Hi again, peoples. Because, I'm having some issues with depression, and writing helps me, I will try and update each of my stories reguarly. I realise I probably won't get many readers for this one, but I love Saddle Club, so XD
Say what you mean
Tell me I'm right
And let the sun rain down on me
Give me a sign
I want to believe
Woah, Mona Lisa,
You're guaranteed to run this town
Woah, Mona Lisa,
I'd pay to see you frown
Panic! At The Disco - The Ballad of Mona Lisa
By the time lesson's started, Stevie and Carole were fairly certain Hope was slightly crazy. She never looked directly at them, always to the side of them, and when they pointed it out to her, she only said 'sorry'. Lisa, on the other hand, quite liked her.
She was quite direct, and very realistic. If she had a problem with things, she said so - as was proven, when she caught sight of Veronica yelling at Red to take care of Danny for her - and she seemed quite nice.
Lisa helped her tack up Freedom, allowing her a chance to have a good look at the horse. He was strong through the legs, which prompted a few questions.
"What kind of riding do you use Freedom for?" She asked Hope, who smiled slightly, as she leaned down and tightened Freedom's girth a little bit.
"Dressage, show jumping, and cross country. He loves to jump, and he's a show off…aren't you, boy?" She said, half to Lisa, half to her horse, who whickered appreciatively as Hope scratched behind his ears.
"Would you like some help with Garnet? Freedom loves having his tack on…I've never gotten it, but if I try and take it off of him, he complains about it! He tries to nibble at my fingers when I remove his tack." Hope said, shaking her head.
Lisa couldn't help but chuckle. She didn't know a single horse who liked being left standing in his tack.
"Uhm, thanks. We're going to be late, if we don't hurry though." Lisa told her. Hope nodded, and offered her fingers out to Garnet, who seemed to accept the strange girls scent without much trouble. Hope hummed while she helped Lisa tack up Garnet, before she helped Lisa mount up.
"Are you sure you don't want some help mounting your mountain of a horse?" She asked Hope, who shook her head, easing a foot into the stirrup.
"Nope, been riding him long enough to know how to do it right." She said softly, hopping twice, before she grabbed onto the saddle horn, and swung her other leg up and over. "See?" She said cheerfully, trotting through the stable, Lisa following her, stopping when she reached the horse-shoe, reaching up to rub it.
"You've got to do this too." Lisa reminded Hope, who was waiting for her. Hope rode Freedom back over, reaching upright, frowning when she missed it. Freedom whickered softly, shaking his head to the left. Hope moved her hand leftwards, and rubbed the horse shoe for a second.
"C'mon, lets go." She said softly, joining the other students, while Lisa tried to work out why she hadn't touched it the first time, before following smiled slightly, as he looked at his students.
"Class, we have a new rider joining us today." He said, smiling at Hope. "She's from Scotland, please welcome Hope into the group." Max said kindly.
"Fall into line, I want you to walk around the ring as a warm-up, until you all have the right form. Remember - heels down, toes up! Straight line from your elbow to the bit, keep your eyes in between your horses ears." Max reminded the waited for a little while, falling into line right at the end, keeping her eyes locked on the rider in front of her, counting the hoof beats as she walked.
One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four…One, two…
"Veronica, chin up!" Max called over. The snooty girl in front of Hope rolled her eyes, and pulled her chin upwards, while Hope started counting again, frowning slightly.
They'd been around the ring, she noticed, and counted how many fours she'd counted. She nodded her head, noting that in her mind.
"Nice work, Carole, Hope…Trot please, ladies…" Right…Hope started counting once more, in beat to Freedom's trotting, using it as a timer for her posting.
One, two, one two, one, two, one two…
Carole's mind twitched at her. She suddenly didn't like being put in the same league as Hope. She wanted to out class the girl by miles…but how did she…
"Carole! Concentrate!" Max scolded her. Carole made a face. Darn it, she'd gotten too caught up in her thoughts once more...hang on, what was she thinking?
She fixed her feet, and stopped posting until she got back in rhythm. She scowled when Max complimented Hope once more, along with Lisa.
He asked them to halt, but Starlight wouldn't obey her. He must have sensed she was distracted, and wasn't taken her seriously. Carole tugged, frustrated, once more on the bays reins, before he got the message.
Behind her, Freedom had obeyed already, along with the rest of the class. Max frowned at her slightly, walking over towards her.
"You aren't holding your reins quite tight enough." He informed her, watching her stance for a minute or two. "And you're too low in the saddle." He said simply, walking back to his spot in the middle of the ring.
