A really stupid story Soy Bean and I wrote

[Pookystar]

Megan gripped the pommel of the saddle on Bounce¡¦s black back. Clinging to him with both knees, she pulled back hard on the reins, circling him. ¡§NO boy! NO bucking!¡¨ Megan said firmly. ¡§Come on now, you know better.¡¨ Dejected by Megan¡¦s harsh tone, the stallion dropped his head. ¡§Come on, let¡¦s go. We need to practice before Watermeadows tomorrow.¡¨ One of Megan¡¦s best friends, Chloe nodded. ¡§LANA! Are you ready to go?¡¨ Chloe called. At that moment, another of Megan¡¦s friends Lana trotted out. At five feet 1 inch tall, Lana was tiny, and was mounted on an 18-hand Clysdale named Quartz. ¡§Lan, you know that when you¡¦re at Speedstreet with us, you can ride Thoroughbreds like Chloe and me.¡¨ Lana smiled in thanks. ¡§Nah, Quartz here is a big sweetie. Emphasis on the big. Thanks anyway, though.¡¨ Megan nodded and looked over at her pals. ¡§Oh, are y¡¦all riding bareback? Give me a sec; let me pull off Bouncie¡¦s saddle.¡¨ Megan hopped off and did so. Tossing the saddle over a wooden sawhorse, she remounted Bounce and turned him. She carefully squeezed him in the sides, balancing as he began to trot towards a low gate out of the small ring they were in. She balanced carefully over his withers as she prepared for the jump. She squeezed his sides at the perfect moment and stayed with him as he sailed over the fence.
Megan cantered Bounce a short distance and turned him sharply. Chloe came bouncing into view on her black horse Darkrose. Lana came next, clinging to Quartz¡¦s long reins as she gripped his huge sides with her legs. They other two girls rode up to Megan and stopped. ¡§Ready?¡¨ she asked them. Without waiting for a response, Megan turned and started to walk away. Lana called out, ¡§Wait!¡¨ The girls turned and looked. They heard a loud yapping, and then saw Megan¡¦s adorable little mutt dog Maggie come sailing over the fence. Close behind her came another of Megan¡¦s family¡¦s pets. Buddy, a young, shy mutt, and following him was the last family dog, a pretty Border collie called Tippy.
¡§I guess the Muttleys think that they get to come, too.¡¨ Megan said in a solemn voice. ¡§Well, I don¡¦t want to have to waste time taking them back, so I guess they can come with us. ONLY this once, though. Don¡¦t get used to it, pups.¡¨ Megan decreed to the panting dogs. She slipped off and picked up Maggie¡¦s small form. Sticking the small dog in her roomy backpack, Megan remounted. She winked at her friends. ¡§Come on; let¡¦s get out of here before the rest of the horses decide to come, too. Wouldn¡¦t that be a sight.¡¨
Megan kicked her horse into a fast trot, with Chloe and Lana close behind. They stopped after a brief ride. ¡§Let¡¦s do the cross-country course today. The jumps aren¡¦t TOO high for the dogs, and we can trot for them to keep up.¡¨ Lana suggested. Megan nodded. ¡§That would be fun. Let¡¦s go, slowly.¡¨ Megan turned Bounce again. She urged him forwards at a fast trot. Soon they came to the first fence, a low log. After flying over a one more jump, the girls came to a small stream. The girls carefully rode their horses into the shallow water. They loosened the reins and let the horses get a drink. ¡§Darkrose is still afraid of water!¡¨ Chloe complained. Megan smiled. ¡§I like jumping fine and all, but that¡¦s one reason I plan to race and not jump. It¡¦s less likely that you have to stop or something because your horse doesn¡¦t like a jump or anything.¡¨
Buddy ran off into the bushes. He returned a moment later, leading a shy greyhound. Megan slipped off of Bounce. Shy frowned as she saw the dog¡¦s ribs. She reached over to the dog. Flinching slightly, but not running, the dog allowed Megan to run her hands over her body. Megan gently lifted the dog and returned to the horses. She slipped onto Bounce¡¦s back. ¡§Lana, lead Bounce back to the stable. This pretty pup needs a vet. She¡¦s pretty malnourished. Lana nodded and grabbed Bounce¡¦s reins.
Soon the girls arrived back at the stable. Megan saw the vet stepping out of her truck and urged Bounce over to her. ¡§Hey, Doc Sara, could you look at this puppy real quick? We found her lost on the trail. She looks like she¡¦s in bad shape.¡¨ The vet turned and smiled. ¡§Sure,¡¨ she responded. She reached up and took the dog from Megan. Lana took Bounce¡¦s reins. ¡§ You go take care of the puppy. We can ride when you¡¦re done.¡¨ Megan smiled and followed Doc Sara to her truck. ¡§This is one skinny dog,¡¨ the vet frowned and commented. ¡§Where were you when you found her?¡¨ Megan quickly responded, ¡§We were by the creek. Buddy found her in the bushes.¡¨ Well, you go get your dad. He and I¡¦ll take care of this girl. What are you going to call her?¡¨ The vet asked. Megan thought for a second. Suddenly it came to her. ¡§Pearl!¡¨ Megan exclaimed. The vet smiled. ¡§After you get your dad, you girls go ride. Pearl will be fine.¡¨ Megan nodded and ran towards the stable office to get her dad. ¡§Dad! Doc Sara wants you. It¡¦s about our new dog.¡¨ Megan¡¦s dad, Tom, groaned, but he was smiling. Megan laughed and ran outside to her horse. ¡§Thanks Doc Sara!¡¨ Megan yelled. She hopped on Bounces smooth back. Waving to her dad and Doc Sara, the girls, horses and dogs rode into the woods.
Megan reached over and snagged Maggie from Chloe. The girls rode onto the Cross Country course. Trotting at a good pace, the girls flew over several small jumps. Soon they came to the stream again. Again, the girls relaxed the reins and let the horses drink and relax. Meanwhile, the girls pulled water bottles out of their bags. Megan drank, and then let Maggie lap some water out of the palm of her hand. All of a sudden, Bounce decided he wanted some grass. He stepped up on the bank, causing Megan to lose her balance and fall forwards on his withers. With difficulty, Megan stuffed the water bottle back in her pack and struggled to push herself up. She turned around and glared at Chloe and Lana, who were currently laughing their heads off. She snapped, ¡§Oh, thanks for the help, you guys. Real nice of you.¡¨ Chloe grinned sheepishly, but didn¡¦t stop laughing, leaning back against Darkrose¡¦s flanks. Lana was giggling from the same position. Suddenly Megan called, ¡§Tippy! Here girl! Herd those ponies to me!¡¨ Tippy came dashing over, rounding up Quartz and Darkrose and bringing them over to Megan. Megan laughed as she saw Chloe trying to regain her balance. However, Lana was still lying across Quartz¡¦s flanks, giggling weakly. Chloe rode over and yanked her upright. ¡§That was mean, Megan.¡¨ Chloe exclaimed. ¡§It was kind of fun, though.¡¨ she admitted. Megan smiled.
A few minutes later the girls were ready to go. They urged their horses out of the stream. As Quartz climbed out behind the others, he gave a little buck. It wasn¡¦t meant to be mean or harmful, but Lana wasn¡¦t expecting it and slid off over his haunches and landed in the stream. She gasped and jumped up. ¡§Oh, I feel like such an idiot.¡¨ She moaned. Megan and Chloe rode back to her, catching Quartz and leading him back, too. ¡§Are you okay?¡¨ Chloe asked her. Lana rolled her eyes. ¡§Yeah, I¡¦m fine. Help me up on Quartz, and let¡¦s hurry back. I¡¦m freezing!¡¨ ƒº
Soon the girls were back at the stable. Megan took Quartz¡¦s reins. She motioned for Lana to go ahead. ¡§You go change,¡¨ she said. ¡§We¡¦ll get Quartz in cross-ties for you, then we can give them a bath.¡¨ Lana nodded and ran into the locker room to change.
Soon the Chloe and Megan were hard at work grooming their horses before they bathed them. Lana came running up to them dressed in a pair of jeans and a dry t-shirt. She untacked Quartz and quickly brushed him down. ¡§Okay, let¡¦s wash them now,¡¨ she said as she unfastened the cross-ties. Megan and Chloe did the same and followed Lana to the wash stalls.
In the wash stalls, the girls tied the horses to hooks in the wall. Once that was done, they stepped back to turn on the water and get buckets filled. Grinning playfully, Megan pulled off her chaps to reveal bright pink jean shorts. Flipping up the hose, she aimed it in the general direction of her friends. Lana shrieked, but Chloe retaliated. Rolling up her jeans to her knees, she tipped over a bucket towards Megan. Lana got into the spirit of things and grabbed a hose and ran behind Quartz. Peeking out, she sprayed her friends. Megan giggled and slid onto Bounce¡¦s back with a rag and a comb. As her friends alternatively sprayed her, she used the water to wash Bounce.
Half an hour later, the girls were exhausted, but the horses were clean. So was the rest of the wash stall. Rubbing their horses dry, the girls laughed and talked. Suddenly, Megan¡¦s boyfriend Mark appeared in the doorway to the wash stalls. Raising his eyebrows, he silently surveyed the scene. Megan smiled. ¡§Hey Mark. So, uh, what¡¦s new?¡¨ Mark smiled and walked into the wash stall. ¡§Come here, help us put away these horses.¡¨ Megan told him. ¡§Coming,¡¨ he said doubtfully.
Mark led the horses down the hall, Quartz in one hand, Bounce and Darkrose in the other. Megan, Chloe, and Lana carefully covered them with warm horse blankets as they walked. One by one, Mark deposited them in their stalls. When he was done, they all walked down to Mark¡¦s horse, Diamond¡¦s stall. Rubbing the exquisite mare¡¦s nose, Megan quietly admired the horse. ¡§Oh yeah, Mark, you¡¦re invited to supper tonight. Chloe and Lana are spending the night, so they will be there, too.¡¨ Megan said as she turned to him. ¡§Then maybe you can help us get ready for the horse show next door tomorrow. We¡¦re entered in advanced junior eventing. We could use a cheering section. Hint, hint.¡¨ Mark nodded. ¡§You know I¡¦ll be there. It¡¦s my job.¡¨ he joked. ¡§Good. Now, supper starts in half an hour. I¡¦ll see you there.¡¨ Megan said crisply, winking at him.
The girls headed to the locker room to change. As they did, they discussed what to take to the show. As Megan slipped out of her wet pink shorts, she said, ¡§You know, we should probably take leg wraps, just in case. How is Rosie¡¦s tendon, Chloe? She looked pretty good today.¡¨ Chloe nodded as she slipped on a light pink-and¡Vgreen plaid skirt. ¡§Yeah, she feels a lot better now. No heat, no bobbling, no nothing.¡¨ Pulling on a pair of lavender capris, Megan smiled. ¡§That¡¦s good. What about Quartz, Lana? How¡¦s his back doing?¡¨ Lana straightened her pale yellow sundress and slipped on a pair of flats. ¡§Yeah, he¡¦s doing better too. I¡¦ll give him a nice massage tomorrow morning.¡¨ she frowned. ¡§He just hasn¡¦t seemed as bold since he slipped at Fairview. Maybe he¡¦s just afraid that he¡¦ll fall again, but I¡¦m not sure why.¡¨ Megan carefully straightened her light green halter top. ¡§I¡¦m sure he¡¦ll be okay as soon as he gets going tomorrow. Just watch.¡¨ Lana nodded. ¡§Now, let¡¦s get up to the house. I¡¦m starving, and your mom¡¦s a great cook.¡¨ Megan smiled. ¡§Thanks. Race yah!¡¨ The girls raced out of the locker room, laughing, and ran out of the barn into the pale evening sunlight.
As the family sat around the table, surrounded by friends, with the dogs begging at their feet, Megan¡¦s twin brother Thomas looked up from his hamburger long enough to ask a question. ¡§Are you guys going to the show next door tomorrow?¡¨ Megan nodded. ¡§Yeah.¡¨ She said. ¡§Wanna come help us?¡¨ Thomas smiled. ¡§Sure. What time do you think we¡¦ll be home? If it¡¦s not too late, we can head to the movies with Phil.¡¨ Megan nodded. ¡§Yeah, we could do that. We should be home by 6 or 7.¡¨ ¡§OK. That¡¦s cool. I¡¦ll call Phil and tell him.¡¨

