The Eventers Club

Chapter 19:

Evelyn's POV:

Holloway was quiet Monday morning, expectantly after a show.

I had made my way out earlier than normal to check on Hugo, and to avoid my parents, who had made a personal vendetta to chew me out about Hugo and my poor performance at the show. To anybody else, a third place in cross-country after how Hugo had been acting could've been considered a miracle, but all my parents had to focus on was how Hugo and I had 'damaged' and 'ruined' Holloway's standards when Hugo had run loose before our round. As soon as we had finished our run, my parents made me hand Hugo off to Tina and had taken me back to Holloway, where they had set up a meeting with a popular equestrian magazine writer to explain both my and Hugo's behaviour during the show.

" It was not like him " I had told the reporter. " Hugo's always been a good horse, smart and talented "

I reporter had nodded his head, but didn't even look up at me as he scribbled my words in his sterotypical flip-up notebook.

I clasp my hands together. " However, it was the first show of the season, not to mention I was nervous- "

" What Evelyn means to say... " My mother had been quick to interven. " Is that there is a possibility that this horse may not be able to keep up with the level of compeition as she has moved to preliminary. We are considering the possibility of giving her a new mount to grow with "

I had been unable to speak up, frozen at the thought that my parents were really considering getting me a different horse, when they knew how much Hugo meant to me.

When I was unable to respond after my mom had finished talking, dad took over.

" We have had our eyes on a few good European horses for Evelyn. Ultimatley she wants to make it to the Olympics, that has always been the goal, but everyone knows that you must work your way up, starting from the bottom, and we want Evelyn to have a horse that she can make her career with, and unfortunetly, her current mount may not be that "

" Rest assured " Mom contiued. " Evelyn will not have another...incident, that she did today. She will be making the top three from now on and she will win the final preliminary show of the season, garunteed! "

The article had been published the next morning, along with a photo that showed me chasing after Hugo when he had run off. It was not only embarassing, but my parents words still stung like squeezing lemon juice into an open wound.

I only realized I had started running down the driveway when I slammed into the barn door, falling back.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I threw open the doors and ran all the way down the barn aisle to Hugo's stall.

He was snoozing peacefully in the corner of his stall, but when he heard my sobs his eyes were immediatly open and he moved to the stall door.

I struggled to unlatch his stall door, my eyes blurry with tears. Once I had the door unlatched, Hugo wiggled his face through to open the door, allowing me to wrap my arms around his neck and cry into his soft mane, still curled up from braiding yesterday.

I cried so much my whole body shook with the effort. No matter what I tried to think of, happy or sad, my mind played a reply of my worst nightmare. Hugo being taken away in a horse trailer, leaving Holloway forever, or Hugo being ridden by another rider at a show, or worse, Hugo winding up with someone who adbused him, using harsh whips and spurs in the way that no rider should ever use them. Hugo would squeal in pain as the whip broke skin and the spurs dug into his sides until they created a visbale dent in his sides.

I shook my head as I squeezed him. " I would never let them give you to anyone like that boy " I whispered to him. " I would never let them give you away to anyone. You're my horse, and I'm your rider... "