A Jump Over the Water

‘beeeeeeeeeeeeeep,beeeeeeeeeeeeep,beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep’ screeched the alarm clock on my bedside table. I reached out slapping the clock to shut it up and pulled myself up out of bed, groaning; 5am was way too early. It had been a week since my first day at the riding school and today was evaluation day. It had also been a week since the ‘I almost kissed Cameron Quiseng’ incident. Things had changed after that, we hadn’t really seen each other very often because I was so busy with the riding school and he was practicing for his upcoming tour. Whenever we were together though, I just felt awkward and tense. Nothing had even happened, I just felt really weird about it all. I mean, I’d love to have had the guts to kiss him, I just, I feel he doesn’t feel the same way back for me as I do to him. I shut my eyes and groaned again as my warm feet hit the freezing cold floorboards. My head was all over the place, I needed to just empty everything from my mind to concentrate for today. It was today that would decide the rest of my summer.

I padded over to my wardrobe and pulled out an old pair of jodhpurs and my joules polo shirt, my show clothes were already packed and in the truck. I glanced at myself in the mirror and sighed. I had a lot of work to do on my face for today. I pulled up a stool and started work on my makeup, the size of the bags under my bloodshot eyes was ridiculous and my lips were all chapped and bloody from where I’d been biting them. I had hardly slept last night, instead, going over and over my dressage test and the sequence of jumps.

By quarter to six, I was looking better. I pulled my straighteners quickly through my hair and headed downstairs. The smell of fresh cooked bacon hit my nostrils hit my nose and before I knew what was happening, I was in the downstairs bathroom heaving my guts up. I felt a hand rubbing my back and turned to see none other than Cameron looking down at me biting his lips. I wiped my face with the flannel and pushed myself up off the floor staggering. His strong hands held on to my waist keeping me up right.

‘Thanks’ I whispered ‘I always get really nervous before important days’. I pulled myself out of his hands gently and stumbled over to the sink to brush my teeth. I could see him standing looking at me nervously still biting his lip in the mirror. Once I’d finished with my teeth I turned to smile at him.

His green eyes looked deep into mine. ‘Have you been avoiding me?’ he whispered ‘Look, I’m really sorry about what happened, like pulling you on top of me and I didn’t mean for anything to happen’.

‘Why are you even here cameron? It’s 6am’ I stated back to him, cutting off his rant.

He took a step backwards still holding my gaze. ‘ I came so we can sort things out between us, it feels awkward and tense and I miss being friends with you even though we’ve only known each other two weeks’ he mumbled.

‘Look, I’m sorry but I really don’t have time for this today. Can we sort it later, like tonight or something? My heads all over the place and I REALLY need to go now, I still haven’t even bandaged Biscuit up yet. I’m going to be so late!’ I said as I pushed past him and walked through to the kitchen. I have no idea what just happened. I want to be friends with Cameron, heck possibly even more. I miss him being round all the time too and I hate it being awkward. Why was I such a bitch to him? Turning around, I pulled open the door and walked into the hallway just in time to see him walking out the front door.

‘Cameron, wait! I’m sorry’ I shouting after him.

‘Save it Chaice’ he said simply, slamming the door shut behind him.

Shit, that’s all I needed.

I walked back into the kitchen and out into the back garden. I walked into my tack room to get my bandages for Biscuits legs. I opened my show box to find that most of it was missing. My plaiting bands, travel bandages and coat shiner. This could not be happening, not today.

I ran to biscuits stables to see if I had left them there. The sight that hit my eyes shocked me. Biscuit was gleaming! Her coat was so shiny, you could of used it as a mirror. Each plait along her mane was perfect and her legs were bandaged too. I gave Biscuit a pat and a horse treat from my pocket and ran back to the house to my mom.

‘MOM, thank you so much for getting Biscuit ready! I was scared I was going to be late!’ I smiled at her, engulfing her in a hug.

‘wait, it’s not me you need to thank, I haven’t touched her’ she stated. I pulled out of the hug and gave her a puzzled look. ‘Bridget and Nessa have been out there all morning doing it for you, Cameron had bought them over, he had bandaged Biscuits legs whilst they groomed her. Apparently, it was all Cameron’s Idea and the girls were just happy to help! You’ll have to say thank you later on at the show, they’re coming to watch!’ my mom smiled back at me.

Oh my god. Cameron had done this for me? And I’d just been a total bitch to him. Since I had half hour spare now, I knew what I had to do.

‘be back in a minute mom’ I said giving her a quick peck on the cheek and running out the front door. I pulled open the garden gate and sprinted down the lane towards the Quisengs. Just as I rounded the corner, I saw a car pull up outside their garden gate. A very pretty brunette girl stepped out the car and looked at the house. A huge smile enveloped her face as she dropped her bags and ran into Camerons arms. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and a huge hug as he picked her up and spun her round. Please tell me I’m seeing things…