You, Me: Us

5. The Sleepover

With Zoe gone, Lainey and Pin were back trying to train Raven. They needed to get him rideable soon or else Lainey's uncle was going to get pissed.

They had been keeping a pretty close eye on every horse in the stable. They didn't want to get another one stolen.

One was devastating enough.

Tonight, she was going to stay late to lock up. While it would raise the electric bill a little, she was going to leave on a few lights to make it look like there were still people there.

After she locked up, she was supposed to go to a sleepover with her cousin, Susie, and Zoe's sister, Rosie.

It was pretty scary after dark. With no one there, it was eerie and quiet. She was just making one last round before she heard something coming from the haystack. "Hey!" She called out. "Is anyone here?" She looked up to see Becky, Jade, and Zoe all with crisps and sleeping bags. "What are you three doing?"

They looked at the others, each stuttering to find an excuse. Then, Zoe sighed, "We're sleeping over to keep an eye on Raven," she said, gesturing to the horse that was in the paddock.

"Oh," Lainey said before looking back to the trio. "Mind if I join you?" They all looked surprised and she rolled her eyes as she climbed up. "Don't look at me like that. I care about all these horses and if you think there's a reason to watch Raven tonight, then I'll stay to keep him safe."

Zoe smiled at her, "thank you, Lainey."

Becky then grinned excitedly, "how about some ghost stories?" The other three shrugged as they cuddled up together with blankets while Becs took the torch.

"The ghost pony appears at night. Jealousy guarding his hidden treasures. Anyone who lays eyes on him immediately dies of shock. Thus, details about this pony are scarce. But it's name. His name is mentioned by flickering candlelight. Striking fear into the hearts of those who hear it. His name– His name... is pebbles."

Each of them chuckles, "pebbles?" Lainey questioned.

"What?" Becky complained, lowering the torch from her face. They each started laughing again at her face. "Pebbles can be scary. Like at the beach. If they're all wet and slippery. They're a safety hazard."

The night went on and one of their phones buzzed. Becky was the first one to pick it up and gasped, throwing herself against the stack of hay. "OMG! Hot Marcus added you."

Jade's eyes widened, "this is huge!"

Lainey looked at them confused, "We've been friends since we were younger than Ben. Have you guys not added each other?"

They both looked down ashamed, "no," they whispered. "Anyway," Jade carried on, taking Zoe's phone. "You've got, like, a million unanswered invites here."

"Really?" Zoe questioned, taking her phone back. "I haven't been on this site much."

Becky rolled her eyes and reached for the phone, "this is all really interesting, but the thing is, Hot Marcus is friending you in the here and now."

"And you can't just leave him hanging," Jade insisted and Lianey shook her head.

"You can't, it would be rude and kind of awkward since we're at the same yard–"

"And we all saw what happened when he handed you a flyer." Lainey's eyes widened as she smirked at Zoe, looking like there might be a new relationship brewing. She always thought that Mia and Marcus should find other people, or at least have a break from each other. They got too heated sometimes. "Your hands touched and, Kkaboom, the heavens opened and bolts of lightning rained down," Becky enacted dramatically.