Before the Darkest Storm

Chapter 21

(Not edited.)

Chapter 21

I slept in Chance's bed. He refused to let me sleep alone, and he didn't want to sleep in the guest bedroom because he said it made him feel old. As presumed I didn't sleep very well. My head was filled with thoughts and rampant emotions. My mind began to analyze every moment I had ever spent with Seb, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it. Chance stayed up talking to me for a long time, but as the clock inched closer to three in the morning sleep called to him. I tried to focus on Chance's breathing, hoping that rhythm would help me fall asleep, but my eyes wouldn't close. They were very intent on staring at the high ceiling in the darkness of the night.

I rolled out of bed as the sun began to rise. I pulled the blanket up higher on Chance and went into the guestroom to get ready for school. When I made myself look somewhat presentable I went downstairs to greet Sophia and Chance.

Chance spent the whole ride to school taking about the football team, he talked about the teachers, and he even talked about the weather. He just talked and talked and talked. I knew it was his way of trying to take my mind off of Seb, but even his imitation of our awful Calculus teacher couldn't do the trick.

When we got to school Chance gave my shoulder a tight squeeze before heading off to his first class. My classes passed by in a complete blur. I took notes on all the assignments I had to do, but I wasn't sure I actually knew how to do them since my attention wasn't exactly on my teachers. Lunch passed by slowly as I listened to Scott and Brook talk about their plans to go to the coast over the weekend. I was happy for them, I really was, but I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander to a certain dark haired, dark eyed billionaire. When the bell chimed in my last class I grumpily got out and headed to my car. Chance had football practice after school, so I couldn't hang out with him, but he promised to meet me tomorrow seeing as it was the weekend. I tried to think of things I could do till dinner time to keep me from going to the apartment and suddenly an idea occurred to me.

Before I could think about it in too much detail I hopped in my car and started towards the highway. It was a great day to go riding, and Loretta always helped me clear my mind. The drive to my house was fairly short since there weren't a lot of other cars on the road. I pulled into my driveway and felt a sense of relief go through me. I didn't know why I felt relieved; maybe it was because a little part of me thought that my house wouldn't be here. I parked the car near the trail leading to the stables and almost skipped in excitement as I thought of Loretta. When I approached the stables I saw that they were locked, which was very unusual because there was always supposed to be someone here at this time.

Without hesitation I punched in the code to open the door and walked in as motion detector lights switched on. I walked past the main office to where the horses were kept and immediately smiled as Loretta's head peeked out.

"Hey Loretta." I greeted her affectionately as I moved closer to her. She neighed her greeting to me and I reached out to touch her beautiful face. "Want to go riding girl?" I asked her gently. I wasn't exactly dressed for riding, but seeing as no one was around I didn't think it mattered. The sign on her stall said she had been fed earlier in the day so I got her ready and threw on my riding boots before walking her out to the field. I carefully closed the stable behind me and made sure to lock it up before climbing on Loretta's back.

I rode to the place where I had spent countless hours with my mom and got off there. I sat under a tree, leaned back and listened to the frogs and the crickets. It was so soothing to be out here, especially with no one else around. As I looked up at a willow tree nearby I remembered my mom. I always wondered what she would have thought of Seb. I think she would have liked him. He was so much like my dad in some ways, and yet completely opposite in others. I wondered if I would have fallen for Seb if my mom was around. I am sure she would have warned me against it right from the beginning. My mom always had a way of knowing what I was thinking even before I did. If she were around she would be able to tell me exactly what I needed to do, because she always knew how to handle any situation. Thinking about made my eyes cloudy, I missed her so much and I desperately wished she was still around, especially at times like this.