Summer of Hooves and Boy bands

Chapter 1 Last day of school

The last day of school can be a treasure, but the bus ride home can be a nightmare, but that's only if you hate happiness. I happen to love happiness and the last day of school. No more classes for two full months, and those months if you ask me are the longest months of the year. For me, it also means friends, open fields, and my boy, Scout. May I mention it also means the One Direction concert in a few weeks?
My friend Caleb seems pretty pleased for no more school. He doesn't exactly show it emotionally, but he has more energy than he did all year, so he seems to show it physically. Then you got Keyan, playing on his 3-Ds on Smash Brothers Brawl like in middle school. Then there's the swimmers, Thomas, and Aidan. Aidan's the third or fourth stop, but I see him all the time during the summer.
I scoot to the edge of the seat after Caleb stands to get off the bus. "See you over the summer!" And "See you next year!" Are shouted from the seats. I look in the seat behind mine, to see Aidan, laughing about a joke that came from Ronald, Thomas' twin brother. I listen in on the conversation which soon turns into questions on my summer.
"How's Scout?" Ron asks as he plays with his watch absentmindedly. "He's really doing good." I reply simply with a smile. Most of my friends have met Scout. Scout is my black quarter horse gelding. He's only three but great at reining and barrels.
Aidan turns to face me. "You got any rodeos or anything soon?" He asked. "No, not until July, but your welcome to come and watch me practice barrels and reining. Or even ride." He smiled and nodded, so did Ronald. Thomas butted in with his own curiosity and goofball-ness. "What about me?!" I rolled my eyes playfully and nodded. "You too curly blonde."
A couple minutes later, Aidan stood when the bus stopped. "I see you guys!" He said and walked down the aisle, his little brother Evan just exiting the bus. "Bye Aidan!" I called out as did other people, and there goes Thomas again, "Bye BECK-EEYYY!" I shook my head, and chuckled.
Katherine and Abbey chatted away with Melissa, and I took a long breath. Keyan looked over and leaned forward, showing me the different characters on his game. "Pick one." He said and I looked through them. "Uh... Kirby." I stated simply and he nodded. His fingers moved quickly on the little device that had gotten smaller as his hands grew throughout high school. My step siblings, Donatella, who I just call Tella, and Isabella, who is you guessed it, Bella sat a few rows down, chatting with their friends. Gabby and Brody where on the middle school bus, but would be home soon. It was a half day.
I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes, sighing happily. I looked over to the window and slowly opened my eyes, seeing the park and the lake and the grass. I pictured Scout running about and bucking alongside the long yellow bus. A smile tugging my lips.
We also had Marco for the summer again. Meaning, once we got home we would have to get Gabby and Brody off the bus, get in the car and drive to Sparta. But, right after that, I giving the horses sugar cubes and tacking up Scout.
Scout was a birthday present for me a two years back. We got him when he was a little colt and now he's a three year old gelding. I trained him and broke him myself, no pain brought to him. For my first horse, even my grandfather who had horses couldn't believe it.
I watched as the trees past by in a blur, and the stop just before mine came.
Alexis got off the bus, one of Tella's friends, and I looked forward as the bus rounded the corner and stopped. I stood. "Bye everyone!" I heard many shouts of byes, and have a good summers and such. I walked down the bus isle and said goodbye to the bus driver. She smiled and closed the doors once everyone at our stop got off. She pulled away and down the street to McGregor. Jacob looked at me. "You riding Scout today?" I nodded as I started to walk down the street beside him as the girls ran down the street and Max cut through a neighbors hedge to his own house. "Is Marco going to be here?" He asked and I nodded. "Okay.. Can you call me when he's here so we can play some football?" I rolled my eyes. Typical Jacob. He's been doing this since seventh grade, which is Marco's first grade.
"Yes." I stated, with the slightest bit of irritation. He nodded. "Thanks." I just nodded too and within a minute or so I was at my house. A few minutes later we had got Gabby and Brody, put all of our stuff away, and got in the car. I was in shotgun or in other terms, passenger, seat as usual in my mom's grey Durango Dodge. She's had it since I was little.
Everybody else besides my mom piled into the back, and my little half sister sat in a booster seat in between the other kids.
The car rode to go and get Marco was a bit hectic, but that was normal. After all, we were larger than the Brady Bunch.
After we got Marco off the bus, we got his stuff in the car and began to drive back home. I rested my head against the window and sighed content my, slowly shutting my eyes.
When we did get home, I didn't even have to call Jacob. He was already walking up the street. When everyone was out of the car, I told Jacob and whoever was playing football with him and Marco, "You guys have to stay in the front, I'm taking out Scout, I don't want him you to scare him or hit him with the ball." They nodded and I rushed inside.
