just because [pin hawthorne] 𝐢

chapter eight

"And beyond those hills is the old barn," said Becky. "Which, by the way, is totally haunted," she added.

"That barn is about as haunted as my saddle pad," commented Jade. The group had stopped for a break, and now Becky was telling the group about the story of Ghost Pony.

"So, come on," said Mia after the story. "Why is Zoe chasing Pin? Has she got something else she wants to wrongly accuse him of?" She asked.

"I'll let you in on a secret," said Becky.

"Please do," said Mia eagerly.

"Zoe is absolutely petrified of the Ghost Pony," said Becky dramatically. "She got spooked, had to take a moment."

"Fine, don't tell me," said Mia.

"She's just trying to apologize to him for getting him arrested," admitted Olivia.

"Why? He still stole sedatives, she was right about that," said Mia.

"Yeah, he stole them to help a sick moor pony," Olivia said. The group looked at her silently. "You can all understand wanting to help a horse, right?"

"I guess so," said Mia. "Come on Susie, this is boring," said Mia picking up her helmet. "Susie?" She repeated when said girl kept looking at her phone, barely acknowledging her friend.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," she said, finally looking up. Mia scoffed.

"It's such a beautiful day, and you've hardly taken your eyes off your phone. Come on, give it over," she said.

"I'm not giving you my phone," Susie said indignantly.

"Susie, remember our no-boys pact? If one of us is single, then..." she said.

"Then we both are," Susie finished, handing her phone to Mia. Everybody got up and back on their horses to leave.

"Wait, the hack isn't over yet!" Said Becky. "Olivia!" She turned towards the designated leader of the hack.

"I do think we should be heading back," Olivia admitted.

"No!" Exclaimed Becky in disappointment. Olivia sighed.

"Fine, I suppose if you really want to go on, you can be the hack leader, Becky," declared Olivia.

"Really? Yippee!" She said, mounting Bob. Olivia and Jade did the same with their horses.

"Come on!" She told her two friends.

"Becky, it's this way," said Jade, pointing the opposite way of where Becky was going.

"Yeah, I knew that," she tried a casual tone as she changed direction. After riding in silence for a while, Olivia noticed they weren't on the way back to the stables at all.

"Becky, do you know where we're going?" Olivia asked.

"Of course, of course, do you?" She asked. Olivia sighed but smiled nonetheless.

"I'd say the stables are this way," she said, pointing towards where she believed the stables to be. They rode in that direction for a moment before noticing they'd found Zoe.

"Hey, Zoe! Wait up!" Said Jade as the three girls caught up to their friend.

"Where have you been?" She asked them.

"Becky got us lost," said Jade.

"I did not get us lost," argued Becky.

"How did it go with Pin?" Asked Olivia.

"Yeah, what did you find out?" Added Becky.

"That I'm an idiot," replied Zoe. "He's been taking the sedatives to treat an injured moor pony," she said.