Rivals

The Lesson

Tacking up Raven the next day, Zoe was extremely excited. She was looking forward to Pin helping her, and was sure that he could give her some great pointers. Her boyfriend was such an amazing rider. Boyfriend... the word sounded so good and loving, and she couldn't help but smile.

However the one downer was, that they couldn't tell anybody about their relationship. Both her mom and Mia had forbade her to ever see him again, and she didn't know how to convince them that he was indeed a good guy. Pushing the thought from her mind, she chose to focus on the positive, and she was so looking forward to today.

Walking out of the stable with Raven, she was about to mount him. "Where are you going?" Mia's annoying voice was loud, and Zoe almost jumped as she turned around. " On a hack", she answered calmly, while Mia shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for Nationals?" she asked, and Zoe rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you be minding your own business?" she responded and immediately regretted her harsh tone. She just didn't like all the questions that she was being asked.

"If we lose Nationals it will be on you", the blonde girl continued, and Zoe mounted the black horse. "If you train your horse, I'll train mine" she scoffed and pushed Raven forward, leaving the yard behind. "He's not your horse!" Mia shouted after her, and Zoe grit her teeth. Every chance she got, Mia would rub her nose in the fact that Zoe wasn't the owner of Raven. It frustrated her so much, and she already felt her happiness slip away. Was this what it always would be like? Raven belonging to another, and her constantly fighting for him?

Shaking her head she started trotting towards the beach. She needed to do well at Nationals, or otherwise Meredith would probably take Raven away. She hadn't said it directly, but she had hinted that her horse wasn't progressing fast enough, and she wasn't pleased. Sighing Zoe patted Raven's neck. "We'll be alright boy", she murmured, and the gelding threw his head in the air, as they galloped the rest of the way.

It was partly cloudy, and small drops of rain were already falling on her helmet. //Oh England, you always know how to surprise me//, she thought with a grin, comparing the current weather to last day's sunshine. As she reached the beach, she was stunned. Pin had been up early and had already put several jumps together of logs and branches. He was wearing his Holloway uniform, standing beside Elvis, as she approached him. "Wow I'm impressed", she said, as she dismounted, and he chuckled.

"Well, I promised I would help, and I didn't want to disappoint you", he told her, as she put her arms around him. "You never disappoint me", she whispered and gave him a light kiss. "Except when..." he started, but she cut him off. "Hey... we don't talk about that anymore", she insisted, and he nodded. Luckily that argument was in the past.

"Did you have a hard time getting away?" he then asked, changing the subject, and she sighed heavily. "Mia was asking questions", she muttered, and he just kept quiet, letting her continue. "She doesn't know, but I think maybe Becky and Jade are starting to get suspicious", she told him, and glanced at him. "Do you want to tell them?" he asked hopefully, and she shook her head. "Not yet... I need to..." "Know if you want this?" he interrupted, catching her off guard.

She gazed up at him. "No... I need to know that they can handle the truth and won't be mad", she finished, shocked that he would ever think she had doubts about the two of them. "Is that what you think? That I don't want this?" she asked him, and he avoided her gaze. "It's just... I know I have issues. Maybe you will eventually tire of me", he whispered, sounding very insecure, and she put both of her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "Hey... Don't say that. I love you", she told him, reassuring him that this was what she wanted. "I love you too", he responded, and kissed her passionately.

They embraced each other for a couple of minutes, but Raven had gotten impatient and suddenly shoved his head against Zoe's back. Both of them turned around and laughed, as the black gelding grinned at them. "Aww he feels neglected", Zoe joked and hugged the big horse. "He is right though. Today is about him", Pin chuckled and patted the horse on the shoulder. "Come on... show me what you two can do", he continued, and she giggled, as she mounted Raven and pushed him forward in a collected canter.

She rode a couple of circles, then changed the direction, to help him become more flexible. Raven was cantering nicely, and Zoe was so proud of how far they had come. Pin looked on with a smile, his arms crossed as he observed their work. "You have a really good seat, and nice control", he told her, and she was a huge grin. Compliments from him were just extra special, and she stroked Raven's mane.

"Now to the jumps", Pin said and walked over to them, as she came to a halt. "Which problems do you have?" he asked, and put a hand on her knee. "Well, he seems to drift to the right, when I land. I have tried to tighten my reins, but it just doesn't seem to work", she explained, and Pin nodded in understanding. "Try go over all three jumps, and I'll see what goes wrong", he told her, and she nodded and turned the dark horse around.

Pushing Raven into a canter, she rode a circle, then approached the jump. They got over perfectly, but as usual the gelding drifted to the right, when they landed, and as they approached the second jump the distance was off. Raven jumped big and almost threw her out of the saddle, as she lost her stirrups. Quickly regaining her balance she pushed the horse into a faster gallop, hoping it would help them. However Zoe was in doubt about the third distance, and as they reached the last jump Raven stopped.

Her helmet fell into her eyes, and she pushed it back, an annoyed sigh coming from her lips. "Ugh why can't I make this work?!" she mumbled, as Pin walked over to her. "Okay I see your problem. First of all, you rely too much on just your reins. You need to use your right leg to push him back into form. Then shorten your rein on the outside, and keep your balance center. I know it's a lot to take in, but try to go again, and I'll remind you", he told her, and she nodded biting her lip.

Cantering towards the jump, Zoe tried to remember what Pin had just told her. "Okay Raven, we got this", she encouraged the dark horse, and sat upright in the saddle. They reached the first jump, and got over, when Raven started to drift. Shortening the outside rein, she used her right leg to push him back into formation, and they kept going forward at a steady pace, making the distance for the next jump perfect.

Zoe was a huge grin, as they landed, and she repeated the exact same procedure for the last obstacle, making the line perfect and the jump smooth. Slowing down to a walk, she turned around and rode back to Pin, who was smiling. "There you go", he said, and she could tell that he was very proud of her. "Thank you so much, that really helped", she responded, and stroked the black horse on the neck.

"You'll be ready for Nationals in no time", he told her, and she smiled gratefully, then remembered how little time there was until the competition. "We only have three weeks", she sighed, and he nodded. "Yeah, but you'll be ready", he repeated and took her hand. "Just focus on the positive... Like your birthday next week", he said with a small smile, that quickly faded. Zoe knew that he was feeling left out. "I wish you could be there", she murmured, knowing that it was impossible, due to the fact that they weren't allowed to be together. "All of your friends will be there... It'll be great", he assured her, and she dismounted Raven.

"Pin... I... " she started and put a hand on his cheek. "You still haven't told me what you want for your birthday", he interrupted, a gentle smile on his lips. Zoe blushed as he stared at her. "Surprise me", she whispered and he nodded, and kissed her softly. Looking at her phone it was already half past one. "I have to go", she announced and mounted Raven again. "Same time tomorrow?" Pin asked, and she nodded, already looking forward to her next lesson.