Home Sweet Drama Page 9

  I grabbed my bookbag, slinging it over my shoulder, and picked up the rest of my books off my bed.

  “Sasha,” Paige said.

  I turned to glance at her, really looking at her for the first time since the bonfire. I noticed the dark circles under her eyes and her pale face.

  “What?” I asked.

  Paige looked down, then back up at me. “I’m so sorry about last night. I should have talked to you for at least a few more minutes instead of rushing off to work on Homecoming.”

  I nodded, not responding. I’d pretended to be asleep last night when Paige had gotten back—I hadn’t been ready to talk. But I didn’t want to walk out now without saying anything. Paige really was sorry and I knew she hadn’t meant to hurt my feelings.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Everyone’s stressed out right now and there are a million things going on.” I paused for a second. “I know I’ve been totally anti-Homecoming and I haven’t been fair since it’s something that’s important to you.”

  Paige looked at me, twisting a lock of her red-gold hair.

  “I know how much you love Homecoming and I want to be better about being excited for you, even if I’m not,” I said.

  “Thanks,” Paige said. “And I know there are lots of things going on for you related to Homecoming. You’ve got Callie, Jacob, and Eric all there. I haven’t been as sensitive to that as I should have been.”

  “You were just excited about Homecoming,” I said. “I was never upset about that. It was just hard for me to think about going to Homecoming when Callie, Jacob, and everyone else were going to be there. But you know I was excited for you, too. It’s a big deal that you and Ryan got nominated and I hope I didn’t make that any less special for you.”

  Paige shook her head. “Please. Stop it. You totally didn’t. There are two days left of Homecoming and I want us to just have fun the rest of the time. And I want you to be comfortable doing whatever you want. I know you have to do some of the assigned stuff since you were nominated, but I don’t want the rest of the week to be awful for you.”

  “It’s not awful,” I said. “Really. Jacob, Callie, Eric, and I just need to keep our distance from each other and we’ll be okay.”

  Paige walked over and wrapped her arms around me. I hugged her back, glad that we’d smoothed most of everything over and also relieved that things weren’t going to be weird before fall break. I didn’t want to start off fall break with Paige and I being awkward around each other. I had enough people to worry about.

  “We need to totally start planning everything we’re going to do over break soon,” I said.

  “Absolutely,” Paige said. “We so have to.”

  We smiled at each other and I willed the week to hurry and be over already.

  When I got to history class later that afternoon, I took my seat and my eyes shifted between Jacob and Eric, who were already in there.

  Eric had his phone under his desk and was texting. A lot. His phone buzzed seconds after he sent a text and he kept texting. He was slouched in his seat in a black T-shirt and jeans. Every few seconds, he’d grin, then type something back.

  Then I looked over at Jacob. He sat at his desk, not even looking up. He looked as if he hadn’t slept for days and he just stared at the front of the classroom as if he didn’t know why he was there or what was going on. I watched him and my head started to pound. He had to be upset about breaking up with Callie, but I also knew it was about me. He’d wanted us to be together and he’d thought that would happen immediately after he’d left Callie.

  But I’d made it clear at the bonfire that it couldn’t happen. Not now. Not ever. He hadn’t believed me, but I’d have to do everything I could to convince him that I wanted to be single. That I didn’t want him back. That we couldn’t be together.

  But part of my brain went to that place. What if I waited long enough, however long that was, and we did try to be boyfriend and girlfriend? No. I pushed the thoughts away. I’d decided to stay single and if we got back together now, it might make Callie question my story from the night of my party. That couldn’t happen. I never wanted her to hate Jacob. I’d rather she hated me instead.

  I sat through history class, not saying a word, and was sure that would be the most awkward class of my day. But when I got to math class, I saw Callie dressed in jeans and a red T-shirt. She was really down if she didn’t dress up for Spirit Day.

  I walked by her and took my seat, forcing myself not to go up to her. I couldn’t. It would blow everything. But it hurt to watch my former BFF be teary through our entire class. I didn’t know how many of those classes I could take.

