Ok, so, here goes. This will be the first chapter with Jake in it, so those of you Jake fanatics should be happy. BUT, the reason he hasnt been here much is cause i feel incredibly akward when i write dialog for his character, i dont know why, i just do. So, in other words if Jake sucks, i apologize in advance. Another thing, I cant write more with the Chestnut QH until i have a name for him, so, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me ideas!!! I got a few, but id like more options before i choose one for good.
Please, as always tell me what you think. Good, Bad, but as always, be constructive when criticizing.
Half way into the week, on Wednesday, Dad announced that he, Gram, and Brynna would be taking her to her lesson that weekend, and would stay to watch it. Sam was ecstatic, finally her family would see everything that she had worked so hard on. Her excitement only grew when Gram asked Sam if Jen would want to go with as well. Sam called her best friend right away.
"OF COURSE I WANT TO SEE YOU RIDE!!!!!!!!!" Jen's voice came screeching over the phone.
"Great, I'm so excited that everyone will get to see my lesson, I just hope nothing happens..."
"You're a fine rider, quit-" Jen broke off suddenly, "wait, you said everyone, is Jake going to be there too, because I don't think I'd be able to handle that much of him all in one day...."
"No," Sam said, "He hasn't been invited, I doubt he'd want to go anyway. I think he's Anglo-phobic..."
After they hung up, Sam got started on her homework. She decided to start with Chemistry. They had begun balancing earlier that week.
Na + Cl2 --- ___________
K2SO4 --- __________
Cd + F--- _______
After looking at the rest of the problems on the worksheet, Sam decided she would move on to history, she had a test coming up the following week on the Pre-Napoleonic era of the French Revolution. She began working on the tedious task of placing 50 people, places, events and groups into chronological order. When she had finished with that, she had to read "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe. Poe was not one of her favorite writers. He focused too much on slowly and painfully killing his character. This story was no different. She quit reading when the narrator stopped to listen to Fortunato scream and beg for mercy. When Sam was finally finished with her homework, she showered, packed her backpack and went to bed.
Jen was not pleased. It was Saturday, and Dad, Brynna, Gram, Sam, Jen, and Jake were all on their way to Star Creek to watch Sam's lesson. Jake wasn't supposed to be there, at least that's what Sam kept telling herself. It had happened the day before, when Jake had come over to help Dad with some of the stock, Gram had told him about the lesson, and, of course, invited him along. Whether or not he truly wanted to be there was still unknown, but Sam thought that the main reason he agreed to come with was because he never passed up on a chance to see Sam uncomfortable.
When they arrived at the stable, several of the girls were standing along the rails of one of the outdoor rings, watching a familiar big black horse navigate a small jumping course. Dylan was riding Dazzle at a massive double oxer which was probably about 3 and a half feet, if not more, tall. As they approached, Dazzle's head came up and her ears went forward. The last few strides before the jump, she took three large accentuated strides, then, at the exact right moment, Dylan gave her the cue, and they were flying through the air.
"Wow..." Jen was impressed, Sam thought, no one in her family, including herself, had ever seen a horse jump a fence like that.
Jake grunted, unimpressed and bored, from what Sam could tell from his expression.
"Why did you even come if you're just going to be grumpy and antisocial?" Sam asked him, annoyed already. At least she would get some separation from him during the lesson.
That is when the girls at the fence noticed him. When Sam saw Jake she thought 'annoying idiot' when those girls saw him, they thought 'Hot Cowboy'. Fortunately, none of them were bold enough to actually introduce themselves.
Sam went into the barn to look for Kelsi, she was in the stall of another school horse with another student. The horses name was CheeChee. She was an Appaloosa with a molted blanket pattern, not the prettiest horse on the farm, but sweet, gentle, and one of the best hunt seat equitation horses.
"Hi, um, Kelsi, who am I riding today?" Sam asked politely. However, Kelsi kept talking to the girl about CheeChee's new bit.
"Ok, so Amber, I'm gonna have you try a hackamore on her, if she keeps dragging you around, let me know and we'll have to find something else. I'm not sure what else we'll be able to do, we've tried every bit know to man, every combination of every training technique, and I just don't know anymore. But, tell me how the Hackamore, and if it doesn't work, we'll go back to the French Twist D ring, I think."
"Kelsi, I'm here for my lesson, who am I riding?"
"Oh, Sam I didn't see you there, um, catch Snickers again, and we're gonna be integrating you into a group today."
Sam was a little scared that she would be riding in a group lesson, where almost everyone else will have had much more experience than she had.
"Oh, and Jake is inside, so you don't have to worry about him giving you trouble. You're family can wait in the observation area, or if they want they really want to they can watch you tack up Snickers..."
Dad, Gram, Brynna and Jake went to the ring to wait for the lesson to start, Jen decided to stay with Sam. Sam went out to the pasture, and just like Kelsi had said, Jake was nowhere in sight. SAm caught Snickers and made her way back to the barn. She cross-tied him outside his stall. She took off his sheet, went over him with a body brush, and went, with Jen following, to get his tack. Once they got to the tack room, Jen said, "Wow, I didn't really expect to see that here...." in the bottom of one of the racks was sitting a mahogany brown western saddle. Sam was wondering the same thing, then she remembered the chestnut from two weeks ago. Maybe he was trained western instead of English, and that was way everyone here hated him so much. Sam felt sick all of a sudden, if the people here hated horses that were ridden western, how would they treat her if they ever found out that she lived on a working cattle ranch? Shaking her head, Sam quickly grabbed Snickers saddle and bridle and headed out of the tack room.
After Snickers was saddled, Jen left her to join Dad and the rest of them. When Sam was alone, she realized several other people heading toward the arena where she was going to have her lesson, her anxienty returned as she lead Snickers forward and followed the rest of the group.
Ok, so again it's really short but i figured that a short chapter is better than nothing right??? Anyhoo, tell me what you think. I still need name ideas for the chestnut QH, or he might end up staying Chestnut QH throughout the story....Ah, yes, my bonus question from the last chapter was favorite breed right??? Well, for me its a tie between the Anglo-Arabian and the Thoroughbred, because my horse is an Anglo, and I've been in love with a TB jumper at my barn since before i even rode English...Yeah, i learned something odd today, i was riding around, and i learned that my horse neck reins, i was a little wierded out by it cause hes never ridden western in his whole 26 years of existence....Anyway BONUS FOR THIS CHAPTER IS: Whats the best book you've ever read??? (excluding series books). Also, if you want a reading recomendation, a while ago i got "Broken: A Love Story" by Lisa Jones, its was amazing!!! EXTRA BONUS: Do you like Edgar Allen Poe??? And kudos to you if you can balance the chem. equations at the beginning of this chapter.
~TEM~
