Chapter 18

Sunday 7thSeptember 2014

The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Mrs. Dowle hadn't been exaggerating when she said I had a lot to catch up on. Even though most subjects were in the same vein as ones I took at my old school, none of the teachers seemed to think that I'm up to the same level as the other students in my grade.

By the end of the first week I had a mountain of homework to be done, and as much as I just wanted to hang out with Cloud, my inner nerd refused to let me fall behind even further.

So, while everyone else was cooling their feet in the pond or in the pool enjoying the last of the warm weather, I spent my weekend in the library, making my way through the assignments and readings.

It's Sunday afternoon when Mai and Cloud decide to spring me from my self-imposed prison.

"Seriously," Mai scolds me, sitting on the table beside my notebook, swinging her legs like a kid on a swing set. "How is it even mentally possible for you to function after all the studying you've been doing? Do your notes even make any sense at this point?" She peers at my scribbled handwriting, cocking her head as she attempts to read it upside down.

Cloud takes the seat beside me, resting his elbow on the table and propping his head on his hand, his green gaze focused on me. "I'm actually pretty impressed with how you're throwing yourself into everything; there were bets going that you'd be screaming for someone to take you home and out of this asylum."

I stare at him, trying to decipher his expression and figure out if he was serious or not. "Who the hell would put bets on that?" I demand, not sure if I should be offended or amused.

"Jesse came up with the idea," Mai says, rolling her eyes at her cousin's behavior. "Mason and Luca joined in."

I'm surprised to hear that Luca would involve himself in something so childish, but quickly remind myself that I know next to nothing about him, and the stab of hurt I feel about it shouldn't affect me so much.

"Luca bet against him, saying that you'd stick with it," Cloud adds in, and for a second I wonder if he'd read my mind. "Jesse said you'd last three days before going nuts and trying to hitchhike home."

"What about Mason?" I ask, curious about the intimidating yet sometimes lovable boyfriend of the ice queen, Victorie. They were still total puzzles to me, like most of the group, and I'm always trying to get as much information about them as I can.

"He said you'd make the end of the month, then snap and get suspended," Mai said, snorting.

I laugh and shake my head. "Where'd he get that idea from?" That seems totally ludicrous, considering I've never even been sent to the principal's office before.

"He said something along the lines of 'it's always the quiet ones'," Cloud says, grinning at my expression. "But like Mai said: seriously. We need to get you out of here. You'll have plenty of time to prove yourself as a teacher's pet later."

"But, if I don't finish this stuff, I might not ever catch up!" I protest. "What if they don't let me pass the year and I'll have to repeat it?"

They both give me bemused smiles. "Chill out, dude," Mai tells me, hopping down from the table. "Do you really think the teachers are gonna want to put up with us a minute longer than they absolutely need to? Definitely not."

I turn to Cloud, who's also standing and stretching. I find my gaze caught by the strip of exposed flesh over his stomach as his shirt lifts slightly. The skin looks taut, toned and tan. My three new favorite 't' words.

My cheeks flush as I tear my eyes away, only to see Mai grinning at me knowingly. Why did she always catch me in moments of weakness like this?

"What'd you guys even have in mind?" I start packing my things up, piling the library books to one side to return to the desk on the way out.

"Well, Cloud mentioned a little tidbit of information that you let slip last week…" Mai says, her Cheshire-cat grin making me nervous.

I glance at the boy in question. "What's she talking about?" I could have said absolutely anything, especially if I was talking to Cloud. But what would he feel was interesting enough to share with Mai?

He looks sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous way. "It kind of just slipped out."

"Now I'm getting kind of worried," I say, looking back and forth between them, looking for some indication of what I'm in for.

"You know how we were in the stables and you mentioned how you've never ridden a horse before…" Cloud starts, looking apologetic.

I click onto what he's getting at and groan. "Please don't tell me that's what we're going to do right now?"

"Yep!" Mai says, lacing her arm through mine and dragging me out the door. She's stronger than she looks, and I'm swept away before I can so much as protest.

Glancing back at Cloud, I see him wink at me as he collects my bag and books.

"Holy shit."

The horse staring down at me distastefully seems to be thinking much of the same thing. It's chocolate-brown eyes look uncertain, probably vividly imagining me falling off it's back, just like I am.

"You expect me to ride that?" I ask Cloud and Mai incredulously. They were going to get me killed, for sure.

"Don't be a drama queen," Mai scolds me, returning from collecting an armful of brown leather. "That's Victorie's thing, and it's not attractive on anyone else."

I give her an amused look, but that look immediately turns to disgust when I hear a loud noise and feel a mass of goo hit my chest. Staring down at myself in horror, I see a brown-green pile of horse snot splattered over my shirt, slowly beginning to slide down.

"Urgh!" the strangled sound comes out louder than intended, startling the horse into shying away from the stall door. It retreated to the back with a huff, it's eyes watching me uncertainly.