My cat Chance, had run over to the door when it opened, and when he saw me he purred and rubbed against my leg. I strokes his back and smiled. "Hey buddy." I said and grabbed my cowboy boots and put them on, replacing my sneakers, then I walked through the living room to the kitchen, and Cinco, our parrot, whistled. "Hey Cinco!" I smiled a bit more and got some sugar cubes from the treats cabinet.
I had four sugar cubes. One for each of our horses. We had Scout, Jeter, Soda and Diamond. All were quarter horses. Diamond used to be ridden by my mom but her back has gotten bad after an accident, and now Diamond has a bad hindquarter, and can't support over twenty pounds on her back, so she is a pasture buddy. Soda is Marco's horse, and Jeter was a horse we got for free who my aunt likes to ride, and I already explained who Scout was.
I let everybody to the pastures after school. I walked to the barn doors, opening them, and the first stall was Scout's.
Scout nickered when he saw me and I grinned. "Hey baby boy." I put the other three surface cubes in my other hand, and closed my fist to hold them. I held out a sugar cube to Scout's muzzle and he didn't hesitate to take it. I looked at his shiny black face and after he ate the small cube of sugar, I stroked his head and patted his muscular neck.
The next stall was Diamond's. Diamond was a palomino colored quarter horse. She's now about eighteen years old. She was in the corner of the stall, but I called her. "Diamond. Here girl." I smiled and she walked over with a slight drag. She had hurt herself a while back, but the vet says she will make it to about twenty seven before we would have to put her out of her pain. Right now it shouldn't hurt her. Diamond took the sugar cube and ate it much slower than Scout. Her cream colored mane hung in front of her ears, and was a bit more creamy colored than her star. I stroked her nose and moved on down.
"It's Jeter up to bat, he has once chance to get the sugar cube!" I said with a chuckle and Jester, a Chestnut, with four white socks, and a bright white snip on his muzzle turned away from his water bucket and came to the stall gate. He took the sugar cube, and lowered his neck towards my other hand. "No buddy, tho is for Sodapop." I stated simply and Jeter whinnied with frustration. I chuckled and went to Soda's stall. "Sodapop, Sodapop, come on baby Sodapop." Soda was a bay. He had an adorable rusty brown color at his snout and a white star that had a little strip. Soda came to the gate and took the sugar cube. "Ba-dum, dum, dum." I chuckled at my own words and grabbed Soda's red halter, slipping it over his head and clipping it on, I grabbed the ring on the halter after opening the stall door, and brought Sodapop into the cross ties, clipping him to them, then did the same with the other horses and their vary of halter colors.
I Sodapop, Diamond, and Jeter a quick brushing, then one by one led them to the pasture, and came back to Scout. Scout neighed happily as he pawed at the ground with excitement. I walked over to him and hugged him. "How's my baby boy?" I asked and he nickered.
I went to the tack room, and grabbed Scout's grooming bucket and brought it to the isle of the barn. I took out the curry brush, and used it to rub circles all over and get the dead fur and dust loose. I then grabbed another brush that looks like a long hairbrush to you city slickers, and used a flicking motion to get rid of the loose hair and dust. After that I used the same brush but it had softer bristles. It was used to make the coat look shiny and just give it a good presentable clean. I then used the hoof pick and brushed his main and tail. This whole time, Scout was falling asleep. When he felt me out the soft saddle pad on, his opened his blue eyes and glanced at me, and neighed again. "Someone's excited!" I said and he nodded. My phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket and read the text. It was from my friend Caroline. 'Hey Hailey! How was your last day of school?' I smiled and replied quickly so I could get back to Scout. 'It was good. How was yours? And I can't really talk, I'm tacking up Scout.'
I went back into the tack room to get Scout's saddle. Caroline was my friend from Sparta. We didn't see each other often but we are still great friends. I brought the saddle back to Scout and slung it over his back. I grabbed my phone from the table against the wall of the barn and shoved it in my front pocket. I grabbed the girth and tightened it correctly, then I took the stirrup off the horn of the saddle. I went back to Scout's stall, and grabbed Scout's bridle. He had a very nice barrel saddle and a nice bridle. They were new too. I unclipped the cross ties, and took his halter off. Scout stood still as let me out his bridle on. He ran his tongue under the cold metal bit a little but soon stopped. I took the part of his main that was over his head and draped it over the front headband of the bridle, and held the reins as I hung the bridle on his very close stall hook. I grabbed my helmet which also on one of his stall hooks and put it on. It clicked and I looked at Scout. "Ready to go?" I asked and began to walk towards the exit of the barn. His hooves made clumping sounds against the grey rubber-like mat that covered the once sand filled floor. I walked beside Scout to the barrel racing arena, and stopped him just before entering the outdoor arena. I put the reins over the horn of the saddle, and then I grippe the horn and the back of the seat and lifted my leg, putting my boot in the stirrup, and swung myself over. I positioned my posited correctly, and gently squeezed with my legs. "Walk." I said softly and Scout obeyed my command and began to walk around the arena.

I patted his neck and smiled. "This is going to be some summer."