Stone Creek Academy: Faith

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Guess who?" A male voice said as two hands covered my eyes. It wasn't even a challenge to figure out who it was.

"Hey Brandon," I laughed as his hands released my eyes. Setting down the rest of my things inside, I locked up my tack trunk and turned to face him. Just like when I'd met him four days ago, his amber eyes captivated mine and held my attention in a way nothing else could.

"So, are you done here?" Brandon asked, eyes scanning the area in front of Beau's stall. As usual, my super-organized self had left nothing out of place. Beau was munching contentedly on hay in his stall.

"Yes... Why?" I replied, curious as to why Brandon looked so mischievous right now. I could tell there was something he was dying to do.

"Great, come on!" Brandon said excitedly, grabbing my hand and tugging me through the crowds of students in the stable. We narrowly avoided running into several people, and before I knew it we were outside the stable and running down the cobblestone path leading away from the stables.

"Brandon, where are we going?" I cried, enjoying the thrill of the evening air rushing past my cheeks.

"You'll see!" He called back mysteriously. I shook my head in confusion and continued to jog after him. My Baker patterned scarf bounced up and down, sometimes obscuring my vision.

The barely November night was cold but surprisingly clear. A waning crescent moon lit the grounds with the help of several street lamps. Almost everyone was at the stable, so we only saw a few people as we ran down the softly lit paths. The time of day, lighting, and situation gave the night a very romantic feel.

"Okay, voila!" Brandon exclaimed, stopping at the top of a rock staircase. I slowed down and stopped at the edge of the top step. Below, rock cliffs encircled a tiny restaurant and patio. I'd never been here before, and previously I'd thought I had explored the whole campus. Somehow, though, this place had never revealed itself.

"Oh my god Brandon, this is amazing! How did you find this place?" I squealed like a little girl. His amber eyes twinkled with excitement.

"Being a poor, lost little transfer student has its benefits," Brandon admitted with a grin. He grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs. As we got closer, I could see the restaurant's name: The Abyss Cafe.

The scent of Italian wafted up from the cozy building. Stepping off the stairs, I could see there were only five other students in the cafe. It would be nice and private. Brandon stepped forward and held the door open for me like a perfect gentleman.

"Why thank you sir," I grinned as I walked inside, shooting Brandon a playful wink. We approached an oak podium where a server led us to a tiny, warm booth in the back of the restaurant. She handed us each a menu, then assured us she'd be back in a few minutes to get us drinks before disappearing back to the front counter.

My eyes scanned the list quickly, stopping on one item in particular: fettucini alfredo. It was my favorite dish in the whole world, especially when served with rotisserie chicken, which was also an item on the menu. Since all the food was free to students, I could order one of each and just eat as much as I wanted to.

"What can I get you two to drink?" Our waitress asked, appearing back seemingly out of nowhere. I ordered ice water and so did Brandon. Since both of us were ready, the waitress took our dinner orders then too. Brandon got a dish of chicken parmesan, another one of my favorite meals.

"So, why did you transfer here in the middle of the year? And where are you from?" I asked Brandon, folding my hands on the hunter green tablecloth.

"Well, my family lives in Berlin. My dad enrolled me in a boys preparatory school there when I was five, and so I've been there at boarding school ever since. That's where I started riding horses. My instructor saw I had potential and tried to convince my dad to transfer me to somewhere else where there was a better trainer and more opportunities. But he wouldn't, so I was stuck there. And then, in October, I saw an article about this place. I begged my dad and headmaster, and eventually he agreed to let me transfer here. So here we are. But tell me more about yourself, Regina. What's your family like?" Brandon explained. I could tell from his tone of voice that he didn't like his dad very much, or at least they didn't get along well.

"My mom runs her own business and my dad works in the government, so I never really get to see him. My sister is away at college in California, so I don't see her much either. Almost all of my family is from Florida, so we live in Naples. Naples, Florida, I mean. Sometimes people will think I mean Italy," I giggled. Brandon laughed, flashing his perfect white teeth. I took a long sip of my water.

"So what was life like before Stone Creek?" Brandon asks. For a moment I'm shocked. Almost everyone at this school knows my name. They must not get much of our news over in Germany.

"Well, I was one of the leading junior riders here in the US," I begin.

"Was?" Brandon questions, looking concerned.

"Erm, well, when I started here there was a girl named Desiray who really hated me. Sofia and I were roommates back then, and really good friends on top of that. Desiray and I were having a high jump competition one afternoon, and it started raining. I should've withdrawn, but I didn't. I'm lucky neither Sonic or I got killed that afternoon. Sonic used to be my horse. But one time, when we took that jump, Sonic slipped on the landing and pinned me under him. I was in a coma for 6 weeks and my leg was extremely injured. I'm lucky I still have a normal leg. While I was in the hospital, I asked my mom to sell Sonic. Sofia and I got into a fight, and she's been mad at me ever since," I told Brandon. Memories reeled through my head of having fun with Sofia, that horrible day in the rain, the hospital, fighting with Sofia, my new friends, Brandon... All of it made me dizzy. Our food chose that moment to arrive.

"Thank you," Brandon nodded to the server, then went on, "I had no idea Regina, I'm sorry. That must've been horrible. You know, I don't think I, or anyone else, for that matter, could've made a comeback like you did. All of this happened in two months? Do you realize how amazing it is that you're back in the saddle already? And competing again soon?"

Brandon reached across the table to squeeze my hand. Tears pricked my eyes. It was so sweet of him to say something like that. Even the Engerwood girls hadn't been able to comfort me like that.

With all of that being said, we each dug into our meals. The food here was amazing! Brandon and I chattered easily about little things as we chowed our way through the delicious food. After a while, I set down my silverware and leaned back against the cushions of the booth.

"That was really good Brandon, thank you." I smiled. Tonight had gone sooo much better than the last date I'd gone on with a boy. It helped that tonight I'd gone out with Brandon, the most handsome guy I'd ever met.

We stood up and Brandon left a tip on the table. Our waitress bid us goodnight as we left the restaurant. The moon was shining a little brighter now as we walked up the rock staircase. At the top, I stopped and looked back at the Abyss Cafe. I could see the staff closing up the cafe for the night down below.

Brandon and I walked side by side in silence back to Engerwood. Campus was nearly deserted at this hour. I closed my eyes and focused on enjoying the sheer joy of the moment. All too soon, we were stopping outside of Engerwood.

"Thank you for such an amazing night," I said, looking into Brandon's beautiful amber eyes. He slid my hands into his, sending jolts of electricity through my whole body.

"No, thank you, Regina, for being such an amazing girl," Brandon smiled, bending down to kiss my hand. I felt like a princess in a fairytale. For a few seconds, the entire world was perfect.

"Goodnight Regina," Brandon whispered, standing up.

"Goodnight Brandon," I whispered, squeezing his hands. Brandon flashed me one last smile, then walked off into the crisp night air. Grinning madly to myself, I scurried up the steps into Engerwood.

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Pic is of Amber. Hope you enjoyed, comment and let me know what ya think. New chapter up tomorrow! <3
~Ari