The next morning, the girls rose at five to get ready for the show. They ate a quick breakfast of eggs and ran out to the barn to get their horses ready. Wrapping the horses¡¦ legs and polishing tack, the girls chatted amiably. ¡§Now, are we all going to bring home a ribbon?¡¨ Megan asked. ¡§Yeah!¡¨ Chloe and Lana cheered. ¡§Good. OK, we¡¦re about done here, so let¡¦s go get ourselves ready. We have about an hour before we have to go, and Mark will take care of loading some of this for us.
The girls eagerly hopped out of the horse van. ¡§Are you ready?¡¨ Mark asked Megan. ¡§Yeah. Thanks for doing so much to help us get ready this morning.¡¨ ¡§No prob. He said. ¡§Right now you can help me get your spoiled rotten horse ready.¡¨ Megan jumped up. ¡§Yeah, yeah,¡¨ she grimaced. ¡§It¡¦s not my fault he¡¦s a major male prima donna.¡¨ She grinned wryly. ¡§It¡¦s an inbred trait. Comes from Sarge, you know? The entire, ¡¥I¡¦m not going to do anything unless I decide it¡¦s worth it¡¦ thing.¡¨
20 minutes later, Bounce, Darkrose, and Quartz were tacked up and ready to compete. Mark gave Megan a leg up onto Bounce, Thomas gave Chloe a leg up, and Lana¡¦s boyfriend Phil gave Lana a leg up. Megan smiled over at Chloe and Lana. ¡§Let¡¦s go warm up. We have about an hour before our class starts.¡¨ Chloe and Lana nodded, and the girls walked their horses easily over to the warm-up ring. Trotting the horses easily around the ring, the girls posted as they stretched out their legs. Soon the girls were cantering over some small breakaway fences. Suddenly, the girls heard a loud announcement over the intercom. ¡§Would class four please report to the starting area¡Krepeat, class four to the starting area.¡¨ ¡§Oh, that¡¦s us!¡¨ Megan cried. ¡§We better hurry! I¡¦m going eighth!¡¨ The girls rode quickly to the starting area for dressage.
Megan rode out of the arena with Lana, smiling happily. ¡§I can¡¦t believe we all got ribbons! And Chloe got a first. I can¡¦t wait ¡¥till cross country.¡¨ Lana fingered her green ribbon. ¡§Yeah, but I really can¡¦t wait ¡¥till show jumping. Cross country is a little too rugged and fast- paced. Hunter classes are fun, too.¡¨ Megan shrugged. ¡§Fair enough.¡¨ She smiled as she saw Phil and Thomas coming towards them. She swung off of Bounce and led him toward Thomas. ¡§That was great!¡¨ he exclaimed. ¡§You got sixth in the dressage, and Chloe and Lana did pretty well, too.¡¨ Megan frowned up at him. ¡§Pretty well? They beat me!¡¨ ¡§Well, I think it was an unfair judging. No matter what, you guys gave a great showing for Speedstreet.¡¨ He declared loyally. Megan laughed and pushed him away. ¡§Yeah, right. But please, don¡¦t stop now, 'cause I¡¦m enjoying the flattery.¡¨
Megan focused carefully. ¡§Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Go!¡¨ the announcer called. Megan spun Bounce in a tight circle and heeled him towards the first jump. Four, three, two, one, squeeze! and over and up! She thought to herself as she and Bounce sailed over the first jump, a large stack of telephone poles. Next was a chicken coop, then a jump into the water, over a log on a small island, and back out of the water. Only five more jumps to go. Megan thought. All of a sudden, she heard a loud snort that didn¡¦t come from Bounce. There shouldn¡¦t be any other horses on the course right now. Maybe one of the contestant¡¦s horses escaped. It¡¦ll mean forfeiting, but the horse is more important. Megan thought frantically. She slowed Bounce quickly and turned him towards where the snort had come from. After only a few steps off the course, she saw a dainty gray horse on its side.
Oh, no. she thought. Stopping Bounce in his tracks, she leapt off and ground-tied him. She pulled the emergency safety kit that her dad insisted she took out of her saddle bag. She carefully approached the beautiful horse, which was obviously in pain. Soon Megan saw why. The horse¡¦s back legs were caught in a long strand of barbed wire! Megan¡¦s heart raced. She stepped right up to the horse, making sure that the horse could see her. The horse flicked its ears at Megan, but was too distressed to do anything else. Ok, do I try to cut her free or race to get help. . . I¡¦ve got wire cutters in my bag. I have to get her free before I do anything else. Megan squatted down. Taking a deep breath, she headed to work. ¡§Okay, girl. Let¡¦s see what we can do for you.¡¨ Continuing to croon softly to the horse, she worked her way over to the horse¡¦s back legs. She flipped open her safety kit and removed the wire cutters. She closed her eyes for a second when she saw the damage done to the gorgeous horse and began to cut the horse free. It was the work of but a minute. Soon, Megan was clearing away the wire near the horse¡¦s feet. She pulled out a roll of thick gauze and a tube of ointment. Wincing softly, Megan began to rub the ointment on the mare¡¦s legs, singing softly to soothe the horse. After a good amount of ointment was on the mare¡¦s back left leg, Megan began to wrap it in the thick, soft gauze. She repeated the process with the horse¡¦s other back leg.
When Megan was done, she urged the mare to her feet. Walking slowly so the mare could keep up, Megan led her back to Bounce. The sweet stallion nuzzled the mare¡¦s neck, and then stood still. Megan pulled a halter out of her saddlebag. It wasn¡¦t the normal practice for competitors to bring so many supplies, but Megan always tried to be prepared. Slipping the halter over the mare¡¦s ears, Megan gently fastened it. ¡§Oh, no. I bet everyone¡¦s worried. I better call.¡¨ She murmured to the horses. She grabbed her cell phone and flipped it open. Hitting 4 on her speed dial, she called Thomas. ¡§Megan? Is that you? Are you okay?¡¨ Thomas asked as soon as he answered. ¡§Yeah, it¡¦s me. I¡¦m fine. I found a horse on the cross country course while I was jumping. She had barbed wire all around her back feet. I had to help her. She¡¦s in kind of bad shape. Call the judges and tell them to get a horse van to jump 5. I¡¦ll be there in 10. I've got to go now. Sorry to make you worry, but you haven¡¦t seen this horse. Tell Mark for me, okay? Bye.¡¨ ¡§Bye,¡¨ Thomas automatically responded. Hanging up, he ran towards the judge¡¦s booth.
¡§Come on, girl.¡¨ Megan crooned. ¡§We¡¦re almost back to the trailer now. Then we can get you some carrots and love and medical attention!¡¨ the horse snorted, but tried to speed up. ¡§Good Girl! Just come on up this ramp, and we¡¦re home free.¡¨ The horse followed and stepped up the ramp behind Bounce and Megan. Megan slipped off of Bounce and led him into one stall. Quickly latching the door, she gently led the mare into the other stall. Closing that door, she returned to Bounce and quickly stripped off his tack, replacing it with a halter and blanket. She set the tack on the floor of the van and motioned to the driver to close up the van and head home. He nodded and headed to the cab.
Megan returned to the horses. She said to the mare, ¡§I¡¦ve got to choose a name for you. I¡¦m sure someone owns you, but I still have to call you something.¡¨ She thought for a second. ¡§How about Dove? That seems appropriate. You are grey, after all.¡¨ The horse nickered and leaned on her front feet to take some of the weight off of her back feet. ¡§Ok, Dove it is then.¡¨
Megan unhooked the cross-ties holding Dove still in the van. Tuning the horse carefully in the confined space, she led her off of the van. Thomas and Mark were at the end of the ramp, waiting. ¡§Go get a vet,¡¨ she told Thomas. He nodded and loped towards the vet standing near the show jumping ring. ¡§Are you okay?¡¨ Mark asked, peering into her eyes. Megan nodded. ¡§I¡¦m fine, but you should see Dove¡¦s legs. She is in such bad shape.¡¨ Mark nodded and stepped into the van. He unhooked Bounce and led him out behind Dove. ¡§Yowch.¡¨ He winced when he saw the thick bandages around Dove¡¦s back legs. ¡§No wonder it took you so long to get back. Bandaging her like that must have taken forever.¡¨ Megan grimaced. ¡§It really did, but she was a good sport and held still for me. The hardest part about this will be giving her back to her owner.¡¨
At that moment, Thomas returned leading the vet, with Chloe and Lana dragging a case of medical supplies. Without stopping, the vet bent over and began unwrapping Dove¡¦s legs. ¡§Where did you find this poor little girl?¡¨ he asked as he worked. Megan answered softly as she held Dove¡¦s head, ¡§She was in the woods near jump 5, stuck in a strand of barbed wire. I cut her free and wrapped her up good, but I only had some of that Cool Cream stuff to put on her leg. I probably shouldn¡¦t have, but I wasn¡¦t going to wrap her up without anything.¡¨ The vet nodded. ¡§You did the right thing. The wrap pulled most of the cream off so I can stitch her up pretty well.¡¨
Falling silent, the vet pulled a sterile needle out of his medicinal bag and fit a vial of painkiller to it. Inserting it in the horse¡¦s flanks, the vet began to prepare to sew Dove¡¦s skin back together. He carefully sanitized the wound on Dove¡¦s left hind leg with a type of peroxide. He pulled another sterile needle from his bag, but this time threaded it with a type of plastic string used in stitches. Moving deftly, he whisked the needle back and forth through the horse¡¦s skin until there was a neat line of stitches holding the wound together. Unwrapping Dove¡¦s other leg, he repeated the process. ¡§So you know whose horse this is?¡¨ the vet asked. Megan shook her head no. ¡§Like I said, I just found her off of the path near jump five, kind of near the Haltom¡¦s property. I¡¦ll call them right now.¡¨ Turning away, Megan pulled out her cell phone and Sidekick. She pulled up an instant phone directory on her Sidekick, found the Haltom¡¦s number, and quickly dialed it.

