The Perfect Distance

Chapter One-1

Chapter One

She always felt there was a kind of blissful insanity when moving to a new barn. Excited freshmen and transfer students were arriving to the barn to try out for the huntseat equestrian team. This barn, the Akiyama Riding Academy, belonged to the college. Kyon University prided itself on one of the best riding programs in the country of Akiyama. Students took lessons, classes involving the horses, equestrian team practice, and competed in horse shows there. The high end show barn was a quick ten minute walk across campus.

Freshman Lucy Sumner couldn’t resist gasping in shock. Her eyes took in the perfectly green acres of pasture, the spotless, elegant barn, and the pristine riding arenas. The white fences practically glistened in the sun.

With how beautiful the outside was, Lucy couldn’t even begin to imagine what the inside of the barn looked like.

Well, she could imagine the horses. After all, that was the whole reason she was here. Sure, this barn was definitely completely different from the small family run barn she had taken lessons at. Lucy had ridden there her whole life and had leased a Fjord gelding named Ole until his retirement. But it was a barn, and therefore nothing she couldn’t handle.

Or so she thought.

“Hey, Lucy! Aren’t you forgetting something?”

The voice of her best friend, fellow freshman Harley Olin, jolted Lucy out of her thoughts. She felt relieved they were attending the same school as she tried to figure out what she had forgotten.

“Oh, what could I have possibly forgotten?” Lucy pondered. “I’ve got everything I need for tryouts. “Riding boots, breeches, gloves, show jacket... Oh no! My riding helmet! Harley, I must have left it in my dorm room. They won’t even let me ride without one!”

Lucy’s hands flew to her head. Sure enough, there was no helmet covering her vibrant red hair. Her twin braids were in place, but she must have left her helmet in her room. Before heading to the barn, Lucy had debated if she should have her hair in her favorite style. Although double braids was usually only used as a style for much younger equestrians, she had grown fond of the style. She wore her hair that way most days, although she usually no longer wore the bows at the ends, out of a desire to not be viewed as immature. She must have been focused on styling her hair that she had forgotten to bring the most important part of her gear.

"Hey, it's alright," Harley said, "I'm sure they've got spare helmets here."

"At a place like this!?" Lucy dropped her voice so that the other students bustling around them wouldn't overhear, "They probably expect all boots shined and not a speck of dirt anywhere; bringing your own helmet is probably on the list of rhetorical requirements!"

At this point, Lucy didn’t have enough time to run back to her dorm. And she knew Harley didn’t have enough time either. Tryouts would begin soon and she would risk being late if she left.

Harley opened his mouth to say something else, but Lucy cut him off, not wanting to discuss the matter anymore, "But whatever. It's my fault for being so incredibly idiotic and disorganized."

And then she stepped forward, wanting to get on with the events of the day before they could get any worse. But before her boot had even made contact once more with the ground, her shoulder and turned head made contact with something else that nearly threw her off balance. And if it weren't for the steady hand that reached out to catch her, she would have landed in the dirt.

"You forgot to mention clumsy," Harley muttered, attempting to hold back a laugh as a goofy smile grew across his face.

"Very funny," Lucy nearly stuck her tongue out at him, but the grip that was still on her arm brought her back to reality.

"I'm so—" Lucy started, turning to face whoever it was she'd run into. But just the sight of his eyes made her feel like maybe she wasn't even sorry at all.

"Sorry," the two said at the same time.

There was a long pause, and a gaze exchanged longer than necessary...

"Uh...I'm Matt," the red haired student finally let go of Lucy’s arm, and then extended his hand, which Lucy took and shook as if on autopilot.

"I'm Lucy."

"Well, I sincerely apologize for running into you with my horse here. Or, well, he's not really mine, but he was the horse I was assigned to for tryouts."

"Oh, no, really it's fine. It was totally my fault..." and then not knowing what else to say, she turned her head. In the process, her gaze shifted to the bay horse at the end of the lead rope—a tall, muscled gelding—and facing the horse completely, she said, "Hello."

And then she cringed internally while attempting to remain calm. Had she really just said hello to the horse?

But Matt only smiled.

