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I wondered if he’d been caught sneaking out last night. Manure duty was sure to make anyone look sour. Hopefully, he’d been able to get back home okay. Our gazes met and I was surprised to see the scowl dissolve off his face. He shot me an apologetic smile, as if he regretted how last night had ended, and then a quick thumbs-up.
I returned his smile, pushing the unpleasantness of last night out of my head. Maybe, Graham wasn’t as bad as Hunter thought. Hunter didn’t know everything.
Just like he didn’t know that falling for each other would ruin our relationship.
“Ladies, please mount your horses.” Ms. Gentry stood on the bleachers just outside the arena. She’d been running us through the figure eight patterns on foot and now it was finally time to go by horse. “Remember, poise and elegance. This score will determine the winner of the contest.”
I used a stool to climb into my saddle and adjusted the reins in my hands, just like Hunter had taught me. Not all the girls in the competition were as steady in their saddles. It was obvious Hunter had been a good teacher.
Thinking about him made the wound in my heart split open again. Still, I did my best to ignore it. And when we began walking the figure-eight pattern, I almost felt bored, it was so easy.
That was, until Sarah came barging up with her beautiful black horse and its braided mane. She cut Carolina off, nearly running us into the fence surrounding the arena. Normally, I would’ve just scowled at her back. Maybe started imagining all the ways I could trick her into shaving off the precious hair on her bloated head. But I was in no mood for any of her crap today. So I urged Carolina into a trot and pulled her in front of Sarah’s horse, forcing them into a complete stop.
“Hey, what’s your problem?” Sarah demanded, giving me the evil eye while still managing to coolly flip her hair over her shoulder.
“You. You’re my problem,” I spat.
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Take some Midol, Lottie. I don’t have time for this.”
“Ladies, please,” Ms. Gentry called from the other side of the arena.
I glanced over my shoulder at her. This would only take a few seconds, but it had to be done.
“You are the worst,” I said in a low growl, turning back to Sarah and emotion spilling into my voice. “All I wanted to do was be your friend last year. But you tortured me. You made me feel like I’d never be good enough. You abandoned me when I needed a friend the most. And you almost got me killed.”
She looked down at her nails, frowning. “Are you done yet? I have a crown to win.”
Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to spring from my saddle and pull her off her horse by her designer blouse. But I held in my frustration, lowering my voice to a deadly level. “Sarah, I get it. You have a mom that doesn’t give you the time of day. It’s horrible and sad, but that doesn’t give you the excuse to treat people the way you do.”
She blinked up in shock at me and then her lower lip began to tremble. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Yeah, well, I tried to get to know you. Remember? We could’ve been great friends, but you had to break me down. I used to hate you for it, but honestly, now I just feel sorry for you. You’ll never know what it’s like to have someone genuinely care for you. To show up for your events. To love you unconditionally. Not if you treat everyone around you like dirt.”
The tears in her eyes should’ve brought me satisfaction, but it was true what I’d said. I felt nothing but sorry for her now. It was a sort of victory for me. Even when everything felt hopeless, at least I’d found it within me to stand up to my enemy. She wasn’t going to have an effect on me anymore. That, I was sure of.
No matter what else Sarah threw my way.
And when she blinked her tears angrily away, any sign that my words had affected her was wiped from her face. “Oh, Lottie, how I love our little chats.” She urged her horse next to mine and smiled cruelly at me. “But as I said, I have a crown to win.”
I lifted my chin to meet her stare. “Not if I have anything to do with it.”
“Yeah...we’ll see about that.”
Without warning, she struck out at Carolina’s rear, giving it a hard smack. Carolina darted forward before I could adjust my seat. I tumbled out of the saddle and down to the ground, landing hard on my wrist, and getting a mouthful of dirt in the process.
“Charlotte!” I heard Geminia shout from across the arena.
I cradled my wrist as I sat up. It stung like crazy if I tried to move it. The last time I’d broken a bone was in third grade when I’d pretended to be a squirrel and climbed the tree in our backyard. I couldn’t be sure if this was broken, but it sure hurt a ton. Geminia ran to my side, sliding in the dirt on her knees as she reached for my arm.
“Are you okay?” She examined the arm as best as she could without touching it.
I nodded, although I wasn’t really sure yet. Breathing was the only thing I could do. I didn’t want to start bawling in the middle of the arena.
“I just need a minute.” I gingerly stood up, still cradling my wrist. “Take care of Carolina for me, will you? I’ll be right back.”
“Okay...” She looked about ready to object to me going off alone, but I shook my head at her.
“I’ll be okay. Just give me a second.”