[Pookystar]

¡§Hello, Mrs. Haltom?¡¨ Megan asked. ¡§This is Megan Danielle from Speedstreet. Is there a gray mare, maybe around four or five years old, boarded on your farm?¡¨ The woman on the other end of the line gave a sigh of relief. ¡§You found Eve? Oh, my, we were so worried! She isn¡¦t even ours; she belonged to the late Mrs. Kennard. Is she okay? Where is she?¡¨ Megan smiled ruefully. ¡§Well, she¡¦s at the horse show next door, but she could be better. She got caught in a strand of barbed wire, and I had to cut her loose. The vet, Dr. Luke, just finished stitching her up. You said her owner died?¡¨ Mrs. Haltom sighed regretfully. ¡§Yes, and she said in her will just to give her to a loving home. Mrs. Kennard was a young competitor; she died in a car crash on Main. Would you like Eve? We¡¦ll pay the vet bills for this.
Without hesitating, Megan answered, ¡§We¡¦ll take her! Thank you so much. I¡¦ll call my dad and have him call you right now. Thank you! Bye-Bye.¡¨ As Megan ended her call and began dialing her dad, she turned to Thomas and mark and smiled. ¡§I think we just got ourselves a new horse,¡¨ she told them. ¡§Hello, Dad? Call Mrs. Haltom real quick. I found one of her boarders on the trail, stuck in some barbed wire. I called Mrs. Haltom and she said that her owner died and they were looking for a good home for her-for free! I told her we would take her. She¡¦s great, Dad.¡¨ Mr. Danielle sighed. ¡§Why did I expect to hear you say that. What¡¦s her number, I¡¦ll call her now.¡¨ Megan smiled. ¡§Thanks, Dad. Her number is 254-7286. Got that? Ok, thanks. Ok, see you in a few hours.¡¨
Megan ended her call and turned back to her brother, boyfriend, and the vet. ¡§Ok, it¡¦s all set up. Eve is ours now. Thank, Dr. Luke, Mrs. Haltom said she would pick up the bill. She should be here soon. So, how is Eve? Is the okay to take home yet, or should you take her into the hospital?¡¨ The vet smiled easily. ¡§She¡¦s okay to take home. I¡¦ll come to your house in three weeks to remove the stitches. Don¡¦t let her out for more than an hour a day the first week, then let her out for about three hours a day the second and third weeks. Don¡¦t let her run too much, though, or the stitches will pull out. Other than that, just treat her like any horse. And don¡¦t worry about the bill, I¡¦m not going to charge anything because she didn¡¦t really belong to anyone when she got hurt.¡¨ Thomas stepped forward. ¡§Thank you, Dr. Luke. My dad will be here soon.¡¨
A few hours later, everything was arranged. Eve was comfortably settled in at the Danielle¡¦s farm, and Bounce, Quartz, and Darkrose were cooled out in their stalls, too. The girls were back in the locker room, changing to go to the movies. ¡§It¡¦s too bad you had to forfeit, Megan.¡¨ Chloe commented. Megan grinned and said, ¡§Well, yeah, but there¡¦ll be other shows. I got a horse!¡¨ Lana and Chloe and Megan cheered. ¡§Now come on, we¡¦ve got two hours before the movie starts. If we hurry, we can go get a burger before we go.¡¨ Lana said. Megan nodded. She slipped into a tight tan leather skirt and jacket, with a monkey shirt underneath. Beside her, Chloe was straightening a sleek silver miniskirt, with a preppy tee that read ¡§Catch A Wave¡¨. Lana sat on the low bench, slipping on 2-inch, knee-length black boots to match her tight jeans and concert tee. Megan slipped on her ankle-length matching boots, and Chloe pulled on a pair of tan Ugs. ¡§Ready?¡¨ Lana asked. ¡§Let¡¦s rock!¡¨ Chloe yelled in a fake rock-star voice. The girls ran out into the aisle like football players, where they, literally, ran into their boyfriends.
¡§Whoa!¡¨ Thomas yelled as he caught his sister and Lana. Beside him, Mark and Phil caught Chloe and held her upright. The girls collapsed, giggling weakly as they sat on the floor. The guys looked at each other. ¡§Let¡¦s leave ¡¥em. Costs less without ¡¥em.¡¨ Thomas suggested. Megan scrambled to her feet and thwacked her brother. He helped Chloe up. Beside them, Phil had gallantly scooped up Lana and was carrying her like some kind of medieval princess. Suddenly he mock-groaned and pretended to drop her, setting her on a hay bale.
Four and a half hours later, they all crowded back into the stable laughing. ¡§That was such a lame movie, it¡¦s really actually funny.¡¨ Phil decreed. ¡§I know! It was more of a snooze session than a movie!¡¨ Chloe complained. Megan piped in, ¡§The best part about that movie was the popcorn, for gosh sakes!¡¨
Monday at school, everyone was gossiping about the show. ¡§Is it true that you passed out on the cross country course and had to forfeit?¡¨ Megan¡¦s arch-enemy Lacy asked in a stuck-up voice. ¡§No.¡¨ Megan said defensively. ¡§I found a hurt horse and had to help it. If it was you, you would have left it to die, right, if it made you lose. You only care about you.¡¨ Turning on her heel, Megan walked away with Thomas, Mark, and Chloe. Glancing over her shoulder, Megan saw Lacy gaping after her. She fake-smiled at her and turned to Mark. ¡§Ooooh, she makes me SO mad. I¡¦ve got to do something about her.¡¨ ¡§What CAN you do?¡¨ he asked her. Megan replied sarcastically, ¡§Well, strangulation comes to mind.¡¨ ¡§Come on, cool it,¡¨ Thomas told her. ¡§Besides, I already tried that, her bodyguard beat me up.¡¨
After school, Megan relaxed by grooming her horses. She checked Eve¡¦s stitches and rubbed ointment on the wounds. She wandered back to Bounce¡¦s stall when she finished her chores. ¡§Hey, boy,¡¨ she crooned. ¡§Sorry we had to quit at Watermeadows the other day.¡¨ The pretty black stallion nuzzled her and bounced his head eagerly. Megan smiled. She guessed the stallion had a crush on Eve. ¡§OK boy. I¡¦ve gotta go now. We can go for a hack tomorrow or the next day.¡¨ Rubbing the stallion¡¦s nose, she walked out of the jumping barn.
Jogging over to the racing-training barn, she saw her dad and Daniel standing together. At 18, the young jockey had exercise-ridden for the farm since he was 14. He still rode for them now. ¡§Hey Daniel. What¡¦s up?¡¨ Megan asked as she turned to the bay filly standing beside them. Rubbing the horse¡¦s nose, she listened as her dad explained the situation to her. ¡§Well, Twilight here is about ready to go to her maiden. I was talking to Daniel about when he thought she should go and if he could ride her.¡¨ Daniel sensed his key and stepped in. ¡§I thought she could probably go her maiden at Keenland on the 24 of June. There is plenty of time for her to train, I¡¦m free that day, and it is a field of strictly beginners, no horse who has already gone their maiden.¡¨ Megan nodded. ¡§That would be good. Hey dad, when do I get to get my jockey¡¦s license? I turn sixteen in a few weeks, you know, right after school gets out. May 19, to be precise.¡¨ Megan¡¦s dad groaned. ¡§Aw, darn, I forgot! Do I really have to get you anything?¡¨ he teased. Megan frowned. ¡§Yes. Now, about my license¡K¡¨ Her dad held up his hands. ¡§Yeah, I know, I set up an appointment with you on the 20. Daniel and Logan are going to test you.¡¨ Megan smiled at the mention of the older jockey¡¦s name. She was one of Megan¡¦s parent¡¦s best friends. ¡§Thanks Dad!¡¨ Reaching up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, Megan dashed off.
