"Are you sure you're okay?" Alex urges, pushing the brown hair that had fallen from my face back into place.
"Yes!" I reply for the eighth time. "I've told you."
I adjust my position on the couch in Antonio's office with a wince. The truth was, I'd fallen pretty hard. The bruises have already started to form on my shoulder, not to mention the pain in my lower back every time I move.
Of course, I got off lucky compared to Sarah. The ambulance left me behind and only took Sarah.
"When I said to not do better than me, I didn't mean fall off and hurt yourself," Alex jokes.
Slowly, I place my head in my hands. I am not in the mood for jokes.
My head continues to throb as I touch the band-aid that holds my forehead together. Alex gets up from crouching in front of me and joins me on the couch. He lightly kisses my head.
"You still haven't fallen off more than me."
"Wanna bet?" I laugh, painfully.
I can feel Alex's smile.
The office door opens with a creak and I slowly lookup. Justin, the head groom at SEC, enters with a bag in his hand.
"Brought you some ice Miss Maddie," Justin says, moving the plastic bag in his hand.
I flash Justin the best smile I can muster in this pain. "Thank you, Justin."
The plastic bag rustles as Justin hands it to Alex to place on my back. The cold causes me to grimace. I give Justin another smile as he wipes his wet hands on his red SEC shirt. I still can't believe I thought this man was the one responsible for stealing horses.
When horse thieves were breaking into SEC last year I made it my mission to capture them. It got in my brain that it was Justin who was the mole, helping out the thieves. My accusations cost him two weeks in jail.
Oh, was I wrong?
The mole turned out to be Jess, one of the instructors here at the centre.
"How's Sarah?" I murmur just loud enough for Justin to hear.
The man runs a hand through his red, cropped hair. "Antonio just got a call from her Dad. Currently, she is at the hospital but so far she has a fractured wrist and elbow."
"Oh my," I say to no one in particular.
"Antonio also wanted you to know Alex, he is holding a meeting in the Admin room and all Senior and Junior Competition riders are required to be there."
Alex pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "Fine. I'll be there soon."
Justin nods towards the two of us before exiting the office. Silence fills the room.
"So are you going to help me walk to the Admin room?" I ask.
Alex shoots me a confused glare. "What? No, you are staying here."
"I'm just stiff and bruised Alex. I have nothing broken."
Unlike Sarah, I can't help but think. My best friend.
"This meeting can't be that important. I'll tell you what happens."
I shake my head. "No. I am going."
Alex hangs his head, gripping my hand with his. "Alright."
"Thank you, Prince of Riding."
"It has been a year, stop calling me that!"
----------------------------------------------------------------
I hobble into the Admin room. Making it seem like I'm okay actually makes the pain worse. As I enter with Alex behind me, the slow-level chatter stops.
"My God Maddie!" cries a familiar voice.
Lily jumps up from her seat in the front and makes a dash to me. When she throws her arms around me and gives me a hard squeeze I wince. She immediately let go, gritting her teeth.
"Ooo, I'm sorry! How are you anyway?" Lily asks.
"Heard you took a nasty tumble on the cross country course!" shouts Jack, a boy with light brown hair and a crooked grin.
"Yeah well, I'm fine but Sarah is now in hospital with broken bones. I got off lucky," I snap.
Lily tugs at her blonde hair. She's on the Senior Competition team but is also not just my roommate here at SEC but also my make-shift big sister.
Lily steps to the side and I hobble over to the white plastic chair that is next to Bishop.
"The Queen arrives," he smiles.
"Yeah, in nearly one piece."
"You're gonna be okay for the trip, right?" Bishop asks.
Ah, the trip.
The one thing that has been constantly on my mind-well until I stacked it.
Antonio announced at the end of December last year that when the competition season starts back up again, the Senior and Junior teams will be travelling around Australia. Eleven of the best youth riders in the country competing in every state for eight months.
"It is to start building a name for yourselves," Antonio told us. "You will all be a part of the next generation of Australian riders, so this will be a great start to your journey."
Now we are a week out from leaving and I couldn't be more nervous or excited.
"Of course I will be okay. Virgo and I wouldn't miss this for the world," I whisper back to Bishop.
I glance around the Admin room. It isn't a very large space with only a whiteboard at the front and plastic chairs stacked along the back. Usually, there are fourteen kids sitting together laughing and chatting.
Now there are only ten.
Of course, Sarah isn't here. Ella, Tom and Cassie, all Senior Competition riders, are also not present. They have left.
Cassie was pulled by her parents. I still remember the screaming match between her mother and Antonio. She pulled Cassie from the team because she didn't like that there were horse thieves around SEC.
Ella got too old to be on the Senior Competition team since she turned nineteen. Now she works in Brisbane and helps rehabilitate ex-racehorses.
Tom's parents made Tom go back home to Canberra to live with them. Apparently, his Grandmother got very sick quickly. He wanted to be there for her.
So our family isn't complete. I miss Ella and Tom, their energy at the clubhouse, the movie nights, their outrageous opinions. Seeing Jack now sat next to Will, Lily's boyfriend, and not Tom still makes my heart hurt.
There is no more Jack and Tom. No more foolish pranks. No more funny jokes.
The Admin room door opens and in strides Antonio, commanding our attention instantly with the ex-Olympian-and-Head-Coach aura that constantly circles him. Behind him, Theo shuts the door before joining Antonio's side up at the front.
Theo is the relatively new coach that teaches all the normal riding lessons that happen here at SEC. That job did once belong to Jess but obviously, with her being arrested for helping steal horses, Antonio needed to find someone else.
