Monica and the Unbeatable Bet Read online

  Then it was my turn.

  “This should be good,” Megan said as I walked into the ring. She must have jinxed me. Because starting then, everything went wrong.

  First my hands started sweating. I forgot to shorten my reins, and Lancelot cantered too fast. He flew over the first jump. I almost lost a stirrup, and I flopped back in the saddle.

  Then Lancelot stopped dead at the second fence. I backed up and trotted over the jump.

  I trotted over the third and fourth jumps, too. I hit the saddle hard on both landings.

  Lancelot didn’t like that at all. He stopped at the fifth fence. I fell forward on his neck. I scooted back into the saddle and tried it again.

  Lancelot didn’t stop this time. He ran around the jump.

  I heard a loud horn.

  “Three refusals,” Rory yelled. “The rider is excused.” I looked over at him, but he didn’t look back at me. I felt horrible.

  As soon as I dismounted, I found Chloe. “I’m not going in the next class,” I told her.

  Chloe gasped. “You can’t quit now,” she said.

  “Lancelot is acting up because I’m a bad rider,” I said. “I don’t want to ruin your mother’s horse.”

  Chloe laughed. “You aren’t going to ruin him,” she said. “You should see the way my dad rides.” She waved her arms around and pretended to bounce up and down on a horse. “Seriously, if my father can ride Lancelot and not ruin him forever,” Chloe said, “I think you’ll be fine.”

  I laughed. “Maybe you’re right,” I said. “But still. I don’t want to look stupid.”

  “Just get around the course,” Chloe said.

  “Even if I have to walk it?” I asked.

  “Whatever it takes,” Chloe said.

  “Okay,” I said.

  I trotted over eight fences in the next course, but I was still disqualified.

  That’s because I forgot about the ninth fence in the middle.

  “Everybody goes off course sometimes,” Chloe said afterward.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I know.”

  I wasn’t that upset about being disqualified again. I had gotten around most of the fences, and Lancelot hadn’t refused. At least it was better than the last time.

  “That was better than my first jumping class,” Rory said, walking over to us. “I fell off. Twice.”

  “Weren’t you embarrassed?” I asked.

  “Yep.” Rory laughed. “But I took a bow, got back on, and tried again. Everyone cheered when I finished.” He checked his watch. “You better hurry, Chloe,” he said. “The advanced classes are going to start soon.”

  “Good luck,” I told her. Then I headed back to the barn with Lancelot. But as I walked, Megan ambushed me.

  “You can’t ride at Holly Hills,” she told me. “Seriously, Monica. This is a big deal.”

  “Why?” I asked, turning to face her.

  She shook her head. “Don’t you get it?” she said. “You’re terrible. You’re so bad you’ll hurt Mark’s reputation. Do you really want to make him look bad? Because that’s what you’ll do if you ride at Holly Hills.”

  That’s when I made a decision.

  I couldn’t hurt Mark.

  And that meant I couldn’t ride in the show at Holly Hills.

  Chapter Five

  Words of

  Wisdom

  That night at dinner, the last thing I wanted to do was talk about the horse show.

  As soon as Logan sat down, he smiled at me. “Tell us all about the horse show,” he said.

  Everyone at the dinner table looked at me.

  Mom handed me a plate of rolls. “I bet you’re starving!” she said. “You probably got a lot of exercise today.”

  Actually, I was feeling sick to my stomach. But I had to tell them something about my day.

  “I did okay, since it was just my first time,” I said.

  “Did you fall off?” Angela asked.

  “No,” I said. “But I missed a jump.”

  “That’s what the day was for,” Grandpa said. “That’s why Mark wanted you to practice before Holly Hills. To see where your weak spots were and figure out a way to fix any problems. Right?”

  I just nodded.

  I knew I wasn’t going to show at Holly Hills, but I didn’t want to tell them yet. I forced myself to eat, because I knew I’d need the energy — and I had gotten a lot of exercise.

  But eating the rolls was like chewing cardboard, and the chicken made me feel sick.

  After dinner, Mom went into the kitchen. She came back with three wrapped boxes. She handed them all to me.

  “Hey!” Angela yelled. “Don’t I get a present?”

  “Not today,” Logan said.

  Angela frowned and folded her arms. “It’s not her birthday,” she said.

  “Nope, it’s not,” Mom said. “And sometimes you get presents when it’s not your birthday. Today is a special day for Monica.” She smiled at me.

  I opened the boxes. The first one held a new hunt coat. The second one had a velvet helmet. The third one had a riding shirt and a choker pin. I had everything I needed for the Holly Hills Horse Show.

  “They’re beautiful,” I said. “Thanks.” I pretended to be really happy.

  Too bad I wasn’t going to ride.

  After dinner, Grandpa stuck his head in my door. “Let’s take Buttons for a walk,” he said.

