Silverstone: Perfection is Not Enough

Chapter 21

Arrow's bouncy trot gait lengthens smoothly out into an elegant, comfortable canter. His strides are evenly measured, his mouth slightly off the bit, as it should be when jumping. 

The jump is just a half-metre cross pole, but it's arranged in a tricky place: on the diagonal. That means that we're either going to have to make a flying change directly after landing, go back to trot and then pick up canter again as smoothly as possible, or make a difficult flying change in mid-air over the jump. 

His hooves send dust clouds flying as we fly towards the jump, and I lean foward, pushing my weight out of the saddle, looking up and over the jump, always focused towards the next obstacle. My hands hold the reins firmly, but giving him enough room to stretch his neck foward as he wants. 

Then we jump. 

For a moment, we're poised in mid-air, Arrow's dolphin-like shape executing perfect bascule, and then, we've landed, and I quickly sit up, and his hooves flick out in front of him in a brisk, neat flying change. 

"Good boy!" I pat his neck, slowing him to a trot, and then a relaxed walk. 

"That was great, Jess!" Lucy, with the tests approaching quickly, asked to watch me and Arrow in our after school session today, so I decided to try jumping, as I know how talented he is with it. "It's a tricky place to put a jump. You did really well."

"Thanks," I grin, and ride towards the gate. Lucy opens it quickly and lets me through. "He's really improved, hasn't he?"

"Well, obviously," Lucy smiles easily, "but so have you, Jess. Can't you feel it?"

I can. Things just come to me far more easily than they did; I could never have made that jump a month ago. 

The barn is looking Christmassy; the stable hands have strung up fairy lights all around the outside, and inside, tinsle twinkles, wrapped around the lowest wooden beams. Everyone just seems happier and everything seems brighter. 

It's just a week until the holidays. 

And I'm so excited. 

Obviously, I'm also terrified, because the tests are just a week after, but I know we're ready. The dressage routine has started to implant itself into my mind, and I know stressing is pointless. Plus, I can't wait to see Tabitha's mansion. 

"I'll see you soon," Lucy waves as she leaves to go and help out with some event with the Year Tens. I wave back, before throwing my arms around Arrow.

"You were amazing!" I whisper, burying my face in his soft mane. "Thank you so much."

"Was he really?"

The snarky, selfish voice makes me freeze momentarily, before I answer. "What do you want, Kennedy?"

"From you? Nothing. Why would I? All you have is your second rate horse, which, by the way, isn't even yours, and... oh, yeah, that's pretty much it." I turn, and catch her smirking gaze. 

A month ago, her words might have stung, but now I'm just tired of her. Why can't she just leave me alone? 

"So, your tests are just after the holiday, huh?" She plays casually with the latch on Arrow's stall door. "So soon?"

"Kennedy, if you have nothing productive to say, go away," I say as steadily as I can, ignoring the prickle of discomfort in my stomach. I haven't forgotten her threats. I remember what she said. 

"You seem to have a lot of support," she meets my steely glare, and grins, reminding me of a shark I once saw at an aquarium. "But you need to remember, Jess, that you don't deserve to be here."

Do I deserve to be here? 

I remember all of Tabitha's words. And Rose's. And Bertie's. And Lucy's. 

"If anyone doesn't deserve to be here, Kennedy, it's you," I retort, stroking Arrow's neck softly to keep him calm. "You think, that just because you pay to be here, that you somehow don't have to work for it. I guess you have enough natural talent to not have to. But one day, you'll be in a situation where your daddy and mommy's money can't get you through, and your little talents won't make any difference. And the thing is, I'm ready for then. But are you? I don't think so."

I take Arrow's tack, give him one last pat, and brush past a speechless, gaping Kennedy.

I'll have to watch my back now more than ever. 

But that was so worth it. 

•  •  •

"That will be fourteen pounds fifty, please," the woman behind the till says, and I hand over the money. She packages up my purchases, and smiles cheerfully. "Merry Christmas!"

"You too!" I call back over my shoulder, and exit the gift shop. 

The village is pretty much the same as school at the moment: cheery, bright and covered in fairy lights and tinsle. It's numbingly cold, and I'm currently wearing two pairs of gloves to keep my fingers attached to my hands. 

I try to think back to the directions Rose gave me, and I manage to find my way to the cafe she told me about, which is down a little cobblestone side street. A little bell dings as I enter, and I see Tabitha, Rose and Bertie sitting round a table in the corner.

"Hey Jess," Bertie grins. "What did you get?"

"Just some stuff for my family," I sit down on the squishy armchair and unpack the bag. "Some chocolates for my parents, with a scarf for my dad and a hat for my mum, and necklace and jumper for my friend Lilly."

I phone Lilly every week, and she always updates me on everything going on back home. She won an arts competition at school a few weeks ago, with a painting she did of a forest. 

"I think I'm going to take art classes," she'd told me, and I'd agreed. She's really good. 

"My dad updated me on the plans for the holiday," Tabitha informs us. "He said that we'll come back to school for the middle weekend, after you've all been home, and we'll come and pick you up. Sounds okay?"

"I'm so excited," Bertie takes a sip of her cinnamon spiced drink. 

"I'm excited," Rose groans, "but not for the flights. I hate flying back over to America, I get jet lag so badly."

"Rose, stop complaining," I joke. "It's Christmas!" 

Excitement sits in the pit of my stomach, but there's also a little bit of worry. 

I'm going to keep an eye out for Kennedy. 

Nothing is going to mess up these tests for me. 

Nothing.

a/n: So, Jess finally stood up to Kennedy! I think she's going to have to watch her back though, Kennedy doesn't seem like the type to just stand there and take it.

Thank you so, so, so much for the 2.9k reads! You guys are so amazing, I love you all. I looked at the demographics, and it's so incredible how I have readers in Australia, America, Africa, Ireland, Britain, and so many other places! Like, how on earth did this little thing I'm writing attract viewers from places like the Czech Republic?! And Portugal?! It's so amazing! 

Maddie xx