Home Sweet Drama

by Jessica Burkhart

  “Today, I want you all to get into your assigned groups and begin discussing about how you’re going to handle your project. Go ahead and gather your group members.”

  I watched, frozen, as Eric and Jacob glanced at each other from their seats. Eric got up first and moved to join the other people in their group who had gotten together by one girl’s desk.

  Jacob stood and walked over, keeping two people between him and Eric. I almost couldn’t breathe, watching them being forced to interact with each other and stand so close together. They hated each other and now they’d have to spend time on a group project. The odds of them being paired up together had been ridiculous. I’d almost fallen out of my seat when Mr. Spellman had announced the groups.

  I looked up, surprised when I realized my group had huddled around my desk. I guess because I hadn’t moved, they’d all come to join me. The three people I didn’t know—two guys and a girl—scooted their desks closer to mine.

  “Introductions first I guess?” asked a guy with black hair.

  “Yeah, let’s,” said the girl. “I’m Diana.”

  “Sasha,” I said.

  “Van.”

  “And I’m Oliver,” said the other guy.

  Diana got out a notebook and wrote History Project across the top of the page. “Want to just toss around a bunch of ideas and see what we come up with?” she asked.

  “That sounds good,” I said. I sat back in my chair and let them talk. I nodded along and pretended to listen as they talked about ideas for our project. I should have been offering suggestions, but I kept stealing glances over at Eric and Jacob. Their group was sitting at the far corner of the room and they weren’t even looking at each other.

  “So, if we all brainstorm over break,” said Diana. “Then we’ll have way more ideas when we meet when classes start again.”

  “Sounds good,” I heard myself say. This was one time when I was cool with sitting back and letting other people take control. Normally, I’d want to be in charge and let my type A personality take over. But I didn’t care that much. I just couldn’t stop watching Jacob and Eric.

  When it was time for health class, I felt like I’d downed too many energy drinks. Witnessing the tension between Jacob and Eric had made me nervous during history, and I hadn’t been able to shake the feeling all day that something was up with Jacob. The more I watched him, the more I was convinced that something was wrong. He was fidgety and he seemed on edge every time I saw him.

  I sat down in health class and looked away when Jacob walked into the room. I couldn’t keep looking at him for signs of whatever I imagined was going on—I was making myself crazy.

  Paige walked into the classroom and took her seat. We smiled at each other. Ever since the awkwardness in the common room last night, we’d both gone out of our way to be friendlier to each other. I didn’t want to fight with Paige about something as stupid as Homecoming. I wanted to go into fall break with things good between us.

  “Hi, class,” Ms. Utz said, walking into the room. “As you’re all aware, today you’ll turn in your reports and will relinquish custody of your egg. Unless, of course, you want to keep it.”

  No one wanted that. We were all ready to hand over our egg, and be finished with this project. I’d hated it the second we’d been given the assignment, but Jacob had at least tried to make it fun by drawing a face on the egg. He’d been a great partner and he’d made it easy on me for us to work together.

  Ms. Utz moved to the center of the front of the classroom and looked at us. “I’ve got a few questions for you all. Krista and Josh, what did you learn from this project?”

  Krista looked down at her egg and then up at Ms. Utz. “Well, I learned that it was harder than I thought not to break the egg.”

  Josh grinned. “We only broke it twice.”

  That made Krista blush. “Only twice?”

  The class laughed and so did Ms. Utz.

  “So you realized that you needed to be more careful than you thought,” Ms. Utz said. “It may have taken you two tries, but at least you did figure it out.”

  Krista and Josh nodded. Ms. Utz collected their journal and egg.

  “Let’s hear from …” Ms. Utz’s eyes scanned the room. “Sasha and Jacob. What about you? What did this experience teach you?”

  Jacob glanced over at me and I nodded, letting him go first.

  “It was more difficult to coordinate schedules than I thought it would be,” Jacob said. “Finding times we both could meet wasn’t easy.”

