Elite Ambition (15 page)

We kept cantering, and a few strides later Brit and Apollo were beside us.

“That was great!” Brit said. “It just feels so good to get out of the arena.”

“I know. I love practicing and we need to for the show, but we already did that today. Sometimes, I really think taking a little time off helps the horses get focused again.”

“And maybe the riders, too,” Brit added, smiling.

“Definitely.”

I looked ahead, making sure I was thinking of the right path. “Okay, so if we trot for a few yards, we're going to
reach the woods. There are a couple of log jumps that Mr. Conner set up and a stream to wade through.”

“Apollo loves water,” Brit said. “I'm totally game.”

We nodded at each other and let the horses trot. Apollo and Charm stayed beside each other until we reached the woods. Brit let Apollo drop back and get behind Charm and me.

Charm kept the same smooth pace as he entered the woods and didn't shy at any of the kind of scary-looking shadows the trees cast along the path. I gave him more rein and he bounced forward into a canter. But I didn't let him go too fast—not in the woods. We stayed at a slow pace, reaching the first of two log jumps. These types of jumps always made me a little nervous because they were solid. If I made a mistake and let Charm take off at the wrong time, he could be seriously injured if he hit a log.

But I wasn't going to think about that. If I got nervous, so would Charm. Staying loose in the saddle, I moved with him and let him head for the log. The giant object loomed before us.

You've done this a zillion times!
I told myself.

I started counting strides to distract myself from worrying.
Five, four, three, two, one, now!

On my silent “now,” Charm lifted into the air and
tucked his knees under his body. The second he left the ground, I knew he would clear the log. His timing had been perfect and he'd had the right amount of speed to get over the jump. The log flashed under us and Charm landed on the other side. We kept cantering, and, seconds later, I heard Apollo land behind us. Charm and I cantered around a bend in the trail and the path started to curve. The next log wasn't as immediately visible as the first.

We rounded a corner, and I spotted the log only strides ahead of us. A soft breeze blew back Charm's mane as he cantered for the log, not even hesitating. And that was part of the reason I loved Charm—he was a fearless jumper and he trusted me enough to get him over any obstacle.

Leaves and branches swept by my face as we neared the log. At what felt like the right second, I eased my hands along his neck and lifted out of the saddle. Charm pushed off with his hind legs and launched over the log. If Mr. Conner could see this I was certain he'd give Charm's form a ten.

We landed and I pulled him to a trot, easing him to the side of the trail while we waited for Brit and Apollo. It took them only seconds to reach us, and Brit's excitement was all over her face.

“
That
was amazing,” she said. “I love jumping logs—the adrenaline is insane. This is a great course!”

“Isn't it awesome?” I asked. “I love it. And it's good for Charm too, to get used to moving from an open field to the woods. He needs the challenge of moving fast then having to adjust to a slower pace when I want him to.”

“Good point,” Brit said. “The horses do have to acclimate to the lighting, the pacing, like you said, and the different footing.”

We eased the horses to walks since we were nearing the end of the ride and neither of us wanted barn sour horses. The stream I'd told Brit about appeared and, just like Brit had said, Apollo stepped right in. Charm followed beside him and both horses seemed to enjoy the coolness of the water against their legs after our lesson and trail ride. I remembered how Charm used to be afraid of water and how Callie had helped me get him past it.

I let the reins dangle from one hand, relaxing in the saddle. Brit kicked her feet out of the stirrups and let Apollo move at a lazy walk.

“What are you doing after this?” Brit asked.

“After Charm's taken care of, I'm going back to my room to attack the mountain of homework that's waiting for me. What about you?”

“Same, unfortunately. Want to come back to my room to do homework?”

“Well, I …” I paused. I was hoping Paige would be in our room so we could finally talk about the Callie thing, but even if that didn't come up I wanted to hang out with her.
But
she had mentioned that she was hoping to see Geena—and I had to believe she meant
Geena
—after she did her own homework.

“Let me text my roommate when we get back,” I said. “If she's not in our room, it would be great to do homework together.”

“Cool,” Brit said.

We finished the walk back and I found my phone in my tack trunk.

R u doing hmwk in r room?
I texted Paige.

Nope, decided 2 go 2 Geena's.

OK—gonna go 2 Brit's 4 hmwk and c u back in r room aftr.

K!

I put away my phone and called down the aisle to Brit, who had Apollo in crossties. “My roommate's going to be out for a while,” I said. “So, if it's still cool, I'd love to do homework at your place.”

“Of course it's still cool. I know you have to get your stuff, but we can head out together if you want.”

“Definitely.”

I grabbed the dandy brush to brush off dirt that clung to Charm's legs from the trail ride. It took me a little longer to get his sock clean, but when it was pure white again, I went back to the rest of his coat. It didn't take much to make his chestnut coat glossy, and he blinked sleepily as I brushed him with a softer body brush. If I allowed him to eat while I groomed him, he'd let me brush him all day. But food was his top priority.

