Canterwood Crest: Back in The Saddle

Chapter 1: I'm Back!

 I took a deep breath as my family's SUV drove up the long driveway to Canterwood Crest Academy. 

I could hardly believe I was back. After a long spring and summer of living in New York City to film a TV show I had been casted in as the main character, it felt strange to be back on campus. But I loved Canterwood - I was excited to be back, despite my nervousness. 

My horse, Adonis, would be arriving shortly after me. Just thinking about my grey, part Andalusian gelding made me feel calmer. We'd been together for three years now, and made a great team - especially in jumping, my favorite discipline - although we were skilled in all of them. 

My thoughts shifted to my old - or should I say current? - classmates. Lots of them had been my friends, but then there was... Lauren. And Khloe. And Lexa. Ugh. 

There was Clare too. My ex- best friend. I knew that at classes on Monday, I would see her hanging out with Lauren Towers' clique. Lauren was a wealthy, popular girl  that had come to Canterwood a year after I had. I had never gotten along with her, and I honestly didn't want to. Spoiled rich girls were not exactly my friend type. 

I decided to think about something else. At least I had a different dorm building and roommate this time. I would now have a room in Orchard Hall, and my new roommate was named Crystal Jasons. We had e-mailed over the summer and she had seemed super friendly. I hoped we would become friends - I needed new ones this year. 

There were so many things to think about - not to mention the advanced equestrian team. I might, just might be able to make the team this fall. Tryouts were not held during the fall, but since I was re-joining the riding program, I had to do my testing for team placement. In seventh grade I had been on the intermediate team, but Adonis and I had improved a lot since we had been in NYC. I had been accepted into a different stable while I had been there - Blue Hills Riding Academy. It had been one of the most prestigious stables in New York. 

I had learned a lot at Blue Hills. Now my riding skills were as sharp as ever - I knew I had a shot at the advanced team. 

The car pulled to a stop. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts I hadn't even seen us pass under the Canterwood archway. 

I opened the car door and hopped out, my black ankle boots making a crunching sound on the gravel. I smoothed my hunter green quilted jacket and went to get my stuff out of the back of the car. 

"You sure you don't want me to walk you to Orchard, Riley?" My mom asked from where she sat at the front seat.

"I'm good, thanks. I know where it is." I told her. 

"I'll call you around five, okay?"

"Got it. Bye, Mom."

A few minutes later I was on my way to Orchard. An awesome thing about Orchard was that it was the dorm room where Sasha Silver and some of her friends lived. Sasha was a big deal here at Canterwood - sort of like a campus celebrity. She rode for the Youth Equestrian National Team and was totally popular. 

I walked up the steps and pulled open the door. The air outside was slightly chilly, and the warm air inside was welcoming. 

My room was on the second floor. I went up the stairs and walked down the hallway to my room. I made sure I had gotten the number right - yep.

I told myself to stop stalling and opened the door, dropping my hot pink suitcases on the shiny wooden floor. I surveyed the room. Crystal either hadn't arrived yet or was somewhere else on campus. 

The room was bigger than most two-people rooms. Light flooded in from two large windows on the side of the room opposite from where I stood. Two beds were directly under the windows, and a counter with a microwave, cupboards, and mini fridge under it was along the left side of the room. On the right side was the door to the bathroom. There was a closet on each side of the room. 

My old room with Clare had been a triple, with an extra bedroom. I had had a pink room theme, but I had made plans over the summer to switch to a new theme - lavender, white, and black. I had emailed with Crystal over the summer and we had both agreed upon those three colors. 

Of course, the room wasn't decorated yet, but I was planning to work on that this weekend. It was Friday, so there would be time for decorating and the other things to get ready for school on Monday. 

I decided against choosing which side of the room I should have - Crystal wasn't here, and that would be rude. 

After a few more minutes of looking around the room, I decided to go head to the stables and see if Adonis was there yet. I couldn't wait to see him - and I needed to set up his stall and all of his gear. 

I left Orchard and walked across campus. Sure, I had rivals here - but I loved Canterwood, and was excited to be back. The classes were fast-paced here and there would be lots of homework, but I was a hard worker and knew I could keep up with it. Riding lessons didn't worry me, either - Blue Hill had been just as advanced as the Canterwood riding program, if not more. 

And no way was I letting Lauren Towers or any of her friends intimidate me - I was not backing down just because of a few old enemies.