Arriving

Hunter led a dun quarter horse stallion into the stable. The stallion held his head up looking at the different stuff but followed Hunter obediently. He led him into the stallion into the stall he was assigned. "Take it easy buddy" He said taking the lead off the horses halter. He closed the stall going to fetch a bucket of water.

Savannah walked in with a thoroughbred filly that pranced on the lead line neighing to the other horses as she passed them. "Easy girl" She said holding the lead line firm in her hands. She reached the stall beside Hunter's and lead the filly in unhooking the lead line and walking out quickly closing the stall. The filly reared throwing her head. "Ugh, Maybe this wasn't the best thing for her" She said to Hunter.

Olivia was in her pony Melvin's stall spending time with him when she heard the sounds of horses being loaded into the stalls across the aisle. Poking her head over the stall door, she saw a girl and a boy settling in their horses. She had only been at this barn for a few days and didn't know anybody yet. She slipped out of Melvin's stall after giving him one last pat. "Need a hand?" she asked. "I'm new here, too."

Hunter grabbed the bucket and placed it in the stallions stall. He rubbed the horses nose. The filly was throwing a fit and kicking her stall. Hunter left the stallions stall closing it behind him and entered the filly's stall. "Easy" He said softly rubbing the filly's nose.

Savannah sighed and turned around as she heard another voice. "Hi, We're ok right now, My name is Savannah, His is Hunter, The dun is Silent Cause, Known as Silent and that thing there is Snazzy Attiude, Hence the name Attitude." She said.

"Oh, cool," Olivia replied. "Hey Hunter!" she said to the boy who hadn't said anything. "My pony's across the aisle, his name is Melvin. Hey, I was planning on taking Melvin out on a trail after I grabbed a bite to eat from the lounge. Your horses don't look too tired from their trip... you could give them some time to settle in and then come on a trail with me, if you want." She hoped she wasn't overwhelming them. She always talked a lot... sometimes too much.

Hunter relaxed the filly. He led her out of the stall and in circles from one end of the barn to the other. Finally, The filly seemed to settle. He led her back into the stall. This time she was more relaxed.

Savannah looked at the filly than back to the girl. "Sure, we would love to, I'm sure he will come, He just don't to much when you first meet him" She said.

i"Mmm, I see," she said, staring at Hunter. He was strikingly handsome. "Oh, gee, I forgot to mention my name. I'm Olivia." She stepped closer to Hunter and leaned up against his horse's stall door. "So, Hunter," she said in an attempt to get him talking. "Do you compete?" It was a question that got most people talking. She knew some guys who could talk for hours about themselves.

Hunter was rubbing the fillies leg making sure there was no heat in them. Thoroughbreds were pron to have heat in their legs or a slight misstep could finish a thoroughbred off quick. "Yeah, I do" He said softly as he found some wrap in the tack box and began to wrap the fillies legs.

Savannah went off into the tack room setting up their tack and cleaning it. She left Hunter and Olivia to talk.

"Yeah?" Olivia replied, surprised by his brief answer. "Eventing?" She saw Savannah leave and hoped Hunter when Savannah wasn't there to do all the talking for him. She was determined to get this guy talking.

"No, Roping, Show Jumping, and Cross Country" He said "Use to do more" He left the rest of the sentence out and finished wrapping the fillies legs.

Olivia sensed some tension in his voice and decided to let the subject drop for the time being. "I'm an eventer... pretty serious about it, you could say." She noticed he was finished wrapping. "Hey, come with me to the lounge. I've got to show you something."

He looked back at the filly before stepping out of the stall and closing it. He tossed the rest of the wrap back into the tack box before turning to Olivia. "Sure" He said "I'm done here for now" He looked for her sister than remembered she was in the tack room.

Olivia grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her before spinning around, hair flying, and skipping down the barn aisle. "Follow mee!" she called, and ducked into the lounge, briefly out of sight. She stood still for a second, her eyes closed. She couldn't help but grin.

Hunter had nothing but two seconds to look as the girl grabbed his pulling him toward the lounge. He didn't know what was so important. They reached the lounge and she let go. "Ok?" He said questionably.

Olivia threw open the cabinet door above the sink. "Donuts!" she exclaimed, pulling out a box. She set it down on the table and the lid open. There were about 10 donuts left, all different types. "Pick one," she said excitedly. "I discovered these yesterday. Oh, and there's coffee here, too, and sodas in the fridge..."

Hunter looked at the girl and sighed. He took a donut out of the box and ate it before walking over to the fridge and grabbed a coke out of it. He also got another one and handed to Olivia.

