|If this chapter is formatted a bit differently it's because I wrote it on my phone :)|
The late February sun is beating down hard and fast on today's afternoon lesson while Antonio barks orders at us. Virgo and I are settling into SEC and its routines after two weeks. Every ride we have is intense training for the show coming up.
"Maddie! Close those fingers around the reins," shouts Antonio.
I tighten the strength of my fingers around my reins while Virgo and I line up straight towards the meter ten vertical. Virgo's ears point at the jump and at the right moment he lifts into the air, tucking his legs under him. I close my calves around his sides so they don't swing back and lift myself up into two-point position. My heart races as my horse and I fly like there is nothing else that matters.
Virgo lands on the other side and canters a few strides before transitioning to walk.
"Good lad!" I tell him, scratching Virgo's glossy neck.
We walk back to the group at the other end of the arena.
"Nice round, Maddie," Antonio says.
I smile from under my helmet as I halt Virgo next to Bishop on Rosie.
Quickly I lock eyes with Georgia. Her face is pulled into a mean snarl but I just smile. I know how it makes her annoyed when I do well when riding. It's quite funny really. She rolls her eyes and Sarah and I just look at each other, trying not to laugh.
"You have all been working hard and I know that in three weeks you guys will be ready to bring home some ribbons," Antonio cheers.
We all give a whoop except Georgia and Sophie who both look like they sucked a lemon. I take a look at the rest of the team and think of Alex, who of course isn't here.
Ever since our fight in the tack room he has treated me like air. We haven't spoken a word to each other and if I ever try to slightly interact with him he will turn his back on me. Alex has only ridden with the Junior Competition Team twice in the last couple of weeks and I just hope it isn't because of me.
"Cool off your horses everyone and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Maddie could you stay behind though?" asks Antonio, before turning around to write things in his folder.
My heart sinks. Did Alex finally tell him about me throwing a bridle in his face? That will surely get me kicked off the team.
"We'll meet you soon," Sarah tells me.
I nod and watch Sarah, Bishop, and Jasper leave on their horses.
"Hmm, maybe Antonio has finally come to his senses and will replace you with someone more... worthy," Georgia says in a snarky tone.
I scoff. Georgia walks Aviation up to Virgo and Sophie follows behind on Liberty.
"If I'm not worthy of being on this team then what are you?" I ask, folding my arms.
Georgia rolls her eyes. "Maddie I need this team to be in peak condition and if that means cutting the waste of space then so be it."
"Last time I checked your not the boss, Georgia. Antonio is and I think you're just bossy," I reply.
Sadly, I have made an enemy on the team. Her black-haired highness is Georgia Bull. Ever since I stood up for Bishop and Sarah, Sophie and she have tried to drive me out of SEC. They need to try a lot harder though if they want me gone.
"You'll be out of here soon, Maddie. You can hardly keep up with us," Georgia laughs.
Sophie joins in with her giggles and I just block it out.
"Come on Sophie!" calls Georgia.
Aviation tries to give Virgo a bite on the neck, which makes Virgo take a few steps back. Georgia rides him to the outdoor arena gate.
I try to ignore what they say but she has a point. I'm trying to hold my own here at SEC but it seems like each lesson something goes wrong for Virgo and me. We seem to get the most corrections from Antonio and make the most basic mistakes while riding. If Antonio asks me off the team, I don't know what I'll do.
"So Maddie," Antonio claps his hands together.
Oh no, here it comes!
"I promised to watch Alex ride in the other arena since he is riding Diesel, that new horse that has come for training. Something else has come up though so I was wondering if you would watch him ride? Alex can handle Diesel but he does buck and has other problems so just in case something bad happens I want someone there," Antonio tells me.
Having to watch Alex ride and interact with him? I'd rather be taken off the team. There is no way, I can't face him.
"I wanted to ask you Maddie because the Senior Competition Team is cleaning tack as a team and I trust you a lot," adds Antonio.
Does Antonio trust me? Antonio Bruno? My hero? I'll take that no back if it shows Antonio he is right in trusting me.
"Of course I will," I say.
"Thank you so much. I'll have a groom cool down Virgo for you so you can go straight to him," smiles Antonio before he walks out of the outdoor arena.
I lean down onto Virgo's next and scratch behind his ear. "Wish me luck, chocolate head."
I dismount Virgo and lead him out of the arena to find Harry, a short and dark-skinned man, and reluctantly give Virgo off to him. I leave the stables in a rush with my hands jammed into my hoodie's pockets.
My eye catches Alex riding the pale chestnut Diesel right away. He sits on top of him completely focussed on the three-loop serpentine they are doing in the first arena. At the exact spot in the arena, Alex flexes Diesel right with his leg then finishes the rest of the pattern.
