Madison v.s The Horse Thief

Chapter Twenty-One: Please Forgive Me

My first three days of being fifteen haven't been great. I've screwed up. I might have permanently damaged my relationship with Virgo that I've spent years trying to build. Ever since my birthday, I've been kicking myself.

I don't deserve him anymore. All I know is that I will never hit him with a crop again. Never again will I disrespect him like that again.

"You going to your lesson?"

I lift my head up from the kitchen table. Jasper and Ella are standing on the other side, crunching into apples.

"No," I groan.

"Still feel awful?" Ella asks.

I place my head back on the table and nod.

"Won't Virgo be missing you?" Jasper queries.

I want to laugh and say no but I just shrug. I really don't know how he is since I haven't seen him since my birthday. 

"We hope you get better soon. You really should start getting back out there," Ella happily says.

I've been lying about being sick to everyone. Even Antonio thinks I'm too ill to ride. I'm just too scared to go. Alex was right that day. I was selfish.

"Yeah! We miss you riding with us," Jasper consoles. "But I get it. When I fell off last year because Rex stopped in the middle of a double, sending me crashing into the next jump, it took me a while to get back."

I smile at that. 

"See you, Maddie," I hear Ella say.

The two walk off. I sit back up and massage my temples. 

They are right. I have to go back out there and face the world.

I won't ride, not yet anyway, but I pull on my paddock boots by that door and leave the clubhouse. 

The Tuesday afternoon sun beams down on me. The grounds and paddocks are as muddy as swamps. Even the stable floors aren't so clean you could eat off them anymore because of the mud horses' hooves trail in.

I past the stables and go towards the block of paddocks Virgo has been allocated. Aviation still is living in Virgo's stall and I'm just counting down the days until my horse gets it back.

Making my way down the ally way of the paddocks I can see a familiar chocolate head standing close to the fence line drinking from the water bucket. He isn't paddock mates with Liberty anymore, instead is with Tom and Jack's horses.

Virgo doesn't pop his head up like usual when I approach. He just keeps on drinking. 

I feel awkward around my own horse. He is like someone popular that I'm trying to get to like me.

"Hey, Virgo," I smile.

He flips his ears towards me and snorts. 

"Aren't you gonna come over? I have a treat."

I rustle my pocket which contains his favourite treat, a carrot. Usually, he would waddle right over to me and slick my hand but today is different. He doesn't care about me anymore.

I put my head in my hands and push back the emotion boiling in me. Why did I have to break everything? This isn't fair.

"I'm sorry, okay," I say gloomily. "I shouldn't have cared about winning. Just you."

I lift my head back up and Virgo is facing me now, his ears flicked towards me.

"I won't make you ever do that again. I'm so sorry boy."