  “It was also hard to take the egg everywhere,” I said. “I always worried it would get broken or that I’d leave it somewhere.”

  “I kept forgetting about it,” Jacob said. “I almost left it behind a zillion times. Now that the project’s over, I’ve finally gotten used to carrying it around.”

  Ms. Utz smiled. “That figures, right? But you and Sasha made it work, you never broke your egg, and you did eventually learn to remember to take it with you.”

  Jacob glanced at me and there was a weird look on his face. It disappeared when Utz collected the journal and egg from him. Ignore it, I told myself. It wasn’t up to me to figure out what was going on with Jacob. And maybe I was just seeing things that weren’t there. But even as I thought it, I knew I was lying to myself. Something was definitely up.

  13

  OVER

  EVEN THE STABLE HAD BEEN ATTACKED BY Homecoming. Riders had put up signs and streamers—all out of reach of curious horses. Even the bathroom and the hallway to Mr. Conner’s office had been assaulted with green and gold. I couldn’t believe he’d let people decorate his stable. I hurried to grab Charm’s tack so I could get to his stall and escape.

  “Charm,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. I hugged him as if I hadn’t seen him for weeks, even though it had only been since yesterday. “Ugh, boy,” I said. “Everything’s a mess!”

  Charm took a sip from his water bucket and I clipped the lead line onto his halter. I led him into the aisle and walked him all the way to the back of the stable until we found an empty pair of crossties. I needed to be away from everyone for a few minutes.

  “As if it wasn’t enough that the entire campus is decorated for Homecoming, the stable was taken over too,” I said to him.

  I took a dandy brush out of Charm’s tack box and started brushing dirt off his legs. Mike or Doug must have turned him out this morning because he had a grass stain on his sock.

  “You’re all set for Homecoming,” I grumbled. I walked over to the wash stall beside him and filled a bucket with warm, soapy water. I crouched down and scrubbed until the grass stain was gone. Charm was quiet as I started his normal grooming routine. I had time, so I put extra effort into brushing every speck of dirt from his coat and combing his mane and tail until they were tangle free. After Charm’s hooves were clean, I picked up his white saddle pad and placed it on his back, then lowered the saddle on top of it. Charm didn’t move while I tightened the girth and ran down the stirrups. I released him from the crossties and bridled him. With my helmet in hand I started toward the arena.

  At least Heather was the only one in my class. I almost shook my head at the irony of that. Weeks ago, I would have done anything to avoid going to class with just Heather. But everything had changed during Homecoming week. She was the only person I could talk to who wasn’t obsessed with it. Aside from Jacob, I thought. I wondered what he was doing. Maybe he was at track practice. Or doing homework. He could be at the media center with his friends playing video games.

  Stop it, I said to myself. I had no reason to be thinking about Jacob.

  I kept my gaze straight ahead as we walked down the aisle, avoiding looking at the decorations. I led Charm through the wide entrance into the indoor arena and put on my helmet. I looked up and down the arena, but it was empty. Weird—Heather was almost always here before me.

  I gathered the reins in my left hand and stuck my toe in the stirrup. With a light bounce I pushed myself u
p from the ground and swung my other leg over Charm’s hindquarters. I settled myself in the saddle, then nudged my heels against Charm’s sides. He moved into an easy walk and after a couple of minutes, I let him into a trot. I posted, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My heels were down, my back was straight without looking stiff, and my hands were balanced just right over Charm’s neck.

  I looked up when Heather jogged into the arena with Aristocrat beside her. She halted him and mounted.

  “Where were you?” I asked. “You were almost late.”

  Heather shook her head. “You won’t believe it.”

  “What?”

  “Julia, Alison, and I saw—” Heather started, but Mr. Conner walked into the arena. Heather closed her mouth.

  “Saw what?” I whispered. “Tell me!”

  But Heather shook her head. “After,” she mouthed.

  I groaned to myself. Whatever she’d seen had been good. And now I had to concentrate through an entire lesson and wait for it to be over before she’d be able to tell me.

