Fight to the Finish by Catherine Hapka

Author:Catherine Hapka [Hapka, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2018-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

That evening, Zoe picked at her dinner, barely hearing Rosie’s endless chatter about her new painting career. With Poppy’s help, Zoe was pretty sure she’d figured out a good set of moves to show off what she and Raven could do. But she still wasn’t sure it was enough to win that free clinic spot …

“Zoe?” an insistent voice broke into her thoughts. “Zoe? Zoe!”

“Huh?” Zoe blinked at Rosie, who was staring at her expectantly. “What’d you say?”

“What color is Fletcher’s mane?” Rosie asked. “I was just telling Mom and Gramps that I want to try painting him.”

“Oh. Um, I’m not sure—black, I think?” Zoe took a sip of her water. “So is that your plan? You’re going to paint all the horses at the yard?”

“Maybe eventually.” Rosie pursed her lips. “My current masterpiece is top secret.”

Zoe’s mother laughed. “She won’t tell us, either,” she said. “I can’t wait to see it, whatever it is.”

“Yeah. I’m on the edge of my seat,” Zoe muttered.

Grampa leaned toward her. “You all right, Zoe?” he asked. “You seem a bit out of sorts tonight.”

Zoe shrugged, fiddling with her fork. “Maybe a little,” she admitted. “The tryout for the clinic is tomorrow.”

“Oh yes, the dressage thing.” Her mother nodded. “Aren’t you excited? You and Raven must have a pretty good shot, right?”

“I’m not so sure,” Zoe said with a sigh. “There are a few other people trying out, and every single one of their horses is older and more trained than Raven.”

Her mother smiled. “Oh? And when has that ever stopped you two before?”

“I know, I know.” For a second Zoe smiled, thinking about how far she and Raven had come. But her smile faded quickly. “That’s not the only thing, though.” She dropped her fork. “Things between me and Jade are super weird …”

“Jade?” Her grandfather looked surprised. “What do you mean? I thought you two were great friends.”

“We were.” Zoe shook her head. “But I might have accidentally insulted her a teensy bit yesterday, and now she won’t even look at me!”

Her mother and grandfather traded a knowing look.

“She gets that from you, you know,” Grampa said to his daughter. Then he winked at Zoe. “Don’t fret, sweetheart. I’m sure you and Jade will make up soon.”

“I hope so.” Zoe picked up her fork and poked at her food. “In a way, it might be better if she wins that free spot. Or maybe if neither of us does.”

Her mother patted her hand. “It’ll work itself out,” she said. “And even if you don’t win that spot, at least you’ll still get to watch the clinic. That should be an education in itself.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Zoe sighed and pushed back her chair. “May I be excused, please?”

She headed upstairs, ready for this whole day to be over.

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