Elite Ambition (9 page)

“Hi, girls,” Mr. Conner said. He stopped the gray horse in front of us. “Since the weather is so nice, I thought it would be a great day for us to spend some time outside and away from the arena.”

I couldn't stop my smile. That sounded
beyond
perfect.

“We're going to go for a long hack instead of taking our usual route,” Mr. Conner said. Heather and I glanced at each other—we'd so do this every day if we had time.

“Follow me,” Mr. Conner said. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Heather, Brit, and I answered.

Instead of turning toward the woods Mr. Conner started Lexington at a walk back toward the stable yard. Brit, Heather, and I grouped together and rode behind him. Just when I thought Mr. Conner would definitely turn to the woods on the side of the stable, he kept Lexington going straight down the driveway.

“Seriously?” Heather whispered. “Are we going off campus?”

“Looks like it,” I said.

Brit, riding on Heather's other side, looked over. “That would be so cool.”

Riding down the driveway felt so weird. We'd never gone this way before and all three horses—especially Charm and Aristocrat—were excited. They seemed to know we were going to a new place.

The horses' shoes clinked against the driveway and I looked around, taking in the different view from Charm's back. I was so used to seeing this part of campus from the backseat of my parents' car. The pastures had gentle hills with grass cropped short by grazing horses. Every beautiful brick building that had once looked intimidating now felt like part of my home. The sun shifted from behind clouds, and I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the brighter light. The end of the driveway was near. We were rapidly approaching the road.

“Halt for a minute,” Mr. Conner said.

We pulled our horses to a stop and he turned Lexington to face us. “We're going to walk the horses down the road for only a few yards before we reach a gate,” he explained. “I'll open the gate, and you'll go inside the pasture. It has
been checked out by Mike and Doug, so it's safe. We're going to work on stamina, and we'll ride the horses at a trot and canter over a few miles of hills.”

I couldn't stop a smile from spreading across my face. Riding in a new place with Charm was what we needed. I wasn't worried about him—he'd been perfect since he'd bucked me off earlier, but I'd be a little more attentive than usual just in case.

“This is a quiet road, and we've posted signs that there might be riders, so if we encounter any car traffic, the driver should be respectful,” Mr. Conner said. “But stay alert and prepared just in case. Follow me single file, please.”

We all nodded.

“Let's go,” Mr. Conner said.

He and Lexington stepped off the driveway and onto the road. They turned right, and I went first, with Brit behind me and then Heather. The horses' shoes clanked against the asphalt—it was weird to be on the road.

Charm, calm now, kept an ear back toward me and another pointed forward. He wasn't nervous about being away from campus—he liked exploring as much as I did.

A yellow caution sign with a horse and rider was posted alongside the road, but the road was deserted.
Dark wooden fences were on both sides of the street and large trees, branches sprawled over the road, cast shadows on the pavement. I turned around, grinning at Brit.

“So awesome,” she mouthed at me.

I smiled, turning back around before Mr. Conner saw me.

We reached a metal gate, and he walked Lexington off the road and into the grassy shoulder. Heather, Brit, and I followed him. We watched as Mr. Conner unlatched the gate and without dismounting, opened it for us. That wasn't easy to do, especially on a semigreen horse. But Mr. Conner had been working with Lexington long enough that the gray seemed to trust him; he allowed Mr. Conner to open what probably looked like a scary gate.

Heather, Brit, and I rode through the opening, waiting while Mr. Conner relatched the gate.

“All right,” Mr. Conner said, pulling Lexington next to Aristocrat. “Keep your horses at a steady canter and let's go.”

I gave Charm rein and within seconds, he broke into a canter. His strides, long and even, were smooth and he kept pace with the other horses without trying to fight for the lead. He was
definitely
on his best behavior after tossing me earlier.

It felt amazing to be away from campus. There wasn't any pressure of classes, drama with Callie, or weirdness from Paige.

I shifted in the saddle, leaning forward ever so slightly as we started up a gradual incline. Charm snorted and surged forward, determined to keep the same speed going uphill as we had on the flat ground. But I didn't want Charm to strain himself, so I slowed him a notch while still allowing him to keep up with the other horses.

Brit, Heather, Mr. Conner, and I kept the horses even with each other as we climbed the easy hill. We reached the top where the ground leveled off. None of the horses were even close to being winded.

“Keep them at an easy canter,” Mr. Conner said. “We have a long way to go, and I don't want anyone's horse to burn out early.”

I relaxed in the saddle, enjoying the rocking gait of Charm's canter. The horses moved easily across the open field. There was nothing else I'd rather be doing. The late September air had a hint of a chill, but the sun kept me warm.

Charm's hooves made dull thuds against the grass. I'd left my hair loose under my helmet and the wind swirled
it back behind me. Every stride Charm took made me feel more exhilarated. I looked over at Heather and she looked as relaxed as I felt. This was a workout for all of us, especially our horses, but it was also a release.

From everything.

Lexington tried to stick his muzzle in front of the other horses, wanting to be the one in the lead, but Mr. Conner held him back. Frustrated, Lexington shook his head, then settled.

