Read Online Rival Revenge by Jessica Burkhart - Free Book Online Page B

with Phoenix. It showed on these jumps. Please keep it up.”
    Jasmine grinned. “Thanks.”
    â€œSasha, you can start whenever you’re ready,” Mr. Conner said.
    I nodded and gathered the reins. I dropped my hands and sat deeper in the saddle, urging Charm into a trot. He bounded forward and I let him go to the first vertical. He rocked back on his haunches, tucked his knees, and cleared the rails. Six strides later, we reached the second vertical—this one a couple of inches higher with flower boxes on the sides. Charm approached the jump, pointed his ears forward, and launched into the air. He hit the ground a little harder than he should have and it made me wobble in the saddle. I was being ridiculous—first with the mounting and now this? I had to start going to the gym.
    We cleared the final jumps and Charm tossed his head, proud of how he’d done. I patted his neck and stopped him beside Aristocrat.
    Mr. Conner looked at me, smiling. “Nice ride, Sasha. You recovered your balance after losing it onthat vertical and it didn’t affect the rest of the jumps. Good effort.”
    I settled into the saddle, glad to be finished with my ride. Heather went next and Aristocrat took each three-foot jump as if it was tiny. He jumped without much effort and Heather stayed relaxed but solid in the saddle. I watched how focused she was and wished I could channel more of that.
    Mr. Conner praised her ride, then asked us to take the course in reverse. When it was my turn again, Charm and I made it easily over the first oxer. He cantered toward the second jump and I signaled him to take off too late. Charm hit the rail with his knees and it tumbled to the ground. My face burned with embarrassment, but I didn’t lose focus and we had a good ride for the rest of the round.
    Heather and Jasmine both jumped the course clean. Jasmine’s ride was particularly strong. She looked as if she’d ridden the course a million times and didn’t have to even think about the jumps. She was a consistent rider, which was something crucial to staying on the YENT. It was also something Charm and I didn’t have yet.
    â€œNice work, everyone,” Mr. Conner said. “See you tomorrow.”
    I dismounted and my knees shook a little as I loosened Charm’s girth and led him out of the arena. I really had to start working out more—this was ridiculous. I’d known Mr. Conner’s YENT lessons were going to be rigorous and I had to be better prepared to handle them.
    I led Charm away from Jasmine and Heather and we went to a deserted grassy lane near one of the big pastures. Horses dotted the field and some, far up on the hill, looked like specks of black, brown, and gray.
    Charm seemed to like the change of scenery and he ambled quietly beside me. The sun was just starting to set and it dipped behind a cluster of trees at the far edge of campus.
    â€œThings are kind of tough right now,” I confessed to Charm. He flicked an ear at me. “I don’t want Eric back—I hurt him too much—and I’m glad Jacob stayed with Callie. But … I’m on my own. I’ve got Paige, but she just won’t stop asking about everything I don’t want to talk about.”
    Charm seemed to listen and take in my words.
    â€œI hate being in my room because I can’t stand looking at Paige’s face when I keep refusing to answer any of her questions. And the common room isn’t much better because Jasmine always manages to show up.”
    I fell silent, lost in my thoughts until I saw Alison jogging my way with Sunstruck, her palomino gelding, trotting beside her. The Arabian’s neck was arched. I could watch him move all day. There was a lightness and spring to every one of his moves that Charm, a Thoroughbred/Belgian mix, couldn’t replicate.
    â€œHey,” Alison said. She slowed Sunstruck to a walk, the gold chain links jangling on his brown leather