The A Circuit 04- Rein It In by Georgina Bloomberg Page B

history department. And that the people there are really nice.”
    Fitz nodded. “My dad loved it. He’s making me apply, even though I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be my first choice.”
    There was more, but Tommi stopped listening. Marissa was always enthusiastic about everything she did, but even Fitz sounded weirdly geeked about the whole applying-to-college thing. So did Abby, when she talked about Stanford, and Court when she sorted and re-sorted the list of schools she wanted to apply to, and most of Tommi’s other senior friends, too. Even Duckface—crazy, life-of-the-party, devil-may-care Duckface, for god’s sake—was all about getting into Yale these days.
    Tommi just didn’t get it. They all seemed so eager to move on all of a sudden. Their lives would be so totally different this time next year—why rush it? What was the big hurry for things to change?
    She closed her eyes, hating the unsettled feeling the wholetopic gave her whenever she let herself think about it. It was like time was moving too fast and too slowly at the same time—and worse yet, there was nothing Tommi could do about it.
    “What about you?” Marissa asked, breaking into Tommi’s thoughts. “I don’t think I’ve even asked where you’re applying.”
    “Let me guess—the old man’s probably making you apply to Georgetown, right?” Fitz grinned and elbowed Tommi.
    She smiled weakly. “I haven’t really narrowed it down yet. I’m mostly focused on Indoors right now, and finding another project to train up.”
    That was true, mostly. Tommi didn’t like to admit it, even to herself, but sometimes she wondered—what if she couldn’t make things work in the horse business? Everyone was always saying how hard it was, and Tommi had really only made one successful transaction so far. What if the next horse she tried to flip was a dud, or colicked right before the sale went through? What if she never found that second horse at all?
    Maybe Tommi’s father wasn’t all wrong when he said she should consider all her options. Maybe she needed to think about what her future might look like just in case her horse business didn’t pan out …
    At that moment the office door swung open. Joy hurried out, holding a clipboard. “Hi, guys,” she greeted Tommi and the others. “Looking for Jamie? He’s inside.”
    “Great.” Tommi stepped toward the door. Then she paused and glanced at Fitz and Marissa. “You guys weren’t waiting for Jamie too, were you?”
    “Nope, he’s all yours,” Fitz said as Marissa waved Tommi on.
    “Thanks.” Pushing all thoughts of college applications, horse flipping, and assistant trainer jobs out of her mind, Tommi hurried into the office. Jamie was bent over some paperwork on his desk.
    He glanced up. “Hi, Tommi. What’s up?”
    Tommi took a deep breath. “I was thinking about something during the lesson today, and I had an idea I wanted to run past you.”

Chapter Nine
    “Sure you don’t want to come, Little Z?” Zara’s father asked as he wandered across the loft, leaving a spicy scent cloud of aftershave in his wake. “Heard this place has the best sushi in New York.”
    “Nah.” Zara stuck her pen in her mouth, studying the Spanish workbook on the coffee table in front of her. A stack of other schoolbooks sat nearby, along with Zara’s laptop and a big cup of coffee. “I’d better stay here and study.”
    Her mother had been applying lipstick in the mirrored foyer wall, but she stopped short and turned around at Zara’s words. “Did I hear that right?” Gina said. “You’re turning down a night out to study? ” She hustled over and pressed the back of one perfectly manicured hand to Zara’s forehead. “Doesn’t feel like you’re running a fever.”
    Zara pushed her mother’s hand away. “Very funny. Hey, you’re always ragging on me about keeping my grades up, right? Besides, if I have to watch you two do your usual date-night drool thing, I won’t be able