A few weeks later, on the 19, Megan anxiously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited for her driving test to begin. ¡§OK, back out and go to the first stop sign. Turn left.¡¨ The instructor said. Half an hour later, Megan and the instructor returned to the driver registration center. Megan turned her head to look at the instructor. ¡§Good job. Give me a minute, and I¡¦ll get your license ready for you.¡¨ He smiled at Megan. ¡§You are now a fully licensed driver!¡¨ ¡§Thank you!¡¨ Megan said. A minute later, the instructor returned with her updated license. ¡§Go crazy,¡¨ he said as he handed it to her. Waving at him, Megan drove off. ¡§OK, that wasn¡¦t too bad. Tomorrow I get to try for my jockey¡¦s license, too. But I better focus on driving. Mom would kill me if I wrecked her car.¡¨ Soon Megan was coasting into the long driveway at the farm. She parked the car and raced to the mare¡¦s barn, where she found Thomas and Mark admiring Eve. ¡§I got my license!¡¨ She squealed. Her brother turned and gave her a high-five. ¡§Both of us in one day. Mom and Dad are going to hyperventilate!¡¨ he cried in glee. Mark also turned and gave her a hug. ¡§Good job! Now everyone has their licenses!¡¨ Megan nodded and sank into his arms. ¡§And tomorrow, I¡¦m going for my jockey¡¦s license. So is Thomas.¡¨ She hopped up and down nervously. ¡§Wish us luck!¡¨ Thomas reached out and punched her. ¡§Relax. You¡¦ll be fine. You have been exercising the ponies since you, well, we were like 12. Then Mom and Dad will really hyperventilate.¡¨ He grinned and turned back to Eve. ¡§Of course, I don¡¦t plan on failing either.¡¨
Megan perched over Blondie¡¦s back. The 6 year old race mare snorted and steadied herself. Megan could hear Daniel and Logan perched on two other well-trained racehorses beside her in the gate. ¡§3, 2, 1, GO! Ding, Ding!¡¨ The gate in front of Megan and Blondie sprang open. Ready and anticipating the start, Megan and Blondie flew out of the gate in perfect harmony. Leaning over Blondie¡¦s withers, Megan silently counted the beats in her gallop. The duo sprinted out a quarter mile, then slowed to an easy lope, then a walk. She turned and saw Daniel and Logan posting over to her. ¡§Good job.¡¨ Logan called. She grinned. ¡§Probably would have been better if we could keep up, but still, good job.¡¨ Megan smiled happily and rubbed Blondie¡¦s neck. ¡§Thanks! I¡¦m having a good birthday. Thomas and I have our party tonight, I got my license yesterday, and I hopefully got my jockey¡¦s license today!¡¨ Daniel stretched his back. ¡§Well, if we have any say in it, you get your license.¡¨ Megan smiled at him. ¡§Well, I know the first rule for any rider is to take care of your horse. You guys go talk to the steward for me; I¡¦ll take care of the horses.¡¨ Daniel and Logan agreeably jumped off and walked over to the steward. Megan quickly cooled out the horses and untacked them. Putting them in crossties one beside the other, she gave them each a quick grooming. She led them back to the stalls in the Danielle¡¦s stable area at Keenland. She ran outside to find Logan and Daniel walking towards her with the steward.
¡§I can¡¦t believe it. I just can¡¦t!¡¨ Megan spun around in a happy circle. ¡§This family got 4 licenses in 2 days!¡¨ ¡§Yeah, yeah, shut about it already, would ya?¡¨ Thomas complained as he drove home. Megan fell silent. For a second. ¡§What do you think everyone got us?¡¨ she asked. Thomas sighed. ¡§Who knows? The sooner you shut up, the faster I¡¦ll drive, and the faster we¡¦ll get home and find out.¡¨ Megan fell silent again, this time all the way home.
Megan and Thomas walked into their house. Hmmmmm, I wonder why the lights are off and there appears to be nobody home, Megan thought with amusement. She pulled out her key, then thought better of it. She motioned to Thomas to follow her. She snuck around to the door leading into her room. She silently unlocked it and slipped inside. Her brother did the same thing. They carefully removed their shoes and snuck into the den, where they saw roughly 30 people hiding behind their furniture. She counted down from three on her fingers. Then, perfectly on cue, she and Thomas yelled, ¡§SURPRISE!¡¨ Everyone shrieked and jumped up. Megan fell over laughing. Beside her, Thomas did, too. Megan landed next to him, still cracking up at the expressions on their guests¡¦ faces. Even though they had had their breath knocked out of them, they couldn¡¦t stop laughing. Chloe ran over and started hitting them.
Several hours later, everyone had left except for Chloe, Lana, Mark, Phil, and of course the Danielles. ¡§That was awesome,¡¨ Megan happily declared. ¡§Thanks, you guys.¡¨ She got up and hugged Tom and Dana, her mom. ¡§That was just too cool of you.¡¨ She got up and walked over to the window. Happily Thomas joined her. They looked out together at their own cars. Megan had a small, turquoise-blue hybrid Mustang convertible, and Thomas had gotten a cherry red one. Megan knew that her parents did pretty well, but she had no idea that they were that well off. Other presents were lying on the tables. They included: a PDA for each them, MP3 players for both, a new racing bridle and saddle for each of them, a guitar for Thomas, collars for Megan¡¦s and Thomas¡¦ dogs, and cute makeup and accessories for Megan. ¡§Think of it as the 10 years of summer camp you always wanted to go to.¡¨ Tom had told them.
The next morning, everyone piled out of the house to exercise the racehorses. Megan and Thomas brought their new tack. ¡§OK, Megan, you get Leila, Thomas; Azalea, Chloe, you can have Luau, Lana, you get Camellia, Mark, you take Rose, and Phil gets Lightning Strike. Any questions, ask them on the track. Tack is¡Xin the tack room. No harsh bits, except on Lightning, and use the black saddles. OK, get to it.¡¨ Everyone race to their stalls and began furiously grooming the horses. When they were done with their horse, they raced to the tack room and back to see who could tack up their horse the fastest. Struggling with the firm leather of their new saddles, Megan and Thomas lost. Lana had to get a ton of dirt off of Camellia, and Phil couldn¡¦t get Lightning to take the bit. The race was between Chloe and Mark. Mark won as he slung the saddle over the low back of Rose. Panting, Chloe admitted defeat. ¡§Hurry up, you guys,¡¨ she complained as she waited for everyone else to finish. She tightened her girth and jumped up over Luau¡¦s back. Swinging around, she took up the reins and got ready to ride out of the barn. Normally she wouldn¡¦t ride in the barn, but she was proving a point. Grumbling, everyone else finished and led their horses out of the barn. Swinging into their saddles, they trotted to the practice track and stopped. ¡§OK, you guys are going to race. Go two laps of the track at a trot and jog to warm up, then come back. Hurry up, because Logan and Daniel are going to race, too, and they want a clear track. Any questions? Good. See ya later.¡¨ Tom instructed briskly. Megan rolled her eyes as they trotted off.
