Chasing Blue (Canterwood Crest) by Burkhart Jessica

Author:Burkhart, Jessica [Burkhart, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2010-02-24T00:00:00+00:00

GROUNDED

“C’MON, GUYS,” MR. CONNER SAID. “WHAT DO you think this is, Monday morning?”

The Trio, Callie, and I had been yawning all morning. It was barely seven thirty on Monday morning and Mr. Conner had gathered us for a group lesson. The show was less than two weeks away—and we had some serious practicing to do. Gray light filtered through the arena windows and Mr. Conner flipped on the overhead fluorescent lights.

“Start warming them up and then we’ll do drills,” Mr. Conner said.

Callie and I followed the Trio and began circling in the arena. Up ahead, Julia and Alison had pulled Trix and Sunstruck side by side so they could whisper.

“Wonder what they’re talking about,” I whispered to Callie.

Callie looked over to be sure Mr. Conner wasn’t watching. Talking in class was the number one way to get kicked out of a lesson. “What else? The Sweetheart Soirée. It’s ALL they talk about.”

“Are you going?” I asked.

“Definitely,” Callie said. “It’s supposed to be amazing.”

“Do you know what time it starts?” I asked. “I haven’t seen any flyers that say that.”

“One of the Orchard girls said she heard it starts at eight,” Callie said. “She said that the start time is always word-of-mouth.”

“Girls!” Mr. Conner called out. “Now that you’ve warmed up your mouths, let’s get the rest of you warmed up. Please stand in your stirrups and trot.”

Callie and I whisper-groaned to each other. That was one of the worst torture exercises ever!

The five of us stood in the stirrups and hovered over our horses’ necks. I braced my hands against Charm’s neck so I wouldn’t jerk on his mouth if I wobbled.

We made three circles around the arena before Mr. Conner nodded to us to sit.

“Move them into a slow canter and then change gaits as I call them,” he said. “Try to switch gaits in as few strides as possible.”

The horses increased their speed to a rocking canter and Sunstruck’s palomino tail fanned out in front of me. Alison rocked with the Arabian’s smooth gait and for a second, I imagined Sunstruck galloping across the desert. He looked like the Black Stallion’s lighter cousin.

“Trot,” Mr. Conner called.

I applied pressure to Charm’s mouth and he slowed after three strides. He tossed his head in annoyance—he loved cantering and wanted to keep doing it. I rubbed his neck with one hand to soothe him.

As we went around the arena, my gaze and my focus settled on Heather. I tried not to get angry, but seeing her now made me think about Friday night all over again. Jacob had never even texted or called that night—and I hadn’t spoken to Heather since I’d stormed out of her little party.

“Canter,” Mr. Conner called.

Charm must have understood Mr. Conner’s command because he cantered before I tapped him with my leg. At least he was listening. Ahead of us, Sunstruck continued to trot rather than canter and Charm almost ran up his heels! I veered Charm to the right and kept him from colliding with Sunstruck.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.