Rivals

Thank You

The next day the girls went to the stable together. It was so weird that Raven now was her solo responsibilty. It made her so happy, especially because Mia didn't have a saying anymore. Raven whinnied when he saw her, and she took him out of the stall, and tacked him up. "Do you want to go on a hack?" Jade asked, but Zoe shook her head. "Umm, can I have raincheck. I really need to do something", Zoe answered, and her friends looked at her confused. "Sure", they both muttered, and exchanged puzzled glances.

Raven threw his head in the air, as soon as Zoe was in the saddle, happy to go for a ride. She said goodbye to her friends, then rode off to a place she had never visited. Becky had told her the way to Holloway, but Zoe had a hard time remembering exactly where it was. Now it was time to put it to the test. She only got lost twice, but finally tracked the right route on her phone.

When she finally got to Holloway she was shocked. It was nothing like Bright Fields. The whole place was a giant castle and everything was so beautiful and well kept. It was so grand, and Zoe felt out of place, as she rode through the gates, dismounted Raven and tied him to the iron fence. She walked hesitantly towards the big building, not really knowing where to go. "Can I help you?" a voice said behind her, and she turned around looking at a petite brunette on a brown horse.

"Um... I'm here to see Pin", Zoe stuttered and noticed the brunette clenching her jaw. "What do you want with Pin?" she asked looking very displeased. "I just want to talk to him", Zoe continued,already knowing who this girl was. She had heard enough about Gaby,and her feeling of ownership towards Pin, to know that it was the Holloway Team Captain, she was talking to.

"Well...Tourist..." Gaby smirked, and stared patronising at Zoe. "I don't think Pin has time for groupies..." "Gaby!" they both turned their heads to look at Pin, who suddenly stood beside them. "This isn't how we treat our guests", he told her sternly, obviously having heard the entire conversation. Zoe couldn't help but grin triumphantly, as the Team Captain cowered before her, trying her best to look innocent. "Sorry Pin... I just know you are so busy with training", she said batting her eyelashes at him, making Zoe roll her eyes. "It's fine", he muttered, then took Zoe's hand and dragged her along with him, leaving a furious Gaby behind.

She didn't know where he was leading her, but suddenly they were alone under a tree behind the main building. He turned to face her. "What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly not in a good mood. "Okay... hello to you too", Zoe answered, confused as to why he was upset. The other times she had seen him, he had been so smiley and calm. This was definitely not what she expected from him.

Hearing her words, his eyes softened. "I'm sorry... it's just... Gaby, and Holloway in general, don't take nicely to strangers", he murmured, almost a bit ashamed. She nodded. "Yeah I noticed", she told him, and he couldn't help but smile. Finally he seemed to relax and his shoulders weren't tense anymore. "So what did you want?" he asked her again, this time much more calm, and Zoe couldn't help but stare into his eyes, facinated with how they changed colours from blue, to grey, to green.

Finally remembering why she came, she looked shyly at the ground. "I came to thank you", she whispered, and put the nose of her riding boot against the earth, kicking a little bit of dirt up. When she looked up at him, he smiled. "What for?" he asked, and she couldn't seem to focus. "Yesterday. Raven. You helped us", she muttered, and knew she probably didn't make any sense. "Your welcome..." His smile was so genuine, and for a second she just stared at him. "Raven means something special to me too. I don't want to see a stranger take him away, just because she suddenly owns him. He is happy here with you. You are perfect for each other", he finished, and Zoe blushed. Normally she never blushed, but when Pin was around, she felt so shy and insecure.

She didn't understand all the emotions he brought forth in her, and it both scared and entriqued her. "So um... I guess I better..." she told him and pointed towards the exit. She had a whole speech prepared before she arrived, but she had forgotten every question she ever wanted to ask him. //Pull yourself together Zoe!// she thought, and mentally kicked herself for being so immature.

"I'll see you around?", the sentence more like a question than a statement, and Pin nodded, as she walked past him. "Zoe..."hearing him say her name, she turned around immediately, and stared at him. He took a step towards her, and she swallowed hard, as he invaded her personal space. "I just wondered if... if you would like to have coffee sometime?" he mumbled and put his hands casually in the pockets of his show jacket. //Is he asking me out?//she thought, and her heart lept with joy. "I don't like coffee", she answered, and wanted to facepalm herself, for being so stupid. However he just let out a small chuckle. "Fine... a soda then?"he asked and she smiled and nodded, biting her lip, as to not turn into a huge grin. "That would be nice", she said, and he took out his phone, handing it to her. "Give me your number", he requested and she quickly typed in the digits. She handed him back the phone,and he looked at her number with a smile, trying to memorize it."I'll text you", he said softly. Zoe grinned and started walking backwards to the main entrance, where she left Raven. //Is this really happening?// she thought to herself, as she reached the black horse and mounted him.