Horse Lovers Paradise

Horse Lovers Paradise (12)

Chapter 12
Show Time

I raised out of the saddle, Casper flying underneath me. The crowd watching disappeared, the noises coming from the barn stopped, it was like the only living creatures were Casper and I. My eyes never leaving the view of the next fence, Casper's large strides ate the ground below him. I pushed Casper's stride to eliminate access time, a grin resting on my face. I held my breath as we approached the final fence, a triple, I kept my eyes up and pushed him forward. I could feel Casper's muscles tense underneath me, although I ignored it. We were less than a stride from the fence when Casper stopped, although not quick enough. The entire jump came down in front of him, although I was unprepared for the stop, making me lose my seat. I was flung out of the saddle and hauled towards the ground. I shut my eyes and waited for the impact.
I flung my eyes open and sat up straight, gasping for air. Cold sweat dripped down my face, I was breathing heavily and shaking slightly.
"It was just a dream" I mumbled to myself, realising another breath. I glanced beside me and the alarm read 7:15am. I flung the sheet off me and flew into the bathroom, trying to push the dream to the back of my head. Focusing all my thoughts onto the show that was coming up.

Once I had showered and changed into a purple tank top, blue mini shorts and a purple jumper I walked back into the room, while Sarah was in the bathroom I brushed through my blonde hair and tied it back in a low ponytail. I applied some mascara and lip gloss before Sarah stepped out wearing an outfit similar to mine, expect her tank top was pink, her shorts were black and her jumper was black. I smiled to her, she responded with a nervous smile and quickly brushed her hair and tying it up in a messy bun. We link arms in silence and slowly made our way to the stable, wondering what was going to happen over the weekend. The school was bussing with life on Friday morning with kids rushing to get to classes, I walked with a large stride trying to reach the barn quickly.

I left Sarah as soon as we entered the barn and immediately went to Casper's stable.
"Hiya Boy" I greeted him softly. He gave a low nicker making me smile, I stroked his nose and gave him a kiss on the muzzle before making my way into the tack room; I grabbed a spare chair and moved it directly in front of my tack. I got the saddle soap from one of the buckets and a cloth before dabbing it in the soap and beginning to clean my black dressage saddle, brown jumping saddle, black dressage bridle, brown jumping bridle and brown martingale. I was taking even breaths, and focused on the job of cleaning my tack. I heard the door open, although I didn't turn around and focused on cleaning. The other person made no effort in trying to communicate so I focused on the saddle currently in my lap.
"I'm sorry" a voice sounded quietly, I felt my jaw drop to the floor and I turned around in shock, making sure I heard right. Vanessa was sitting opposite me with her back to me, cleaning tack, although there was no one else in the room.
"What?" I asked in shock, my eyes wide.
"I said, I'm sorry" Vanessa explained turning and facing me. She gave me a soft smile and I quickly glanced around the room for any cameras that she could be using to prank me. Noticing nothing I turned back to Vanessa, an uncertain and weary expression on my face. I watched her dark brown eyes curiously as she continued, although I noticed her eyes weren't bright like they usually were; they were dark, dull and sad. "I haven't exactly been the ideal teammate" she told me, I mentally agreed although I found myself smiling a little.
"I guess I haven't either, I'm sorry too" I told her. She gave me a friendly smile, which I returned. It felt so strange being nice to Vanessa, if felt so foreign but in a good way. Although I couldn't stop my thoughts from wondering why she was suddenly being so nice.

"How are you feeling?" I ask Sarah as we walked towards the Orchid dorm. She gave me a soft smile and said
"I'm absolutely terrified". I rolled my eyes and wondering if anyone knew how much pressure I was feeling right now.
"You'll be fine. Sarah you're a really good rider!" I explained to her honestly. She smiled and thanked me, I gave her a smile and kept my vision ahead. I hadn't told Sarah about Vanessa, it wasn't that I was trying to keep it a secret, I just didn't want to stress Sarah, especially the day before a show. I couldn't get my mind around the fact that Vanessa and I had a normal typical conversation while cleaning our tack. Things were obviously still tense around us because I had to think extra carefully about my replies, Vanessa doing the same, and it wasn't a relaxed atmosphere, although I was glad we are getting along. Not just for my sake, but for the sake of the team.