For the Love of Horses

Chapter 11

Chapter 11
Jasons POV

“ACORN!”
I didn’t even realise what was happening until I was flying through the air.
A high-pitched voice interrupts my thoughts causing me to loose concentration. At that same instant Acorn once again slams on the breaks, this time stopping right in front of a small figure. The same small figure that had been running towards me only seconds before.
DONK!
I hit the ground with a resounding thud and thank Rachel, that she had taken the effort to make the arena sand. I sit up slightly dizzy to fit two faces looking down on me.
“Oh my God Jason! Are you ok?” one says looking down at me, their deep jeans blue eyes boring into me. The other simply snorts and stamps it foot.
“Whaaaat?” I groan as I make an attempt to sit up. Before I’m even halfway there, two small hands are pressed into my chest pushing me back down again. I lie still as they move slowly around my body, pressing in areas to check for a reaction. I can show two. A wince of pain or nothing.
“Ok,” she finally says offering her hand out to grab mine. It felt smooth and tiny, fragile even in my much larger hands that had been toughened after years of barn work. I feel her struggle to pull me to a sitting position then a standing. My head rushes and I wobble on my feet a little. I place my hand on her waist for balance. My chin rests upon her head and her hands lay rigid, one on each of my shoulders as she hold me in place. She doesn’t seem to mind though.  I feel myself regaining balance. A part of me doesn’t want to. A part of me wants to stay standing here forever. But I can’t. She seems to notice my recovery and pulls away.
“Are you ok?” she asks concerned. I look down. Scanning her tanned face for a sign of something other than worry. I gently brush a strand of dark wavy hair that had fallen from her braid behind her ear and a hot flush rises to her cheek.
“Better now,” I say still looking intently at her. She turns away quickly and walks towards the pony who seems to be staring attentively at the two of us as if asking ‘Are you done yet?’  
Amethyst giggles clearly noticing the same thing.
“Ok my turn now,” she says with a smile as she leads the pony once again over to the mounting block.
“What!” I shout, making her jump. “Are you out of your mind! You can’t ride him! He’s crazy! Did you see what just happened when I tried!”
“Well I’m not you am I,” she replied coolly.
“No! But it won’t make a difference! I will not stand by and watch anyone of our students get chucked off and potentially kill themselves because they didn’t listen to reason!”
“So then don’t watch,” she retorts sending with it an icy glare that would make even Antarctica seem like a tropical Island.
“Ahhh!” I growl. I want to slap her! Knock some sense into her. Maybe it will make her see reason. But I don’t. Instead I settle for storming up to her snatching the reins as she was about to flip them over his reins and holding them firmly in a closed fist.
“Hey! Let them go! I can do this!”
“I believe you. But you shouldn’t. I’m going to call Rachel and get you to switch horses.”
“NO! You can’t do that!”
“Watch me,” I reply stalking off in the direction of the barn.
“No! Wait!” She calls out, looking pleadingly at me. “Leave him here. So that when Rachel comes and decides that I WILL be riding Acorn we won’t have to tack him up again.”
I see her point but once again decide against it.
“GRRRR!”
I can tell she’s getting frustrated now.
“JUST LET ME TRY ONCE! PLEASE!”
Suddenly I have two pairs of pleading eyes boring into my soul.
I turn to Acorn, “Oh, not you to.” He shakes his head in approval.
“Fine!” I say finally giving in and handing the reins back to Amethyst. “Just wait till I come back.”
“Where are you going?” She asks.
“To find Rachel.”
And with that I leave stalking out of the arena like a I’m carrying a personal storm cloud over my head.