"One at a time, I'd like you to canter around the ring…Stevie, you start." Max said. Hope made sure no one was watching, before she held a hand over her eye, to see where the others were going. Towards Max. She followed Lisa, and pulled into line beside her.
Lisa turned her head, expecting to see Carole, but Hope was in line beside her instead. Carole had selected a spot further down the line.
"How's your first lesson at Pine Hollow goin'?" Lisa asked Hope quietly, while Max watched Stevie cantering Belle around the ring.
"Great…I've signed up for an advanced jumping class too." Hope told Lisa, who smiled a little.
"How long have you been jumping for?" Lisa asked, curiously.
"Since I was seven years old…Just started out small, just walking Waffles over logs and stuff. Been doing cross country for a little while too. I'm not very good at dressage, so I want to learn a better technique, and just more of it..." Hope admitted, as Stevie finished up, and Max went over what he wanted her to work on.
"Carole, you next." Max said, and Lisa turned her head to watch her friend. Stevie joined Lisa's other side, and leaned over.
"Wanna meet up at TD's?" She whispered into Lisa's ear. Lisa nodded happily, before nodding towards where Hope was watching Carole canter around the ring on Starlight. Stevie sighed, but nodded her head. Lisa smiled happily at Stevie, mouthing a thank you, before watching Carole try and halt Starlight again. Max frowned slightly.
"Is Starlight having a bad day, Carole?" He asked her. Carole nodded her head slightly, reaching out to rub Starlight's neck. He jumped a bit at her touch, and Max crossed over to her once more, to have a look at his neck. "He's slightly swollen, Carole…"
"Huh…that wasn't there when I tacked him up." Carole said, confused. Max sighed, and nodded towards the stable, still looking over Starlight's neck.
"He's obviously not going to focus today…When Judy comes around, I'll have her check him over for you." Max told her. Carole dismounted, and led Starlight back into the stables.
"Hope, let's see you cantering." Max said gently to her. Hope gently signalled for Freedom to move ahead. Lisa grinned at her, holding the thumbs up. Stevie grinned at her.
"You seem to like her."
"She's nice…" Lisa said, as Hope lined up Freedom's head with Garnet's, and eased into the canter, counting once more.
One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three…
She kept going around the ring, once or twice, until Max called for her to stop. She tugged back gently on Freedom's reins, and Max smiled blurrily at her.
"Well done…You seem sort of cautious though, I'd like to see more security in your riding…Lisa, your turn. Hope, watch her, you'll see what I mean."
Hope nodded, narrowing her eyes slightly, hoping she wouldn't have to cover her eye to see properly. She watched Lisa and Garnet around the ring, and smiled. They looked like they were one together, they were so beautiful. When Max called for them to stop, Lisa quite easily halted Garnet, who seemed way too happy to obey her mistress.
"That is what you need, okay Hope?" Max told her. Hope nodded, as Lisa rejoined her other side. Out of the corner of her eye, Lisa caught sight of Hope rubbing one of her eyes, while another girl cantered around the ring, before leaving her hand there.
When Veronica's turn came, and Max looked down the line, Hope's hand came down and grabbed onto the reins, looking as if she were at a show. If anything, she completely ignored Veronica, paying all her attention to Freedom, who lapped it all up.
"Okay, class, we're done for today. Intermediate jumpers, help Red set up, Advanced Jumpers, your lesson is in two hours…allow your horse some time to cool down. Everyone else - I guess you're done…Remember to do your stable chores, and if you stick around, then please keep away from the jumpers…Hope, a second please?" Max spouted out, without taking a breath.
Hope nodded her head, leading Freedom out of the ring, and dismounting. Max came up to her, smiling to himself as he did, and stood beside her. She stroked down Freedom's elegant neck, cooing to him gently, as if he were only a child.
"What did you want to say, anyway?" She asked him, when she registered he'd joined her. Max frowned at her a little.
"I noticed there were no medical records in there…I sort of need them. There were some notes from your old tutor about colds and so on, but nothing about injuries or so…We need them on file, just in case." Max told her. Hope frowned for a second.
"I've broken my wrist, had a dislocated knee cap, and shoulder blade…Sprained ankle, and had a concussion which had me asleep for three days." Hope said, nearly instantly. "And the odd broken toe or two." She added. Max nodded his head.
