Mossy Hill Academy~ The Competition

Chapter 7

I can't get Weslow's look out of my head, I know she is my friend. Yet I don't want to be friends, because I knew something like this would happen, I know friends can't be trusted. Still, it hurts to know she actually back stabbed me like that.

These few weeks with Weslow have been awkward, and everytime we look at each other we just put our heads down and walk away. Class has just begun, and I'm nervous. Today is the day we find out our tryout times, for the school cross country team. I'm trying out for the team with Jack, he's not much of a jumper, but we'll try.
While I'm working on my math problems we are interrupted by mum, she comes in and talks to our class about the team.
"The tryouts for the school Cross country jumping team will be on later today, everyone who put their name down for the team will be seen by us, and will show us their skills in that section. These people have been selected by us to have a tryout, Sue, Mali, Katrina, Payton, James, Zelie,-" She lists off a few more names, but I zone out after I hear my name. At least I get a chance.
Tryouts are periods four, five and six. Mine is period five, and I'm nervous. Here I am waiting for my tryout, Jack is tacked up and my phone starts to ring.
"Hello?"
The number is unknown and I'm wary.
"Zelie listen up, this information is important. Remember this: m25, s67, and h47."
The caller hands up, and I think nothing of the call and prepare myself for my tryout.

I lead Jack into the indoor arena, sweating nervously for this moment.
"Good afternoon Miss Grill today you will be performing the course in front of you, trot over the first three poles lying on the ground, jump the cross rail, the vertical, and finally the oxer. Poles knocked will cause penalties, and obviously you're aiming for the fastest time." Mrs Maple tells me.
I nod at her, and though Jack isn't the best jumper I know he will do his best, and all we can do is hope. I can't exactly say he's not the best jumper though, because I've never actually jumped him, it's just what Mrs Maple told me. We can do this, I know we can.
We start off a few meters away from the trotting poles, and when we're ready we go. Jack doesn't nudge a single pole, and then we prepare for the cross rail. I count my strides, one, two, jump!
We clear the jump, and I concentrate on the next jump, counting my strides, one, two three...
JUMP!
We make that last jump aswell, and then after one stride we jump the oxer, and the pole doesn't even wobble. We've done it, a clear round!
I pat Jacks neck, congratulating him on his jumping skills. Some of our transitions were a tad sloppy, but that's okay, because we got a clear round, I'm so excited.
"Thankyou Zelie, the results will be posted on the notice board tomorrow."
I thank them and lead Jack out to his stall, where I treat him with a sugar cube. The way he gobbles them up reminds me of a horse we were once breeding, his name was Finnick, and he loves sugar cubes, almost as much as he loved splashing in water.
Jack is brushed down, and left in his stall, with his paddock door open. Once I leave Jack trots out into his little field, and he calls out to Ghost, who is in the big field. Ghost comes over to Jack, and they brush muzzles, so I open his field gate, letting him out into the big field.
Weslow then comes into the field, leading Ghost away from Jack, and I'm pretty sure it's not because she's going for a ride. Once Ghost is a few meters away Jack calls out again, and he races to catch up to her. He approaches Ghost and Weslow, when Weslow pushes him away.
"Jack !" I call out to him, he looks at me, then ghost, and walks towards me.
"Stay away from her Jackie, it's probably best." I whisper into his mane.
He nickers, as if understanding me, but not at the same time.
I hop on him bareback and ride him into his small field, enjoying the freedom of having no saddle.
***
"So how was your tryout?" James asks me
"I think it went alright, what about you?" I reply, while taking a bit of my lasagna.
"We didn't knock any poles, but our time was a little slow, Mrs Maple was pretty impressed though."
"Well you're pretty good." I compliment him.
"Thanks, you're not half bad yourself."
We talk about our upcoming assignment, and what we're gonna do. We have to raise funds for a cause, but we have no idea what about.
After dinner I take a short walk to clear my head, what do the numbers 25, 67, and 47 mean? What do the letters mean? Surely the call was meant for someone else, and perhaps they were just delusional, or maybe they actually meant something. I doubt it, I shouldn't be obsessing over this anyway.
I sit under an apple tree, over looking the stables and fields, all the horses small dots in the distance. I really should be popping over to see Snooker, to see if he's getting any better.
Jack and Snooker are alike, yet so different. Snooker excelled at jumping, whether Jack is a polo horse. I've known Snooker for a while, yet I've only just met Jack. But they're both really fast and have great stamina, and they both mean the world to me.
The sky starts to turn darker as the minutes go by, and I figure that now will be a good time to turn in for the night. The path to my dorm is lit up by small horse solar powered lights, and I try to take as long as possible to get back, I'm in no hurry to get back to Weslow and our awkward looks.
Luckily when I get there she's not here, and I flop into my bed and fall asleep. In my clothes. When morning comes Weslow is still nowhere to be seen, and I hop into the shower, get dressed, brush my teeth and grab my backpack. On my way to the door a small note grabs my attention.
Zelie,
I know things are awkward around us, but it's not my fault, I'm not allowed to talk to you. Secretly meet me in stall 12 tonight before dinner. Please, I need to explain.
~Weslow

