Bridgeport Academy » COMPLETE

55

Right, she thought. Like there was any danger of her not being nice. 

Chris took the helmet from Kae's hands and placed it on her head gently, then flattened his hand on top of it and rocked it back and forth and from side to side. Kae could feel her scalp moving with it. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure it fits." He took his hand off her head and bent his knees so that his eyes were level with hers. He examined how the helmet fit around her head, his face just inches from hers, so she could practically count his eyelashes if she wanted to. His eyes finally met hers. "You look cute," he said softly.

"How come you're not wearing a helmet?"

"Because I'm not worried about me," he said sweetly, though Kae still thought it was unfair. She'd pictured her long hair flying out behind her in the wind, but maybe next time. "Are you ready to get on?"

"Already?" she yelped, terrified.

"You want to stand here talking all day?"

Kae looked up at him. "Sort of."

"Come on. It's fun, and you'll be fine. Credo knows what she's doing, and she's not going to break into a gallop or anything." Chris gave her a few more basic instructions and encouragements, but she could tell he was one of the learn-by-doing sort of teachers, so Kae forced herself to take deep breaths and just get on. He held his hands together to give her a leg up, and she swung her leg over Credo's back awkwardly, almost kicking Chris in the head with her boot. She wriggled in the sleek leather saddle, getting her bearings. "Are you comfortable?" Chris asked, adjusting the stirrups and placing the reins in her hands.

"I feel like I'm riding an elephant," she said with a giddy laugh. Being on a horse made her feel so...tall!

Chris hopped onto Marymount's horse. "You ready to start moving now?"

Deep breaths, deep breaths. "Yes," Kae squeaked.

"Then just give Credo a little squeeze with your calves. And just sort of let your hips follow her movements. It'll fall into place." Chris started off on Deena, and Kae pressed her lower legs gently against Credo's sides. She gasped when Credo started to move.

"Am I trotting?" she asked eagerly.

"Not yet," Chris laughed. "Are you sure you're ready for it?" 

Their eyes met across the grass, and he kicked his horse into a trot, pulling away from her quickly. "Come on!" he cried, glancing back over his shoulder, his shirt blowing in the light breeze.

"I'll be extra nice to Chris if you're nice to me," she whispered to Credo before squeezing her legs and feeling the horse lurch forward beneath her. "Whoa," she gasped.

An hour later they were back at the stable, Kae's legs aching with effort. She couldn't believe how much fun it was, riding the enormous, scary-sweet Credo through the fields, even if Kae wouldn't go faster than a trot, no matter how much Chris encouraged her. The sky was cloudy when they started out, but it quickly darkened, and fat raindrops had begun to fall from the menacing gray clouds. They rode into the stable, which was clean and dark and smelled like Chris, only much more concentrated.

He slid off his horse and led her into a stall before returning to Kae. "Did you like it?" he asked, though he knew the answer from the wild, breathless smile on her face.

"I see what the big deal is now." She unhooked her boot from the stirrup, and dismounted a little more gracefully than she'd mounted. "That was so much fun." Her legs were shaking a little from the strain, and as she pulled off her helmet, she realized her hair felt sweaty and must be plastered to her head, but she didn't care.