  I didn’t feel like it. But I knew fresh air would help. And Grandpa always knew what to say. I didn’t think he could make me feel better, but I knew he’d try.

  As soon as we got outside, Grandpa smiled at me. “Okay, kiddo,” he said, clipping the leash around Buttons’s neck. “Tell me. What’s going on?”

  I sighed. “I don’t want to show at Holly Hills,” I said. “But Mom and Logan bought me all those great riding clothes and they’re so excited. So now I feel like I have to.”

  “They’re excited because you’re excited,” Grandpa said. “Or I thought you were, anyway. I thought you couldn’t wait to ride in a horse show. What happened? Why don’t you want to ride?”

  “I do want to ride in horse shows,” I said. “I’m just not good enough. Trust me, that was pretty obvious today.”

  “How are you going to get better if you don’t try?” Grandpa asked.

  “I make too many mistakes,” I explained. “I’ll embarrass Mark and hurt his business.”

  Grandpa frowned at me. “All riders make mistakes,” he said. “If everyone was perfect, no one would need a trainer. And that would hurt Mark’s business.”

  He was right.

  But Grandpa didn’t know about Megan.

  Chapter Six

  Decision

  Time

  The barn was deserted when Chloe and I showed up on Sunday morning. It seemed that everyone else had taken the day off, and all of the horses were resting. Rory wasn’t there. Neither was Alice. Mark was in the office, doing paperwork.

  “We should take it easy,” Chloe said. “Let’s go out on the trails.”

  “Lancelot will like that,” I said.

  Chloe and Rick-Rack led the way down the path. Lancelot didn’t jiggle or pull, but I was tense. I couldn’t enjoy the ride until I told Chloe what was bothering me. And I didn’t really want to do that.

  “What’s going on?” she asked finally. I guess she could tell I was upset.

  “I’m not going to show at Holly Hills,” I said.

  Chloe stopped and looked at me
. “Monica. Are you serious?” she asked.

  “Completely,” I said. “I don’t want to make a fool of myself again.”

  “You did fine for your first show,” Chloe said.

  “Holly Hills will be a lot harder,” I pointed out. “The classes will be bigger. There will be way more people there. And my family will be there!”

  “So?” Chloe said. “They’ll be proud of you no matter what.”

  “I know,” I said. “But what if I fall? I don’t think I can laugh it off like Rory did.”

  “You’re not as bad as you think, Monica,” Chloe said. She shook her head and cantered away.

  I cantered after her. A huge log had fallen across the trail. Lancelot jumped it before I knew it was there.

  I leaned forward without thinking and sat down gently when he landed. It was a perfect jump!

  “Wow!” I said.

  Chloe smiled. “See?” she said. “There’s a better way to not look like a fool than giving up.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Become a better rider,” Chloe said. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

  That’s when I made a decision.

  I was going to train hard for the next two weeks. If I didn’t feel ready on horse show day, I didn’t have to enter.

  Chapter Seven

  Secret

  Sessions

  Rory and Chloe met me at the barn Monday evening. We had the whole place to ourselves.

  “Rory and I made a schedule,” Chloe said. “It covers everything that went wrong last Saturday.” She showed it to me. If we did it right, we’d fix all of my problems. But I thought that was a big if.

  “Let’s get started,” I said. “I only have two weeks till Holly Hills.”

  Lancelot and I walked, trotted, and cantered. We turned into the center to change direction. Then we did it ten or twelve or a million times more.

  There were two jumps in the lesson ring. Rory lowered them to eighteen inches to start. On Tuesday, he raised them two inches. He did the same thing the next day.

  “How high are they going to be when you’re done raising them?” I asked on Wednesday.

  “The real test isn’t how high you can jump,” Rory said.

  “What is?” I asked.

  “Remembering the course,” Chloe explained. “That’s the most important part. Don’t worry about the jumps.”

  “I should practice the course, too,” I said. “But we don’t have enough jumps.”

  “We have enough rails,” Rory said. He put some jump poles on the ground. When he was done placing them, he said, “Pretend these are fences.”

  Chloe drew jump-course diagrams. I had three minutes to memorize them. Then I trotted the course over the jump poles.

  On Thursday, I was wrong four out of nine times. But on Friday, I got every single jump in the right order.

  On Saturday morning I had my regular riding lesson.

  It did not go well.

  Megan and Lydia watched the whole thing, made fun of me the whole time, and I couldn’t do anything right.

  I missed three diagonals and a lead. Then I lost a stirrup and almost fell off.

  Megan and Lydia whispered and giggled the whole time.

  They weren’t making it any easier for me. And I knew that was part of the problem.

  I knew I’d let Megan get to me at the practice show.

  But she would be at Holly Hills, too.

  Chapter Eight

  Unbeatable

  Bet

  Megan followed me back to the barn. I tried to ignore her but she just kept talking.

  “I’m glad you didn’t stop riding,” Megan said. “Not everyone can win a blue ribbon in their first horse show like I did.”

