Rolling Hills Academy

Love Is In the Air

I sat at the lunch table on the edge of the caf beside Violet, smiling at Jaxon and Julia, who were sitting across from us. 

"Hey guys!" I said, slightly out of breath. After class I had to run back to my dorm since I had forgotten my wallet. I was lucky, since Cole had texted me saying he had a meeting with one of his teachers after class, so he'd be a bit late to lunch. He told me to sit with my friends and he'd come find me when he was ready. 

Jaxon frowned at the empty table in front of me. "Are you not eating today? You can steal some of my fries if you'd like?" He said, pushing his tray towards me. I felt Violet nudge my leg and fought the urge to smack her.

"I one hundred percent will steal a fry or two," I said, snatching the two longest fries I could see, "but no, I'm not eating here today. I lost a bet to Cole so I have to buy him lunch today. I think he said he wanted Chinese food." I rolled my eyes. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Julia and Violet exchange a look, and thought I saw a look of hurt flash across Jaxon's face, but it disappeared before I was sure.

"Oh. That sound's fun." Jaxon cleared his throat. A sudden tension arose from the table and it left me confused. I looked to Julia, who was looking at me intently. Violet shifted in her seat before saying,

"Well you'll have to steal me some dumplings. I haven't had Chinese in forever." She drawled. Julia snorted.

"Didn't you just have it, like, yesterday?" She asked. Violet rolled her eyes.

"It was actually two days ago thank you. So like I said. Forever." Julia and I glanced at each other before laughing. Violet was on of the most dramatic people I've met. Jaxon stood up from the table and started packing his bags.

"Hey, where you running off to?" I asked. He kept packing his bags, not looking at me.

"I forgot I had to run to the library and grab a book for an assignment." He said. He zipped up his bag and looked up, his eyes meeting mine. "I'll catch you guys later, enjoy your lunch Harper." He started to walk away and I quickly got up, following him.

"Jaxon, wait!" I said, jogging up to him. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked. He sighed.

"No, no don't worry. I'm just tired. School has been a pain, and with the show coming up tomorrow it's just another thing on my list to do." He said. I thought for a moment.

"Well, If you're not too tired after the lesson, would you like to practice a bit more together? And then maybe we get our horses ready together too afterwards?" I asked. Jaxon smiled, and relief washed over me.

"Sure Harp, I'd really like that." He opened his mouth to say more, but he frowned at something over my shoulder. I turned to see Cole sitting at the table with Violet and Julia. He noticed me looking and waved, smiling. "Well it looks like Cole is waiting for you. Enjoy your lunch." Jaxon said, and stormed away.

I was confused. Jaxon had said I didn't do anything wrong, and yet I couldn't help like feel like I had. I shook off the thought. Oh well, I'm hanging out with him tonight after practice to get ready for the show so hopefully he's in a better mood then. 

I walked back to the table and Cole stood up. "Hey Harper. Your friends were just telling me about your snoring habits." He winked. I glared at Violet, who shrugged innocently.

"What," she said, "it's true." I lightly punched her arm.

"Well then, I hope you also told them that when you sleep you talk about how you li-" Violets hand covered my mouth.

"Ok! Ok you win! Shhhhhh." She said, glaring at me. Julia laughed. 

"Well on that note, I hope you brought your wallet Harper. Ready?" He asked. I nodded.

"I'll see you guys in class!" I said to the girls. They smiled and waved, and started talking about some rapper as Cole and I headed out of the caf to the sunny courtyard. We walked in silence enjoying the warmer temperatures, walking down the path to the section of the campus dedicated to restaurants. 

A lot of students had chosen to eat lunch out today, with students coming and going from each restaurant in groups of four or five. Cole and I passed a group of girls that I recognized from tryouts, the girls that had been placed on the beginner team. I smiled at them and they all smiled back. Then they saw who was walking beside me, and I swear one girl fluttered her eyes at him. I did a double take when Cole grinned at her. 

"Wow, I didn't know you had a thing for the girls in our grade. Smells like love is in the air." I said cheekily. He laughed.

"Nah, not them. I've heard them gossiping around the stable before, and let me tell you, way to crazy for my liking." He chuckled. I laughed with him.

"Yeah, those girls love their gossip. But hey, you didn't say that you didn't like anyone." I prodded. "So is there someone?" 

Cole went quiet. "Well yeah, there is, but I don't really know if she's available. We've been talking but I think she's into someone else."

"Well, if you like her, you should tell her. At least then you'll know for sure if you have a chance." I said, nudging him lightly. He smiled at me.

"Yeah, maybe I will."

                                                                                                         ~~~

Jaxon and I made slow laps around the outdoor arena, cooling our horses down. It was a pretty easy lesson, since we didn't want to overwork the horses, so Jaxon and I practiced a bit more on our own. 

"So," Jaxon started, "how was your lunch today with Cole?" he asked cautiously.

"It was fun actually, I think I needed it before the show." I said. Jaxon nodded and we fell silent again. 

We went back to the stable and grabbed our grooming kits, finding an empty set of crossties to braid our horses manes and tails.

We worked in comfortable silence, each of us taking the time to make sure our horses looked as good as possible. Usually whenever I groomed Casper for a show, he put in his best effort, so I was always sure to make sure I made him feel as handsome as possible. 

We worked for about half an hour before I heard Jaxon walking around to my side.

"Wow, Casper looks very handsome, don't you boy." He said, patting his cheek. Casper flicked his mane dramatically.

"He says, why thank you kind sir." I giggled. 

"How are you feeling about the show tomorrow?" Jaxon asked, pulling up a bucket to sit next to me.

I shrugged. "I'm excited, and also nervous. It's my first show at a new school and I don't want to let anyone down. But I'm also very excited to show with Casper. We've prepped a lot so now there's nothing else we can do except do our best."

Jaxon nodded. "I feel that. But I know you can Casper are going to dominate. I've seen you guys work together and the bond and skill you have is incredible."

I felt a blush creep on my cheeks and turned away. "I don't even know what to say. Thank you, it means a lot." Jaxon smiled and stood up, reaching out a hand.

"Now come on. Let's put the horses away and go get some ice cream. I think we deserve it." I laughed and grabbed his hand.

Tomorrow couldn't go too badly. We've trained hard. I deserve some ice cream, and maybe just for tonight I won't worry about the show. After all, it can't go too badly, can it?