Saddled

Chapter 1

Warning: very cliche beginning, the rest of the story isn't (hopefully) as cliche...

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“You WHAT?”

“What do you mean I what?” Mom says playfully.  She was teasing me.

No way am I ever going to horse camp.  Seriously, how does it take a whole month to learn how to ride a horse?  It can’t be that hard.  All you do is just sit on the horse and the horse will just plod along or something like that.  I’m pretty sure that’s how they do it.  It honestly can’t be that hard.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some girly girl who spends her whole summer throwing the money out the window by recreating her wardrobe.  And I’m not the girl who is afraid to get dirty.  I’m just . . . you know, normal… I’m not quite sure how to put it.  I want to spend my summer with my friends… okay fine maybe by myself.

But not with some . . . animal.

“Mom, but what about my summer?”

“This is your summertime activity!” she smiles brightly as if she couldn’t hear my distress.  She probably can’t anyways.  I mean, she’s my mom.

“But not like this!”  Don’t get me wrong again, I’m not some whiny little girl either, but I don’t want to spend the summer sitting on a horse.

“Brei, some little girls would just love to have your spot in this camp!”

“Well, that means you should give my spot to those little girls!” I protest throwing my hands out at her.  That was exactly my point.  Isn’t horseback riding for little girls or something?

Her eyes tell me that she’s definitely not changing her mind, “And if you like it you can always stay for an ext-”

“STAY?” I gasp, staring at her almost dumbfounded, “Waitwaitwait-It’s a sleep in camp?  Not a, you know, a day camp?”  Well this just made it worse.

She opened her mouth to speak but I cut in before she can even get a sound out.  “First of all: I am not going to like this camp, so second: I absolutely won’t be staying for an extra week but lastly?- you don’t have to sign up for that camp because I am most definitely am not going away to some stupid horse camp.”

I take a deep breath.  I didn’t know I was capable of ranting.

My mom finally rolls her eyes, probably getting tired of my begging, “I can’t un-sign you up.”

I swear I’m getting really desperate because I lean across the kitchen island and slam my hands down on the cold counter  “Yes you can!  I will do anything.  I’ll wash the dishes every night.  I’ll do the laundry.  I’ll clean my room.  YES, I will clean my room.”

My mom laughed.  She laughed.  “I’m sorry honey, but I can’t un-sign you up.  I can’t.”  She smiled, “You’ll clean your room?”  Her eyes glinted with the words as-if written across her forehead.

I rolled my eyes, “I’ll try.”

She scoffed, but not a ridiculing scoff but a honey-you-are-funny sort of laugh but really...?

I crossed my arms across my chest and mumbled, “Plus there will probably just be a ton of little girls running around braiding the ponies’ hair or something.”

Mom placed a hand on my hand, “It’s alright hon, I asked them and there will be some girls your age.  And also, the only time you have to be with people your level is when you’re riding and around the horses and things like that.”