Madison v.s The Horse Thief

Chapter One: A Straggly Pony & A Teenage Girl

|Hey! I'm from Australia, where this story is set, and just so people know high school is from Year 7-12, and the characters on the Junior Competition Team are in Year 9, and the kids on the Senior Competition Team are in Year 10-12 & a school year is from Jan to Dec.  Also, we call some things different names like every country does so if you don't know what I mean by a certain word or have questions about school then just ask:)|

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"Miss Maddie? You've gone all silent again."

It's like my mind starts to tick again. The voice stating my name helps clear a fog that is circling my mind. I'm in the passenger seat of a car, strapped in tightly, driving at a pace down a perfectly paved road. Beautiful gum trees, as old as time, line the roadside and I let out a breath that has been building up in my lungs.

"Oh good, I thought I lost you," jokes the driver of the truck.

His name has slipped my mind as I'm still dazed and my body is still waking up. The man that is driving smiles at me and I smile back. It had been five hours since I first stepped in the truck with him.

"Nervous?" asks the driver, like he just read my mind.

I laugh at his comment and peel my hands off the car seat that I had unknowingly clamped on there. "You could say that."

Oh, what is his name? Come on, I knew it before I fell asleep. Ummm-Justin!

"How long have I been asleep for?" I ask Justin.

Justin is the head groom for SEC-the elite riding centre just past Sydney. He is dressed in an old SEC uniform that is covered in stains from hard work. His eyes are creased with age while his fingernails and knuckles are less than clean.

"Oh not long," Justin replies, running a hand through his red hair, "two hours maybe?"

I nod, trying to play off that I had obviously forgotten his name. We continue down the road in silence. Justin has been nothing but nice to me, for most of the journey he has listened to me talk about where I've grown-up, where I learned to ride horses, and every other detail I could bring myself to tell him about me.

I try to dry my slick hands on my checkered jodhpurs but it doesn't work.

"It's been a long drive, I think you're allowed to sleep."

"Dad did tell me that Cooma to Sydney is a long drive," I chuckle, trying to not show my nerves.

"There is no need to be nervous, Miss Maddie," Justin tells me, after a brief pause.

My head just collapses in my hands. "I don't think Virgo and I are ready. I'm going to screw up and throw our chances away and all these amazing riders will think we aren't worthy."

Justin runs another hand through his hair before letting out a sigh.

"Miss Maddie, you must not get worked up. You have to control your nerves because at the end of the day what you tell yourself will stop you from doing your best, not what others tell you," Justin soothes.

Deep down I knew he was right but this wall in my stomach blocked all sense of rationality out of me. I still won't be able to perform well enough to get a place even on the Junior Team. "I should just be going as a regular student and not waste Antonio Bruno's time of trying to decide if I make the team or not."

Justin starts to laugh and I look at him confused. Why is he laughing?

"You have just told me your entire life, Miss Maddie and what I can tell from that is that you are a hard worker. Someone that learned to ride without the flashy horses or without the flashy facilities. You know how to ride from the heart. According to you, you retrained this straggly pony that wouldn't listen to anyone into this great eventer. Miss Maddie, you did this for nearly every day of your life for the past three years. Not many would bother with that."

I collapse in the seat with a sigh. "Yeah, I did but at the end of the day Virgo and I are just a straggly pony and a teenage girl."

"I may not have known you for that long but I saw those videos of you riding that you submitted to Antonio for your try out and you rode exceptionally well. But what was amazing was how you treated your horse this morning-so kind and gentle. Virgo is very well behaved as well."

I can't help but smile. Whenever someone compliments Virgo it makes me happy. Just to know someone thinks Virgo is great when I know that I trained him like that. It makes all the tears and sweat worth it. Virgo at the end of the day is the best bay horse ever because I made him that way.

"Thank you, Justin. It means a lot."

He just winks. 

"I guess I have a lot to prove. T-to my family, you know." I curl my fingers tightly around the gold chain around my neck.

That's all it is, a plain gold necklace. It was my sister's, Margo. She never liked charms on her necklace. She would say that too many shiny things would distract from the true and original beauty of an object. She was special, my older sister.

"We all do I think," agrees Justin. 

"I have to show them that working all those extra shifts at my old riding school to pay for more private lessons was worth it. They think it's just useless and my mum doesn't really get why I would still want to be riding so often," I blurt out.

Justin has his eyebrows raised like he didn't expect me to say something like that. I sigh and close my eyes again. Something buzzes in my pocket at that moment and I open my eyes to pull my phone out of my pocket. The screen flashes on and a new notification from my mum appears. I fight the urge to throw my phone and open up the message.

Just do well-mum xx

My jaw clenches and I shove the phone deep into my pocket again. My stomach coils itself up and my hands clench the side of the car seat. After our huge fight last night when she told me I was worthless and that coming to SEC was a stupid idea, I have no intention of writing her back. It's not like she means it anyway.

"I've just worked hard for this and I guess want a little recognition," I continue.

"Let me tell you something about Antonio. He loves people who are hard-working and dedicated to this sport. Sure there are some rich kids here and there but every kid your age around here has worked nonstop for this. That's what Antonio does best: he finds the diamonds in the rough," Justin smiles.

My heart flickers with a bit of confidence. The thought of Antonio Bruno, my idol in eventing, actually giving me a shot on his team makes me ecstatic. He's an ex-Olympian eventer who is now the owner and the head coach at SEC and has inspired me to ride as he did. Sadly back in 2010 during the World Eventing Championships, Antonio had a bad fall which resulted in him breaking a bone in his neck and being hospitalized for months. Apparently, he hasn't ridden since.

"Is it as really good as the website makes it out to be?" I ask, tucking my straight, dark brown hair behind my ear.

"Well, you are about to see how good Siracusa Equestrian Centre is. We are here."

|Hey :) I will probably publish this story with 10 chapters to start with so people can binge read (if people actually see this) Also can readers pls comment on what you think about the story? Would really appreciate it! 

Ps. My chapters are quite long.... :)|