"If you fill it, have your parents sign the form when they pick you up…"
"They won't be picking me up, sir. I'll walk it home with me. Mam and dad have work, so I'll have to walk home, and hope Ruby's there when I show up…"
"Both your parents work? What do you do?" He asked curiously. "If Ruby isn't home, I'll probably unpack some more…I'll be alone, I guess, but we've all got keys, and I know to shut and lock everything." Hope assured him. Max frowned, but let her go.
Freedom whickered at Max gently, asking for a pat. Max chuckled, offering his fingers. Freedom gummed at them helpfully, before resting his nose under Max's hand. Max laughed, delightedly, and stroked Freedom's face gently.
"He's a wonderful creature…Has he always been a cuddly one?"
"Always, sir…I better get his tack off, and cool him off…I'll see you for my jumps class." Hope told him, lowering her head as she went. She untacked Freedom, with a little difficulty, and went to hang her things up. Stevie, Lisa and Carole were all talking in the tack room. She stayed outside, unsure whether to come barging in or not.
"You're going to invite her to OUR place? Lis, she's a nutcase."
"She is not, Carole..."
"Stevie's right - don't be so closed minded. You're just mad that she had a better lesson than you did. Relax, she's just not feeling right here...Give her some time to settle in..."
"I don't want her to settle in!"
"...appreciate that, Carole." Hope found herself saying, stepping into view, and hanging her things up on the hooks supplied. Carole went scarlet, while Hope's green eyes glared at her. Lisa stepped in the middle of the two girls.
"Guys...Calm down." Lisa said gently, while Hope bit down on her lip and grabbed onto her bag, which she appeared to have stashed under one of the benches, and left, muttering words that none of the girls could understand.
Stevie rolled her eyes and followed the girl, glad for being able to keep a clear head. When she got closer, she could at least here what Hope was saying.
"Prendido ata vaca! Incrible. Non se aquí mesmo un día...A ignorancia é unha cousa tan feliz." Hope was telling her horse, stroking at his neck gently. Freedom's liquid eyes watched her every movement, as she muttered out her frustrations.
"Hope?" Stevie asked. "Don't mind Carole, she's just...threatened I guess." She continued, not really giving the girl an oppertunity to cut through her. Hope only turned to glare for a second, and it was in that brief moment that Stevie realised that the girls right eye was practically on fire, while her left one seemed dead still. She also realised the girl had a raging temper.
Freedom whickered at Stevie, and nodded his head a few times, asking for a pat. Stevie offered her hand to the gelding, who sniffed it gently and brushed against her hand. He seemed to be smiling at her, while Hope leaned against the stall door, slowing her breathing.
"She hasn't even known me for three hours - I think she's being a little judgemental." Hope said, and Stevie nodded her head.
"That's just Carole these days. She's not normally like that, but she's been so competitive lately. Don't worry about her, oka - "
"Non é bo para ela tratar as persoas así! ...Sorry." Hope cut across, as Stevie gave her a very confused glance, but ignored it otherwise.
"...D'you wanna come into town with us? We were going to stop off at TD's..."
"What's TD's?'
"Tastee Delights...ice cream parlour." Stevie told her. Hope bit on her bottom lip, weighing up her options. Going home to an empty house, and no Freedom to distract her, or go with the girls, and see the town a little.
She chose the latter. "Okay then..." she murmured softly. "And sorry for snapping...When I get mad, I tend to slip out of English and into Gaelic." Hope apologised. Stevie shrugged it off, as Hope's hand touched her's lightly as she reached out to stroke Freedom's neck.
"He's a beautiful horse...He's so sweet tempered too..." Stevie said, watching as Freedom turned his head to try and gum her fingers. Hope smiled distantly, nodding her head.
"He's my big baby...We got him and his mother when he was just born - poor thing...His mother died, and I looked after him...I helped him, and now he helps me." Hope said, not really minding what she said. Stevie smiled a little, as Hope pressed a kiss to Freedom's big head.
"C'mon...We'll go get Lisa, and...maybe Carole. We still haven't shown you around properly! I want to show you one of the foals we have around here! All before your jumping class." Stevie said eagerly. Hope's eyes widened happily.
"Foals?" Hope asked, and Freedom nudged her from behind. Hope laughed at him, and nodded her head. "You used to be one! You were so cute! ...What happened?"
Freedom looked as if he understood her, because he whickered at her and gummed at her fingers. She smiled and stroked his neck.
"What were you saying about foals?"
*snickers* Okay, that's the end of this chapter...I'll go more into Freedom and Hope's relationship in the next chapter, along with Carole's persona change.