"Good afternoon everyone," Antonio starts. "I'm glad you could all be here."
Lily throws a look my way. This can't be good.
If Antonio starts his meeting with his hands behind his back, which he is doing now, that usually mean bad news.
"As you have all probably are aware Sarah and Maddie had an accident on the cross country course. I am here to tell you now that Sarah is okay and is now in the hospital."
"Is she going to still be coming on the trip?" I call from my spot in the back of the room.
Antonio lets out a long breath. "About that. Sarah has broken her ankle and fractured three points in her arm. Obviously, she would not be able to ride if she came with us."
"But she is still going to come?" I push.
"I have just gotten off the phone with her father. We both decided it would be best to allow Sarah to stay at home with her parents to recuperate," Antonio explains.
Bishop and I stare at each other. What?!
"But that means we won't see Sarah for almost a year!" Bishop exclaims.
Antonio raises his hands. "Not necessarily. If Sarah is okay and is willing, her parents have agreed to allow her to join us halfway through the trip."
Sarah is going to be left behind. Bishop and I are going to have to go on the trip of a lifetime without our best friend.
I suddenly feel breath beside my ear. "Of course I'm sad for Sarah, I was in the same position last year, but brace yourself for more bad news."
Bishop and I turn in sync around in our chairs. Behind us is sat Sophie and Georgia, their arms folded and leaning in close to us.
"How can you tell?" I ask Georgia.
She purses her lips. "I heard Antonio on the phone with someone, talking in Italian of course, but I bet that's why he really called the meeting."
"Probably about the trip," Sophie chimes, bushing her hair off her dark complexion.
"How do we know it will be bad?" I respond.
Georgia smiles.
Last year Georgia and I with the help of Will had been the ones to find our horses, Virgo and Aviation. They had been stolen alongside six other horses which have now all been brought home. Probably because of that experience Georgia has stopped being a bully towards me and more of an... ally?
Sure we are still passive-aggressive to each other but at least she has stopped trying to kick me off the team and respects me. Somewhat.
"Because after that phone call he immediately told Theo 'We need to tell the kids,'" Georgia continues.
Antonio starts speaking and we all go back to listening.
"I also have some more news."
Georgia whispers I told you so under her breath.
"News has spread that the Siracusa Equestrian Centre is having this competing spree and I've been getting many of my own friends wanting to be a part of it," Antonio explains.
I gulp.
"I've been getting phone calls from my friends overseas."
Obviously, he means his friends that are also elite equestrians.
"They want their kids to also be a part of this tour."
Everyone in the room starts to tense. I watch as Alex's knee starts to jump up and down.
"Since we do have positions open for this trip I am allowing three exchange students to come and join us. They will continue their school studies as they come to ride, learn and compete with us around Australia," Antonio explains.
Bishop elbows me in the side-which doesn't help my pain level-and my mouth drops.
Exchange students! Antonio can't be serious.
Chatter burst out from everyone in the room. I hear Katy-a Senior rider-complain to Lily while Alex, Jack and Will start speculating who these people might be.
"This is crazy!" Bishop hisses.
"I know," I mumble.
I don't need new people. I don't want new people. My life is finally fitting all together and now Antonio has announced this.
The pressure of being sick starts to build inside my gut.
"Quiet!" Antonio shouts.
The room falls silent. Theo shuffles uncomfortably.
"Before anyone tries to convince me otherwise, their horses have already landed in Australia and everything has been sorted."
Georgia lets out a snort.
"Now the children in question coming to join you are well mannered and shouldn't cause issues. I want them to be welcomed with open arms," Antonio continues.
The angry tension in the air suggests that we will do nothing of the sort.
"They are," Antonio starts. "Mia Schmidt from Germany, Sacha Monet from France, they will be joining the Senior team-"
The name Schmidt is familiar to me. I know that this girl comes from a long line of international German showjumpers. But I'm not sure who Sacha is on the other hand.
"-and finally Elias Nilsson from Sweden, who will be riding with the Juniors," Antonio finishes.
I can not only hear Georgia's angry grunt but can feel the heat radiating off her.
"What!"
Alex stands up with enough force to knock his chair over. "Elias!"
Antonio sighs. Alex clunches his fists.
"You can't be serious, Dad?"
"Very," Antonio replies.
I can't see Alex's face but by his tone, I can tell he isn't happy.
"Why on Earth would you ever let him join us!"
"Alex-"
"You know what he is like! His father is a swine and a coward," Alex shouts.
All eyes are on the father-son duo, watching what Antonio whose face is growing redder, will say next.
"That is incredibly disrespectful for you to say that about not just my old friend, Alex but also his son," Antonio yells.
Alex throws his hands in the air. "It's true! Elias is not well mannered and will cause every issue under the sun."
Antonio crosses his arms.
"Why would you ever let them back in! Elias doesn't deserve anything yet you are giving him another chance!" Alex shouts, louder this time.
Wow, who is this kid?
"Alex Bruno sit down now!" roars Antonio.
Alex puts his hands down by his sides and grunts out angrily.
"Do a little stunt like that again and I will have you kicked out of this room," Antonio yells.
Alex plops down on his chair with a thud.
It is just silence.
Antonio and Alex have gotten into fights before, sure. Nothing like that though. Antonio hardly raises his voice at his son, no matter how rude or closed-off he is being that day.
This was different. This goes much deeper than anyone in this room knows.
Who is this Elias?
I feel Georgia lean into my ear again. "If you think I am bad, just you wait for Elias Nilsson."