I finished grooming him, mucked his stall, and gave him a flake of hay. His water bucket was full, so he was set for the night.

“Okay, boy,” I said. “I had so much fun with you today. You were perfect, and I'm so proud of you.”

Charm let me kiss his muzzle, then I turned him loose in his stall. Like always, he went straight for his hay net and had torn a mouthful of hay from the flake before I'd even left the stall.

I shook my head, laughing, and gathered his tack. Brit and I ran into each other in the tack room, and we put away our horses' stuff. We left the stable and headed for our dorms.

“I'll grab my homework, change, and meet you at your room,” I said.

“Cool. See you in a few.”

 15 

STRANGERS

BACK IN MY ROOM, I GATHERED UP MY BOOKS and papers, shoving them into my backpack. I was disappointed that Paige wasn't here so we could talk. But I was also excited to see Brit's room. I couldn't even imagine what her space looked like, and I was curious.

I changed from my riding clothes into jeans, a fave pink v-neck shirt, and a black jacket dotted with tiny rhinestones.

I left Winchester, heading across campus to Orchard.

“Sasha, hey,” Julia said. We met just as I opened the door. “What're you doing here?”

“Homework with Brit,” I said. There was a flicker of annoyance on Julia's face. “What about you? Where are you going?”

“To meet Ben,” Julia said. “We're going to see a movie.”

“Fun. Hope it's a good flick. See you later.”

I stepped around her, heading for Brit's room.

“Sasha?”

I turned back to Julia. “Yeah?”

Julia stepped back inside and let the door close behind her. “Are you and Brit, like, best friends now?”

“Brit and I are
friends
. We haven't known each other long enough to be best friends,” I said.

Julia stared me down. “Fine. Just remember that you're also spending a lot of time with us.”

“And?” I shook my head.

“
And
even though Heather and Alison like Brit and seem all about making her part of the Trio, I don't trust her, so don't go spilling any of our business to her that you hear.”

“Why don't you trust Brit?” I asked. “You've barely spoken to her.”

Julia adjusted the shoulder strap on her purse. “I don't know. Maybe I'm being paranoid or whatever, but there's something off about her. And I don't want anyone else in our group. Especially when we're still adjusting to
you.
”

“Wow, thanks,” I said, sarcasm in my voice. “I don't know what your deal is with Brit, but you've got to be
kidding that
I'm
part of the Trio. That's insane. I hang out with you guys, but it's not like Heather put me through an initiation or something. She never informed you and Alison that the Trio was becoming a ‘Quartet.' You really need to chill.”

Julia opened her mouth, looking ready to fight back, but instead turned and shoved open the door. It shuddered behind her—its angry sound echoing through the hallway.

I shook off my annoyance with Julia. It wasn't worth it, and I had too many other things on my mind to worry about besides one-third of the Trio.

I wandered down the hallway, taking in the cranberry-colored walls and enjoying getting out of Winchester. It was fun to be in a different dorm, and I'd always loved the color scheme and feel of Orchard. I found Brit's room and knocked on the door. Unlike the last time I'd seen it, her door had been decorated. She'd put up a purple, glittery “B” near the top of the door, and she'd taped pictures of people who looked like they'd be her parents and sisters under the B. There were also photos of Apollo. I spotted my favorite one immediately—it was an early morning photo where the sun was rising over the back of a pasture. Dew glinted off the grass, and Apollo was looking right
into the camera. His gray face looked so gentle—I almost wanted to pet the photo.

I smiled at the pic, then knocked on Brit's door.

“Hey,” Brit said, pulling open the door. “C'mon in!”

She'd changed into cozy gray yoga pants, a pocket T-shirt, and a hoodie.

“Hope you like my room,” she said, gesturing with one hand.

I stepped inside, putting my backpack on glossy hardwood floor. Brit's room was a few feet bigger than mine and Paige's. One bed was made with a lilac and white striped comforter. The other, empty, had a neat stack of laundry on it. A giant whiteboard on the wall had scribbles with neon-colored markers that had notes like
hist extra credit due 2mrw
and
I <3 Todd on DVD nxt month.

Her closet doors were closed and a few pairs of sneakers were tossed in a pile beside the door. A thick pink area rug covered most of the floor, leaving only a few feet of hardwood near the walls. The bathroom door was closed and next to the door was a glass desk with a black swivel chair.

Between the two beds, Brit had a black lamp table with shelves under it that were stacked with books, a few glass horse figurines and a bonsai tree. The clear lamp was chic
and modern. Brit had twinkly lights shaped like tiny stars draped along the wall across the space between the windows. I bet the lights cast fun shadows at night.