And while Lucy thought she could get lost staring at him all day, she suddenly remembered, "Um...I need to go! The tryouts! And I forgot my helmet, and—"

"Hey, slow down," Matt chuckled, "I have to put the horse in his pasture, but if you wait for me, you can borrow mine. I'll meet you in the lounge."

Lucy was about to ask where in the world the lounge was—or rather what in the world a lounge was even doing in a barn—but as if that had settled everything, Matt gave a wave, and walked off abruptly.

And Lucy only stared after him.

"Earth to Lucy."

Lucy whipped her head around, cheeks flushing, "I, uh..." she didn't know what to say.

"You found yourself a helmet. Although if you wouldn't have walked off so quickly, I was about to offer you mine. But you've got everything you need now, so let's go."

All Lucy could do was blush as she followed her friend into the barn.

But it didn't last for long.

Her embarrassment was once again replaced by shock when she realized she didn't even know which way to look first. There were so many stalls, so many horses...and it was all so perfectly and neatly arranged. There were three wash stalls, supply and feed rooms, and two aisles of stalls that both led to an indoor arena. And there was a second level. Obviously, this wasn't a level that there were horses on. But there were more supply rooms, a tack room that looked like it had a very strict order to it, and, of course, the lounge.

Sure, Lucy’s barn may have had a hay loft as a second level, but this barn dwarfed almost every single other barn she had ever even visited both in size and immaculate organization.

And what was even more impressive was the amount of commodities that the lounge included. It took up at least half of the second level, with a view overlooking the massive expanse of the indoor arena. There were cushioned chairs at a table, two sofas, a microwave, a sink, and even lockers for students to put their belongings. And the floor was carpeted.

"Wow," was all Lucy could say, barely able to look past the extravagance of it all to notice the twenty or so other people standing in the room with them.

"All prospective members please sign in and sign the release form," Maria called, attempting to bring order to the disarray of anxious students that Lucy was now aware of, "And please put your check for the cost of the tryouts inside this envelope."

Maria was captain of the advanced team, who Lucy had met during orientation. She had also met Sydney, the intermediate team captain, and Flynn, the novice team captain. From orientation she had learned the team divisions, and that the team captains competed with their teams even though they took lessons separately.

But letting Maria’s words sink in, Lucy grimaced. Twenty dollars to try out for the team. She worked a part time job at a coffee shop, but even that was not enough to fund her equestrian...addiction...without the support of her parents. And with a barn this fancy, she only assumed that the prices would continue to skyrocket.

But it was her only chance to ride while in college, and she wasn't going to let money stand in her way.

Or the fact that there were about twenty or thirty students trying out for four competition team positions. Those who didn't make it would still be allowed to take lessons, but wouldn't be able to compete. And while all Lucy really wanted was to be able to ride, a part of her desperately wanted to make the competition team. There was one position for the advanced jumping team, one for the intermediate jumping team, and two for the novice jumping team. And Lucy, based on her experience, would be trying out for one of the novice positions.

She listened with half an ear, as she tended to do when distracted, as Maria reviewed barn conduct before Harley’s tryouts for the intermediate team began. She'd hear the same spiel before her own, anyway.

When Maria was finished talking, the room erupted into conversation once more, and it seemed that Lucy was the only one who noticed the door open. It was none other than Matt, who smiled when he saw her and made his way over to her.

"Here you go," he said, handing her his helmet, "You might need to adjust it a little."

"Thank you so much," Lucy said, and before she could say anything else, he turned to leave.

And it wasn't until she left that she realized, "Wait I don't even know where to meet him to return it!"

"You'll figure it out," Harley reassured her, "And you'll probably see him here at the barn anyway. Put it on, and I'll help you adjust it."

But when Lucy turned the helmet upside down to put it on her head, a small piece of paper floated out of it.

Confused, Lucy picked it up.

And you can return it to me on Friday afternoon maybe, at the café?

Instantly, Lucy’s cheeks flushed, but she grinned, "Smooth, Matt, real smooth."

The words were followed by his number.

"Just put the helmet on already so I can go find my horse," Harley rolled his eyes. But Lucy couldn't tell if he was happy for her, or perturbed.

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