"I think she likes you," Cloud says, and when I turn to glare at him, his face remains serious. I see the twitching at the corner of his mouth as he tries not to smile, but I choose to ignore it. He's lucky I like him.

"Here," Mai says, holding out a rag for me to wipe the slime off with.

I manage to get most of it, but I know my grey shirt will never fully recover. "I retract my earlier question. What i meant to ask is: you expect me to ride a horse that clearly doesn't like me?"

Mai makes a dismissive noise. "Don't be silly, Lady has no particular feelings towards you, dislike or otherwise. You two just have to get to know each other."

"You talk about her like she's a person."

"She may as well be," Cloud says, laughing. "Horses can be very intelligent, and are often great judges of character."

"Well I'd hate to know what she thinks about me, if this is any indication," I grumble, gesturing to my ruined shirt.

They both just laugh at me. I ignore them, instead focusing on the creature I'm about to put my absolute faith in not to send me flying to the ground. Lady's ears are perked forward, her long-lashed gaze focused on me, and I wonder what it is she sees when she looks at me.

"You'd better not trample me," I tell her, only half-joking.

She snorts, bobbing her head a little as she does so, and I get the distinct feeling she's laughing at me.

Cloud shows me how to saddle her up, explaining each piece of tack and what order to put them on in. He has this amazingly gentle way of talking that often distracts me more than it helps me. He's the perfect teacher, with more patience than a Buddist monk.

Once Lady is tacked up we lead her out through the far end of the stables and out into one of the large training rings.

"Place your left foot in the stirrup," Cloud instructs as we stand in the middle of the ring, pointing to the hanging bit of leather. "Now hold on to the horn of the saddle and pull yourself up, swinging your right leg over."

I get a bit of guilty pleasure when I feel his hands on my waist, then my thigh as he helps guide me through the motions. I manage to haul myself into the saddle, the unfamiliar feeling of the hard leather between my legs and the totally new view over Lady's head.

It felt both exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time, and I grin down at Cloud, proud of myself for actually getting this far.

He returns my grin. "Now for the hard part."

An hour later and my ass is so sore it feels like I've been sitting down for an eternity. Cloud helps me off the horse, holding onto me when I stumble a little.

"Are you okay?" he asks, and I can see he's holding back laughter.

"Just peachy," I gasp, disbelieving of the stiffness in my limbs.

"We may have overdone it a little, I think," Mai says, hopping down from her own horse. She makes it look so smooth and graceful, where I almost tripped trying to get my foot out of the stirrup.

She'd been riding in a different area, going through a course of jumps and other obstacles, while I was working up how to go from a walk to a trot.

I vow to myself then that I'll practice and keep at it until I'm a natural.

"When can we practice again?" I ask Cloud, determined to take this as seriously as my classwork.

"Well sports practice starts after classes next week, so once that schedule is worked out, we'll fit this in, too." He helps me lead Lady back into the stable to untack and brush her. "I think a couple days break would be good for you, though."

I chuck a horse brush at him as he laughs, which he easily dodges, and as much as I try not to, I can't help but laugh with him.

"I'll see you guys later, okay?" Mai days, having already untacked her horse and put him in his stall. "I'm starving."

We wave after her as she heads out of the stable in the direction of the Hub.

I'm caught off guard as Cloud wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me to his chest. He's gazing down at me intensely, and I can see a burning emotion in his eyes.

I glance around quickly, but we're hidden from view of anyone, standing inside the stall. Lady is standing in the aisle, lead rope tied to a post as she watches us. The judgement in her eyes is almost comical, and I'm reminded of a chaperoning teacher at a school dance.

Ignoring her, I turn back to Cloud, wrapping my arms around his neck. He needs no further encouragement, leaning down and capturing my lips in a perfect kiss.

I feel his frustration at waiting so long for this in the tense muscles of his shoulders and the almost urgency in his kisses.

I kiss him back with just as much intensity, and gasp slightly when he bites my bottom lip gently.

Growing desire blooming deep in my abdomen startles me a little, but instead of being uncomfortable with it, I allow it to consume me.

Cloud turns us so my back is pressed against the wall of the stall, the wood biting into my skin slightly. I focus on the feeling of his tall, lean body pressed up against every inch of mine, making my brain short-circuit as my heart thumps hard in my chest.

I have no idea how far it would have gone, and I don't get a chance to find out.

Loud voices reach our ears from close by and we jump apart. Breathing heavily, I try to pat down my hair, which had escaped from its ponytail.

I hear steps from right outside the stall and I pretend to be leaning casually against the wall as Cloud picks up the brush I'd thrown at him before casually leaving the stall to continue brushing Lady.

A pair of guys pass by us, talking loudly and barely sparing us a glance. I let out a sigh of relief, and Cloud shoots me a cheeky grin and a wink.

The moment is over, but a blush still tinges my cheeks and the fresh memory replays through my mind for the rest of the day.