It's Complicated

Chapter Six

"Hey, Abby." I close my eyes for a moment before looking to my left to face the voice. "Good job out there!" Isabelle flashes me a bright grin. I force one back. She won. Again. And it stings because it's the last class of the weekend. I don't get to try and redeem myself tomorrow. We're shipping home as soon as Starr is ready to go and then that's it. At least Dani won her class.

I tune the announcer out as she calls out the winners name before asking her to lead the victory gallop. I glance quickly at her and catch a glimpse of her stupidly perfect white teeth before she urges her mare forward into a steady canter. I follow behind, vaguely aware of my barn and team mates cheering loudly for me. The sting settles in my guts as Isabelle continues around the ring once more, red ribbon blowing gracefully from its spot on Isabelle's boot, while the other six of us slow down to a walk and exit the ring. Dani is waiting for me just outside the gate, bright smile lighting up her features.

"Congrats, Abby!" She cheers enthusiastically. Starr bobs his head, as if agreeing with her no doubt heartfelt words. I smile down at her but it's strained. I'm disappointed and tired and just want to go home. "Your mom told me to let you know that she went to check you out already." I nod to show that I heard, then continue on my way across the grounds to the barn we're stabled in. It's not a terribly long ride but I take my time so as to clear my head before having to talk to anyone.

Now that my classes are done, the small, yet indescribably huge, fact that Jo is leaving comes rushing to the forefront of my mind making my mood even worse. I've never been too terribly fond of change and something as monumentous as this just feels like way too much for me to to handle.

The barn looms ahead of me so I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves and mind. I see Aaron walk out and dump her pony's water buckets. As she turns to go back inside, she catches sight of me. Even from the distance between us I can tell that she has a wild grin on her face as she waves furiously at me. I feel a real smile form on my lips as I lift a hand and wave back. I reach down and give Starr a firm pat on the shoulder as Aaron bounces back into the barn.

"You did good, buddy." I tell the gelding softly. He huffs a soft breath, as if to reply. "I'm sorry I couldn't get us that red ribbon though." He shakes his head and neck. Placings don't matter to horses. It's not like a fluttery piece of material means anything to them.

Pulling Starr to a halt outside the barn door, I hop off and run my stirrups up before loosening his girth and taking the reins over his head. He nuzzles my arm affectionately as we start into the building, making my heart actually squeeze with love and gratefulness for my partner. "Thanks, bud." I murmur as I reach out and rub his neck.

The entire barn is bustling with activity as various stables are packing up and getting horses ready to ship out. Ours is no exception. Once I have Starr in his stall, I immediately start pulling his tack off and placing it carefully into my tack locker. He huffs a happy sigh out as I pull his saddle and sweaty saddle pad off his back, making me grin. It's hard to be upset or stay upset around him. His forever positive outlook on life tends to be contagious. Or, at least, it is to me.

"Abby! How did you do?" Aaron asks excitedly, her smiling face appearing in the stall doorway. "Second." I reply in a monotone. She congratulates me before offering to empty Starr's water buckets. I shoot her a grateful smile. "That'd be awesome, thanks so much." Aaron beams again, her youthful eyes sparkling as she grabs both water buckets, thankfully both almost empty, and proceeds to haul them away. Chuckling, I shake my head as I continue to get my horse ready to leave.

Once I get his last boot off, I grab a brush and run it over his gleaming coat. He groans and leans into me as I rub his neck up by his ears. "You're such a dork, you know that?" I tell him before switching sides and quickly brushing that side as well. Once I've deemed him good enough, I grab his nylon show sheet and through it over his back. My chest constricts as I look over his embroidered name before focusing on the 'Double Standards' logo embroidered to the right of it. I gently run my fingers over the tight stitches, finally letting myself admit that it's the last time he'll ever be able to wear it at a show. Jo will be taking her company name with her to the next barn she moves to.