Eric turned around and shook his head. “That’s going to get baaad,” he said.
“I know. I’m staying out of it.” We went back to our lunch, but I kept an eye on Jasmine. She picked at her food for the rest of the period and—as much as I didn’t like her—I started to feel for her.
Whatever just happened, the Trio hadn’t even gotten started. I knew, firsthand, what they were capable of.
11
NEVER A DRAMA-FREE MOMENT
AFTER CLASS I CHANGED AND STARTED toward the stable. Looking across the campus, I watched the track team, in their green and gold uniforms, jog around the outdoor track. A brisk wind chilled my fingers and I tried to warm them up by texting Paige while I walked.
Sooo…b/c u went 2 that how 2 live green mtg during lunch, u missed big drama!
Paige texted back. I did??? What?!
H got in Jas’s face & said smthing awful. Jas looked 8–0 when H left.
Uh-oh. Tell me more ltr!
I clicked my phone shut and walked by the indoor arena, peering through the window. Inside, Eric, Troy, and Ben were trotting their horses. Eric, edging Luna next to Ben’s horse, was laughing at whatever Ben had said. I left the window, grabbed Charm’s tack box, and went to his stall.
“Hi, Charmy,” I said. “Two more days till I can ride.”
Charm snorted—he hated it when I called him that. I clipped a lead line to his brown leather halter and led him to a pair of crossties. I took my time grooming him, and Charm loved every second of it, closing his eyes as I brushed him.
“You’re not enjoying this at all, I can tell,” I teased Charm.
He bobbed his head.
I looked up when I heard hoofbeats approaching. Callie, with Jacob by her side, led Jack down the aisle. Sigh. So much for a drama-free afternoon.
Jack stretched his neck toward his BFF Charm. Jacob stayed in the middle of the aisle, avoiding the horses who stuck their heads over the stall doors. I almost felt sorry for him—his current and ex-almost girlfriends both loved horses and he was so scared of them.
Callie stopped Jack in front of Charm and the two horses touched muzzles. I kept brushing Charm, determined not to look at Callie and Jacob.
“Hi,” Callie said, her tone soft.
“Hey,” Jacob said.
I glanced at them but didn’t say anything.
Callie played with the end of Jack’s lead line. “So we get to ride soon. Finally, huh?”
I shrugged.
“I’m glad we at least have time to practice before Jasmine joins our team,” Callie added.
“I’d rather ride with Jas,” I muttered. I looked away and flicked the brush over Charm’s already clean shoulder.
“What?” Callie asked.
My chest twisted a little when I looked at her. I knew what I’d said—and what I was about to say—was wrong. But it didn’t stop me.
“Jasmine was never my best friend,” I said. “So she could never hurt me the way you did. I expect it from her, but you?” My voice cracked, threatening to give away the emotions behind what I’d said.
“It’s not all Callie’s fault,” Jacob interjected.
My arms dropped to my sides and I turned to face them head-on. “So that makes it okay?” I asked.
Callie swallowed and her eyes filled with tears. “I was so, so wrong—I know it. But I miss you, Sash, and I’m trying to explain what happened. Can we go somewhere and talk?”
I tossed Charm’s brush into his tack box. It thudded against the other brushes. I unclipped the crossties, letting the snaps clank against the walls.
I backed Charm up, turned him, and led him away. I knew if I said another word, I’d start sobbing. I shouldn’t have been mean to Callie. But I meant what I said. Jasmine—annoying as she was—meant nothing to me. Callie had been my best friend.
At that moment, I realized something that hadn’t really occurred to me before. This could be it for my and Callie’s friendship—maybe it really was beyond repair.
I put Charm away and walked by the indoor arena. Eric was inside, trotting Luna in a circle. He was concentrating so intently that he didn’t see me walk into the center of the arena.
“Watch those hands, Mr. Rodriguez,” I called out.
Eric’s head twisted in my direction. He dropped his hands, laughing.
“Yes, Mr. Conner,” he teased.
He rode Luna over to me and dismounted.
