Poppy and Prince (4 page)

We had such a great time in the pool last night! First Millie's dad, Johnny, organized some fun games like relay swimming and musical floats. Then we had some time to play on our own so me, Millie and Jennifer did diving down to the bottom to pick up coins. Jennifer kept coming back up empty-handed and spluttering, which was funny after she boasted about being the captain of the swimming team at her school! Millie was giggling and singing “pants on fire”, and I joined in – but Jennifer went all red and cross and didn't see the funny side, so we stopped. Inside I was thinking,
What if Millie finds out I'm a big liar too?
I still felt awful about pretending I wasn't at that show with her.

But I didn't have to feel bad for long. Jennifer finally stopped being cross about the singing, and after lights-out we were all giggling and whispering silly jokes and I sort of forgot how annoying she was earlier. Instead it was as if we had all been friends for ages.

So, after making them swear not to tell anyone else, I told them about my broken arm and losing my confidence when I tried to get back on Pepper last week, and how I did know Millie after all. I kept saying, “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” to her but she just giggled and promised that it was okay and she understood – phew!

“So you haven't got a spooky twin then?” she teased.

“No!” I cried, giggling and blushing.

The only bad thing was that Jennifer seemed to think she'd have been fine after a fall like that. (That's when I remembered that she actually IS annoying!) She kept saying, “You should have got straight back on, Poppy. That's what they say, isn't it? Get back on as soon as you can. That's what I'd do.”

Millie pointed out that she couldn't know for sure what she'd do until it happened, but Jennifer insisted that she'd just leap back on.

“I tried,” I wailed. “I didn't expect to feel this way. While I had the cast on my arm, all I did
was look forward to riding again – but when it came to it, I…”

I trailed off then, feeling upset inside because it seemed like Jennifer was calling me a weed, and I suddenly started missing Mum. But I cheered myself up by thinking of how kind and understanding Millie was, and also by hugging my unicorn, Waffle, who I'd brought from home.

Oh, Millie's alarm has just gone. Got to go – time to start a totally fab new pony-filled day. I just hope I can keep my promise to Prince about the cantering!

Oh, dear – this morning has been awful!

It started off okay because we got our ponies in from the field and my gorgeous Prince came straight up to the gate to meet me! He is just so lovely! But then we had our ponies tied up in the yard where Sally and Lydia could see us, and we were all chatting away as we got on with grooming, and that’s when everything went wrong. I suddenly noticed that people were whispering something secret to each other. I thought someone would tell me too, but no one did.

I looked over at Jennifer and smiled. She smiled back but she didn’t come over and say anything in my ear, like she’d just done with Sophie and Lucinda. Then I started chatting to
Sophie, who was scrubbing out feed buckets by the yard tap. I said, “I really hope we can try a canter today. It’ll be great, won’t it?”

I was so shocked when she gave me an angry look and said, “How could you pretend to be a beginner like me when you’re not? You’ve cantered loads of times!”

I just stared at her as she stormed off across the yard. Then I realized – the whispering was about ME. Jennifer had told my secret!

My stomach started churning and I felt all empty and strange – how could she?!

I went marching up to her and said, “You promised you wouldn’t tell!” I knew that everyone else was watching and straining their ears to listen, but I didn’t care. I was too angry to be embarrassed.

“I was only trying to help,” she said,
matter-of-factly
. “Now everyone knows, we can all support you.”

“Well, thanks,” I hissed, “but that’s not really the point, is it? You PROMISED not to tell.”

Jennifer just looked impatient and started grooming Flame’s shoulder. I was so angry I had to stop myself from snatching the brush out of her hand.

“I don’t know why you’re making such a fuss,” she said casually. “And by the way, you really should challenge yourself and have a canter today. You simply must get back up to speed or you’ll lose all the skills you worked so hard for. Sally’s being far too soft on you.”

I just couldn’t believe it! My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears. I wanted to run to Millie, but she was inside catching up on her holiday homework. Instead, I hurried back to Prince, untied him and walked him right round to the other side of the yard. Then I put him next to Charm and Fisher, April and Amanda’s ponies, and got on with my grooming.

“Are you okay?” asked April. I swallowed hard and nodded. I didn’t trust myself to speak, in case I started crying.

“Don’t worry about Jennifer,” said Amanda. “She was only trying to help.”

My eyes filled up with tears then so I quickly turned away from them, pretending I’d spotted some stubborn mud stuck to Prince’s foreleg.

“She is NOT just trying to help,” I told Prince, as I struggled with the knots in his shaggy mane. “She’s trying to ruin my holiday!”

Prince gave me a sympathetic look and I knew that he understood. I was determined not to let Jennifer spoil things for me, but when we mounted up ready for our first lesson, Sophie called out, “Shouldn’t Poppy be in Group B, Sally?”

I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me – and Prince too!

I went all red and flustery and tried to pretend I didn’t hear what Sally was saying to the other girls, which was, “Poppy is doing just fine where she is.”

As Jennifer rode past me to join her group, she said, “Don’t worry, Poppy, no one thinks you’re a weed. Everyone just feels sorry for you.”

“But I don’t WANT them to feel…” I started saying, but she’d trotted off.

After that I couldn’t think about anything except what Jennifer had said, that I MUST canter. I got more and more anxious as the lesson went on, and when it was time to canter, Sally gave us the choice again and Sophie eagerly said she’d have a try. I said I would, too, but then suddenly the tears were spilling out.

“Poppy, it’s fine not to!” said Sally, smiling kindly.

“But I have to canter today,” I insisted, gulping down the tears, “or I’ll lose all the skills I’ve learnt and NEVER get my riding back!”

“What a drama queen!” Sally cried. “Is that what you really believe?”

“Well, I… It’s just, that’s what Jennifer thinks,” I admitted.