  Mr. Conner smiled at us as he walked into the center of the arena. His tall black boots shone in the sunlight that streamed through the arena windows. He was wearing breeches and I wondered if he’d just finished working with Lexington.

  “Hi, girls,” he said. “If you’re warmed up and ready to go, let’s work on jumping today.”

  At least that would help keep my mind off whatever Heather had to tell me.

  “I want you to dismount and swap horses,” Mr. Conner said.

  I swung my leg over the back of the saddle and kicked my foot out of the stirrup. I hopped to the ground and handed the Charm’s reins to Heather. She gave me Aristocrat’s and I gathered the reins in my hand and mounted. The chestnut gelding flicked his ears back and forth, probably anxious at having someone new on his back.

  I patted his neck. “It’s okay, boy,” I said. “You know me.”

  I watched Heather mount Charm and he was quiet under her. He glanced at Aristocrat and saw me on his back, but he stayed still and listened to Heather. Mr. Conner had made us swap horses during lessons before and, at first, I’d hated riding any other horse. But now I was beginning to understand Mr. Conner’s point that riding different horses was great training. I learned something new from every horse I rode. I had a feeling Heather liked riding Charm even though she’d never admit it.

  “Take them around at a trot, then a canter,” Mr. Conner said. “Just a couple of laps to acquaint yourself with your different horse. Then we’ll take a few jumps.”

  I squeezed my legs against Aristocrat’s sides and angled him toward the wall. His trot was so smooth that I didn’t even need to post. In front of us, Heather and Charm moved well together and I felt proud that Charm was listening to Heather. I wondered if he could sense that Heather and I weren’t total enemies anymore.

  After a lap, I let Aristocrat canter and I smiled at how fast he responded to my cues. He was attentive, but not overly sensitive.

  “All right,” Mr. Conner said. “Pull them up and let’s discuss the course.”

  Heather and I slowed the horses and brought them to a stop in front of him.

  “You’re going to take four verticals and a triple combination,” Mr. Conner said.

  I shivered a little at the mention of triple on a strange horse.

  “The verticals increase in height and you’ll need to be prepared for the triple,” Mr. Conner said. “Remember that you don’t know the horse you’re riding as well as you do your own, so be mindful of that.”

  Heather and I nodded. I was ready to jump no matter what horse I rode.

  “Heather,” Mr. Conner said, motioning to her. “You’ll ride first. Sasha, while Heather rides, I want you to watch Charm. It’ll give you a new perspective on his movements to see someone else riding him.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  Heather squeezed her legs against Charm’s sides and encouraged him into a trot. He looked smooth and together as he moved away from Aristocrat and me. Heather let Charm into a canter and I watched as he tossed his head once when he changed gaits. He was excited about jumping, but Heather didn’t let him get away with it. She took him away from the jumps and made him circle again to let him know he had to be calm before they started.

  When Charm completed the circle, Heather turned him toward the course and this time, Charm kept his head down and didn’t rush.

  Charm’s canter was collected as he moved toward the first vertical. He pushed off with his haunches and leaped into the air over the yellow and white striped poles. He landed almost without a sound and Heather was already looking ahead to the next jump.

  Charm’s stride was rhythmic as he cantered to the next vertical and cleared the blue poles that were a couple of inches higher than the first jump.

  He pointed his ears forward and I realized he was getting overconfident. His attention span was waning and Heather realized it as it was happening. She did a half halt, closing her fingers around the reins, and Charm listened to her. He tilted an ear back at her, paying attention again, and they popped over the third vertical. One more to go and then it was the triple. Sometimes Charm and I had timing issues, and I realized I needed to do more of what Heather had done—be prepared for Charm to rush and keep his attention on me—not the jumps.

  Heather rose out of the saddle before the final vertical and Charm snapped his forelegs perfectly under his body, tucking them under. He landed with his back hooves inches away from the jump and they started making a turn around the side of the arena to approach the triple combo.

