You, Me: Us

7. Emerald

Instead of going to the stables today, Lainey decided to go to Pin's house and help out with the pony. He really wasn't doing well.

They were both sitting in the shipping container when Zoe came around the corner with a large bright green apple in hand. Pin looked up with a smile before looking confused, "I didn't hear a horse."

"I walked," Zoe answered, moving closer to the pair. "How's he doing?" Pin looked back down to the horse in worry.

"He's off his food. I'm really worried about him." Zoe sat down next to Lainey and placed the apple on the ground.

"Pin... where's Raven from."

The boy hesitated, "no idea." His girlfriend took his hand, giving him a look. That was a terrible lie. She obviously already knew.

"I know you owned him when he was a foal," she said, bringing a picture out of her pocket of Ted and baby Raven.

"So?"

"So, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't either of you tell me?" She asked, hurt. She thought that they were friends.

He looked up from the pony to glare at her, "are you accusing me of something? Again?"

"Pin," Lainey warned him. Now wasn't the time to be hostile. It would upset the foal.

Zoe shook her head anyway, "no, I'm really not. But what I don't get is why the both of you are still keeping stuff from me. I thought we were friends."

Lainey looked at her sadly, "there's time to share things and times you don't. Especially if it's to keep others safe." The American girl looked guilty for a second, maybe she had pushed too far.

Pin rolled his eyes, "why would you want to be friends with us anyway, you clearly think we're up to no good, so why don't you just go back to the stables and leave us alone?" Zoe got up to leave, walking away from the shipping container when Ted came by, stopping her.

"I think you and me need to have a little chat," he told her.

His daughter-in-law rolled her eyes, "Ted, you're scaring her. Come on, sit down," she invited, moving closer to the pony to make more room. The little group sat down with Ted sitting next to his son and Zoe getting back in place next to Lainey.

Ted took a deep breath before starting the story of how they met Raven, "We'd had storms for weeks...so on the first calm day, I had gone down to the beach to see what the sea had washed up. I never thought I would come back with a foal."

Zoe leaned forward, "Raven." She looked at Pin and he nodded.

"I told Pin not to name him," Ted complained again as if they didn't have this fight every time.

"Everyone needs a name," both teens countered, smiling at each other as they kept a hand on the pony.

"I thought someone would turn up looking for him, but they didn't," he said sadly. It always hurt him that no one ever came looking for such a precious horse.

Zoe gave them a look of realisation, "when he bolted, he took me to the beach."

Pin looked to his dad and nodded towards her, "tell her." The older man sighed and looked at Lainey who nodded in confirmation.

He gestured to the thing they were sitting in, "this crate... was washed up near where I found him."

"We think he came to the island inside it."

Zoe gasped a little, "no wonder he's afraid of water. Imagine being in here, in the sea."

Pin smiled in thought at the horse. He had loved him ever since they found him. "It's amazing he has the courage to do anything at all." Ted looked upset as he thought about what he was going to say next.