I get to the arena fence and just lean on it. Alex, despite his attitude and moodiness, is such a great rider. You can just tell he has a passion for it and he has such a natural gift. He really is the Prince of Riding.
Alex pushes Diesel on, ignoring his head tossing. He asks Diesel to get back into the correct frame. Alex and Diesel thunder down the long side and I wave as they go past me but Alex just keeps his usual stormy face on and ignores me.
Should have expected that.
Diesel and Alex produce a few more patterns and from watching, I can tell this is a hot horse. The pale chestnut will often throw a cheeky buck or speed off in trot on Alex, completely unfocused. It hardly phases Alex and he will just sit deep in his saddle and either spiral Diesel in and out on a circle a few times to get his attention back to him or transition to halt then transition back into trot.
Diesel starts to settle and I'm really impressed with Alex. At A he sits deep in his saddle with his heels pressed firmly down and asks Diesel to canter. The pale chestnut snorts loudly and plants his front legs into the sand and lets out a huge buck. My chest tightens and my fists shut tight, preparing to see Alex fall off. When I first brought Virgo and first started training him he would give me everything he had to try and get me off so I can pretty much ride through anything but I could not stay on the buck Diesel just gave.
Alex leans right back in the saddle pulling Diesel's head back towards him, not even blinking. Diesel's rear comes crashing back down into the sand and instantly Alex gets him moving forward and circles him around to ask for canter again in the same spot. Diesel obeys this time and they canter a circle but I notice the speed is increasing. After two circles Alex trots down the long side straight past me before letting Diesel walk.
I let out a breath. "That was... really well ridden."
Alex doesn't look at me and just walks Diesel in a circle, letting his neck stretch down.
"How you stayed on, Alex, I don't know," I continue.
Alex still ignores me.
"Erm-your dad couldn't watch you ride because something came up so he asked me to," I explain, my voice getting higher.
Alex adjusts his reins and scoffs.
"At least that's something," I mutter to myself. "How long is Diesel here for, Prince of Riding?"
I wait for Alex to respond but he doesn't. He's still ignoring me.
"I give up, Alex!" I groan, not being able to contain my annoyance, burying my face in my hands. "How long are you going to keep ignoring me for? I'm trying to apologize for our argument in the tack room but you keep pretending I don't exist. I'm tired of trying to get your attention."
I lift my face up and jump because in front of me is Diesel halted and Alex staring down at me with his arms crossed. My fight or flight response starts to kick in and it's not telling me to fight. Run. I should definitely run.
"Eight weeks," Alex states.
Ok, didn't expect that.
"He's here for eight weeks."
"That's great!" I say.
Alex nods but I take him talking at me as a win.
"He has behavioral issues and is quite the bucker," Alex tells me, "and he doesn't trust people."
"I know the type," I bravely say.
Alex just looks at me weirdly and I look away, trying to hide a smile. "When you cantered him on a circle I could see him still winding himself up. Try talking to him, you know, tell him he is a good boy to let him know he can relax and he is doing well. It worked for me and Virgo, I mean when we ride a jump course I can hardly shut up."
"You don't shut up anyway, Madison," scoffs Alex. "But I'll try it."
Alex taking my advice! It must be a Maddie Smith winning day.
I open my mouth to say something else but Sarah calling my name stops me. I turn to look at her and see her waving at me about one hundred meters away.
"Come on, Maddie! Antonio just put up who is doing what at the show," she calls.
"I'll be there is a second," I shout back.
I turn back to Alex who is looking at me intensely, making me nervous. "Look, Alex, I didn't mean to invade your personal space and it was a mistake to go off on you in the tack room. I've been trying to say this to you all week so, I'm really sorry."
Before Alex can speak I spin around and jog to Sarah.
"Took you long enough."
"Antonio asked me to watch Alex ride that crazy horse that came in last week just in case he got hurt but let's not talk about that and see what class we are in," I say, changing the subject and linking arms with Sarah.
"What height do you hope you're jumping?" Sarah asks while we walk.
I shake my head. "I've been messing up quite a bit during lessons and I don't think Antonio thinks I'm improving as much as I should be. I'll be lucky if I'm invited to compete at all."
Sarah bumps my shoulder with hers. "Hey, don't say that. You and Virgo are going great. We all had problems when we first join the team. Even Georgia did. You'll find your place and don't let anything the Bull says get you down."
I smile at Sarah as I open the Admin door. "Thanks, Sarah, I'm trying not to."
As we walk in we are met with a gathering of people around the whiteboard, all scrambling to have a look at what class Antonio has assigned them. Georgia's cries from amongst the crowd and my ears start to hurt.
