Red Oak Academy Book One: Mount Up

~Chapter Seven~

My alarm went off at the horrible hour of five thirty in the morning on Saturday morning. I groaned and rolled out of bed. I shuffled to the bathroom, half asleep.

I got a quick shower and french braided my hair. I slipped into a pair of white full seat breeches and a white show shirt. I shoved my black show jacket into a garment bag and put it next to the door along with my tall black boots that were polished.

I sat at my desk and did my makeup. After that I grabbed a blueberry muffin and a water bottle out of our mini kitchenette and I got ready to leave.

"Good luck," Tori mumbled as I opened up the door.

"Thanks," I smiled, surprised she was awake but then again I did make a lot of noise. I gathered my stuff up in my arms and headed out in the cold morning air. I head to Dandy's stall and let myself in after laying my boots and jacket down on a haybale. 

I hugged his neck. "I love you buddy," I whispered in his ear. He nosed at me and I giggled,"Are you hungry?" He bobbed his head up and down and I laughed. "I'll get you some grain."

I wandered toward the tackroom and paused outside the door because I heard someone pacing back and forth talking. "I know, I've been practicing every free moment I have. I will make the advanced team," I heard someone say. They were quiet for a minute. "No one here is better than me and I will make sure of it. Bye."

I stepped back and Regina shoved open the door. She looked at me and narrowed her eyes,"Why are you always eavesdropping on my conversations?"

"I'm not, I'm getting ready for my test," I replied moving to go past her.

She stepped over in my way. "Excuse you?" I glared at her,"I need to get ready."

"Listen here sweetheart, you won't make the advanced team so you better stay out of my way. If you try to be better than me, you will be sorry," she said in a low voice.

I looked at her amused,"What will you do, go tell a teacher?" I mocked. "I don't think so." I walked around her and gathered my tack.

"You don't want to know what I can do to you," she replied and walked away.

I got shivers down my arms when I thought about what she said. I shrugged off the feeling and headed back to Dandy's stall. When I got there I put all of his tack on my tack trunk and clipped him into a pair of crossties outside of his stall. I groomed him thoroughly and then tacked him up.

Before I put his bridle on, I went to the bathroom, braided my hair, put it in a sparkly hairnet, and clipped on my black velvet helmet. I glanced at my reflexion before leaving the bathroom- I actually looked half decent!

After putting Dandy's bridle on I led him to one of the indoor arenas used today for warming up. When I got inside I led him to the middle and stuck my left foot in the iron. I bounced twice and heaved myself up into my shiny saddle.

I reached down and slipped my right foot in the right iron and started warming up. Once we started moving, I felt my whole body relax and my nerves go away.

After a few laps both ways, I popped over a few jumps. I looked at the clock on the wall and saw I had ten minutes until my test so I exited the arena and went back to Dandy's stall.

I grabbed my phone off my tack trunk and checked my messages. I had one from Tori. I opened it:

Tori: just wanted 2 wish u good luck!!

I replied:

Rilee: thx!!! :D i'm soooo nervous!!!!
Tori: u will do gr8!! =)
Tori: txt me when ur done & we can go 2 the SC
Rilee: most def! gtg. going 2 puke! :(
Tori: lol! ur gonna do fine!!!