The flat ground started to raise again, steeper this time. The horses had to work harder to keep their paces steady. I concentrated on keeping my balance and watching for any sign from Charm that he needed to slow down. But the grueling workouts with Mr. Conner had him in top shape. Brit's horse moved well, too, and we looked over at each other and smiled.

We cantered the horses up and down a few more hills before Mr. Conner slowed Lexington.

“Trot and then ease them to a walk,” Mr. Conner instructed us.

Heather, Brit, and I did as he asked. Charm's copper-colored coat had darkened from sweat. His breathing was heavy, but not too hard. I was probably more ready for a break than he was!

“How do your horses feel?” Mr. Conner asked. “Is anyone sensing any strain or fatigue from her horse?”

We all shook our heads.

“Good,” Mr. Conner said. “We're going to walk back to make sure they're completely cool, and we'll take a different route that's not so hilly. I don't want any of your horses to be sore before the show. That was a great workout for everyone, and I'm impressed by all of you and your horses.”

Mr. Conner looked over at Brit. “I watched with how in tune you are with Apollo. You knew exactly when he needed to slow, and you never pushed him past his limits, even though you made sure the workout was a challenge. Excellent job.”

“Thank you,” Brit said, blushing.

I couldn't help but think if Mr. Conner had made that remark to Jasmine. Her answer would have been more of an
um, duh
than the way Brit handled the compliment—with grace. It felt surreal—like I kept expecting the cool new girl to disappear and the former princess of destruction to return.

We walked the horses back toward the stable, and I smiled to myself when I remembered who was waiting for me to finish my lesson—Jacob.

 10 

FRIEND, BOYFRIEND, AND MAYBE-FRIEND

BACK AT THE STABLE WITH CHARM IN CROSS-ties, I texted Jacob.

Grooming Charm. Meet in an hr under archway?

I was digging through Charm's tack box, looking for his dandy brush when my phone vibrated.

Perfect. C u there.

His text gave me chills even though I was warm from the workout.

“I'm going to meet Jacob,” I whispered to Charm. “We've barely had time to talk since school started, and I really want to see him.” Just saying the words made me nervous and exhilarated at the same time.

Charm, listening, turned an ear in my direction. I unclipped the crossties and led him to his stall, letting
him loose inside. After I filled his water bucket, checked his hay net, and latched his stall door, he popped his head over to watch me as I gathered up his tack.

“Love you,” I said.

Charm bobbed his head—his eyes connecting with mine for a second before he went for his hay net. Laughing, I stored his tack and locked myself in the stable bathroom. I ran my fingers through my hair—ridding it of the tangles from my ride. I wiped a speck of dirt off my cheek and applied a coat of peachy lip gloss. Then, I couldn't stand being in the stable for another second. Jacob was waiting for me.

I hurried down the aisle, cut across the courtyard, and headed for the stone archway. It wasn't a place of good memories, but I hoped seeing Jacob there would change that. Right now, all of my thoughts associated with the archway had to with the Belles. The then–eighth-graders had tried to force Callie, the Trio, and me into riding at midnight as part of a dare. If we completed the task, they'd coach our riding and get us invited to the coolest parties. We'd met them in a secret old room under the archway. I shivered—the memory alone was enough to make me nervous. At the final step of initiation, we'd gotten caught and, for a second, I thought I'd be sent back to Union.

Yards away from the archway, someone leaned against the stone wall. When I got closer, Jacob straightened and walked toward me, reaching for my hand. He pulled me under the arch. We were finally alone.

Together.

I'd chosen the arch because the courtyard was too public. If Jacob and I really were going to get back together, I wanted Callie to hear that and the truth from him first—not witness anything between us.

“Hi,” Jacob said.

“Hi,” I echoed back. My tone was high and giggly.

“I'm glad you texted me,” he said. “I wanted to see you
and
make sure this is still what you want.”

“It is,” I said. “I can't focus too much about you telling Callie, or I'll make myself crazy. I know you're doing the right thing, but I don't want to see people looking at you the way they looked at me.”

“The only person that I care about looking at me is you,” Jacob said.

His words seemed to reverberate in my ears. I looked at Jacob as if I'd never seen him before—his green eyes had flecks of a half dozen shades of green that I'd never noticed before. His light brown hair looked soft and a little windswept. I wanted to reach out and touch his tan face.

“That's really sweet of you,” I said. “But you have to understand where I'm coming from. I lived though the worst of it already—the whispers and stares and people gossiping about my party.”

“It never should have happened,” Jacob said, his jaw clenching. “I made the worst mistake by letting you take the blame. And as for the stares and whispers—like I said—I only care that you're with me. I can handle everything else.”

I stared at him—wanting to kiss him but knowing better. We couldn't risk it. But once he told Callie, we were finally free to try.

“It's so weird,” I said, trying to breathe evenly. “I want Friday to come and I don't. I hate the idea of stirring up talk about my party. But I'm also hopeful, whether or not it's even a possibility, that maybe Callie and I can work on our friendship again.”

Jacob nodded, listening.

“I don't think we'll ever be friends again,” I continued. “I mean, how can she really be friends with someone she thinks she can't trust? I
did
lie to her about what really happened, to protect her—and you. She's not just going to magically forgive me for that.”