“You don’t have to stop,” I said. “I’m going back to Winchester anyway.”
Eric took off his helmet and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “It’s okay. I’m pretty much done for the day.”
I patted Luna, and Eric took a step closer to me. He took my hand. “So,” he said. “About that kiss…”
Kiss? Was he serious? But I wasn’t expecting it yet. I wasn’t—But as I stared into his warm brown eyes, my nerves vanished. Eric leaned into me, and my eyes fluttered shut. His lips, soft and warm, touched mine. My worries about being a bad kisser faded instantly; nothing about kissing Eric felt wrong. After he pulled away, Eric brushed a stray hair from my face. He smiled at me.
“I’m really glad you did that,” I said, hyperaware that we were still standing so close together.
“Good,” he said. “Me too.”
I didn’t even care that I hadn’t put on lip gloss for at least an hour.
12
FIGURES
“OMIGOD!” I SHRIEKED.
“What’s wrong?!” Paige whipped back her covers and sat up, her red hair staticky.
I double-checked my phone. Yes! It really was six on Thursday morning. “I get to ride today!” I yelled.
“Oh.” Paige flopped back into bed. “Don’t do that! I thought something serious was happening. Like a fire. Or the cancellation of Top Chef.”
“Sorry,” I whispered.
I grabbed the riding clothes I’d picked out last night and pulled them on in record time. I swept my hair into a messy ponytail and swiped on some vanilla bean lip gloss.
“Have fun,” Paige whispered, half asleep.
“I will. Bye.” I opened the door and eased it shut behind me.
The sun, just starting to rise, cast a pink and orange glow over campus. The trees were finally getting their leaves back and the grass was losing its winter brown. I breathed in the chilly air and smiled. Everything looked prettier this morning! Maybe that’s because I was Eric’s girlfriend. I touched my phone in my pocket. After yesterday’s kiss, I’d picked up my phone to tell Callie everything. Then I’d remembered we weren’t friends anymore. This was the weirdest semester ever. I’d lost a best friend, lost an almost boyfriend, and now was a date away from becoming someone’s official girlfriend.
At the stable, I grabbed Charm’s tack box, saddle, pad, and bridle before dashing around the corner to his stall.
“Riding day, boy!” I cheered.
Charm bumped my arm with his head. I barely had time to clip the lead line to his halter before he charged out into the aisle.
“Whoa!” I said, laughing.
But I let him prance down the aisle to the crossties. He barely blinked as I groomed him—he was ready to go!
In less than ten minutes, we were on our way to the indoor arena. I put my foot in the stirrup and boosted myself into Charm’s saddle.
“Ahhh,” I said, settling into the leather. The no-riding thing was never happening again. Ever.
I urged Charm forward and we joined the Trio, who was warming up their horses along the wall.
“Seriously, I couldn’t sleep last night,” Alison said. She patted Sunstruck’s palomino shoulder. The Arabian gelding stretched his neck out to Trix, Julia’s bay mare.
“Me either,” Julia said. “It’s crunch time now to make up for those two weeks.”
Heather nodded and edged Aristocrat between Trix and Sunstruck. “Not to mention, this will probably be one of our last practices without her. If she makes the team, she’ll bring us all down.”
Heather gazed at me. “Kind of like when you first came to Canterwood. At least you got somewhat better, Silver.”
I rolled my eyes. “Gee. Thanks.”
Callie and Jack came riding into the arena. She gave us a quick smile, but no one reciprocated. Interesting. Julia and Alison had been Callie’s new BFFs when they thought Heather and I had stolen Julia’s and Callie’s guys. Now they wouldn’t even look at her. They’d dropped Callie the second Julia forgave Heather for dating Ben—Julia’s then boyfriend. Everyone’s friendships were fixed and back to normal, except for me and Callie’s.
We moved our horses to the arena wall and started our warm-up. Callie inched Jack toward Charm a couple of times, but I weaved Charm around the other horses to avoid her. She finally seemed to give up and stayed behind us.