"What! How is she allowed to do it?" she shouts.
Sarah and I, eye each other wanting to know the answers to the millions of questions going through our heads. People are pushed to the side and Bishop pops out with a smirk painted on his face.
Before I can ask, what is going on Bishop takes my forearm and pulls me through the crowd. "Wait until you see this. Georgia is fuming."
A piece of paper is pinned to the whiteboard and I squat down to read it. Scanning through the paper I can't see mine or Virgo's name at all. Names are printed everywhere under what call they're in but I can't see mine.
My eyes dart across the page until they land at the very bottom of the sheet. Printed under the meter-twenty heading are:
Will-Romeo, Lily-Majesty, Georgia-Aviation and Alex-Fletcher then my name and Virgo's
I'm in the meter-twenty round! Competing!
My mouth hangs open. "Antonio's put me in the meter-twenty class? But why?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out," Georgia growls, shoving her freckled face in mine.
"You got a problem with it?" Bishop asks, standing next to me.
"Yes, I do. I don't want some rookie in a class she will get pummeled in. That ruins SEC's reputation," Georgia bites back.
"Or maybe you're just worried Maddie will pummel you," Bishop replies.
"Like that would ever happen," sneers Sophie from over Georgia's shoulder.
I'm too shocked to care, otherwise, I would have shoved Georgia back and put her in her place. Why am I competing in the biggest class at the show? Antonio walks in at that moment and everyone's heads turn.
"Antonio!" calls Georgia.
"Is there a problem, Georgia?"
"We want to know why Maddie is competing in the meter-twenty class at the show," Georgia replies all sweet and innocent.
Where was that attitude five seconds ago?
Bishop and I look at each other and just roll our eyes. There is nothing anyone can do about stopping Georgia Bull.
"Well, Maddie has shown that she can handle a course just like that in lessons. She's improving excellently and I know she deserves a chance to compete," smiles Antonio.
"I have?" I blurt. "I mean, I've been making so many mistakes in lessons bringing Virgo down and I just don't seem to be at the level everyone else is at."
Antonio shakes his head. "Maddie you're improving because of the mistakes you are making. You're learning from them and are a good rider."
My heart sings and I try not to show it too much, even though I would love to rub Antonio's words in Georgia and Sophie's noses in it. Georgia has plasters her eyebrows and mouth into a fowl face and that gives me all the satisfaction I need.
"Thank you," I reply.
Antonio nods. "Any other questions?"
No one replies and Antonio walks out the door.
Georgia grunts. "This isn't fair. Antonio must be letting anyone ride nowadays."
"Let it go," I snap.
"You think you're so good being this hotshot rider, Maddie, but really you're a nobody on a shabby horse," Georgia sneers.
That get's my blood hot. Georgia needs to know, you can never come for Virgo. Never.
I open my mouth about to spill a thousand unpleasant words when someone interrupts.
"Leave her be, Bull!" cries Alex from the back of the room.
He must have slunk in through the door while Antonio was talking to me.
Everyone goes silent and looks at Alex for a brief moment before turning to see what Georgia will say next. She opens her mouth a fraction before shutting it again and kicking the concrete floor with her boot.
"Don't worry, George, she'll keep stuffing up in class and Antonio will come to his senses," Sophie whispers to her, staring at me angrily.
I look at Alex and smile. He stood up for me against Georgia, I would never expect that in a million years. Alex meets my eyes for a second but then looks away, a frown on his face. Ok, maybe we are still weird, but him standing up for me meant a lot.
Georgia gives me one last glare before turning on her heel and leaving in a huff with Sophie glued to her side. Bishop gives me a small high five and I try not to snigger. The crowd around the whiteboard is silent, watching me like they expect me to do a backflip. I shift nervously on my toes. Are they mad? Do they also think the same way as Georgia and Sophie?
"Aren't you idiots meant to be looking at what you're competing in, not standing there in silence?" Alex groans.
He did it again!
With the word of the Prince of Riding the chatter in the room fills again and I look for Alex among it. He doesn't even try to look at me and makes a quick exit for the door. My body fights the urge of my brain to run after him and thank him as I know deep down he will probably just push me away again.
"You're competing in the meter-twenty, Maddie. That's amazing, especially for you're first competition with us," Bishop exclaims.
It suddenly all hits me and the idea of Alex is thrown away in my mind. I'm competing in the meter-twenty. That height Virgo and I can do no problem but it's who I'm up against that makes me shiver. Will, Georgia, Alex for Pete's sake and Lily. Arguably the best riders on the Junior and Senior Competition team. Maybe Georgia is right: I'm going to get pummeled.
|Can readers pls comment on what you think about the story? Would really appreciate it!