  18

  RAH, RAH, RAH

  CLASSES FINALLY ENDED FOR THE DAY AND I headed with the rest of the seventh and eighth graders to the gym for the pep rally. I’d almost bailed, but I knew I’d get detention from Headmistress Drake if she found out I’d skipped without a reason.

  I climbed the bleachers with Paige and we sat next to each other. Paige’s cheeks were flushed and she had a tiny green and gold flag in her right hand.

  “This is sooo cool,” she said. “Yay, Canterwood!” I chewed on the inside of my lip so I didn’t say anything about how she was already cheering before the pep rally even started. I remembered my words from this morning—I wanted the rest of Homecoming to be awesome for Paige. She deserved it.

  I stared down at my black sandals, then looked up when the Trio climbed the bleachers and entered our row. They passed Paige and Heather sat by me with Julia and Alison by her side.

  “Pep rally,” Heather said. “Yay.”

  I laughed at how flat her “yay” was.

  “I know,” I said. “Yay.”

  We laughed, and beside Heather, Alison rolled her eyes. She leaned past us and looked at Paige. “I’m excited,” she said. “This is so cool!”

  “I know!” Paige said, smiling. “The pep rally is going to kick off the final big events of the week. It’s going to be awesome.”

  Heather and I shared a glance. The next day and a half weren’t going to be awesome for us, but at least our friends were excited.

  I breathed a quiet sigh of relief when Ryan walked up the bleachers and sat by Paige. She grinned at him and he couldn’t stop looking at her.

  Whew. At least I was off I-love-Homecoming-so-so-much duty. Ryan was as into it as Paige, so he’d fill in for me. I could spend the rest of the period mocking the pep rally with Heather, and Paige wouldn’t notice.

  I was about to turn to Heather, when I saw Callie enter the gym and climb into the second row of stands. She looked devastated. Her eyes were pink and she had her lips pressed together. I wished I could do something, but I knew there wasn’t a thing I could do.

  Part of me was almost furious with Jacob for doing that to Callie. He’d hurt her and she was my former best friend. But I couldn’t hate Jacob. I couldn’t be mad at him for staying with someone when he didn’t feel anything. That would have been leading Callie on. I just wished that they would have been happy together and that it would have been enough.

  I tore my eyes away from Callie and saw Heather watching me. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell she wanted to.

  We both watched as Eric walked through the gym doors with Rachel and her posse. The more I watched Rachel, the more I realized it looked like she was the Heather of seventh grade, only nicer. Rachel and her friends sat on the bottom row of the bleachers and they were practically bouncing in their seats.

  “They should have been cheerleaders,” Heather grumbled.

  “No kidding,” I said.

  Another wave of students came inside and Jacob followed the group. He climbed up a few rows and by the look on his face, he was as thrilled to be here as I was.

  The gym lights started flashing on and off and the Canterwood cheerleaders ran into the center of the court, shaking their pom-poms. A Billboard chart top hit started playing and the girls did back-flips and tossed each other into the air. The crowd started sc
reaming and cheering as the cheerleaders finished their routine with a pyramid. I applauded along with everyone else, but my clapping was robotic.

  The lights went down and the cheerleaders left the floor. In the dim lighting, I saw people hurry onto the floor and crouch down. An infectious beat starting playing and the lights flashed on. Canterwood’s dance team jumped up and started a hip-hop number that got everyone to their feet. Members of the spirit club ran around the edge of the field and tossed balled up Canterwood Crest T-shirts into different sections of the stands.

  The rest of the pep rally was a blur. The flashing lights, the music, and the dancing were almost overwhelming. All I could think about was getting out of here and going back to the safety of my room. The lights finally came on and Headmistress Drake, microphone in hand, walked to the center of the floor.

  “Thank you, students!” Headmistress Drake said. I’d never heard her so excited. “I hope you all enjoyed the pep rally and are ready for our upcoming game. With all of you to cheer on the team, I’m sure Canterwood Crest Academy will emerge victorious! Go Canterwood!”

