Little White Lies Read online

  “When we do kick off the showing season,” Mr. Conner said, “we’ll start with a schooling show as a warm-up for future events.”

  Jasmine huffed. “A schooling show?”

  Mr. Conner’s eyes narrowed on Jasmine and her fair cheeks turned the color of my shirt. “Jasmine, the level of competition for the YENT surpasses that of the advanced team by leaps and bounds. We will not be showing before Mr. Nicholson and I decide the team is ready.”

  So, ha! I wanted to add.

  “Rest up over the weekend—you’re going to need to be ready to work on Monday afternoon,” Mr. Conner said. “I suggest you start mapping out your schedules as soon as you can to allow enough time for classes, homework, stable chores, and riding lessons. Come to me if you have questions, all right?”

  Each of us nodded as he gathered his papers and binder and left the skybox. Heather and I stood and, together, started for the door.

  “No morning lessons is only the best news ever,” Heather said.

  “Totally,” I said. “We can actually get up at a normal hour.”

  Jasmine followed us out. “Please. This is ridic. One lesson a day and a schooling show? We’re on the YENT now—not the beginner team. A schooling show will be embarrassing.”

  Heather turned on the stairway. Even though she was two steps lower than Jasmine, she somehow seemed taller. “You talk a big game. Let’s see if you’re so uberconfident on Monday after we ride.”

  Jasmine glared at us, and Heather and I headed down the rest of the steps, into the aisle, and away from Jas.

  “Later, Silver,” Heather said. She was gone before I could reply, probably off to find Julia and Alison—her BFFs and the other two-thirds of the Trio. But unlike Heather and me, Julia and Alison weren’t allowed to ride. They’d been banned from riding since they’d been caught last spring cheating on a history exam. Both girls had denied the cheating and had theories that Jasmine was somehow involved. But without proof, they were grounded, literally, until next January.

  I walked to Charm’s stall and peered inside. “Hi, boy!” I said.

  Charm turned his chestnut head toward me, still munching on stalks of hay. I let myself into the stall and stood on my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his neck. Charm, a Thoroughbred and Belgian mix, was my soon-to-be-nine-year-old gelding. We’d been inseparable since my parents had bought him for me almost four years ago. I ran my finger down his blaze and kissed his cheek.

  “Two days is way too long to be apart, huh?” I asked him.

  Charm bobbed his head and I leaned into him, glad to have a couple of minutes to think before leaving the stable. I hadn’t seen Callie yet, but she’d texted me this morning to say she couldn’t wait to see me. I’d missed her a lot over the summer, but more than she knew at YENT camp.

  Except for the awful time when Callie and I had been fighting, we’d always been there for each other during shows and lessons. I’d always had one person in the ring who was on my side. But now it was every girl for herself. Heather was still the leader of the Trio and she’d only step up for me if she thought Jas’s threats against me were bringing down the team.

  Charm stretched his neck to the hay net in the corner. I patted his shoulder and left the stall. I couldn’t spend every second worrying about how my riding looked compared to Heather’s and Jasmine’s. But a nagging voice inside my head reminded me that I hadn’t ridden my best at YENT camp and it had showed. Big-time.

  My phone vibrated and I flipped it open to see a text from Paige. In room. Can u stop @ SS 2 pick us up treats?

  Totally! C u in a sec. I sent the message and started for the Sweet Shoppe—Canterwood’s amazing café/bakery. I stepped under the old-fashioned blue-and-white-striped awning and into the shop. The smell of brownies, cookies, and cakes was overwhelming. I gave myself thirty seconds to make a decision, otherwise I’d order everything in the shop. The barista smiled at me and I stepped up to the counter.

  “Two ice-cream sundaes with extra sprinkles to go, please,” I said.

  She got two plastic containers and started scooping ice cream into them. I was almost safe and back in my dorm without running into—

  “Sasha?”

  I turned to find Jacob just feet behind me, his green eyes searching mine. Like Eric, he’d gotten taller over the summer and the sun had streaked his shaggy light brown hair with pieces of honey blond.

  “Jacob, I …,” I said. “I was just getting my order and leaving.”

