BRIAR RIDGE ACADEMY// ELITE

Chapter One

It's been two weeks.

Two weeks since school officially started for Briar Ridge, and four weeks since Sammy left.

Four weeks of riding alone in the ring. Four weeks of Jewel not kicking her stall door. Four weeks of my enemy and best friend living across the ocean, hours away. Not accessible by car, only by boat or by plane.

To be completely honest, I don't know how I feel about her being in England. Happy, yes, because I can finally be the best rider at Hillcrest. Sad, yes, because I miss her. Angry, yes, because she is literally living my dream.

It's Saturday morning, and the weather is bleak. Grey clouds roll and rain hits the roof.

I slip on my glasses, and grab my laptop from my nightstand. I pry the lid of the MacBook Air open, and click on Chrome. I type softly, and search up the Briar Ridge Riding website.

I click around, and find myself at the Rider Profile page. Every rider on every team has a small bio on here, along with an official picture, and some fun pictures. The page is sorted by teams. The highest ranked team is International, then National, State, plus Advanced, Intermediate, and lastly, Beginner.

Sammy got put on Advanced, much to her dismay. The AT, (Advanced Team) only competes at local shows and schooling, while State competes in larger shows. And although England doesn't have states, since Briar Ridge was an American school that became located in England, they use that term.

I click on Advanced Team, and find a link that says 'Sammy Tessori', and click on it.

Sammy's picture pops up. She is wearing a white polo that has the Briar Ridge Crest, tan breeches, and Ariat tall boots. There are three blue ribbons on her belt, and her head is barely tilted at the camera. The next picture is of Jewel, with a Grand Champion ribbon around her neck. The next couple are all Sammy riding Jewel, but one stops me.

It is Sammy and I, both holding blue ribbons, smiling at the camera.

The caption is simple: "I miss my bestie, Kennedy. I can't wait to see you again!"

Her words shock me. After all, we were enemies, and friends. But I always thought we were more enemies than friends. Apparently not.

I really don't know if I miss her. Sammy was a great friend, the only one at my barn, and yet she was my only competition. The only one who could rival me. I spend twenty minutes on the BRR (Briar Ridge Riding) website, until I get bored. I go to the Briar Ridge Academy website, and look at the "Our History" page. 

"Briar Ridge Academy is proud to say that we are one of the top schools in our nation, rivaling some of the schools in the United States. Our academic program is the best in England, and our equestrian program is one of a kind. The students at Briar Ridge live on campus, for a very unique experience in school. Briar Ridge is part of the IAA, or the International Academic Association. The IAA has schools across the globe, each specializing in something different. Briar Ridge is proud to home the IAA Equestrian, along with Lacey Academy, in France. We hope to have you join our team!"

The note is small, and heartfelt. 

It is nine o'clock.

Time to get ready to go to the barn. I put on a pair of Tailored Sportsman breeches, an Ariat polo, and my Tredstep Donatello boots. I stare at my reflection in my mirror, and pull my hair into a tight ponytail. I glance at my phone, and see that it is now 9:15. I have to be at the barn at 9:30. 

I run out my room, and grab my Ariat bag on the way. In it is my helmet, three pairs of gloves, four hairnets, an extra pair of socks, a water bottle, and a granola bar. I jump down the small stairs in my split level house, and swing the front door open. I walk to our garage in the back, and pull out my bike. With my bag on my shoulder, I begin to bike as fast as possible down the road, and then pull onto a dirt road.