Mr. Conner walked into the arena’s center. He looked at us and nodded. “Glad to be back?”
“YES!” we chorused.
Mr. Conner laughed. “Good! Then let’s get started. Move out to the wall and trot.”
I nudged Charm with my heels and he trotted forward. We fell into line behind Aristocrat. Charm’s pace quickened—he wanted to pass his rival. Ahead of us, the darker chestnut increased his speed.
“Not worth it,” I whispered to Charm. I got him settled and we finished the warm-up.
“Today, we’re practicing dressage,” Mr. Conner announced.
Not my fave discipline, since I was all about cross-country, but I was too excited about riding to care.
“We’re going to work on figure eights,” Mr. Conner said. He walked to the side of the arena and picked up two orange traffic cones. He placed the cones a few feet apart.
“Why figure eights?” Alison asked.
“Riding this pattern forces you to pay attention to how you sit on your horse,” Mr. Conner said. “As your horse shifts directions, you’ll feel how you balance yourself to stay in the saddle. The exercise also gives your horse greater flexibility.”
Alison nodded and straightened her black helmet. I sneaked a look at Callie—dressage was her favorite exercise. She turned her head to the side, and silver flashed in her ear. I squinted—it was a tiny horseshoe earring. Those were new. We used to do all of our accessory shopping together, so even though I knew it was stupid, seeing Callie’s new earrings reminded me of how awful things had gotten and much I missed my old friend.
“Let’s begin,” Mr. Conner said.
I shrugged off my sadness and made myself pay attention. No distractions.
“Alison, you’ll go first. Then Sasha, Callie, Heather, and Julia,” Mr. Conner instructed.
“Okay,” Alison said.
“Start Sunstruck at a forward trot,” Mr. Conner called. “Squeeze with your legs and lengthen his stride before you begin the pattern.”
Alison nodded and eased Sunstruck into a trot. The Arabian was flighty, but Alison knew how to handle him. She circled him twice and then weaved him through the cones. Sunstruck, with his smooth stride, made it easy for Alison to bend with him through the turns. She rode him back to us, and Mr. Conner nodded to her.
“When you ride your horse through the turns,” he said, “you should pull back your inside leg while moving your outside leg forward. This will help your horse navigate the twists.”
Alison rubbed Sunstruck’s neck and the rest of us nodded.
Mr. Conner looked at me. “Go ahead, Sasha.”
I trotted Charm forward and, like Alison, asked Charm for two circles before we started the pattern. Shifting in the saddle, I focused on my posture as Charm made the first circle. I shortened the reins, slowing Charm a notch. Charm flowed through the circle and we completed the rest of the figure eight.
“Nice, boy,” I whispered, riding him back to the group.
Mr. Conner gave me a rare wide smile. “Excellent, Sasha.”
Callie, Heather, and Julia all completed the exercise with ease. They looked as if they’d done figure eights a million times. Mr. Conner made us ride through it for the rest of the lesson.
“Thanks, girls,” Mr. Conner said. “See you this afternoon.”
We dismounted and led our horses out of the arena. “Great job, boy,” I told Charm. I found Mike, my favorite groom, and handed him Charm’s reins. “Thanks,” I said.
“No prob,” Mike said with a smile. “Just glad to have you back in the saddle.” He patted Charm’s neck before leading him away.
At least some things in my life were finally getting back to normal.
I was just a few doors away from Mr. Davidson’s English class when I saw Eric walking down the hallway.
I tried not to bounce up and down when I saw him. He was insanely cute. He wore a gray long-sleeve polo shirt and baggy-but-not-too-baggy vintage-wash jeans. I leaned against the wall, hugging my books to my chest. I had to stop blushing every time I saw him or he’d think I was ridiculous.
“Hi,” I said as he approached.
Eric smiled. “Hey.”
“I rode Charm this morning,” I said, grinning.
“That must have felt amazing,” Eric said. “How was it?”
I sighed. “So. Good.”
“About time, huh?”
“No kidding.” I tried not to stare into his amber-flecked brown eyes.
