Fearless

No horsing around . . .

“Jordan and I want to learn to jump this summer on horseback!” Molly blurted out.

“Hmm, I'm not sure Jordan is ready for that.” Mama frowned a little.

“No, really, it was Jordan's idea. She wants to try it,” Molly insisted. Was this a conspiracy? Had she and Madison planned to totally put me on the spot like this?

Then I saw Mama's face. It was lit up like a sunrise. She was
glowing
. There was really no other word for it. Instead of giving me the
Jordan, I'm so worried about you
look, she gave me something else I've hardly ever seen. The
Madison, I'm so proud of you
look.

If I had just announced that I'd discovered a cure for cancer and that I was marrying Prince William, she couldn't have been happier.

“Honey, really? You want to try jumping a horse?” Mama asked.

Now Mama, Eric, Eda, Molly, and Madison all stood around me in a semicircle. All eyes were on me. Staring. Waiting.

What else could I do?

“Yeah, I guess so,” I heard myself say. “I mean, I actually want to try it. I'm going to jump a horse this summer.”

 

 

Summer Camp Secrets

by
Katy Grant

 

In memory of my sister Nan.

You often tried to tell me what to do,

but you were also my biggest fan.

 

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin paperback May 2010
Text copyright © 2010 by Katy Grant
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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.
The text of this book was set in Perpetua.
Manufactured in the United States of America 0310 OFF
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Control Number 2009937539
ISBN 978-1-4169-9162-5
ISBN 978-1-4424-0606-3 (eBook)

For this book, more than any of the others so far, I was in dire need of assistance. It has been years since I have ridden a horse, and what little I do remember about my formal riding instruction is fuzzy around the edges. So I had to call on a number of experts to guide me. These are the wonderful people who heeded my call and gave their time so generously.

I want to thank Cara Thompson, the head of the riding program at my former summer camp, who has guided me from start to finish on this book. Cara has a BA in Equine Business Management and has served as both a barn manager and instructor at St. Andrews Presbyterian College. Cara read sample chapters in the middle of her busy summer of teaching campers, responded to countless e-mails, and provided me with the feedback I so desperately needed. Her great sense of humor and her expertise in riding instruction were absolutely invaluable to me as I wrote this book.

Many thanks also to Amanda Weaver, who had just returned from a summer abroad in Russia and was about to start her senior year at Arizona State University when I asked her to read the complete manuscript. Amanda proved to be an excellent editor who
answered all of my many questions. Amanda first began riding lessons at age six, and she has competed on the ASU Equestrian Team. Recently she was certified as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor for riders with mental and physical disabilities. Without the help of these two amazing young women, I never would have been able to write about the technical aspects of riding and jumping.

I also want to thank Eric Loring for meeting me for lunch and telling me about his many experiences with riding, jumping, and owning horses. Eric and I met when I was still in the earliest stages of trying to discover Jordan's story, and he was candid in his discussion of his own fears about riding.

I am so grateful to all of you for being with me on this journey. Truly, I couldn't have done it without you!

There was really no reason why I should be nervous, but I was. And whenever I got nervous, I always felt it in my stomach. I kept reminding myself that today should be no big deal.

Mama, Eric, Madison, and I were outside in the driveway, packing the car with all our camp stuff at the ridiculously early hour of six thirty a.m. Who knew that the sun would even be up this early? It was—barely. But the whole world was draped in a soft half-light that made everything seem slightly unreal.

All of a sudden, I felt that cold sweat I'd felt so many times before.

“I'll be back in a sec,” I told them. Luckily, the garage door was open. I raced inside to the bathroom and stood there panting for a few seconds. My upper lip was all
broken out in beads of sweat. I had to concentrate really hard to keep my breakfast inside my stomach where it belonged, but at the moment, my Cheerios and apple juice were trying to rebel against me.

I grabbed a washcloth off the rack and ran it under the cold water. While I was wiping my face with it, Mama called to me through the closed door. “Jordan, honey? Are you throwing up?”

Did she always have to know every single disgusting detail of my life? “No! I'm washing my face!”

After a couple of seconds, I actually felt better, and the sick feeling passed. But when I opened the door, Mama was standing there, holding up the little bottle of Dramamine. “Do you need to take one of these?”

I frowned at her. “I don't know. Do you think I should?”

“Well, you know how windy those roads get really close to camp.”

I sighed. “Okay. Don't tell Madison I almost threw up, all right? Tell her I was washing my face.” I had a dream. A simple dream. I wanted to keep my stomach issues from becoming the viral video of the week. Was that asking too much?

“Ah, honey!” Mama rubbed my back. “Don't get so nervous! You're an old pro this year! It's not like last
year. You've got a lot of friends at camp now. And Molly will be with you, and Madison. And of course Eda, but try not to bother her today, because you know how busy Opening Day is for her.”

I took the pill Mama held out for me and swallowed it with a gulp of water. Having her tell me I shouldn't get nervous made me feel even worse.

She was right. This was going to be my
second
summer at Camp Pine Haven, so why was I on the verge of regurgitating?

Mama has always said I have a “nervous stomach” because it doesn't take much to make me regurgitate. Of all the words for throwing up—vomit, puke, barf, hurl—I liked
regurgitate
the best. It sounded more . . . medical.

“I'm not nervous. I'm just . . . stressed,” I told Mama, looking at my fingernails so I wouldn't have to see her concerned look. “You know—making sure I packed everything, all this rushing around . . .”

Madison and I were going to camp for a whole month, so there were five thousand details I had to worry about. Anytime some major event was going on—when we were leaving for a trip, or if it was the first day of school—it was like you could
feel
the stress in the air, crackling like electricity. At least I could.

“Well, if you're feeling okay now, Eric and Madison are waiting for us.”

When we went outside, Maddy was leaning against the car with this know-it-all look on her face. Not quite a smile, but almost.

The first thing she said was, “Did you throw up?”

“No.” I brushed past her and climbed into the backseat.

“I swear, Jordan, you're the only one I know who gets carsick before you even leave the driveway.” She scooted in next to me.

“I did not throw up! And excuse me for not being born perfect like
some
people.” I stared out my window at the snowball bush by the driveway so I could avoid looking at her.

“You're excused!” She said it all perky. She was always in a good mood. I slightly hated her for that personality flaw.

Being too perky and perfect were just about the only personality flaws my sister had. She was sixteen, she made straight As, she was the star of her field hockey team, and about thirty-seven different boys were in love with her. And
nothing
made her nervous.