Olivia was worried that Hunter would reject the donuts, but her heart sang when he picked one out. She was especially happy that he didn't chose her favorite, the pink frosted donut with sprinkles, which she snatched up and ate in 3 bites before stashing the rest back in the cabinet. "Ooh, thanks," she said when Hunter passed her the Coke. He's so sweet! she thought. She flopped down on the sofa and cracked open her drink. "So, you said you used to compete more? What happened?"

He looked at her and lifted the back of his shirt to reveal a scar down his spine. "A bull" He said "I use to be a bull rider" He sat down in one of the chairs and relaxed.

Olivia's eyes widened at the sight of his scar. "Oh my gosh," she said, clapping her hand over her mouth. "That must have hurt like crazzyy. I've had some bad accidents with horses, but nothing like that. My old horse, Chessie, used to shed me all the time." Olivia got quieter. "God, I loved that horse, right up until the very end." She realized she was staring intensely at her Coke, and looked up quickly.

Jess jumped out of the truck before it even stopped. She was so excited to come here and be able to compete with other teens. Her mother finally stopped the truck and shut it off. Jess went to the side of the trailer and saw FireFly. "Hey girl. How was the ride?" FireFly whinnied at her. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it." Tia unhooked FireFly and put her lead line on. Jess's mom undid the back of the trailer and FireFly walked back. "Good girl. Step off." Jess told FireFly. Once she was out Jess gave her a hug around the neck. "Good girl!"
Jess led FireFly to the barn where she would stay for the whoel time they were there. Wow its so clean in here. Jess told herself. Jess moved to one side of the barn and walked to the list of where she could find where her horse would be staying. "Alrighty you are right in the front girl." Jess walked Firefly to her stall. There was a little black pony next to her. "Oh look you have a neighbor already. Very pretty pony."
Jeff led her horse into her stall. She unhooked her lead and closed her door. "Alright girl I will be right back. I'll bring some hay."
Jess went to the truck and got some hay, grain, and all her tack out of the truck. She put some hay and grain in FireFly's stall and kept the rest outside of her stall. Then she went to put all her tack away. She found the tack room easily cause there was a huge gold sign that said TACK ROOM above the door. Jess put her tack away and gave her mom a kiss and hug good bye, well atleast til she saw her later that night.
Jess looked around the barn. It was very pretty and very well lit. Jess saw another girl at her stall right across the aisle. Has she been there the whole time? If she has I haven't noticed. Maybe I should say hello. Jess walked over to the girl. "Hi, my name is Jessica, well I prefer Jess. What is your name? Is this your horse? Very very pretty."

Hunter let go of his shirt as it dropped. "It did hurt but I got knocked out so I didn't feel much after that." He said looking at the girl and taking a sip of his coke. "Doctors, didn't let me wake up till after my spinal surgery and they said I was lucky to walk again" He said.

Savannah looked up as she watched the girl go back and forth. "Yeah, That black thoroughbred filly right there, Thats my nut case" She said looking at the filly who had settled down thanks to hunter.

"No way, a thoroughbred filly? Wow she is greatly proportioned and seems like a sweet heart." Jess put her hand up against the bars of the fillies stall. The filly came over and smelt her hand and then whinnied. "Ahh. Well that is FireFly over there. She is a morgan." Jess said as she looked at her prized mare. "Shes a sweetheart. So did you just arrive? Do you wanna hang out or do something with the horses?" Jess asked. Jess was eager to make new friends cause she didn't have many at home.

Olivia winced at Hunter's explanation of his accident. "My worst accident resulted in a broken rib, but other than that it's just bruises and bumps every now and then." She chuckled. "It's dangerous, you know. Anything with horses is, really. All it takes is being carted off in an ambulance to give you a reality check when you get too confident."

Hunter looked at her. "I figured that out when I was a jockey at Churchill Downs, I got flipped into the rail, Broke a leg but nothing compared to the bull" He said "I have a high pain tolerance level"

Savannah looked at Jess "I wouldn't do that if I was you" She said as the filly snorted, pinned her ears back and cowarded into the corner of her stall. "She ain't as friendly as she puts out" She said "We're suppose to go on a trail ride later with Olivia."

"Oh ok. Sorry about that. Sorry about that little filly." Jess took her hand down. "Wow that sounds like fun. Would you guys mind if I joined you? I have nothing really to do cause I'm gonna let FireFly here take a break and we will start our eventing training tomorrow."
Jess really hoped that they would let her go. It was so nice to finally be getting along with people.

"Jesus," Olivia said. "You've done it all." She heard voices in the aisle—what she thought to be Savannah's and another girl's. "Hey, let's get going. The trails await us!" She stood up and tossed her empty Coke can in the recycling bin, eager to explore the trails. She couldn't wait for her first ride on Melvin at the new barn.