We pulled into my new driveway and although it was a bit run down it was well taken care of.
The gravel driveway blew dust in clouds as we drove and as we got closer I realized the place was beautiful! I turned to face mom "Were staying here? How did you find it?"
She smiled and I realized there were people outside the house. "Well we get to live here as long as we take care of the house. You know, fix it, paint it up, so on." We got to the house and I stepped out of the car to find an older man standing alone with a boy who seemed my age. The old man looked like he was in his late 60's and leaned heavily on his cane; he was also the first to talk. "You must be Mrs. Reese." He said taking mom's hand. Then he turned and gestured to the boy next to him. This is Brayden. He will help take care of your lawn and any other handy work you might need done.
"Now then, Brayden go and show Ella the horses."
"You have horses?" I've loved horses since I can remember but with the constant moving I could never try lessons. Brayden nodded his head at me to follow and for a bit we walked in silence until he glanced sidelong at me and asked "So do you like animals?" I looked down at the ground and smiled. "Yeah, especially horses. But I've never been able to have a pet"
He looked at me and gave me a warm smile.
"You wanna learn to ride?" I felt my eyes get wide with excitement. "That would be so cool, thanks!"
He flashed me a small mischievous grin and I couldn't help but wonder if he was gonna be one of those -
"Brush it off" kinda guys.
The stables were small and pretty, a small barn made to hold at least six horses. Brayden walked into a tiny room off to the side and I figured it would be awkward to follow, so I decided to walk around and see the horses. Each one was beautiful but I favored the dapple gray. The horse's name plate said his name was Hellian.
That's when Brayden emerged from the room with a bunch of gear and brushes. "I figured you would wanna get to know who you will be riding." I looked at Hellian, then back to Brayden. "This one?" He nodded and sat down the stuff on a shelf inside the stall.
He handed me a brush and left the stall to do something else, closing the gate behind him. When I thought he wasn't looking I peeked over the stall to see what he was doing. He looked up at me from polishing a saddle and smiled. I felt my face get hot with embarrassment as I ducked back behind Hellian. I could hear him chuckle and I decided to change the subject. "Where do you go to school?"
"Maple Springs Highschool."
Apparently this wasn't the only place I'd be seeing him.
"Oh I wonder if we'll have any classes together."
He only said "Maybe."
Once I finished I leaned against the doorway and watched him. "Done." I said.
"Alright then let's go."
He put on the saddle and helped me up, then led me outside.
