Rebound *Book Two*

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

A total of 53 out of the 54 competitors passed the jog. One of the horses slipped on the pavement and did not pass re inspection. I am sad for that competitor, but Mark sees it as one less person to worry about in the show.

Twenty-seven, or a little more than half, of the competitors will be riding their dressage tests today. I will be doing dressage tomorrow on Friday. Today, April, GiGi, Mom, and Drew will arrive. After they arrive we will head out on a cross country course walk.

"I'm heading out on a hand walk with Rebound!" Matt shouts to me. I sit in the chair outside the tack alone. Mark and Dee both took our golf cart to watch some of the dressage.

"'Kay!" I respond back. I hear the familiar sounds of horse shoes as Matt leads Rebound out of his stall.

Sitting in the stiff folding chair, I quietly hum along to the song 'Just The Way You Are' by Bruno Mars. The music blares loud in my ear buds, blurring out the surrounding sounds. The music somewhat calms my nerves for the upcoming competition.

I smile at my phone. In my group chat with April, GiGi, Matt, and Drew, they are all making bets on what my show placings will be. Drew bet $30 that I will finish in top 5, April bet $20 that I will place between 6th and 10th, and GiGi bet $25 that I will win the competition. Winning the competition is definitely out of the picture, but I appreciate the enthusiasm. The only bad thing about group chats is that my phone blows up with texts every minute.

Me: When will u guys get here!? I miss seeing u guys!

Drew: 5 minutes away from the park

April: I say more like 3 minutes

GiGi: Look up, idiots. We r pulling into the drive now. Ali I don't know what they would do without me..

Matt: See u guys soon!

Me: MATT!!! No texting and hand walking my horse.

I am only partially joking with Matt when I text him no texting and hand walking. If Rebound spooks, Matt wouldn't be prepared. That has happened to me before and trust me, it doesn't end well.

~

A few minutes later, Matt appears back and replaces Rebound in his stall. I stand up and tousle Matt's hair in a friendly way. He sticks his tongue out at me and fixes his hair. Dee and Mark arrive back at the stables just as the rest of the crew shows up.

Mom parks her car and slowly climbs out, casually chatting with Dee on her way over to me. On the other hand, April, GiGi, and Drew bolt out of the car the minute it stops. GiGi and April barrel into me, giving me a great big bear hug.

I laugh, slightly unable to breath from their tight embrace. "Hi guys."

"Easy, easy now. Don't smush the star!" The familiar and deep voice of Drew chuckles. GiGi and April finally let go of me and Drew pulls me into a hug. He kisses me gently on the top of my head. "Hey." He whispers.

I let go of him and walk over to my mom. She buries me in a hug, whispering, "Good luck this weekend. I am so proud of you, honey. I am sure dad is, too." I smile at the thought of that.

Mark claps his hands. "Now who is ready for a cross country walk?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Such a short chapter but I really needed an update! It has literally been forever! I am so sorry! School has been putting so much stress on me and i finally got the time for an update.

Anyways, as a side note I read Fault In Our Stars in one day and I was literally crying throughout the book. Now I can't even watch the trailer without crying.