Megan posted easily as she swung Leila around the track in a wide circle to cool her down. She saw her dad motion to her, and rode over to him. ¡§What¡¦s up, Pop?¡¨ She asked cheekily. He ignored her and bent down over Leila¡¦s front right leg. Megan felt Leila shift her weight as Tom rubbed the leg. Straightening up, Tom frowned. ¡§She feels warm. Did you warm her up right? The race was short, but you guys won in a fast time. Do you think she might have hurt herself during the race? Did you feel anything?¡¨ Megan shook her head. ¡§You know I would have said something. She was all right before the race, too. Maybe it¡¦s just a rock.¡¨ She said hopefully. Tom shook his head. ¡§Jump off.¡¨ Megan did. Her dad smiled up at her. ¡§You go take care of the dogs for your mom. I¡¦ll handle Leila and tell everyone where you went.¡¨ He straightened. ¡§Don¡¦t look so worried. I¡¦m sure that she will be fine.¡¨ Megan smiled, reassured, and ran towards the house. Entering, she was almost knocked to the ground by four eager dogs. Pearl had gotten completely better and was on the verge of plumpness. Buddy and Tippy had gotten no smaller, and Maggie was darting around at Megan¡¦s feet. ¡§Whoa!¡¨ Megan cried laughing. She leaned forward and back, trying to regain her balance. Suddenly the door opened behind her, knocking her over. Lying on the ground with a literal dog pile on top of her, Megan looked up into the face of her adversary.
¡§THOMAS!!¡¨ Megan yelled. She glared up at him from the floor. He cracked up. ¡§Whaddid ya do that for? That was so not funny!¡¨ She exclaimed. Mark swept past Thomas and gracefully pulled Megan upright. He playfully reached over and held out his hand to Thomas. ¡§High five, dude!¡¨ Megan slapped him. She bent over and grabbed 3 cans of dog food. She dumped one in Buddy¡¦s bowl, which was half-full of dry food, one in Tippy¡¦s, which was empty, and half in each Pearl and Maggie¡¦s bowls. She turned back to her brother. Chloe, Lana, and Phil had joined him in the entryway. ¡§How did yall get up here that fast?¡¨ she asked. Thomas smiled. ¡§We put the horses out in the pasture. They didn¡¦t have to be groomed or anything.¡¨ Megan nodded. They all ran out of the kitchen, dogs and all.
Megan cut her tires and pulled into the road. Everybody had gone to the pool for a few hours, and now they were headed to get some ice cream before they headed home. She spoke to Chloe, sitting beside her in the cherry-red Mustang. ¡§Hey, Chloe, do you want to come over again after ice cream? Lana is already coming, and today¡¦s the day that I can ride Eve again.¡¨ Before Megan finished her sentence, Chloe smiled. ¡§You know I am at your house like 24 hours a day in the summer anyway!¡¨ she scolded. Megan smiled and turned into the driveway of the ice cream place, Super Scoops.
Three weeks later, Megan mounted up on Eve for an early-morning workout. Originally, the mare had been a jumper, but lacked some of the talent necessary to make it to the top. Lately, Megan had been retraining her to be a racehorse. She pulled the tight stirrups high on the saddle and wedged her feet inside. Taking up her reins, Megan urged Eve forward. Stopping at the track, Megan pulled around Eve¡¦s head. Dancing in place, the horse made it clear: she wanted to run. Megan patted the top of her neck and looked down at her dad and Lisa, his assistant trainer. ¡§What do you think we should do today?¡¨ she asked them nervously. Tom smiled. ¡§Relax, just relax.¡¨ He said. ¡§Now, today we¡¦re going to let her go. She was in great shape before her accident and never really got out of shape, so she should be okay. I want you to warm her up really well, do like 5 laps to be sure. Thomas said that he would take an exercise pony out with you. Take it nice and easy during warm up, then come back here and we¡¦ll see how she feels.¡¨ Megan smiled. ¡§Okay. I¡¦m ready; we can do this.¡¨ She clucked to Eve. ¡§Let¡¦s go, girl!¡¨ Megan loosened her hold on the reins and allowed Eve to move onto the track.
Checking left and right, Megan waited while Chloe and Mark raced past on a couple of four-year-olds, and saw Lana trotting up ahead. Phil was on the ground, leading his mount in and out of one of the starting gate stalls for practice. ¡§Check,¡¨ Megan muttered. The next second, she almost jumped out of her skin as Thomas rode up on a creamy palomino retired Arabian race mare. She glared at him, but just began limbering up Eve. Trotting her in a few large circles that became smaller and smaller, Megan exhaled shakily. When Eve was loose, Megan began trotting her around the track. The horse¡¦s excited pull on the reins was constantly pulling on her arms, but Megan held back, happy with Eve¡¦s desire to run. She trotted back over to her dad after several laps.
Megan loosened her reins as Lisa took hold of Eve¡¦s head. Pulling off her thick leather gloves, she wiped her hands on her jeans. ¡§Ok, take her out at a canter until the half mile pole, then hand-gallop her back to the mile marker. As you pass the gap, gradually, I repeat, gradually let her go. Only let her run two furlongs, then ease her back, but don¡¦t let her get frustrated. Other than that, you know what to do.¡¨ Tom instructed. Megan nodded. She turned to her brother, who also nodded.
¡§Hey,¡¨ he said, catching up to her on his mare, Butterscotch. ¡§Don¡¦t worry about it so much. To tell you the truth, I¡¦ve been taking Eve out on gallops every day for something like two weeks. She¡¦s perfect.¡¨ He looked away guiltily. ¡§I didn¡¦t tell you because I knew that you would worry, but she has been going PERFECTLY, I swear. Oh, look, it¡¦s time to canter now. Let¡¦s go!¡¨ With that, Thomas urged his creamy mare into a fast, loose canter. Megan snorted and followed him. Easily the two horses cantered side by side. Glancing over at each other, the horses jumped into a perfectly syncopated hand gallop. They breezed by the gap, and Megan hunched her shoulders and began to lean forward and reduce the tight hold on the reins. Soon Eve was running full out, but still well under Megan¡¦s control. Megan glanced back under her arm and saw her brother raise his crop in a salute to Megan and Eve as they left Thomas and Buttercup in the dust.

