Cowgirls Don't Cry

CHAPTER SEVEN - KATIE

I woke early the next morning, just as the sun filtered over the surrounding fields, and quietly stepped into a pair of old Wranglers, pulling on my boots and slipping out the screen door into the early morning light. I let Molly out with me as I jogged down the porch steps, and she danced around my feet, wondering why we were out so early.

I crossed the yard, circling behind the hayshed and tanks to the stockyards, where Marlow was nickering at the gate. I ducked through the wooden rails and walked up to the stocky bay gelding. He snorted and pushed his head into my chest, as I fed him bits of carrot from my pocket. Marlow was a bright, dark treacle colour, his full black mane falling either side of his neck and over his poll, dancing over two cheeky brown eyes filled with intelligence. I loved this horse more than almost anything, and I smiled as I vaulted up onto his back, the gelding's muscles working beneath me as I nudged him into a trot. He was willing and obedient, so much so that a bridle was unnecessary for him to work with me, especially on a quiet morning like this.

I leant over to unlatch the gate as Molly danced around Marlow's legs, while Celeste, Mum's horse and Marlow's paddock-mate, watched us with mild curiosity. However, the pretty palomino mare made no effort to escape as I guided Marlow through the open gate, and I latched it securely before trotting off on a track I could follow with my eyes closed. I wound my hands into Marlow's mane and let him canter down the beaten track to the creek, as it snaked through the fields to our bottom property-line. The fit little gelding had a steady, rhythmic canter as he navigated the track, and I knew a morning jog like this was nothing but a warm-up for my seasoned competition mount. Molly raced, almost flat-out, beside us, and in the crisp morning air in our back fields, I managed to push Marina out of my head completely, focusing only on my gorgeous horse and the pretty sunrise over the landscape around us.

I spent a whole hour down there by the creek, letting Marlow graze on the rich river grass and roll in its thick green carpet. I just sat there, soaking up the morning sunshine from Jesse and I's big, flat rock, and thought. I thought about tomorrow's rodeo, and my new friends competing alongside me. I thought about everything except Marina and Zamirah, and by the time I trotted Marlow back up the dirt track to the house, I was much more at ease with the world, and reassured of the good things in life.

The feeling lasted all the way through breakfast, and the bus ride to school, during which I sat up the back with Jesse and Luke, talking and planning for tomorrow's rodeo, and even through my arrival at school, as I made my way up the hall to my locker, chatting and greeting the people I was beginning to recognise and befriend.

"Morning, Katie," Ben greeted me as I reached my locker. He was working in his combination and the tall metal locker popped open as I drew even with him. "How's my favourite barrel-racer?"

"Well, I'm honoured to gain the title of your favourite barrel-racer," I laughed, well aware I was also the only barrel-racer he personally knew. "How's my favourite rugby player?"

"Awesome as always," he winked, and I grinned as I tried the first number of my combination. "Well, I'm off to homeroom for some last-minute homework completion, catch ya later!"

I shook my head at Ben's disorganisation, just as Sierra appeared beside me.

"What a morning! I missed my bus and Mum had to drive me, which meant she was late for work, so of course she was in a terrible mood and I got a huge lecture on the importance of time-management and then-" Sierra was clearly very flustered, and I listened to her mediocre morning as I popped open my locker and began to sort out the day's textbooks.

No sooner had I opened the door, than two scraps of notebook paper fell to the ground, having been obviously pushed through the vents near the top. I bent to pick them up, and turned the offending pages over, wondering at their content. There, scrawled in loopy cursive handwriting that had to belong to Marina Daniels, were two notes. The first one read; 'You'll be sorry you ever came to HCHS, redneck', while the second, slightly more charitable than the last, said; 'Here's ten dollars to buy yourself some real shoes', with a ten dollar note taped to the back.

I read the notes in silence, my throat constricting and squeezing my heart in a painful choke-hold, voiced only through a soft intake of breath as the notes made their mark.

"-and so of course my sister had to- Katie?" Sierra broke-off mid-explanation, and stared at me in concern. "Katie, is everything all right?"

"I- yeah. Yeah, everything's fine, I just, uh, forgot my maths textbook," I lied, quickly deciding that to make a big deal over the notes would be akin to admitting they'd hurt me, and therefore giving Marina and Zamirah a satisfaction I couldn't bear to deliver. So I lied. I scrunched up those horrible pieces of paper and shoved into the very back of my locker, where they couldn't hurt me anymore.

I pulled out my books for next period, and shut my locker door, forcing a smile for Sierra and trying my best to engage in normal conversation as we made our way to homeroom.

"Sierra! Katie!" Aimee waved us over to our usual table for six in the back corner. "You guys all set for tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Sierra replied enthusiastically, the dance of excitement in her eyes mirroring that of Aimee's. "Tally is rugged and stalled, ready for floating this afternoon, and I only hope she doesn't give Momma too much trouble while I'm at school. She hates being cooped up all day, but I don't want her getting muddy or injured before the rodeo,"

"Fair enough, Romeo's the complete opposite. He loves his stall, and it's almost like he doesn't know what to do with all that open space!" Aimee giggled. "How about you, Katie?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Marina and Zamirah pulling out chairs at the table adjacent to ours, giggling and glancing over at me. I swallowed hard, and turned back to Aimee.

"Uh, yeah," I managed. "Marlow's pretty cool with anything, and he floats well, so I'll just ride him over to Jesse's place this afternoon before we leave,"

"Marlow's your gorgeous bay gelding, isn't he?" Sierra asked. "I've seen him around and he looks like a little firecracker!"

"Yeah, that's him," I smiled, trying to ignore the piercing glares being shot at me from across the room. "He's a little legend; does anything I ask him to - as long as he agrees with it,"

Sierra and Aimee laughed, just as Jesse, Luke and Alex arrived.

As our table filled up and the conversation wandered, I couldn't help but glance over at Marina and Zamirah, feeling the weight of their stare on my neck. I immediately regretted my decision, as my cautious gaze was met with two evil smirks, and I quickly turned back to face Aimee. No matter how hurt I was by those letters, there was no way I'd give them the satisfaction of knowing they'd gotten through to me. I pushed the torn pieces of notebook paper to the back of my mind and forced a smile, tuning back into the conversation. I was determined not to let those girls and their notes get to me.