Backstabber

Ch. 1

Courtney got off of her horse after a long ride on the trail through the woods. Her family was moving from Virginia to New York. 

Courtney was going to miss the silent mornings when she got up early to care for the horses. She knew that the family had to move because her father got a job in New York. Who knows? Maybe she would like it there. She might meet some girls just like her. 

Right now, Courtney Jackson couldn’t be worrying. She had to start packing her heavy bags. She went upstairs to her room after she groomed Stella, her horse. 

When Courtney walked into her room, she noticed a little note on her bed. It read: 

Courtney, 

we have gone to the store to grab a few things for the trip. Stuff like snacks when we are driving. Don’t leave the house. We’ll be back in about a half hour.

Courtney put the note down on her bed and sighed. She put some of her clothes into her  suitcase. She started to cry. She didn’t want to leave Virginia! 

Just then Courtney heard a knock on the door. She crept down the stairs very slowly and peeped out the window. It was her friend, Ashley. Courtney cleaned up her tears and opened the door. 

“Courtney!” Ashley said and shuffled into the house. “Hi, Ashley,” Courtney started, “Didn’t know you were coming.” Ashley smiled and looked around. “I figured you and your family would need help packing up.”

Courtney kicked over some cardboard boxes. “If you want to help, you can start by taking the books in the bookshelf and putting them in these boxes.” Courtney pointed to the  knocked over boxes. 

Ashley looked at the tall bookshelves filled with books. She nodded. “OK.” 

“I’ll be upstairs packing up the rest of my clothes.” Courtney went up the stairs and into her bedroom. She picked up a pair of jeans with flowers on the back pockets. “These are the jeans that I wore when we moved to Virginia.” Courtney said to herself. She put them on and they fit her perfectly. “We moved here five years ago, so if I’m sixteen right now then five years ago I was eleven. Last time I wore these jeans I was eleven. Hmm... They still fit.” Courtney laughed to herself. 

Downstairs, there was a big CRASH! Courtney got up and ran downstairs. “Ashley! Are you OK?” Ashley groaned. “Yeah, I’m fine. But I just dropped a stack of books and the one about horses... Well, the cover got bent.”

Courtney grinned at Ashley. "It's ok. I know a store with books just like this. After my parents come home, we can go buy another of these books." Ashley smiled. "Thanks, Court." The girls both got back to work. 

“Ash, do you think you’ll have enough space in your barn for all of our horses?” 

Ashley laughed.  “Of course! While you’re gone, I’ll take good care of your horses. When you come visit, you can ride them and still call Stella yours.” 

Courtney smiled thoughtfully. “I know you’ll take good care of them.” Ashley and Courtney hugged each other. 

Half and hour later, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson returned home. “Oh, Ashley! You’re here. Thank goodness, we will pack up much quicker now.” 

“Mom, me and Ashley are going to go out to get a breather.” 

Mom sighed. “Come back very soon. We need lots of help!” But by then Courtney and Ashley had already run out the door.