  I looked back at the barista, willing her to serve up the fastest order ever. Jacob stepped closer behind me.

  “Can’t we just talk for a sec? I didn’t hear from you all summer and—”

  But I couldn’t. Not now. Not last June when he’d told me he still had feelings for me. Not all summer when he’d e-mailed me. I had to get out of here.

  Turning away from the counter, I left the barista scooping my sundaes and skirted around Jacob. I shoved open the door and ran for Winchester, dodging people on the sidewalk and not breathing until the heavy glass door slammed behind me.

  I stopped in front of my dorm door and took a deep breath through my nose. Since I’d left, Paige had come back and put up our mini-whiteboard on the door and had written Sasha & Paige’s Room in bubbly script with pink and purple dry-erase markers.

  I hadn’t told Paige anything all summer about the Jacob sitch, mostly because I hadn’t wanted to think about it. But I was glad that we were rooming together again and I could finally talk about it. Paige was the best with boy advice and I knew she’d help me come up with a solution to the Jacob problem.

  “Hey,” I said, opening the door.

  Paige, arms full of clothes, smiled at me. Her red-gold hair was in a half updo and she looked summery in a white cotton dress and silver flip-flops.

  “Hi, fellow eighth grader,” she said. Paige looked at my empty hands. “Forget about the Sweet Shoppe?”

  I froze. “Oh. I’m sorry. I—my dad called and I got distracted and forgot. I’ll go back later, promise.”

  Paige laid the pile of clothes on top of her plum-colored bedspread and waved her hand. “No big deal. We can go together later.”

  “Cool.” I smiled at her and knelt in front of my suitcases, unzipping the biggest one.

  “We’ve got to decorate after we unpack and make some room,” Paige said. “I’ve got the posters we bought in Manhattan, you brought the new area rug, and I … have a surprise.”

  “Oooh,” I said. “What’d you bring?”

  Paige reached into a suitcase and pulled out a box. “Just surround sound for the TV. You know, so we can enjoy our Bennett Moore films a little bit more.”

  “And we’re unpacking why?” I asked. “We should totally be watching his new flick right now!”

  “After. It’s our reward.”

  I mock-rolled my eyes at Paige and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Fiiiine.” I started tossing clothes out of my suitcase and they landed in a heap on my bed. I zipped the suitcase shut and shoved it into the back of my closet. “One down!”

  Paige gasped. “Sasha!” But she couldn’t stop her laughter.

  We raced through unpacking and the busier I became, the more I was able to shake off the weirdness of seeing Jacob, lying to Paige, and feeling guilty about Callie.

  3

  AND IN ONE CORNER WE HAVE …

  ON SUNDAY MORNING, I TOOK A SEAT ACROSS from Ms. Utz hoping I’d get out alive. She was—no joke—a wrestler on the weekends. Her office was decorated with championship belts and trophies.

  “Did you have a good summer?” Ms. Utz asked, reaching to take the paper from me. She practically gave me a paper cut as she ripped it from my fingers. Like always, her hair was pulled into a severe bun and she looked as if she drank those chalky protein shakes for every meal. And snacks. And desserts.

  “It was busy,” I said. “I participated at a riding camp and spent the rest of the time at home. But I’m glad to be back.”

  As long as I can avoid
Jacob twenty-four-seven, I thought.

  Ms. Utz nodded and her giant fingers banged on the keyboard as she checked to see what was available. Back home in Union, I wouldn’t have had a choice of classes. But here, students had the privilege of choosing from certain subjects and difficulty levels. This year, I’d decided to challenge myself in my favorite subject—English—and had requested to take an advanced class.

  “These courses look excellent, Sasha,” Ms. Utz said. “I’ve added your name to rosters for advanced English, science, math, and history. You don’t need PE because of riding, but you do need two electives. One has to be health and the other is up to you.”

  She looked back at her computer screen. “This year, we’ve added a few new courses. Do you need to see those or have you already decided?”

  “I know already,” I said. “I’d like to sign up for drama.”

  “Great choice. What inspired your decision?”

