Greengate Academy

Chapter 3

"So, what's the deal with lessons?" I asked Maddie. We were walking through the stable yard, looking at the humongous arenas and the gorgeous, lush pastures. Horses cantered together or sat in the shade of the trees.

"Well, there's a few different groups. It's based on grade, and you'll be fit into whatever group works best for you. There's a chance you'll get moved around based on how far along you are with riding. Some people get moved to a tougher group or to an easier one. It just depends," Maddie explained. I put my hands in the pockets of my grey sweatshirt. There was a slight chill in the air.

Loud shouts and hoofprints rang through the air. "Loose horse!" Someone yelled. I saw a large grey running towards us. Maddie and I ran over closer to the fence as the horse galloped past. Following the hoofbeats was a girl with long raven black hair.

"Where'd she go?" The girl asked, panting. Maddie pointed in the direction of the rest of campus, and the girl took off running in that direction.

"Is the horse going to the dorms and classrooms?" I asked Maddie. She shook her head.

"That's Elaine. Her horse always does this. Most of the time she can sit him, but there's the off day she gets thrown and he just runs back to his stall," Maddie explained. "Elaine's actually pretty nice. We shared a few classes last year."

I nodded, showing I heard Maddie, and continued walking towards the arena both horse and rider had come from. There were two other riders. One was doing an extended trot along the fence, and the other was using the inside track to do serpentines at the canter. Each change of direction brought a flying change.

Maddie bounced up to the fence excitedly, waving at the trotting rider. The person noticed her and walked over to us. The pinto stopped in front of us.

"Maddie!" The rider squealed in greeting. *It's so good to see you!"

"Zoe! I'm so glad to see you! And Harlow is looking so good!" Maddie said. She gestured to me. "This is my new roommate, Claire.  Claire, this is Zoe, my best friend."

"Aww, I'm flattered," Zoe said, putting a hand to her heart. Maddie and Zoe chuckled, and then turned to me.

"So, Claire, do you have a horse?" Zoe asked me.

"Yep; Cole. He's a black Oldenburg," I told her. Zoe told me about her horse. Harlow is a nine year old Paint-Thoroughbred mix. She's had him for four out of the nine years.

"Well, I gotta continue riding. But I'll see you guys around, right?" Zoe asked. Maddie and I both nodded.

Simultaneously, Zoe started riding again and we walked back out towards the barn. "I'm getting hungry," I said. hearing my stomach utter a quiet growl. 

"Oh, I know the perfect place for lunch." Maddie told me, picking up the place. "You see, we have a lot of on campus restaurants. There's one called Marty's, and it's probably the best sandwich place you could ever find."

"Okay, let's go!" I agreed, and we laughed as we started jogging across campus to this restaurant Maddie suggested.

It was a quaint little building with blue walls and a weathered sign that said "Marty's". Large windows revealed wooden tables and chairs inside.

"M' lady," Maddie joked, holding the door open for me. I smiled and pretended to curtsy.

"Thank you, kind lady." I said, walking inside. She soon followed, and I heard the door close behind us.

A few students were scattered around the building, either eating subs and fries or chattering away.

"Hello, welcome to Marty's. Take a seat, there are menus on the tables well as today's specials written on the board." A worker said, pointing to a chalkboard.

Maddie chose a table for two, and we sat down. She grabbed one of the menus and looked it over.

"Definitely a large order of fries to share...and then I'll go with..." Maddie trailed off, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she thought.

I fingered through a second menu. A lot of them looked good. There was a sandwich called "Marty's Favorite". It had mozzarella cheese, capicola ham, salami, lettuce, tomato, garlic mayo, and a special sub oil.

"I'll take Marty's Favorite," I announced, putting the menu down. Maddie looked.

"Ooh, that looks good. I'll take it too!" She said. "I'll go order."

I watched as she got up, the chair scraping on the linoleum floors, and walked to the counter. She talked with the worker and waited up there a couple minutes. Out came a tray with two subs and an order of fries, and Maddie brought it back with her.

"It smells so goooood," my mouth practically watered over the food in front of us. I took one of the sandwiches. It was cut in half, and the roll was slightly toasted.

Biting into it, my face crumbled with the happiness that only comes from eating good food. It may sound stupid, but hey; this is my story and I'm gonna say whatever I wanna say.

Within minutes the sandwiches and fries were gone, and Maddie and I sat, content and full. "I can't stomach anymore food." She groaned. I laughed.

"Me neither. I don't wanna move." I told her. Finally, with a groan, we stood and left the restaurant. "What now?" I asked her.

Maddie thought for a second. "Let's get back and unpack a little bit. Then we will decide what we want to do when we're done."

I nodded in agreement, and the walk back was filled with laughter and chatter.