Recovery

Chapter 33

"Okay everyone, mount your horses," Claire calls, hoisting herself up onto Storm. "Partner up with whoever you want today."

I see Marc riding his horse over towards me, so I nudge Trigger over to Ivy, despite the fact that I know she is mad at me. He'll find a partner- we have an even number today since Avery isn't riding with us. 

After he got back from his little impromptu trail ride earlier, I approached him to make sure we were okay.

"Look, I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?" I asked.

He glanced at me sideways while putting Feather back in her stall.

"Do I have a reason to be?" he retorted.

"No! Marc and I were just messing around-"

"So I do have a reason?" he cut me off. I looked at him, a small scowl on my face.

"That is the exact opposite of what I just said," I whisper-shouted. "Are you deaf?"

He snorted, not looking directly at me.

"No, but I'm not blind either," he replied simply. He turned and started to walk away from me.

"Avery," I snapped, my voice low. I grabbed his upper arm and spun him around. "I told you nothing was going on. Why don't you trust me?"

"It's not you I don't trust," he shot back.

I had let go of him, taking a step back. "When did you get to be so jealous?"

"I'm not-"

"I appologized," I cut him off, raising my hand to silence him. "You are acting like a jealous child. Come find me when you're ready to act like an adult."

I spun on my heels and walked away from him. A part of me expected him to chase after me, tell me he was sorry.

He didn't.

"Aren't you going to ride with man candy over there?" Ivy quips once I approach her, tilting her head towards Marc. "Or are you worried your boyfriend wouldn't like it?"

"Cool it Ivy," I snap, rolling my eyes. "I don't want to fight with you."

A glimmer of emotion crosses over her eyes, disappearing moments later. She doesn't want to fight either.

"Can we just- be normal again?" I almost beg, nudging Trigger into a walk as the rest of the group takes off.

She looks a bit taken aback, a small frown appearing on her face."Do you not trust me?" she asks after a while.

"I do trust you, Ivy," I assure. "I just- I have issues opening up to people. There's a lot about me you don't know, and I know thats partially my fault. Like I said, I have issues opening up to people."

She sighs and shakes her head. "Okay."

"Okay?" I ask, confused.

"Okay we can be normal again. At least we can try."

A sigh of relief escapes from my mouth.

"Although I still think there's something going on between you and Avery," she adds quickly, her voice hushed.

"I know you do."

"Not denying it, are we?" she chuckles.

"Not confirming it," I start. I pause for a moment, unsure of how to respond. I won't lie to her anymore. "But not denying it, either."

She smiles at me, a genuine smile. I can tell in that moment that I've gained her trust again. We're back to how we were before.

The rest of the ride is laid back, with Ivy and I talking and teasing each other. Ivy's probably my best friend here, and its nice to have her back. It's strange to think that when I arrived here, I thought she was one fo the most annoying people ever. I guess you shouldn't judge people till you get to know them.