Horse Camp by Nicole Helget Read Free Book Online

training.
    â€œWhat’s cow-dio twaining?”
    â€œYou’re too young for it,” I say. “So go find something else to do.”
    â€œOkay,” he says, and runs off. It’s like he doesn’t even get it sometimes when I’m slamming him.
    I do five sets of forty-yard sprints across the farmyard. Then I decide to go on a longer run. If I want to be the best, I have to put in the work. At the end of the driveway, just before I have to decide to go left or right, up comes Uncle Stretch’s pickup with a big trailer hitched to the back end. He turns in the driveway, and I stop running, suddenly feeling guilty about trying to hit Pauly in the head with those walnuts.
    â€œWhat you running from?” says Uncle Stretch, hanging his head out the window.
    â€œOh, just training for football,” I say. “I was doing some cardio because if I want to be the best, I—” I realize there’s another person in the cab of the truck. Two other persons. One old, one young. Both femaliens.
    â€œPercy, meet Sheryl and Sherylynn.”
    â€œWhich is which?” I say.
    Uncle Stretch glares at me.
    â€œI’m Sheryl,” says the older woman, reaching across Uncle Stretch to shake my hand. I reach up to grab her hand, but when I do, I notice I can see right down Sheryl’s shirt. Her bra is purple. Yii! I look away.
    â€œYou can call me June Bug,” says the younger one, smiling. She looks about my age.
    â€œHi,” I say. I don’t smile back.
    â€œYou finish staining that hickory fence like I told you?” Uncle Stretch asks.
    â€œOh, shoot,” I say. “Forgot.”
    Uncle Stretch looks at Sheryl like, Oh, see what I have to put up with, with this kid around this summer?
    â€œJust kidding!” I say. “I finished that an hour ago.” I show him my stained hands as proof.
    Uncle Stretch squints at me like he’s trying to think of a way I might be lying to him.
    Sheryl says, “Just tell him about the chickens!”
    Uncle Stretch looks over his shoulder toward the big trailer. “See that horse trailer? There’s a bunch of chickens in there. You can use a couple of them, so you have something to show at the county fair coming up next month.”
    â€œYou mean we’re still gonna be here next month?” I say.
    Sheryl and Uncle Stretch look at each other. “Looks like,” says Uncle Stretch.
    â€œI thought you already had chickens,” I say to Uncle Stretch.
    â€œI do, but you’ll find the birds in this trailer a little more, say, qualified for fair competition.”
    â€œSounds boring to me.”
    Uncle Stretch gives me the You better be respectful, buddy look.
    Sheryl smiles at me and says, “You ever been to a county fair?”
    â€œOf course,” I say, even though I haven’t.
    â€œWell,” says Sheryl, “June Bug’s gonna show you and your little brother how to clean these chickens up real nice and help you practice showing them. She’s twelve, just like you.”
    â€œFabulous,” I say.
    Sheryl looks past my head at Pauly jogging up the driveway. “So that’s the little one?” she says to Uncle Stretch. “Oh, is he ever cute!”
    â€œHe’s adopted,” I say. Uncle Stretch frowns and opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him off by saying, “Well, I better get back to my workout now. See ya!” I begin jogging away.
    â€œYou’ll need to sweep out that grain bin before supper,” says Uncle Stretch.
    â€œWhatever,” I say over my shoulder.
    I sprint away from the truck. I feel like running for miles.

Chapter 6
Penny Ponders Temptation
    Dear Diary,
    I knew it! The big-breasted, flirty beautician from the beauty parlor and her daughter came by the farm today, hitching a ride in Stretch’s old jalopy of a pickup truck, which was pulling a big horse trailer with a bumper sticker that said, I LOVE