Free Jealousy by Jessica Burkhart Page B

and get on our favorite trail as fast as possible so we could talk without anyone overhearing.
    â€œI mean,” Khloe said, tapping a finger against her chin, “did you guys even talk about Taylor’s dating life since you’ve been gone?”
    I shook my head. “He would have told me if he’d dated anyone. Plus, the way he’s talked about wanting to get back together makes me think he hasn’t been on a date since our breakup.”
    â€œYou’re probably right,” Khloe said. “Ah, this whole thing! Two guys. Both total opposites of the other. Black hair. Blond hair. Tan. Pale. Rider. Swimmer.” She frowned. “Oh, I forgot that Drew and Taylor both swim. Two boys pining after one very lucky girl.”
    â€œAm I? Are you sure?”
    â€œHello, nothing’s more fun than a Canterwood love triangle!”

DOES SOMEONE HAVE A SECRET?
Lauren Towers’s Blog
    9:02 p.m.: ??? * super -locked post for approved friends only*
    Permission granted for this post: Lexa Reed, Clare Bryant, Becca Towers, and Khloe Kinsella. (Because it’s so secure, I’m going to write out full names, unlike before, when I used initials.)
    Okay, so . . . today was, like, Taylor 24/7. After I met with him, I rode with Khloe and filled her in from beginning to end about my party and my earlier talk with Taylor. She was shocked , to put it mildly. What’s really crazy—and what we can’t figure out—is the Bri and Ana thing.
    After riding, Khlo and I took showers, and when I got out, she said someone had called. It was Ana. Again. That’s not unusual, because when I lived at home, we’d call eachother a million times a day. Sometimes I’d even call just to leave an EBT on their voice mails!
    But before Ana called, I’d BBMed her when Khloe and I got back to our room, saying I’d call her later tonight.
    While Khloe was showering, I opened my cards from Bri and Ana.
    After opening Ana’s card, I couldn’t stand to call her later. Her card was call-her-right-now-worthy!
    I dialed her and got voice mail. I thanked her for calling about the Taylor Thing and said I wanted to definitely talk more. But I ended it on a très lighter note by promising to buy her a grande peppermint mocha from Starbucks every day this holiday break. Why? Because she actually fund-raised at Yates for my retired-racehorse charity!
    Ana, living up to her AnaArtiste Chatter handle, had hand-painted my card. She’d covered it in a rainbow of colors that made swirls, hearts, and stars. I’m looking at it now, and it’s absolutely magnifique !
    When I opened the card, a check fell out along with photos. When I bent down to pick it up, I fell back onto the carpet. Ana had obviously worked insanely hard, judging from the amount of the check.
    I read the note inside the card. Ana’s writing made me teary.
    LaurBell,
    Haaappy birthday! I hope you know how much I love you and miss you. Nothing’s the same without you. I still look for you in every class and am still shocked when you’re not there. I hope the check helps the retired-racehorse charity. Bri and I took some pics and had Kim take a couple of us with Zane and Breeze. Hopefully, they’ll make you smile!
    Counting down the days until break!!
    xoxo,
    ~Ana
    I flipped through the photos—hungry-like—for anything that showed me home. In one pic Ana is smiling down from Breeze’s back. The strawberry roan mare’s ears were pointed forward at the camera, and the sky was a brilliant blue above them. They were in front of one of the small paddocks at Briar Creek.
    Another pic was of Bri washing Zane. He is my oldinstructor Kim’s horse, but Bri is the only one who rides him. Bri’s tongue was stuck out at the camera, and she had a giant purple sponge covered in bubbles. Zane needs constant baths—the albino shows every speck of dirt.
    There were a few photos from