Madison v.s The Travelling Exchange Students

Chapter Thirty-Three: No Communication

It's been three days of silence. Not a peep, not a single greeting. Not a word from anyone. It's like I've been cut off from the outside world or have turned invisible. But there is no outside world-I'm literally in the room next to most of them.

Oh, I do get the occasional death stare, sneer and/or mean comment. That is something I suppose.

I sit alone to eat in my room now. I did try to eat with everyone but was met with either people ignoring me or getting up and moving away. I've accepted it.

No one tries to talk to me during lessons anymore and I'll usually arrive and exit the stables by myself. I've noticed that Sophie and Mia will wait until after I'm asleep to come back to our shared room and are long gone by the time I wake up. 

Sarah won't answer any of my calls or texts because Bishop told her everything that happened so I am truly friendless.

 Honestly just drawing a penis on my face to label me as what I've been-a dickhead-would be better than this silent treatment. 

All the while though, Elias gets to be spared of everyone's anger and remains as bubbly and liked as ever. I'm fuming about it. I mean how could he lie so much about everything? And how is everyone believing him over me?! I am grateful though that it seems that Antonio is oblivious to the civil war going on between his students-Alex mustn't have snitched yet.

"Oh my gosh, Virgo. What am I going to do?" I mutter from under my helmet.

Virgo doesn't even seem to notice my question as he continues to canter on the twenty-meter circle. Sighing, I nudge him with my left calf to prevent him from falling to the inside.

If only you could talk, I think, guiding Virgo back onto the outside track, wriggling my reins to keep him round.

Virgo's canter goes up a gear as we lock onto the long side. I focus on taking a deep breath and relaxing deeper into the saddle, moving my shoulders past my hips so I sit heavier. Virgo collects nicely again and I feel like I could fall asleep up here because Virgo's rocking horse canter is just so comfortable.

Trust me I need the sleep as I've cried myself into the early hours of the morning before finally passing out these past few nights.

To keep me awake I focus on the movement of Virgo's canter and our connection.

Sit, sit... sit, sit... sit, sit...

I guide Virgo to canter one last circle at A before I sit deeper into the saddle and give a half halt to tell him to transition back to trot. Smoothly, Virgo breaks into a calm trot before we trot one last lap of the arena. I brush my fingers against his wither to let him know he has done well.

For the last few days, I've spent most of my time at the stables working on transitions with Virgo. One of his weak spots is not staying round when I ask him to transition up the gaits. With time though I know, it will get better and I've seen so much improvement from him in just three days.

I mean I have nothing else to do so I might as well work on our weak spots.

When Virgo transitions back to walk, I let him have a loose rein. He sways slowly under the saddle as he cools down. I stare up at the hot Darwin sun, allowing it to burn my eyes. It's the middle of May now but it doesn't seem so long ago that we were all boarding the bus that early morning to first leave for this trip around Australia.

I thought back then that I was about to go on an exciting adventure full of laughs and horses. Now look at me. How did so much change in just three and a half months?

After a few laps of mindless walking, Virgo takes us to the centre of the arena and halts. I laugh for the first time in days, leaning down and scratching his neck. I've forgotten what my own laugh sounds like.