost hugged him, but pulled herself back at the last minute. He grinned and patted her shoulder. The other students clapped as she floated back to her seat. I stood and whistled. Nicole, jumping up from her seat, clapped and yelled, “Go Callie!” Any tension Callie and I had over the past few weeks melted away. This was my friend and she'd just made the team.

Callie plopped back into the seat, carefully holding her paper.

Mr. Conner had three papers left. If I had worked harder in algebra, I probably could have figured my odds. Heather straightened and grabbed Julia and Alison's hands.

“The next member of your team is Alison Robb!” Two seats left. I tried to watch Mr. Conner's gaze to see if he was looking at me with pity or congratulations. But he was unreadable.

Alison let out a squeal and dashed up to Mr. Conner. With wide eyes, she took the paper. Julia welcomed her back with a hug, but their expressions morphed into frowns when they got a glimpse of Heather's glowering face.

“The next member of your team is,” Mr. Conner said.
Oh, God, please say my name!
“Heather Fox!”

Squeals rang out from Heather's section when Mr. Conner announced her name. Julia and Alison stood and clapped.

Heather headed for Mr. Conner and stopped in front of him. She folded her hands politely and waited for him to reach for her hand. She looked relieved to be up there.

Mr. Conner shook her hand and Heather gave a little curtsy before heading back to her seat. Her smile couldn't have been wider.

“The final member of the team is,” Mr. Conner said. I shut my eyes. Watching him was too hard. “Sasha Silver! Congratulations!”

Callie didn't wait for me to get up. She dragged me to my feet and let out a victory cheer. “You did it!” she yelled.

Oh. My. God. Omigod! Everything Charm and I worked for had paid off. The hours of muscle pounding practice, the squabbles with Heather, leaping over the jumps on the outdoor course—it was all worth it.

“I can't believe it!” I said. “I made it?” I tried not to trip on a chair as I made my way to Mr. Conner. The green and gold decorations seemed to glitter and glow.

When I reached Mr. Conner, I shook his hand and let out a sigh I felt I'd been holding in all semester. “Thank you, sir,” I manage to utter. “I'm going to work really hard.”

“Your group practice begins at seven the first week of January,” he said with a genuine smile and a sparkle in his eye.

I collapsed into my chair and opened the folded white piece of paper.

Congratulations, Sasha! All of us at the Canterwood Riding Team welcome your addition. We hope you'll find continued success
on the advanced team and we look forward to working and riding with you. Best, Canterwood Crest Academy Riding Team Staff

Totally frame worthy. Carefully, I stuck it inside my jacket pocket.

Peering around the Trio, I saw Nicole, biting her lip as her eyes filled with tears. She, like over three-fourths of the riders, had to test again next year. Poor Nicole. It could have just as easily have been me, Callie, or anyone else.

“To those of you who didn't make it, I highly encourage you to try again next year,” Mr. Conner said. “You are all talented riders. Do
not
let this discourage you. To those who did make it,” he said. “Congratulations. I know you'll do Canterwood Crest Academy proud.”

Callie and I grinned at each other.

Mr. Conner cleared his throat. “Before we adjourn, I have one last announcement to make.”

I looked at Callie. She shrugged and gripped her paper tighter.

“Over the past three months, it has been brought to my attention by several anonymous students that there have been some serious issues surrounding our riders.”

Mr. Conner looked at all of us. I shifted in my seat and glanced down to avoid his gaze.

“Students have come to me with serious allegations of
sabotage and unnecessary emotional stress inflicted upon certain students.”

Heather sat ramrod straight and didn't look at anyone.

Mr. Conner tilted his head down and leaned forward for emphasis. “This behavior is not acceptable for any team member—advanced team or not—and it will not be tolerated. Next semester, any rumors or suggestions of ill behavior toward other team members will be taken extremely seriously. Action
will
be taken against any student who is determined to be the cause of these issues.”

Heather's face bloomed carnation pink.

Mr. Conner stepped back and nodded once at all of us. “That being said, let's get back to the reason for today and give a round of applause for our new advanced team.” Everyone burst into applause. Nicole, smiling through her watery eyes, gave me a thumbs-up.

Mr. Conner smiled at us. “Everyone should grab a piece of cake. The new team members come with me.”

While everyone else got in line for cake, Mr. Conner took us to a back table where it was quiet and set down the box. “Go ahead and open it,” he said.

Callie pulled out her dorm keys and sliced open the box. She pulled back the cardboard flaps and reached
under the white tissue paper. After she pulled out a handful of paper, we saw green and gold fabric.

“What is it?” Callie asked. She reached inside and pulled out a jacket. Not just any jacket, but a Canterwood one with
Silver
emblazoned on the back.

“Team jackets!” I said. I slipped on the jacket and looked down at the front. The gold stitching on the lapel read “Canterwood Crest Academy Riding Team.” Just like the shirt Mr. Conner always wore.

Callie pulled another jacket out of the box. “I've got one, too!” She put her arms into the sleeves and twirled around. The back read
Harper
in the same fancy script as my jacket lettering.

“We look like a team now,” I cheered.

Heather looked over Julia's shoulder as Callie and I made room for them around the table. “I guess we're a team now,” Heather said.

Callie reached inside the box and handed the jacket bearing the name
Fox
to Heather. “We've got to act like a team, or we're not going to make it,” Callie said.

“I'm in,” Heather said.

Julia and Alison lifted their jackets from the box and soon the five of us were all sporting them. We really looked like a team.

The Trio headed for the door, but Julia turned around before she left the room. “Congratulations,” she said, looking at Callie and me. “See you at the party.”