  She left the floor to applause and I leaned down to grab my bag. When I looked back up, Callie was already bolting across the floor. She was one of the first ones out the door. I fought back the tightness that was choking my throat. Callie had just lost me at my party. And now she was without Jacob.

  19

  THE 411 ON JASMINE

  AFTER THE PEP RALLY, I RACED BACK TO Winchester to change so I wouldn’t be late for my lesson. I tugged on breeches and a T-shirt and pulled my hair into a messy ponytail before running for the stable. I grabbed Charm’s tack from the tack room and headed for his stall.

  I smiled when I saw Charm’s head poking over the stall door.

  “Hey, boy,” I said. “I missed you.”

  I kissed his muzzle and he nudged my shoulder. He stepped back and I unlatched his stall door. I grabbed his halter and led him out of his stall and to a pair of crossties. I clipped them on and opened his trunk to grab his tack box.

  “Let’s get you sparkling and then we’ll go to our lesson,” I said.

  Charm bobbed his head, moving the crossties up and down.

  His coat wasn’t dirty since he hadn’t been outside, so I picked up a body brush and flicked it over his neck, back, and hindquarters.

  I took his saddle pad from on top of his trunk and placed it over his back, smoothing out any wrinkles. I hoisted the saddle into the air and put it on top of the saddle pad, then tightened the girth.

  Charm stood still as I unclipped the crossties and let them drop to the ground. I put the reins over his head and adjusted his bridle in my hands. He opened his mouth when I placed the snaffle bit between his lips and pulled the crownpiece over his ears. After I buckled his bridle, I picked up my helmet and fastened it.

  “Ready?” I asked him. Together, we walked down the aisle to the outdoor arena. Mr. Conner had sent Heather and me an e-mail this afternoon and had told us to meet him outside. I mounted Charm just before he walked through the entrance. We warmed up along the rail and Heather and Aristocrat joined us minutes later.

  Heather rode Aristocrat next to me and shook her head. “I’d rather ride without stirrups for the rest of my life than attend another pep rally,” she said.

  “Me too. And we both know how much we hate that.”

  We both sighed and let our horses into trots. We warmed them up until Mr. Conner came, and then we halted them in front of him.

  “Hi, Heather,” Mr. Conner said, nodding at her. “Sasha.” He looked at me. “I want to work on flatwork today, so why don’t you move your horses out to the rail at a sitting trot and we’ll get started.”

  Charm’s trot was smooth as we moved to the wall and I had no trouble not bouncing in the saddle. We made a couple of laps around the arena before Mr. Conner signaled to us to canter. I squeezed my knees against Charm’s sides and he jumped forward. I remembered how Mr. Conner had praised Heather for not letting Charm rush, so I pulled him back to a trot. I made him do another lap at the slower pace before I gave him the signal to canter. This time, he moved smoothly from one gait to the next.

  “Nice decision, Sasha,” Mr. Conner said. “Smart to pull him back and then ask him to canter. I was hoping you’d do just that.”

  I hid my smile. Compliments from Mr. Conner were rare and I was glad he’d noticed that I’d made the decision to slow Charm, even if it meant not keeping pace with Heather and Aristocrat.

  “Cross over the center and reverse directions, please,” Mr. Conner called.

  Charm and I followed Heather and Aristocrat across the center of the arena and started cantering in the opposite direction. Charm seemed to pay more attention to me than he had before I’d stopped him. He kept one ear back in my direction, listening for any cues.

  “Good boy,” I said.

  “Sasha,” Mr. Conner called. “Try not to talk to Charm so much.”

  I closed my mouth and nodded.

  We trotted for a few more minutes before Mr. Conner held up his hand. “I want you head to the other end of the arena and you’ll take turns cantering your horses through the poles. They’re spaced far enough apart that you can do a medium canter and be safe.”

  Heather and I let Charm and Aristocrat walk to the opposite end of the arena. Charm stretched his neck as he walked and huffed. Maybe he wished I rode Western instead of English—he definitely loved it when we did Western-style exercises and I could see him winning pole-bending competitions.

