4 Chapter 3

I sat at home that night, pondering over what Lynn had said.

"Karma."

I looked at her in shock. "Why would you name her Karma of all things?!"

She offered me a devious smirk. "Why wouldn't I? After all, she is the Karma for all the work you have put into her all those years ago. You gave her the best training possible, and now she is going to give you a new start."

I sighed deeply, wondering when my pizza was going to get here. Then, the doorbell rang.

I got up to answer the door. It's about time that pizza got here!

I opened the door and grabbed my wallet from the nearby counter.

"How much do I owe you for the pizza?"

I was met with silence. Looking up, I dropped my wallet.

"Hailey...is that...you?!"

I nodded slowly, still staring at the tall, dark-haired boy.

"Kyle...it's been a while...hasn't it?" I responded nervously.

He nodded.

"I didn't know you were back in town."

I nodded.

"How much do I owe for the pizza?"

"Oh! It's $11.50."

I took out 15 dollars and handed it to him.

"Keep the change, it's your tip."

"Thank you. Enjoy your pizza."

I nodded and went to close the door.

"Wait!" I paused. "Maybe we could, I don't know, hang out sometime? Maybe we could catch up on what we've been doing these past two years?" He blushed slightly, stammering over his words.

I offered him a small smile. "Sure. Sounds good."

He beamed. "Great!"

With that exchange, I closed the front door.

I walked to the kitchen and placed the pizza on the counter. Grabbing some paper plates, so that I wouldn't have to do the dishes after, I served myself 2 slices of the pineapple, sausage, and mushroom pizza. Going over to sit at the table with my pizza, I thought back to Kyle. In high school, there was a 9 month period where we had dated. He broke it off, and we had remained friends. Honestly, after I left for college in Ohio, I had lost all contact with him. I just focused on my studies and the goal of becoming a trainer.

I sighed deeply before digging into my pizza. I'll just worry about my future in the morning, after a good night's sleep.

I threw out my plate after finishing my pizza and put the rest of the pizza in the fridge.

Walking to my bedroom, I grabbed my pajamas, a sleep shirt, and some shorts, and headed over to the bathroom to take a shower.

I turned on the water, making sure it was hot. After stripping down, I stepped into the tub.

I sighed as all the muscles in my back and shoulders relaxed under the pounding hot water. I just stood there for a minute, letting the hot water wash all my worries and fears away. Then, I got to cleaning myself.

The shampoo was scrubbed roughly into my hair, starting at my scalp, and dragging the rest down to the end of my long hair. The suds bubbled up, thick with the large amount of soap that I used. I rinsed it out, raking my nails through my hair to get all the soap out.

I grabbed the conditioner bottle and squeezed some into my hand. I rubbed my hands together, lathering both my hands in the lotion-like conditioner. Bringing my hands up to my head, I scrubbed once again, making sure that the conditioner got down into the roots of my hair. The rest was gently rubbed into the rest of my hair. I tied my hair up, so the water wouldn't rinse out the conditioner, yet.

Reaching over for the washcloth, I soaped it up with the soap bar and got to work scrubbing all of the dirt from the ranch off of my body. It took some work, but it felt good after.

I rinsed out the washcloth and hung it up on the bar in the shower. Untying my hair, I stood under the water once again, letting the heated water drain the conditioner out of my hair. I raked my fingers through it a couple of times, but I didn't get all of the conditioner out. It was better for my hair to leave some of it in.

I turned around, facing the shower head, and let the water fall directly on my face. I smiled slightly, before turning off the water.

I shivered at the lack of heat surrounding me, so I grabbed my towel, and dried myself off. Now dry, I put on my pajamas and headed to bed. Getting in bed, I checked my phone. Seeing it was at 15%, I plugged it in and put it on mute. There was nowhere that I needed to be tomorrow, so I could let myself sleep in a bit.

I laid my head down on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. I thought about my ride today on Love. It was remarkable. I can't even properly describe it. All I know is that, after going so long without having a ride like that, the warmth that I felt after was life-saving.

I thought that, after losing Snoopy, Karma's mother, I would never be able to love riding again.

When it first happened, I didn't know what to feel. I had just felt numb. I had destroyed my partner, and it was an impossibility of ever getting to ride her again. The thought of not having that connection with her ever again was impossible to imagine.

But I had already forgotten what it had felt like.

As I was in that moment, I had felt my heart growing heavy. It was almost hard to breathe, and I hated that feeling. There was an ache in the back of my throat, and the itchy feeling of unshed tears that refused to go away.

When it was announced that Snoopy had broken the cannon bone in her leg, I felt totally numb. My mind went straight to "business mode," where I think objectively, instead of emotionally. I knew that there were only two options: get surgery, or put her down, taking away her pain forever.

As much as I had wanted to ride her again, I also couldn't stand the idea of her being in so much pain.

I chose to put her down.

What I didn't know was how I was going to feel after.

I had wanted to feel the thrill of having a challenge while training.

I had wanted to have that deep connection again. A connection that I hadn't felt since that day. A least, until today, I had forgotten what that connection felt like.

I had forgotten just how much I loved to ride.

I chuckled to myself.

Karma. It's an ironic name for a horse, and yet, it totally suits her. She may be the horse that makes me realize just how much I love to ride again.

With that thought on my mind, I fell into a dreamless sleep.