Madison v.s The Horse Thief

Chapter Five: Dinner With The Team

"We did so well! I can't believe it, Virgo," I say, hugging Virgo's neck.

I dismount and give Virgo an even bigger hug. He had done everything I had asked and I couldn't have been happier. I won't know if it's enough for Antonio until he announces who is on the team. A tall man approaches me and takes Virgo's reins away from me to cool him off for me.

"Oh... bye boy," I call. "I'll give you a carrot later then.

This is all so different from how it is back home when we untack all our own horses and feed them ourselves. Here at SEC, grooms do it mostly. It is still strange to me.

I walk into the stable and go to the Admin room. I turn the brass handle and enter the room. It's quite a small area with a whiteboard at the front and white plastic chairs stacked at the back of the room. Kids aging from ten to fifteen sit nervously in little huddles around the room and their matching parents dressed in suits or rich dresses look almost as nervous. Lily was right though: all dressed in in show jackets and expensive brands.

At the sound of me opening the door and walking in, everyone's heads spin. When they realize I am not Antonio a mixture of groans and laughs quietly fill the once silent room. I creep into the Admin room quietly, not trying to draw any more attention to myself. Since everyone is sat in small groups of friends and I am alone I take a chair and sit at the back. 

I can manage to notice the girl who rode before me with two others, peering over their shoulders to look at me. I sink slower in my chair just trying to escape. The minutes go by and there is still no sign of Antonio coming to tell one of us great news. My mind shuts off out of boredom but the tension in the air still crawls on my skin. My stomach is twisting tighter and tighter and my hands become clammier and clammier.

Please hurry up, Antonio. Just tell me I didn't make the team already.

The Admin room's door swings open and in strides Antonio, folder tucked under his arm and brow furrowed. I think everyone's breath caught in their throats. Parents move from their spots at the front of the room to make way for Antonio. He faces us with a smile before opening his folder. 

"Good afternoon everyone. I want to thank you all for coming here today, I know how far some of you have come and how hard you all have worked to be here," Antonio starts. "I'm so glad I got to watch you all ride and display your talent and-"

And his speech is killing me. I just squeeze my chair harder and clench my jaw. Can Antonio just say who is on the team already?

"Now I've held you all here long enough so I'll cut to the chase," Antonio says, flipping through some pages in his folder.

Wow. Antonio must be reading my mind. But my mind can hardly focus. It buzzes like a swarm of bees invading it. I wish I had a fly swat to get rid of them.

"This person worked well with their horse, had great-"

Can he just say it already I'm dying to know!

"Now the new member of the Junior competition team is Maddie Smith."

We don't care about lectures can we just-wait, what?

Antonio calls my name and I stand to bolt upright in the span of a few milliseconds. Did I make the team? Me? People are clapping for me but I can sense a hint of jealousy in the air. Everything becomes blurry for a moment as I continue to stand like an idiot. Just sit down you dumbo, cries my brain but my body ignores it. A thousand swear words run through my mind out of excitement.

"Alright. Thank you to everyone that tried out and of course, you are all able to sign up for riding lessons," Antonio says, joining my side at the back of the room.