(Winnie the Horse Gentler) Chapter 1: Like Glue

  Disclaimer: Guys, Dandi Daley Mackall owns this book, these characters, & all of the backstory behind this. I do not own anything, although the idea of what happens next is entirely my own work. 
   Please do not copy my ideas or progress without my permission, but if you want to, just E-mail me and I will let you. 
   Thanks, peeps!
                                                  - Hope :)
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  Come on, Winnie. You should have known better, I thought. I was standing in the doorway of the barn, and there they were. As always. 

  Catman, Barker, and M. I shouldn't have been surprised to see them there, but I was still a bit unused to all the attention. 

  By attention, I mean that it had only been a few months since I turned thirteen, and all of a sudden, Catman, Barker, and M were following me around everywhere, and I couldn't really have privacy anymore. They were like glue.

   "Hey, Winnie," said M. I was startled, because M didn't usually speak at all. He is one of my close friends, even though we're in different grades, and even though he almost never speaks.  
   He did blow everyone away at a school debate one time, though. He was on my team, and everyone knows that he's the only reason we won.

   "Hey, man," said Catman.  At least he didn't seem any different. Well, he might have already crossed the line of 'different'. 

   Catman is my best friend, a teenage throwback. He's a hippie like you've never seen, if you're my age. He has long, wavy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that can make you feel like you're under X-ray. 

   He pushed his gold, wire-rimmed glasses up his nose, staring at me. Uncomfortably, I glanced at Barker.

   "Hi Winnie! Where's Lizzy?" he asked. I smiled. At least I knew what was going on with Barker. Just recently, he'd been harboring what seemed like a mega-huge crush on my sister, Lizzy.
   Note to self: Drop more than one hint to Lizzy.

   "Right here," I heard a voice behind me. I whipped around, and Barker's ever-present smile widened. Lizzy was standing behind us. 

   Lizzy is who I compare myself to, all day and every day. She's younger than me, but she's taller, prettier, more popular, more social, and more skilled. She had dark hair that always seems to fall into place perfectly, perfect teeth, flawless skin, zilch acne, perfect nails. Everything. she has everything, especially when compared to me. 

   I have the same dark brown hair as her, but mine is like a lion, it will not stay down. It takes me about twenty minutes to brush it and put it in a simple braid every morning. 

   My teeth are okay, but my skin is almost sickening. I have bruises everywhere from falling, which happens a lot when you work with horses. I also have scratches from the thistles that I had to reach into the other day. 

   Somehow, Nickers' best bridle had gotten in the very middle of it. I thought Mason did it; his horse, Buddy, had been acting strangely lately, jumping at every little thing. The bridle especially had been freaking Buddy out, and I couldn't figure out why.
   Note to self: Next time, how about you put the bridle in the bush. At least then you'll be your own nemesis.

   I also have bits of acne on my chin, and a little near my hairline.

   My nails are almost nonexistent. I chew them like crazy of late. Bad habit.

   Basically, I am ugly, and Lizzy is gorgeous. That's how I see it anyway.

   Barker walked off with Lizzy, Lizzy chatting about her lizard, Larry, and Barker simply smiling, shaking his head in apparent amusement.

   I turned to Catman and M. They didn't seem to have taken their eyes off of me for a second, and it was getting on my nerves. 

   "Er- come on, let's get Buddy and Nickers out," I said awkwardly. I went to get Nickers, expecting one of them to come with me while the other got Buddy, but not so. Catman and M both tried to follow me into Nickers' stall. I raised an eyebrow. They exchanged a look I couldn't understand. Then M came with me. Catman went to the neighboring stall with a rebuked look on his face. 

   As I greeted Nickers, my beautiful Arabian, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that M was smirking. I ignored it and led Nickers out.

   I had a harder time saddling Nickers than usual because M was so close. He seemed to be edging closer by the minute. I held my ground, not sure of what to do. We were almost hip to hip when Catman rescued me. 

   He walked over and said loudly, "Nickers saddled?" 

   I glanced at him, grateful. "Yes," I said. "Let's bring her out; M, could you get Buddy?Catman will help me with Nickers." 

   M glared at Catman, who shrugged. 

   Once we were in the pasture, I climbed onto Nickers and squeezed her sides gently. Immediately, she took off, and I could hear M and Catman gasp. 

   Eagerly, I leaned forward, urging her towards a hedge jump. I relaxed completely, letting Nickers know that this was what I wanted her to do, that I was ready for it. 

   She picked up on my body language and made a flying leap. 

   My heart pounded. 
   You know you can do it, Winnie. You've done it before.
   I could feel it pulling me over the hedge, a reminder of when I had worked with Bold Beauty on this same hedge. We soared over it, and her hooves thudded, one after the other, onto the ground. 
   We did it.

   I let out a sigh of relief. I heard applause, and I turned around, smiling. M and Catman were cheering for me. I waved. 

   I sent Nickers into a canter, and instead of going through the gate of the pasture, I jumped over the fence. Another round of cheering.

   I slid off of Nickers and into the dirt. As Catman and M came running towards me, I kissed her nose. 

   "That was, like, far out!" exclaimed Catman. M just nodded. 

   "Thanks! Keep Nickers out here while I run Buddy around, okay?" I traded Nickers' rein for Buddy's. 

   Catman and M just stared at me as if I was the Holy Grail. 
   I sighed.

   
   
After a long session with Buddy, I started to walk back to my house. Catman stopped me, though. "My pad?" he asked. 

   I nodded gratefully; I knew that if I entered the house for even a second, Lizzy would bombard me with questions about Buddy and Nickers and everything about the afternoon, and I was too tired to deal with any of that. 

   I hadn't had a bad day or anything, I just was so confused about the whole Catman and M thing. And it was starting to get frustrating. I was barely getting anything done! I didn't want to say anything because I still wasn't sure why. For all I knew, they could have just been having friendship problems. Or trouble in school. 

   Hmm...on second thought, maybe not. Catman and M were some of the smartest people in the school, no matter what the other kids thought M stood for: Moron, Mute, and some others that were just plain mean.

   I waited for M to follow us as we got our bikes, but then I realized that Catman hadn't invited him. I glanced at Catman inquiringly. He didn't look at me.

   I thought I knew what that meant.
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   I hope (pun not intended) you guys liked this chapter, it was really fun to write. I will do another chapter, but I want some reviews and comments! I'll make more progress with your ideas, and who doesn't like progress? 

   I will try to update as frequently as possible, but with school and dance, it is a bit harder to find time. If that sounds like an excuse, I'm sorry, it's not.

   Please remember that I am new at this, and I am trying to learn how to improve. I probably have room for improvement!;D 

   Thanks for reading!  

                                                - Hope :)