Broken Prodigy | COMPLETED ✓

Chapter 16

Saturday morning, I wake to the sound of my 5:00am alarm. Today is the day everyone seems to have been waiting for. We're going to the Combined Training State Qualifiers show. I have to be at the stables by quarter to 6, so I quietly get ready, so as not to wake Dad, then with a piece of vegemite toast in hand, and my curly mountain of blonde strands finally tamed, I wait at the end of my driveway for Georgia to pick me up.

"At least you know how to be on time," she says when I climb into her car. "Elliot and Gus are terrible."

I chuckle. "So, apart from Aladdin and Bess, which other horses are we taking?" I ask, though I probably don't know any of them.

Georgia launches into a list of several other horses competing at the show, and I don't have to input any more. We arrive at Elliot and Gus' house, and Elliot's already waiting outside.

"Hang on, you haven't forgotten anything?" Georgia checks. "You not going to suddenly need to go to the dunny whilst we wait another hour?"

"Nope." Elliot looks way too proud of himself for such a small feat. We wait in the car for Gus, and I only then I realise that he's not even here.

"Where's Gus?" I ask. Georgia rolls her eyes. "What?" I demand.

"Trust you to be so curious about him."

"Oh, come on!"

"Yeah," Elliot pipes in. "You guys are so cliche."

"There is no 'us', alright? Gus and I aren't anything, let alone cliche."

"Uh-huh," Georgia nods, faking belief.

Just then, we hear the front door of Gus and Elliot's house close, and I squint through the dark to see Gus jogging to the car, his shirt only half on.

You've got to be kidding me. My traitor eyes drag along his tan skin, well built, and I abruptly peel them off him when Elliot snickers.

Of course he just has to be good looking.  Why are all arrogant boys handsome?

Gus grins as he hops into the backseat, pulling the rest of his tee on and mainly focusing on me, raising his eyebrows in amusement. I send an obvious glare towards him, and somehow it causes him to smirk even wider.

Georgia coughs to interrupt our stares, and now it's her turn to glower at Gus. "What took you so long? We have to be at the show in an hour and a half, and it takes a good hour to get there, idiot!" she growls.

Gus looks like a kindergarten kid who's just been told off. "Sorry. Somebody stole my favourite shirt." He looks pointedly at Elliot.

"I swear, if you start blaming your missing laundry on me one more time, I'll-"

He's cut off by Georgia starting the engine and jerking the car forward. I chuckle at their bickering and listen to what sounds like a commonly occurring insult match for the rest of the ride to the stables.

Maya's already there, and she's loading Aladdin, the last of the horses, into the 6-horse truck. She jogs up to the car when we pull up.

"Took you guys long enough. We're gonna be late!" she tells us, and ushes Georgia and I out of the car so we can ride with her in the truck. Georgia would drive her car, but she has to go over a set of dressage patterns and showjumping courses, and she can't memorise them whilst driving. And I'm out of the question. Letting me drive any vehicle is like announcing the end of the world. I really don't want to be the cause of my friends' deaths. 

Instead, Georgia reluctantly hands the keys over to Elliots, but only after he vows not to do anything to it. 

"You hurt her," Georgia threatens, referring to the car. "And I'll hurt you."

Elliot looks like he's just been summoned to his death, whilst Gus burst out laughing, earning a playful smack across the head from Georgia. "I mean it."

With that, we head over to the horse truck, and climb into the back, joining Kayla, and to my annoyance, Ebony and her followers, Chelsea and Hannah. It's like the 'Mean Girls' Plastics all over again.

"Oh, great." Ebony doesn't bother to make her irritation subtle; that makes two of us.

"Hey, Ebony," I say blandly. "I didn't know you were riding today."

"I am!" Kayla announces. "Polly and I are in the-"

"She wasn't talking to you," Ebony snaps, then turns to me with a vicious smile. "I'm not, but I was left with the job of babysitting."

"I don't need a babysitter. Georgie will look after me," Kayla mumbles.

Ebony huffs, and Chelsea smiles phonyly at me. "I'm Chelsea. I don't think we've met." She says it innocently, but I can hear the menace behind her voice.

I smile with the same look. "Ollie."

"Okay!" Maya opens the front seat door and climbs in. "Let's get going." She starts up the engine and turns the radio onto the local station, earning a groan of protest from Georgia.

"Maya, I dunno how you listen to this stuff," she complains as some old rock n' roll song comes on. I smile when Maya sends her a glare.

Maya leaves the driveway of the stables and turns onto the road that leads out of town. Soon the suburban 1 acre lots turn into open paddocks, and I feel like I can finally breathe. Some people feel claustrophobic in cities, but I feel that way in any place that is too small to fit a shed. Growing up in a remote Australian town does that to you.

Maya points to 'Coortson' on the sign at the start of the highway. "That's where we're going, folks." She turns up the radio, and finally a song we all know comes on. The familiar rock music introducing 'Long Way To The Top' by AC/DC comes on.

Ebony groans in annoyance, earning a repeat from her followers. "Please, can we not, Maya?"

"Ebony, if you can't stand my style of a road trip, then next time drive yourself."

I can't help but grin at Maya's remark. It feels good to have someone else refuse to put up with her.

The lyrics of the songs start, and soon all- save for Ebony, Hannah and Chelsea- of us are singing along.

Ridin' down the highway

Goin' to a show

Stop in all the byways

Playin' rock 'n' roll

The words oddly seem to suit our drive. Ebony rolls her eyes and covers her ears just as the main chorus comes on.

It's a long way to the top, if you wanna rock 'n' roll

It's a long way to the top, if you wanna rock 'n' roll

The song seems to put the majority of us in a good mood, and we spend the rest of the drive trying to remember lyrics from songs as old as the 60s, half of them to no avail.

The hour passes quickly, and soon enough we arrive at a long driveway with a sign reading, 'Coortson Equestrian Centre'. Along the driveway is a line of both horse trucks and floats, with people directing the traffic into certain areas to park.

I knew the show was going to be big, but this has got to be a good 3 or so times the size of the rodeos I'm used to.

"Well," Maya says as she turns onto the driveway and slows the car. "We're here. Welcome to State Qualifiers."