  “You can go first,” Heather said, nodding at the course.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Heather stopped Aristocrat away from the beginning of the course and I circled Charm at a trot, then a canter.

  “Don’t let him rush,” Mr. Conner said.

  I tightened my fingers around the reins. “I won’t.”

  I let Charm out of the circle and headed for the first pole. He yanked his head forward and tried to pull the reins through my fingers. He was getting too excited before we even started. I pushed my weight into the saddle with my seat and heels, trying to slow him.

  Charm reacted to my movement and eased to a slower canter. I started to say, “Good job,” but remembered Mr. Conner’s words from earlier. I’d reward Charm after our lesson if he kept doing well.

  He cantered to the pole until it felt that he was going to slam into it before I shifted my weight to the side and tugged on the right rein. In an instant, Charm shifted to the side. His canter stayed smooth as he bent around the pole and we were so close to it that my boot almost brushed against the plastic.

  Charm swerved in the next direction, barely needing me to tell him what to do. He saw the poles and he just went for it. But you still need to keep control of him, I thought. If I didn’t, his well-paced canter would turn into a gallop and it could get dangerous.

  Charm dashed through the six poles and I kept myself balanced in the saddle and made sure I didn’t tip or tilt as he changed direction. He curved around the final pole and I let him canter four strides toward the end of the arena before slowing him to a trot, then a walk. I patted his neck and turned him back to face Heather and Mr. Conner.

  “Nice work, Sasha,” Mr. Conner said, nodding at me. “You knew Charm would have a tendency to dash through the poles, but you kept control of him. He looked supple as he moved through the poles.”

  “Thank you,” I said. I stopped Charm next to Aristocrat and the horses didn’t look away from each other—they stood and awaited instruction.

  Mr. Conner flipped to a clean sheet of paper in his notebook and motioned to Heather.

  “Heather, you may go when you’re ready,” Mr. Conner said.

  Heather pushed down her heels and settled into the saddle. It was all too easy to fall off to the side if a rider wasn’t prepared for pole bending. I thought back to the first time I’d tried it at my old stable. Charm, still very green, had rushed through the course and I hadn’t been prepared when we’d taken
the first pole. Charm had leaned so far over that I’d tipped off to the side, tumbled out of the saddle and bruised my shoulder.

  Heather led Aristocrat into a trot, then a canter. The chestnut’s tail streamed out behind him as he cantered and he looked sleek enough to skim around all of the poles. Heather’s plum-colored shirt flashed as Aristocrat’s body curved around the first pole and they reached the second pole faster than Charm and I had. They darted back and forth through the poles and I couldn’t help but be impressed with how fast they completed the course. Not only were they seconds faster than Charm and me, but Heather also got Aristocrat closer to each pole.

  “Nice,” I said as Heather pulled Aristocrat up beside Charm and me.

  Heather cocked her head. “I think that was better than ‘nice.’”

  Mr. Conner scribbled something on his chart and walked over to us.

  “Well done, Heather,” he said. “Aristocrat’s agility is in his build, but it’s also from the hard work you’ve put into getting him there. I’m impressed with how close you came to each pole without touching it. Excellent job.”

  “Thanks,” Heather said.

  Mr. Conner looked at both of us. “Let’s amp up the difficulty of the lesson.”

  Heather and I glanced at each other.

  “Drop your stirrups and cross them over your saddle,” Mr. Conner said. “I want you to do the exercise again at a slow canter.”

  That was going to be a little more difficult. Heather and I kicked our feet out of the stirrups and crossed them.

  Mr. Conner nodded to me and I let Charm into a slow canter. I gripped with my knees and wrapped my fingers around Charm’s mane to help keep my balance. I held Charm at an easy canter and he listened. He moved around the first pole and I shifted to stay in the saddle. Charm kept an even pace and didn’t rush between the poles. I stayed focused on keeping my balance and moving Charm through the course. I fought back a smile when we finished and turned to face Heather and Mr. Conner.

  Heather completed the course and her second ride was almost better than her first. She rode the course in a way that almost made me want to take notes.