[Pookystar]

As they tore past the quarter-mile pole, Megan began to pull Eve up. The pretty filly snorted unhappily, but quickly slowed herself anyway. Caught up in the moment, Megan gave the command to turn quickly, and Eve reared up on her hind legs and spun around. Megan whooped and leaned forward. Trotting back to the gap slowly to cool down and savor the moment, Megan smiled. She met up with Thomas at the furlong pole. He was grinning like an idiot. ¡§WHOO!OOUOOUOH!¡¨ He yelled excitedly as he rode beside Megan. ¡§She was blazing!¡¨ he yelled. ¡§You have no idea just how fast you were going, do you?¡¨ He demanded. ¡§You could have won the Derby, you were going so freakin¡¦ fast! Man! When I rode her, she never went nearly that fast! Sheesh, dudette!¡¨ Megan smiled. Tightening her hands on the reins, she relayed some of her excitement to Eve. The mare lightly picked up her front feet. Leaning back over her haunches slightly, she took several steps on her hind legs.
Megan leaned back and sighed happily. She was outside sitting in the sun in the grass. She turned to Eve, who was grazing beside her in the warm sunshine. The sensitive horse raised her head and snorted. Megan looked up and saw Mark heading her way. She smiled and waved. He sat on the ground behind her and Megan leaned back, putting her head on his knees. He toyed with her hair. ¡§You know how the back to school dance is on the first of September?¡¨ he asked her. ¡§You know how it¡¦s a supposed black and white occasion? Well, I was wondering if you would do me the honor of accompanying me?¡¨ he said, a hint of laughter in his voice. Megan looked back, a mock ¡§tear¡¨ in her eye. ¡§You know I would love to, absolutely love too, but I have already promised somebody else. You see, Bounce asked me first, and I must not shame him by turning him down after I already agreed to go with him.¡¨ She laughed and sat up. Spinning around, she bopped him on the head. ¡§Who else would I go with, ya retard?¡¨ She leaned in and kissed him on his nose. ¡§But, to answer your question, I would most definitely be delighted to come to the fall formal with you.¡¨ Mark smiled in genuine relief. ¡§Great! I was worried you would have a race or show or whatever to go to. Oh yeah, I forgot! I have a show to go to that day! Sorry!¡¨ he teased.
Megan balanced high on Sunburst¡¦s withers. She trotted the stallion in a light circle as she waited for her turn to load. Megan smiled to herself as she thought back. She had raced in three races that week, and won two of them. The third, she had gotten a bad break, but still came back to get third. Now she was racing one of her father¡¦s horses at Keenland, only half an hour down the road from their farm, Speedstreet. Megan snapped back to attention as she felt her bright red mount pull anxiously at the reins. Megan held him back with her legs as she rubbed his neck. ¡§Whoa, boy. Calm down now. We have to load next, so let¡¦s be good.¡¨ Reassured by Megan¡¦s lilting tone, the horse relaxed slightly. Megan saw her pony rider approach to lead her on to the track. She urged Sunburst forward. The stallion laid back his ears at the gelding for a moment, then went willingly. Megan cantered him down the track beside the pinto Quarter Horse. Soon, warm up was over and the first horses were loading into the gate. Megan smiled at the lead rider and urged Sunburst into the number four slot. Sunburst had been a great grade 3 stakes racer before a recent injury, and was just now making his comeback. Megan was riding him in a grade 2 stakes to get his strength built back up. Megan knew that Sunburst could win the race easily if he tried, but the mentality of being injured might still remain. Leaning forward, she banished those thoughts from her head. ¡§We¡¦re gonna do great, right boy?¡¨ she said firmly. Taking up her reins, Megan prepared for the fast break that would propel her out of the gate. ¡§One back!¡¨ Megan leaned tightly over the horse¡¦s shoulders. Tucking herself into a tight ball, she held on tight to Sunburst with her hands and knees.
¡§Briiiiiiinggg!¡¨ The bells of the start rang in Megan¡¦s ears. Sunburst flew forward. All of a sudden, Megan saw the ground rushing up to meet her. She shifted her balance, trying to keep her colt on his feet. Megan saw that it was a lost cause. Another jockey, seeing her plight, swerved wide out of the way so Megan didn¡¦t fall on him. Megan held on tight to the ends of her reins and flung herself towards the bare track. Curling into a ball, Megan landed and rolled to her feet. Two horses at the rear of the pack blew by her, but Megan only had thoughts for her horse. She ran over to him, seeing before she reached him that his leg was broken. Megan reached him, crying. He screamed in pain and tried to get up. Megan pushed his head back to the ground. Putting her knee on his neck to keep him down, Megan realized that there was an incredible pain in her arm. She glanced down. Without any medical training, she could see that her arm was broken at the wrist. Megan jumped as the paramedics and horse ambulance came roaring to a stop behind her. She turned. ¡§I don¡¦t... I don¡¦t know if he¡¦ll make it.¡¨ she pronounced quietly. The vet smiled reassuringly as she tried to make Sunburst more comfortable. ¡§I¡¦ve never lost a patient like this, and I don¡¦t plan to start now.¡¨ Megan tried to smile and thanked the vet. She turned to the paramedics waiting for her. ¡§Now, do you think you could do something about this for me?¡¨ she asked, her tone solemn. The paramedics began to arrange her on a stretcher.
A few hours later, Megan and her mother emerged from the emergency room. Megan had indeed broken her wrist, and had had a light green cast put on it. She scratched under it lightly, but smiled as she left the hospital. True to his word, the vet had found a way to save Sunburst with a minimum amount of pain. Megan stepped into her car and fastened her seat belt. Her mom stepped in the passenger seat. ¡§So, where is he being treated?¡¨ Megan asked eagerly. Smiling, Dana gave her directions to the horse hospital. ƒº
Megan held Sunburst¡¦s lead lightly in her good hand and led him in gentle circles in the soft green grass. Megan had had the cast removed from her arm and was now wearing a light brace. Sunburst had had to have surgery, but was getting better. He had a small collection of pins in his leg to support his weight while he was getting better, and getting better he was. Only two weeks after his surgery, he was able to walk again in the soft green grass of Kentucky.
Megan trotted Bounce in a tight circle. Tugging back on the reins, she cued him to fake-rear and spin in a circle. He did, and even took a few steps balanced lightly in the air. Megan then gave him the command to take a bow and exit without her hands on the reins. She smiled as he trotted in a wide circle around the ring. She had gotten a video on horse-training for the movies and TV shows and had tried some of the techniques out on Bounce. They had worked fairly well, but somehow, her horse lacked some of the luster and thrill of the horses on TV. ¡§It¡¦s not your fault.¡¨ She murmured to Bounce. ¡§They have plastic surgery sometimes, I¡¦ve heard.¡¨ She put him out in the paddock, tossing the bridle over the fencepost, and ambled to Sunburst¡¦s stall. The gelding was now healed of his broken leg, as Megan was of her wrist, but he would never race again. Megan entered the stall and gave him a hug. ¡§It¡¦s okay, boy. We love you no matter what.¡¨
