Elite Ambition Read Online Free Page B

up early part.”
    â€œMe too.”
    Heather looked at me and the look on her face told me what she was going to ask.
    â€œHow’d things with Jacob go?” Heather asked.
    My blush must have given her my answer.
    Heather grinned. “Sooo … you two
are
getting back together? I mean, I’m just assuming from your red face and grin that you’re barely able to hide.”
    I shoved her arm. “Stop! We had a great chat, and we’re going to keep talking this week. We both decided we want to try.”
    Heather’s eyes flickered over my face. “But what?”
    Thinking about this part made my stomach hurt. “He’s going to tell Callie the truth on Friday,” I said. “He said he made a mistake this entire time by letting me take the blame and he wants to prove to me that he cares enough by talking to Callie.”
    Heather nodded. “He’s giving you a chance to get your friend back. You have to let him go with his gut. If Jacob wants to do that for you, then let him. It’s obviously still weighing on him.”
    â€œI know it is. But—”
    I stopped midsentence when Mr. Conner walked through the entrance with a girl I’d never seen before. Herlong black hair was in a side braid and her bangs came down just over her eyebrows. She led a tall gray gelding that looked to be part Andalusian with a thick mane and wavy tail. She smiled at us, her brown almond-shaped eyes warm.
    â€œHi, girls,” Mr. Conner said, addressing Heather and me. He stopped and the new girl stopped beside him.
    â€œHi,” we said back.
    As we greeted her, I noticed her clothes. Tall, shiny black boots, breeches that looked as if they’d never been worn, and a soft pink v-neck shirt that looked like something I’d wear on a date.
    â€œHeather, Sasha,” Mr. Conner said. “I’d like to introduce you to Brit Chan and her horse Apollo. Brit’s a new transfer to Canterwood.”
    â€œHey,” I said, smiling at her. I remembered what it felt like to be the new girl.
    â€œHi,” Heather said. Her tone was a little less friendly than mine.
    â€œBrit rode for the YENT at her old school,” Mr. Conner said. “She was selected during the same round of tryouts as both of you.”
    Heather stiffened slightly. I knew Heather. She was no longer looking at Brit as another girl at school—Heathernow saw Brit as competition. As a rider who was on
our
YENT team.
    â€œMr. Conner,” Heather said. “If Brit is on the YENT now, what about Julia, Alison, and Callie? They’re all working for the next tryout.”
    Mr. Conner nodded at Heather, as if he’d expected this question from her. “Because Brit came to us as a YENT rider, there will still be an open slot on our team for another Canterwood student.”
    That answer seemed to make Heather relax a little. I went back to looking at Brit. She stood there—so calm and seemingly not intimidated by her new teammates. There was something about her that I hadn’t seen before in any student at Canterwood. I couldn’t figure out just what “it” was, but when I looked at Brit, I wanted to talk to her more.
    â€œPlease go ahead and mount your horses and we’ll get started with the lesson,” Mr. Conner said.
    I gathered the reins, slipped my toe into the stirrup iron, and swung my other leg over the back of the saddle. Heather eased Aristocrat next to Brit’s horse. I cringed, sure Heather was going to say something snarky to her.
    â€œNice shirt,” Heather said. “Fall Prada collection.”
    Brit nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
    And I’d just liked it because of the color. Was Brit one of
those
girls? A girl who’d be BFFs with the most popular girls in two seconds? What if …
no.
Not going there. I’d been around the girl for all of five seconds and I was already worrying that she was the new Jasmine on