I have nothing else to do, so I may aswell come, but that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive her. I'm not the forgiving type. Classes are boring, and it's not until my riding lesson that I remember about the cross country team tryouts. I rush over with the rest of my riding class toward the notice board where the results are posted.
Year Seven team A:
Jupiter Grette
Jasmine Awesr
Luke Hijk
Kirby Crest
Emergency: Hayley Greene
Year Eight team A:
James Hirpy
Weslow Henston
Katrina Dallas
Sue Stark
Emergency: Zelie Grill

I only got in as an emergency, it's disappointing, but I'm okay with that. Jumping isn't our best forte. It still means that I'll be coming on the excursion, in case someone can't ride.
Once everyone has found out whether they're on the team or not we are all herded back into the stables to tack up our horses, because today we are playing some games.
Jack is quiet today, he doesn't even bat an eyelash when I lead him to the cross ties, he doesn't even bloat out his stomach when I'm doing up the girth. He's probably just very tired.
Once he is tacked up and ready to go I lead him out of the stables and out to the ménage. Mrs Grill is out there, setting up a game of some sort.
Once everyone is out here and ready she hands out two coloured vests with the Mossy Hill Academy logo on them, blue and pink. I get handed a blue vest, and James gets a pink one.
I ride over to him, a smirk tugging on my lips.
"Lovely vest, it looks, stunning..." I comment.
"Why thankyou, it does look quite good."
"Matches your eyes."
"I suppose it does." He makes a few poses, and I can't help but giggle.
We are quietened by Mrs Grill explaining the game to us.
"The rules are simple, the people with the pink vests are 'it' and will be trying to find and tag the blue vests by aiming this at them." She shows us a small laser pointer, "When the light hits the vest it will turn a light on the vest green. They will be out. Blue team, your boundaries are the edges of Mossy Hill Academy, you have ten minutes to hide, GO!"
I give James a small smile, while I click my tongue and turn Jack towards the trails, I remember a small concealed cave where Jack and I will fit. Jack smoothly transitions into a gallop, and we leave the academy in our dust.
The trails are well marked, but we already know our way around so we have no need for them. Soon enough we come to the cave and I slow Jack down to a walk, I grab the lead rope from out of my backpack and lead him in there. At the side of the cave there's a tree with a hole in it, a really big hole and I can see outside. I could fit Jack and I's head through it, and light pours through it. The pink vests could see us through that hole, so I quickly dart outside and cover the tree area with a clump of bushes, and on the bushes I see some berries. Blueberries, yum!
I pick a few and stash them in my pockets for later, remembering the position of the bush, it may come in handy.
Once the hole is adequately covered I rush back into the cave with Jack, he's layin down with his eyes closed. His chest moves up and down as he breathes, and I get a sudden urge to lay on him. I crouch down, and I stifle a yawn, his back is so soft. My head rests on his neck, and my body is positioned on his back, and my eyes slowly close.
As soon as I wake up I know that our game of hide and seek is way over, the sky is dark and Jack is wide awake, letting me rest on his back still. I check my phone, at least a dozen missed calls from mum and Mrs Maple.
A noise from outside startles Jack, so I slide off his back in case he decides to stand up. His nostrils flare, the whites of his eyes are showing. As he stands up I hear a noise of some sort from outside, it's a growl of some sort. Jack gravitates towards me, circling me, protecting me.
I frantically reach for my phone, and shakily call Mrs Maple.
"Mrs Maple, help!" I yell to her.
"Where are you Zelie?" Her voice urgent
"I'm, Im, stuck in a cave with a wild animal trying to get in, on the-" I try to tell her which trail, but my connection is lost.
"Shuck, we're screwed." I tell myself.
Jack comes over to me, and nuzzles me gently, assuring me that we are going to be okay.
I stroke his cheek, I find that doing this seems to calm him down, and he relaxes a tiny bit. His nostrils stop flaring, and his eyes return to normal.
Suddenly the hole in the tree where I covered it with bushes is crunching open, and a wild dingo comes crashing through. It's baring it's razor sharp teeth, and it's talon like claws are inching towards me.
I start to hyperventilate, this must be the end, it has to be. The dingo lunges forward and Jack rears up in front of me, protecting me from the dingo. The dingo shies back for a second, before jumping on top of Jack, then it lunges for me.
Suddenly I feel it on top of me, and I black out, all my body can register is the searing pain in my leg.