  “Mr. Ramirez’s film class. I loved learning about film, so theater sounds like fun.” Totally true, but it wasn’t the only reason why I’d picked the course.

  “You want to become an actress?” Ms. Utz asked.

  “Not really. I’d rather open a training stable one day. Film’s more like a hobby.”

  Ms. Utz nodded. “Running a stable sounds like something you’d enjoy, too, which is as important as anything.”

  With a click of the mouse, Ms. Utz’s printer started whirring and she handed me my schedule.

  “And you’re set,” she said. She tried to stand, but her knees caught under the desk. It tilted a couple of inches toward me and her giant mug of coffee almost tipped over. Liquid sloshed onto her oversize desktop calendar.

  “Oops,” she said. She got up and walked me to the door. “I’m confident you’ll do great in these classes, Sasha. Come see me if you need to talk.”

  She patted my shoulder in what I’m sure was meant to be a gentle way, but it almost sent me flying through her office door.

  “Thank you,” I said. I left her office and started down the long hallway. I stared at my schedule, my eyes focused on the drama elective. I did love movies, and Mr. Ramirez’s class had been my favorite last year. But I also needed at least one class where I knew I was safe from Jacob. I knew from our documentary project last year that he was pretty shy on camera—I had a feeling drama was the last course he would ever take.

  Within seconds of leaving the administration meeting, beads of sweat collected over my lip and on my forehead. The summer air had turned superhumid and I felt my flatironed straight hair start to get wavy. I pulled it into a sloppy ponytail and eyed the Sweet Shoppe. I needed something cold.

  “SASHA!”

  Callie ran up the sidewalk toward me.

  “CALLIE!” I called. I jammed my crumpled schedule into my back pocket and ran up to her. We hugged each other so hard that we almost toppled off the sidewalk and onto the grass. My uneasiness about seeing Callie for the first time since Jacob’s confession vanished—all I saw was my best friend.

  “Omigod, I missed you!” Callie said, grinning. The girl standing in front of me wasn’t the old Callie Harper. The old Callie had just barely begun experimenting with makeup, only wore skirts on dates, and always chose comfort over fashion. This girl—New Callie—looked effortlessly cool in a royal blue pocket dress with spaghetti straps. She wore three skinny silver necklaces that I’d never seen before and tiny diamond studs sparkled in her ears.

  “Me too! Summers suck for best friends who live so far apart.”

  Callie nodded and tucked a lock of raven-colored hair behind her ear. “Plus, we didn’t even see each other yesterday. Do you have time to hang out now?”

  “I was just going to get something icy from the Sweet Shoppe. Wanna come?”

  “For sure.” Callie fell into step beside me.

  I loved this—us hanging out together. She was my best friend and we’d do anything for each other. That’s why I’d made the decision over the summer to never tell her what Jacob had said to me. She liked him too much and I knew it would kill her to know about Jacob’s feelings for me. By keeping the truth from Callie, I was protecting her. And that felt right.

  I looked over at Callie, narrowing my eyes. “Did you get new makeup without me?” I asked in a teasing voice.

  Callie laughed. “Maybe just a few things. You like it?”

  “Like? Uh, love. You looked great before, but the new colors are fun. Very light and summery.”

  Callie looked older and more sophisticated—like thirteen and a half instead of twelve. Rosy blush complemented her caramel-colored skin and her eyelids shimmered with deep brown shadow. Her shiny lips kept the look fresh. She’d stepped up her game since she’d started dating Jacob.

  We walked into the Sweet Shoppe and stood in front of the counter. “We need a sugar rush before tomorrow, right?” Callie asked with a knowing smile.

  “Given,” I said. “’Cause that’s when the craziness starts.”

  “Mondays!” we said at the same time, then giggled.

  The barista took our order and by the time she rang up our total, at least ten people had lined up behind us. We’d ordered almost one of everything.

  “I think we got enough to get started,” I said. I grabbed two of our four trays.

  “But we’ll see how it goes.” We took the biggest empty table in the shop.

  We spread out the treats and dug in. I went for mint chocolate chip ice cream first and Callie gulped her lemonade and strawberry slush.

