Chapter Four

our group was doing dressage while Carn was assisting Marissa with another horse
"nice job!" I called over sarcastically to April, who had a smug little expression on her face.
"I hope you feel good after what you did to Marissa!" April trotted over beside me next to Sun Dance.
"I do" she laughed, "And I will feel GREAT when I get rid of her horse." She grinned and winked at me with those small beady eyes. "Oh yeah", and this is for earlier. I felt her hands push my shoulders, and next thing I know I'm on the dirt covered ground. "Later" and she speeded around the barrels. I slowly got up and brushed the dirt off my new riding pants. Luckily Sun Dance didn't stomp all over me when I fell off, so I safely hopped back on the saddle. I cautiously looked back to make sure she wasn't going to sneak behind me and push me off again when I noticed her mom looking strait at me. She had the identical smile as April's, just upturned a little in the corners.
"I see my daughter pushed you off that pony" she exclaimed, "maybe you should learn to stay on betta?"
"Maybe your daughter shouldn't go pushing people off their horses?" I replied. Her mom stood up a little more off the rail she was leaning against, and the corners of her smile turned down into a frown.
"What did you say?" now more tense in her voice
"I said maybe your daughter shouldn't go pushing people off their horses?" I knew I had crossed the line, she jumped over the picket fence and landed right next to Sun Dance. Her eyes were bulging out of their eye sockets, and her hair was falling out of her neat little bun, Her nostrils were flared like a horse gone wild, and the pointy chin that looked like someone just glued it to her face was jutted out as far as it could go.
"Listen hear sassafras, I ain't gonna put up with this crap, my daughter has the right to push you off this jack@##, and if you don't like it, you got somthin headed your way, and it's headed right up your-
"Valerie" interrupted Carn, (she must have found Marissa a horse)
"What did you I tell you about yellin at the kids? Tory didn't do anythang so it ain't nothin to worry bout, understand?" Valerie nodded and slowly made her way toward the blue hummer, slyly looking back and glaring from time to time.
"You ride Alon now Tory" Carn said calmly, "I'll talk to you after lessons." She smiled and made her way toward the center of the ring. "All right girls, let's start at the trot!"