“So, sit with me at lunch?” Eric asked without taking his eyes off mine.
Swoon.
I paused, remembering my vow not to let anyone find out about me and Eric—not to give anyone a chance to mess up something so exciting and perfect. Would anyone suspect we were together if we sat at the same table again? I wondered, but then I realized that Paige would be there too.
“Sure,” I said.
Eric smiled. “Good. And you know we have to go on a date soon.”
I stopped myself from saying, “YES! A date!”
Instead, I said, “A date?”
“We don’t have to,” Eric teased.
“I can’t wait.”
“Once we go on a date,” Eric said, “you’ll officially be my girlfriend. I mean, if you want.”
I nodded fervently, my chandelier earrings rattling against my neck. One date stood between old Sasha and girlfriend Sasha. I watched Eric walk down the hallway, and had to try waaay too hard not to follow him. I waited until he disappeared before I turned—and almost smacked right into Jacob!
“Omigod,” I said. “What are you doing?”
“Sorry,” he said. He reached out a hand to steady me, but pulled back before he touched me. He blushed. “You okay?”
“Fine,” I mumbled, turning away.
“Sasha, wait. Are you—”
But I didn’t let him finish his question. I darted around him and pulled open the door to Mr. Davidson’s class.
13
TRIO VS. BELLES
BY FRIDAY, ERIC AND I HAD SAT TOGETHER at lunch twice. No one seemed suspicious of us, but I still worried that someone might find out. I wished Eric and I could just sit together and not have to worry about anything. It was stupid that I had to be secretive about something that made me so happy, but every time I thought about letting things out in the open, I remembered Callie and Jacob and thought, Oh. Right.
Eric smiled at me as I reached our table. I put down my tray and pretended to stretch. Paige had been a few people behind me in the lunch line. I wanted to wait for her before sitting solo with Eric again.
“You going to eat standing up?” Eric teased.
“No,” I said, forcing a laugh. “I’m just…waiting for Paige.”
“She won’t care if you sit.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But…” I trailed off as I scanned the caf for Paige. I finally saw her and shot her the hurry-up-now eyes.
What? she mouthed.
I shook my head. Never mind, I mouthed back.
“Hey,” Paige said to Eric. She slid next to him and I sat across from her. “Sorry I was late,” Paige said, looking at me. “My Teen Cuisine producer called to talk about the summer filming schedule.”
“That’s so cool,” I said. “I’m totally visiting you on set.”
Paige smiled, but then Eric’s tray caught her attention. Like Paige, Eric liked food. He didn’t cook, but he always had the best sandwiches for lunch.
Eric pushed his tray over to Paige for inspection. “What do you think?” he asked.
She peered at the sandwich. “Barbecue chicken, right? With smoked honey sauce?”
Eric nodded. “My dad’s sauce. He sent it FedEx.”
“Smells great,” Paige said. “I haven’t made many sauces. But I should.”
“My roommate used to tease me about my dad’s food packages,” Eric said. “But when he came into our common room and smelled the chicken, he changed his mind pretty fast.”
We laughed. “Of course he did,” I said. “He wanted you to share.”
The Trio arrived late—like always. And, also like always, they strolled through the center of the cafeteria. Heather, who usually walked between Julia and Alison, actually walked on the outside next to Julia. She balanced a silver lunch tray in her hands—a tray full of soda. Four giant glasses, nothing else.
“Heather’s carrying a tray of soda,” I whispered to Paige and Eric. “New diet?”
Paige sneaked a look over her shoulder. “Dunno. Maybe she’s going back for food.”
The Trio turned their gazes toward something near the window.
Jasmine.
She sat by herself, her back to them, ear buds in and munching on a sandwich.
Not. Good. She should have learned from her last Heather encounter that iPods in the caf were dangerous.
Julia, Alison, and Heather, still laughing, sashayed over to Jasmine. If their goal was to get everyone to watch, they were succeeding. One by one, heads started popping up as people watched the Trio approach Jasmine.
The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books Page 52