Rivals

Birthday

The whole week, Zoe and Pin worked with Raven, building up his strength and stamina. Zoe was so happy to get help from her boyfriend, who definitely had more experience with horses, than she had. However Raven and her were progressing fast, and she was determined to work hard to reach her goal. Friday she said goodbye to Pin with a sigh, knowing that she wasn't going to see him during the weekend, as it was her birthday.

Saturday then arrived, and Zoe was looking forward to spending time with her friends and family. Unfortunately the one person, she really wanted to be attending the party, couldn't come, or no he wasn't allowed to. Zoe sighed, as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her mom had bought her a new dress, and she really liked it; the red was a beautiful contrast to her dark skin. She looked at the watch in her room. Only an hour before her guests would arrive. She went to her door and peaked out, hearing her mom and Rosie talking in the kitchen. This was her chance, so she quickly went to her laptop, opened facetime and dialed Pin's number.

It took only a couple of seconds, before he responded. "Hi Zoe, how are..." he trailed off, as he saw her. "What?" she asked, noticing him staring at her. "You look... amazing", he told her, and she blushed slighty, looking down. "Thanks..." she answered, appreciating his compliment. "Do you look forward to your party?" he continued, making her look up again. Her expression told him all he needed to know. "I'm sorry I can't be there", he mumbled, longing to hold her. She shook her head. "It's not your fault", she said, biting her lip and glancing at the door for any sign, that her family was about to burst in.

"I wish we could tell them", Zoe sighed and looked back at her screen. "Do you want to?", he asked, a spark of hope in his voice. She shook her head. "Not yet. I want to ease them into the whole idea of us being together", she told him, and he nodded in understanding, licking his lips, as he always did, when something was on his mind. "Pin?" she asked, needing to know what he was thinking of. For a short amount of time, she could see he was thinking hard, then he shook his head, and looked at her. "Happy Birthday Zoe", he put on a smile, but she knew that he had been thinking about something else. However she also knew that she shouldn't push, so for now, she would let it slide. "Thank you", she answered, suddenly hearing Rosie coming up the stairs. "I gotta go... I'll... see you?" she said, more of a question than goodbye. He nodded, then turned off his screen, as Rosie burst into her room.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?!" Zoe asked her little sister, who plopped herself down on Zoe's bed. "Sure, but it's not like you have anything better to do than talk to me right now", Rosie said with a grin, making Zoe once more bite her lip. She already missed Pin, and her heart ached to be with him. Rosie seemed to notice the change in her sisters behaviour. "Zoe? Are you okay?" she asked, finally getting the attention of her big sister. "Huh? Oh of course", she told Rosie with a fake smile.

"Zoe... You know I can tell, when you are lying right?" Zoe looked at her little sister, sadness evident in her eyes. "It's nothing Ro. I just... I need some time alone", she told the younger girl, who looked at her worried. Zoe had definitely changed. When she came home, she was the happiest girl in the world, and later on it looked like she was on the verge of tears. Something was up, but Rosie couldn't figure out what. It had mostly started right after the Maid of the Island competition, and suddenly it dawned on her.

"Zoe, who's coming to the party today?" she asked already knowing the answer, but needing to hear her sister's words. "Um... you, mom, grandpa and... all of the Bright Fields Team", she answered truthfully. Rosie nodded. "So no one from Holloway?" she asked making Zoe look up in shock. "What?! No of course not, I am not allowed to... um I don't talk with anyone from Holloway", Zoe answered avoiding her sister's gaze. Rosie could tell she was lying, but wouldn't dig any deeper. Her sister would tell her when the time was right. But as she got up to leave the room, she once again noticed Zoe staring longinly into space.