  “Did you get your schedule yet?” I asked Callie.

  Nodding, she pulled it out of her shoulder bag. I dug mine out of my pocket. We moved a tray and spread the papers on the table, putting them side by side.

  Callie ran her fingers down the list. “Awesome! This is the best schedule ever! We get to share a lot of classes.”

  “I know,” I said. “It’s going to be great.”

  “Drama’s perfect for you,” Callie said. “You’ll, like, become a famous actor and give up horses.”

  “I’ll stop riding Charm and will just run lines with him,” I joked.

  Callie shook her head. “I think Eric would be slightly devastated if you stopped riding. Just slightly.”

  “Possibly.” I smiled at Callie.

  “Have you seen him yet?” Callie asked. “You have to compare classes!”

  “I saw him yesterday, but I’ll e-mail him my schedule.” I said. “I knew I missed him, but I didn’t know how much till I saw him.”

  “Same thing with Jacob and me,” Callie said. “I’m going to call him later and see what he got. We better have lots of classes together or I’ll …”

  “Challenge Utz to a wrestling match,” I said, laughing. “When I saw Eric before my YENT meeting, he—” I stopped talking when I realized what I’d just said. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

  “Sasha, don’t,” Callie said. “You can talk about the YENT. I want you to. It’s the biggest, most important thing that ever happened to you. You’re my best friend—you know I’m happy for you.”

  “I know. I just don’t want to make you sad by talking about it. If it ever bothers you, you’ll tell me, right?”

  Callie reached over the brownie plate and stuck out her pinky. “Promise.”

  We linked pinkies and giggled.

  “Oh, great,” someone said.

  We looked up to see Julia Myer and Alison Robb—Heather’s BFFs—shaking their heads. Alison’s wavy, sandy-colored locks were pinned into a loose twist and she wore an ubertrendy jean miniskirt and a lavender one-shoulder shirt. Julia’s already superblond bob had highlights from the sun. Like Alison, she wore a cute mini and bubble-gum pink flip-flops.

  “Nice to see you too,” I said sweetly.

  “Seriously?” Julia continued. “School hasn’t even started yet and you guys are already doing your lame little BFF ritual at the Sweet Shoppe.”

  “Then what are you guys doing here?” Callie asked with a smi
rk.

  “Getting cherry limeades and then …” Alison let her sentence trail off when Julia glared at her.

  “We have other stuff to do besides sit here and consume our weight in sugar,” Julia said. “You guys could be riding, you know.”

  “Did your parents let you ride at all over the summer?” Callie asked, her voice softening.

  Alison shook her head. “I watched a trainer at my old stable ride Sunstruck,” she said. “My parents wouldn’t even let me ride him once.”

  “Mine either,” Julia said. “So we just had the worst summers ever. Probably like yours, Callie. Sasha’s the only one who actually got to ride. How nice for you.” She glared at me when she said the last sentence.

  “But,” I started, “I—”

  “Excuse me,” Callie said, interrupting. “My summer was great. Don’t come over to our table and be like that. It’s not Sasha’s fault that you guys cheated and got kicked off the team.”

  Julia glared at Callie. “Let’s go,” she said to Alison. “I don’t know why we even bothered wasting our time.”

  “Some things never change,” Callie said.

  I nodded, pretending to agree. If only Callie knew everything had changed.

  4

  HELLO, EIGHTH GRADE!

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

  “Nooo,” Paige said, groaning. She rolled over and slapped the Hello Kitty alarm clock that was on the nightstand between our beds.

  “We just went to sleep,” I mumbled. I got up and flicked on our floor lamp. “Maybe since it is the first day of school, we’ll get a break and the teachers won’t make us do much.”

  Paige shook her head as she walked into the bathroom. “I’m not even going to bother justifying that with a response.”

  Sigh. She was right. Last year, teachers had given us tons of homework on the first day. But I’d been Union Sasha then—I hadn’t known what to expect, had zero friends, and couldn’t handle the workload. Canterwood Sasha had friends and an amazing boyfriend and she rode for the YENT. Eighth grade was going to be perfect … as soon as I figured out how to deal with Jacob.