Megan hunched up tight in a ball. It was the first race since her injury that she had ridden in. She was mounted on a silky black colt named Midnight Star. Tightening her grip on his sides until her muscles hurt, she prepared for the break. She loosened her grip on the reins, preparing the horse to leap forward. The bell rang in her ear and the gates flew open. She loosened one leg and kicked the stallion hard in the side. Oh, no. she thought as the ground seemed to come toward her. She realized that it was the motion of her mount¡¦s shoulder as it went up and down in stride. OK, get a hold on yourself, Danielle. We can and will win safely. She straightened from her clinging position and began urging her horse forward into a better position to make a bid for the lead. Rocking back and forth slightly, she prepared herself to blast forward. Megan rubbed her legs along the glossy black colt¡¦s sides and felt the wind bring tears to her eyes as they rocketed forward. Crouching higher on Midnight¡¦s neck, she slapped his flanks with her whip, flinching as she heard the hard leather make contact. The horse squealed, but put on an amazing show of power. ¡§Sorry boy,¡¨ she muttered about the whip. Waving it by his eye, she loosened the reins and asked for a final burst. Her mount stretched his head out far, his ears back and tail blowing wildly. Megan made herself as small as possible as they thundered towards the finish line.
And they were under! Megan pulled hard on the reins with one hand, swinging the whip above her head in a victory salute with the other. She turned her mount and slowly eased him to a stop in front of the winners circle. She tossed the reins to Thomas and pulled off the saddle. Trotting over to the scales, Megan¡¦s shoulders sagged. The attendant took her weight and smiled at her. ¡§Good race.¡¨ He commented appreciatively. Megan smiled her thanks and returned to Midnight¡¦s side. She sagged against him as she mounted back up. She shook her hair out. Leaning over, she whispered to Thomas, ¡§I must be getting weak. I couldn¡¦t have held him if I tried!¡¨ ¡§Don¡¦t worry,¡¨ Thomas reassured her. ¡§No one can!¡¨
Megan headed back to the jockey¡¦s room. Zack Hildebrandt, a jockey who was in his senior year at Megan¡¦s school, caught up with her as she checked in and headed toward the ladies locker room. ¡§Hey!¡¨ he cried. ¡§Good job! That was great, especially for his maiden!¡¨ Megan smiled. ¡§Thanks! I wasn¡¦t sure both of us had it in us.¡¨ He smiled. ¡§Hey, a jockey can do anything. Remember that.¡¨ Megan nodded. ¡§Thanks!¡¨ Loping into the locker room, she spun around. ¡§Whoa!¡¨ Logan stopped Megan before they collided. ¡§What¡¦s with you? You look like you just won the Kentucky Derby . . . which is a possibility, for the future.¡¨ Megan smiled and spun in another circle. ¡§Well, it wasn¡¦t the Kentucky Derby, but it felt the same to me.¡¨
Pulling off her dirty silks, Megan prepared for the next race of the day. Slipping into the silver and black silks of Speedstreet, she smiled in anticipation. This was Eve¡¦s first race. Entered in a six-furlong maiden for two- and three-year-olds, there shouldn¡¦t be much of a challenge. But then, Megan reminded herself, you can¡¦t take a race¡¦s outcome for granted. Megan smiled despite herself. If Eve won this race, Tom had said that they could begin prepping her for some bigger races. Megan thought about that for a minute. They knew that Eve had the speed; she had gone a black-letter work of 22.6 seconds for a quarter mile in the morning workouts last week.
Megan trotted out to the saddling paddock. Rubbing Eve¡¦s side, she swung up on her back. ¡§Megan! Megan!¡¨ she heard Thomas calling her. He held up a dainty whip covered in pink silk. Megan goggled at him. ¡§Like it? Chloe and Lana made it. It¡¦s a nice touch with the silver, I think.¡¨ Megan took the whip, spinning it around her finger. She reached down and gave her brother a one-armed hug. Sitting back straight, she urged Eve behind Tom towards the betting ring. Tom smiled up at her. ¡§You know what to do. Bring her home safe. She¡¦ll take care of the rest.¡¨ Megan smiled at him. She urged Eve over to the pony riders. Taking her place in line, Megan started to warm Eve up. Trotting her partway around the track, she began to loosen up. ¡§We¡¦re going to be fine, you know it.¡¨ Megan whispered in Eve¡¦s ear. Eve snorted and nodded her head up and down. The pony rider, overhearing, commented, ¡§That horse don¡¦t need no convincing. She¡¦s so full of herself; she could run and win alone! I got faith in you, girls.¡¨ Megan smiled at the kindly woman. ¡§Thanks. I think so, too, but, you know, rules and regulations and all that.¡¨ The lady released Megan and Eve behind the gate. Megan pulled down her first pair of goggles and began to circle Eve to keep her warm. As the first four horses loaded, the pair twirled around in loose circles to loosen Eve¡¦s sides. ¡§Number five! You¡¦re up!¡¨ Megan nodded and smoothly rode Eve into the confined gate.
¡§One back!¡¨ came the call. Megan hunched over Eve¡¦s shoulders, clinging to her mane. ¡§And the horses are loaded,¡¨ came out of the speakers. Megan tensed. The bell rang loud in her ears and she spurred Eve forward fast. Darting straight to the rail, Eve took a comfortable first place, running steadily. Rocking to the rhythmic pattern of hoof beats, Megan prepared to drive Eve forward. She saw Moonbegone come racing up on the outside. ¡§Ready, girl?¡¨ Megan called to Eve. Snorting in response, Eve leaned against the reins and sprung into a faster gear. Megan hunched even closer to Eve¡¦s neck, kneading it with her knuckles. Moonbegone fell behind. Megan could hear the announcer¡¦s call, ¡§. . . and it¡¦s Christmas Eve, opening up three lengths on the rest of the field . . . four, five, and this pair of ladies is headed for the winner¡¦s circle, folks! And it¡¦s a five length victory!¡¨
Megan pulled Eve¡¦s head around and rose up in the saddle. She triumphantly raised her fist in salutation to the crowd. Trotting back over to her pony rider, she commented, ¡§Now, at least we can race horses more evenly matched.¡¨ The lady smiled. ¡§Told ya you could do it.¡¨ She said, urging her palomino quarter horse into a trot.
Megan trotted Bounce easily over a small log. Rubbing her legs against his bare skin, she soothed him. She smiled to herself. Since Megan had gotten her jockey license, she hadn¡¦t competed in any jumping shows. She had just decided during her ride that she was going to retire Bounce to stud. He was young, only four, and healthy. It was still only May, and there were still several broodmares at Speedstreet that hadn¡¦t bred yet. All of a sudden, Megan heard a horse¡¦s shrill scream. Leaning over Bounce¡¦s neck, she urged him into a gallop toward the sound.
Megan pulled Bounce up sharply as she found the source of the noise. It was Eve! Megan quickly jumped off of Bounce and ran over to Eve. ¡§Hey girl . . . what are you doing out of your paddock?¡¨ The horse grunted and shifted her weight. Megan saw that she was holding her front left leg up off of the ground. Megan quickly ran her hands over the horse to check for other injuries. Finding none, she grabbed Eve¡¦s halter and led her back over to Bounce. Pulling herself onto Bounce¡¦s back, she began to walk slowly back to the stable.