  I tried to not roll my eyes.

  “You just need more experience,” Megan went on. “A lot more. No one will blame you if you don’t show at Holly Hills.”

  “I’m riding to win at Holly Hills,” I told her. Then I led Lancelot away.

  I brushed Lancelot and put him in his stall. Then I took my saddle and bridle into the tack room.

  I could hear voices coming from the office. Megan, Owen, and Rory were inside, talking. None of them could see me.

  “She’s not going to win anything at Holly Hills,” Megan said.

  “I think she will,” Rory said. “But either way, you need to leave her alone.”

  “You should put your money where your mouth is,” Owen said. “Why don’t you guys bet on it? I’ll be your witness. If Monica wins a ribbon, red or blue, Rory wins the bet. If not, Megan wins.”

  “I don’t think so,” I heard Rory say.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Megan said. “If you win, I’ll clean the barn tack for a week.”

  “What if you win?” Rory asked.

  All of them were quiet for a minute. Then Megan said, “If I win, you have to prep my horse for four days.”

  After a moment, Rory said, “Okay.”

  I couldn’t believe it.

  I left before anyone saw me. They didn’t know that I knew about the bet.

  I was glad Rory had faith in my skills. But now I was under even more stress. Rory would have a lot more work than Megan if he lost. I had to come in first or second in one class.

  I couldn’t let him down.

  Chapter Nine

  Still

  Training

  When I got to the barn for training the next Friday night, Rory already had Lancelot saddled and ready to ride. Chloe wasn’t there.

  “Hey!” I said. “Thanks for getting Lancelot ready.” Then I looked around. “Where’s Chloe?” I asked. “I talked to her earlier, and she didn’t tell me she was going to be late.”

  “She went shopping with her mom,” Rory told me. “And actually, I have a lot of work to do tonight. The horses all need to be groomed and the stable has to be swept.”

  I frowned. “I thought we were going to train tonight,” I said. “There’s less than a week till the show at Holly Hills.”

  “Oh, you’re still training,” Rory said. He grinned and added, “With Mark.”

  “I can’t afford a lesson with Mark,” I said, feeling embarrassed. “Maybe I could trade two of my lessons with Alice, or something —”

  But Rory cut me off. “I can’t afford lessons with him either,” he admitted. “But this one’s free. I told Mark how Chloe and I were working with you, and he said he had some time tonight.”

  Just then, Mark walked out of his office. “Hi, Monica,” he said. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” I said. I smiled. “Thank you so much for doing this.”

  Mark shrugged. “My pleasure,” he said. “I’ve watched you ride, and I’ve talked to Alice about your abilities.” I bit my lip, and Mark smiled. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’re very good. You just need a big dose of confidence.”

  I was so excited. All I could do was nod.

  “Is it silly to want to win a blue ribbon in my first show?” I asked as we entered the ring. “Megan said she did.”

  “She told you that?” Mark asked. He laughed.

  “Yeah. Why? Didn’t she win?” I asked, frowning. It wasn’t like Megan to lie.

  “No, she did,” Mark said. “Megan won a lead line class when she was three. She was the only kid that didn’t let go of the reins or cry.”

  I laughed. I had pictured Megan swooping in on her horse and thrilling all the judges. All she’d done was sit on a horse.
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br />   “That is so — so — cool!” I said. I felt like a hundred pounds had been lifted off me.

  While Mark and I trained, everything Rory and Chloe drilled into me clicked. I got all my diagonals and leads, and I didn’t flop on the jumps.

  Halfway through my lesson, I saw Rory watching. I smiled and waved. Thanks to him, I had a chance after all.

  When I was done, Mark sat down with me. “That was great, Monica,” he said. “I think that your confidence is better already.”

  I smiled. “I think so too,” I told him. “I felt better today.”

  “Do you think your problems last weekend were just nerves?” Mark asked. “It was your first practice show, after all.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. I thought about Megan. I didn’t want to rat her out to Mark. “I guess so.”

  “Well, whatever you did tonight to fix it, keep doing it,” Mark said. He stood up.

  “Thanks a lot, Mark,” I said. “For helping me out tonight.”

  Mark smiled. “I didn’t do anything, Monica,” he said. “You did it all yourself.”

  I had two choices. I could ride with Chloe and Megan over higher jumps in the Junior Hunter classes. Or I could just show in the two Maiden Equitation classes.

  Either way, the odds of Megan winning the bet had just gotten a lot better.

  Chapter Ten

  Rory

  to the Rescue

  On Saturday morning, Grandpa drove me to Holly Hills Farm. My mom, Logan, and Angela were coming a little later.

  I was wearing all of my new gear. If I hadn’t been so nervous, I would’ve felt great in my gorgeous new riding clothes.

  “Have you decided what to do today?” Grandpa asked as we drove. “Junior Hunter or just Maiden Equitation?”