Strides || Truth or Lie

|15|

This picture ^^^ (the one up top) is going to be mentioned in this chapter. It is of Veronica jumping Arrow last summer at an eventing competition. You will understand the meaning of it later on in this chapter.

"Hey, Veronica!" Noah spoke from across the barn.

"Hey!" I called back and slipped on another one of Summer's boots.

Noah came over, holding Comet by the reins. I gathered Summer's reins in my hand and led her out of the stall.

"Let's go?" I suggested.

"Sure!" We mounted our horses and started out on a trail.

"We've been dating for a month, but I barely know you." Noah slowed Comet as he turned to me.

"Oh, um." I slowed to match him. "What do you want to know?"

"Just about you." Noah shrugged.

"Well..." I was stuck in a ditch. There was no way out except telling him about me.

"I live about three hours south of here." Noah listened to me intently. "I am an only child."

"What about your living style?" Noah wondered.

"My family is pretty rich. But we weren't always. Something happened and we were suddenly the richest around."

Noah stared at me.

"I mean, we used to have nothing. Like nothing, nothing." I recalled. "We lived in America, actually. In an apartment in NYC. Around the time we were kicked out, my grandmother died. So we moved to the UK when I was four."

"Why were you kicked out?"

"Someone snuck into our apartment and set fire to something. We were away on a trip, so we had some of our things, but most of them burned."

Noah's silence was deafening.

"When we came to the UK, grandma had left her property to Dad. We moved into her tiny farmhouse." A pang of grief shot through me. "She had left all her animals to us, too. We kept the horses, but sold the rest of the animals. That's how I got my first horse, Arrow. He's fourteen right now.

"After that, our life went uphill. My parents got back into riding. I started riding." I shivered as a gust of wind blew past us. I tried to shake off the thought of Grandma's death.. "Yeah."

"Wow." Noah shook his head. "I had no idea..."

"It's fine," I responded.

"Well, my life is way easier." Noah tried to cheer me up.

I laughed quietly.

"I was born here." Noah began. "I got a Comet when I was seven. My family had already owned Ariat."

I leaned in.

"My parents had to send me to private schools, because I was bullied for riding. So I grew up riding at private and boarding schools."

I sniffed. "Yeah, so you were right!"

"I'm always right!" Noah joked.

I cracked a smile.

"We haven't gone on a date recently," Noah said suddenly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I fidgeted. Was I a bad girlfriend?

"I was thinking. Veronica Ross is going to be competing in Liverpool over break. Do you want to go watch her?"

I sat stone still in Summer's saddle. "Um..." I faltered. "I don't think I can, Noah. Family things. Sorry."