[Pookystar]

((Sorry for the multiple posting. Our "story" was too long for one post.))

[Ivystar]

Ahhhh...

[aquakit]

Ahem, I don't think it's stupid.

[Pookystar]

Yeah, you wouldn't. But it is. Sorry.

[Froststar]

I'll get to reading it eventually, but it's just so freakin' long for it being 11:20...I'll see you in the morning!

[Pookystar]

You don't have to read it...it is REALLY STUPID and rather poorly written. But that's okay. Just go add on to the Cheese Story instead.

[Froststar]

WOOT! Instead of quotations, you put double ?'s...it's rather annoying. Do you have Word or Works?

[Pookystar]

Yeah I know...Word. It just did that when I transferred it. Sorry.

[Froststar]

This is one of the good points of having Works. It doesn't do that...but it never prints on school computers. My English teacher counted a major paper as late thus deducting 10 points because my printer didn't work and I tried to turn in a floppy. Since I have Works, all she saw were little asterisks, dashes, blocks, and the occasional letter. SO, unlike all the other good children with Word that could turn theirs in without getting point deductions, I had to sit in the classroom with a perfectly good inaccessible paper on a floppy disk, feeling rather peeved at my teacher. "Chad" had the same thing happen later on in the year, and we've both been conspiring against the Frau ever since.

[Pookystar]

I ask you a question, you have to think of the answer, where do you look? YAY RUSTY!!!!!