Disguised In Lavender

Part 36

Paved roads were much smoother than the gravel spilled into the lumpy dirt paths up towards the college campus. Ann stayed calmly asleep on Lauren's lap, the rider's hand drawing little hearts on her back. The rider was scrolling through her phone, still waiting for Tanner to text her that they'd made it to the train station. Rows of trailers stretched out behind Lauren's, somewhere up ahead was Dalla and Tanner who had gone with Mr. Terence. "Still awake?" Ann asked tiredly, her words slurred together as she propped herself up and blinked the sleep away. Lauren hummed in response, shifting back to let Ann sit up as she scrolled boredly through Instagram.

"You must be nocturnal or something." The trainer yawned, stretching her arms in front of her until they touched the opposite wall. The scream of a train whistle made both girls jump, crawling towards the driver's window to look out. Ann laid her chin on Lauren's shoulder from behind and let her eyes drift closed for another second. "Another three and a half hours to Yellowstone. Want me to carry you, darling?" The rider asked as she craned her neck to look over his shoulder at Ann who was peacefully hanging over her.

Too tired to reply, the younger girl felt herself lifted into Lauren's arms by the back of her legs and back. Lauren suppressed a smile, crouching down to slide through the tiny window that led to the front of the trailer. Ducky lifted his head from his hay net, his back leg cocked comfortably behind him mid-nap. "I'll board 'em for ya, miss." The driver already stood with the ramp down to the back, his tangled hair concealed beneath a straw hat.

Lauren nodded a thank you, not wanting to wake Ann who was sound asleep in her arms again. "Stand up so they can check your pass." She whispered, gently lowering the trainer to her feet again but keeping one arm around her shoulders for support. "Just fold me into your backpack." Ann squeezed her eyes shut tighter against the bright headlights streaming around the platform. "You won't fit, hurry up before they call security." Lauren elbowed her lightly, digging through her purse for the pass Mr. Terence had given her days ago.

Trains smoothly ran in and out of the station, it was quieter now since most of the students were too tired to fight. There came an occasional whiny from the loading train which sparked a flurry of confusion among the riders. No one had been away from their training horses for more than thirty seconds, attached at the hip for perfection. Mr. Terence was weaving between his students, collecting their passes and tapping his foot as the captain looked through them. He was just as impatient as the rest of the head masters to get to the scouting area before the first judges did.

Lauren spotted Tanner beside a group of freshman trainers, each with a blue badge instead of a purple one. Blue was Crainmen Manor, a rival barn nearer to West Jordan and closer to a large town. Ann shifted her weight, now more awake but still leaning against Lauren with her head cushioned by her shoulder. "Alright! Everyone board up, Tanner get over here." Mr. Terence waved Tanner over, ruffling his hair admonishingly as the young trainer rushed over with a playful grin.

Lauren held her breath through the smog leaking from the train, holding tight to Ann's hand through the crowd. Some passengers were getting off and fighting the wave of kids in pajamas trying to board past them. The inside of the train was much nicer than the gold chipped outside, red carpeted floors and private cabins. Lauren bounced onto her tiptoes and held up her hand, waving at Tanner who was doing the same to find her. He obviously didn't want to sit with Dalla but trainer's couldn't sit alone, it was two to a cabin or more. "I didn't know a train was comfortable." Ann observed as she crawled into a hammock hanging only a few feet off the ground strung between the door and window.

"The boarding stalls are almost the size of the entire library." Tanner gasped, stumbling dramatically into a seat and out of breath from trying to evade his rider. Lauren wriggled into the little space beside Ann, shifting to put her arm comfortably under the trainer's head. "You've been to the stalls?" The blonde asked, hugging onto Lauren's arm that was strung over her like a miniature blanket. Tanner looked down at the two with a roll of his eyes, more jealous than trying to be a jerk to his friends.

Boarding stalls were in the back of the train, even behind the cabins where the students were considered the caboose. Lauren curved her wrist back to play with Ann's hair as she let her eyes flutter shut happily. "You're lucky to bring her along with you." Tanner looked up from his phone, his head snapping up at the screeching call of smoke from the train commander. "I'd say so." Lauren mused proudly, her eyes not moving from Ann's fragile features, her chest moving up and down sleepily. "It's stupid but I miss JK already." The rider looked up at her friend, careful not to wake Ann as she stopped playing with her curled hair.

"I know, I don't think I deserve for her to be here when you're alone." Tanner made a face, sitting up in his seat to fully glare at Lauren who ducked her head back towards Ann. She pressed her lips lightly against the trainer's neck, the soft skin smelling of lavender and coffee. "You were a wreck before you met her, I remember. You tried to date every guy in the grade just because you still talked to your father but then, junior year. Remember when I first pointed her out and wasn't even confused when you broke up with your boyfriend that night?" Lauren smiled at the memory, letting out a little sigh that sent a wave of warm air against the back of Ann's neck.

Two years ago, Tanner was right, Lauren was a mess and she had no conscience to figure out why. "Go to sleep, jerk." She rolled her eyes, laying back against Ann with her nose pressed against the nape of the trainer's neck. "Nighty night." Tanner sprawled on his stomach, reaching to the lights and flicking them out as the train rocked into motion. A tight jerk sent the hammock violently back and forth, Ann opened her eyes suddenly, looking confused. Lauren rolled with a groan onto her back, setting her foot on the ground and stopping the swinging of the hammock.

"Sleep, darling." The rider whispered, trying not to wake Tanner or tear Ann further from the sleep she'd finally gotten. Ann nodded wordlessly, letting her eyes close as she wrapped around Lauren, her head comfortable on her stomach. Something about this felt so much warmer than anything Lauren had ever experienced, her eyes washing over her girlfriend half closed. She let her foot graze the coarse carpet beneath them, swinging them rhythmically back and forth to sleep.