  Heather’s eyes never left the space between Charm’s ears. She sank her weight into her heels, easing him just before the first jump. Charm was ready. He flew over the first obstacle, took two strides and then left the ground again for the second. Heather kept his pace even and didn’t give him a chance to get distracted. Charm jumped the final part of the triple and a smiling Heather rode him back over to us.

  “That was great, Heather,” Mr. Conner said. “Charm does have a tendency to become excited on course and you kept him focused. The half halt is a great tool when a horse starts to stop paying attention.” He turned to me. “Sasha, I’ve seen you use that before with Charm and I’d like to see you implement it more when necessary.”

  “I will,” I said. And he was right. A while ago I would have been embarrassed that Heather had done something with Charm that I hadn’t been doing as well. But now I didn’t feel like I wanted to knock her off my horse.

  “Good,” Mr. Conner said. “Whenever you’re ready, Sasha, go ahead and take the course with Aristocrat.”

  My fingers were a little slippery on the reins. I didn’t want to mess up—especially not on Heather’s horse. But Aristocrat was a total pro and I was sure he’d listen to me, even if he’d much rather have Heather riding him.

  I didn’t want to spend too much time circling him and making myself nervous, so I closed my legs around his sides and urged him into a trot. After a few strides, I gave him more rein and the chestnut flowed into a canter without hesitation.

  I pointed him at the first vertical and didn’t have time to think before he flew into the air and soared over the fence. It was almost as if I was along for the ride and he didn’t need me to do anything. He gathered himself and I rose into the two-point position just before taking off over the second vertical. Aristocrat jumped with ease, landed, and moved with confidence to the next jump. Despite the fact that he and Charm didn’t get along, I couldn’t help but appreciate him. His movements were gorgeous and he was easy to handle. Even though he was a top-notch Thoroughbred, an inexperienced rider would probably be safe on him.

  We finished the verticals and I sucked in a breath just before the first jump of the triple. Timing was everything. If we messed up one part, we could knock the rest of the rails. Aristocrat jumped the first vertical with room to spare, shortened his stride and two seconds later we were in the air and clearing the middle jump. We landed and he d
idn’t need me to do anything—he left the ground at the right second and we jumped the final part of the combo. We circled back to Heather and Mr. Conner.

  “Nice job, boy,” I said.

  Mr. Conner smiled at me. “Good ride, Sasha. Aristocrat is an experienced jumper, but that’s sometimes a curse for his rider.”

  I tilted my head. “What do you mean?”

  Mr. Conner’s eyes focused on me. “Did you pay as much attention while riding Aristocrat as you would have on Charm? Did you relax because you knew Aristocrat had more experience?”

  Ugh. I didn’t know it had been obvious!

  “A little,” I said. “But Aristocrat didn’t need as much guidance. He knew what he was doing and I didn’t feel like I had to give him as much direction.”

  “But you also cannot go on autopilot,” Mr. Conner said. “Every horse needs instruction from his rider. You cannot let the horse make the decisions about when to jump and how fast or slow to go even if you think the horse is capable of deciding.”

  I nodded, realizing I’d made a huge mistake. “You’re right,” I said. “I shouldn’t have let his experience level factor into how much attention I paid to him.”

  “Good,” Mr. Conner said. “You’ll be ready the next time you ride another horse. Great lesson, both of you, and see you next class.”

  Heather and I dismounted and swapped reins.

  “So tell me now,” I said. “What did you hear?”

  Heather shook her head. “Can we at least cool the horses? And I’m not telling you here where anyone could overhear it. Just chill. Meet Julia, Alison, and me in the hayloft in half an hour.”

  “Are you kidding me?! You’re going to make me wait even longer?” I wanted to shake the secret out of Heather.

  Heather rolled her eyes. “Silver, with your ridiculous record about not knowing what’s going on around campus, you probably wouldn’t hear about this for a week if it wasn’t for me.”

  And she led Aristocrat out of the arena and away from me before I could say another word.