Project Izzy Chapter 2

After 6 classes, and an independent study, where she got most of her homework done, Izzy was on the 2:45 bus heading home. When she arrived home she trudged up the drive and into the stone mansion. She called out a welcoming to anyone with in earshot and hurried up to her room, dumped her bag on her queen bed and put on her jeans. Then she went around the house doing her evening chores. Once she was finished she grabbed her homework books and went to the barn. Pat and Mark had headed back to the Bunkhouse to nap till dinner time, but George and Martin were exercising some of the boarder and lesson horses that weren’t being used in lessons today. They waved to Izzy as she passed and she would sometimes yell out a tip or two about how to handle a certain horse. No one knew her horse better than herself. Izzy settled down into a pile of hay next to her pregnant border collie who had made a nest of hay.

“Hey Shilo? Hows my special girl today?” She leaned down and pecked the dog’s head, then she opened up her Calculus book and got to work on the homework she had yet to finish.

  After 30 minutes of homework she got bored and went to exchange her work jeans for riding pants and headed down to her stallion, Moondream’s paddock. Since Shilo was not able to heard Izzy called on her other herding dog. she let out a loud call, “ARES!!!!” and a second later there was a loud bark and a German Shepherd came bounding over to Izzy’s side. She patted his head and continued walking.

 When Izzy reached the gate of the paddock Izzy patted the dog and said, “Ready boy?” She pointed her finger in the direction Moondream was standing and let a shout out and Ares was off like a bullet. Guiding him with a series of whistle Izzy had Ares separate Moondream from the Geldings and drive him towards her. After awhile she called him off and whistled for Moondream to come to her. She lead him into the barn and tacked him up, then lead him out to the outdoor ring and warmed him up.

After a few minutes of ground work she took him over a small jump a few times then pulled him up and looked at the course George had set up for her today. Moondream quivered with excitement underneath her as he faced the first jump. Izzy gathered her reins and squeezed Moondream. They were off. Over the first three X’s and fast approaching the big vertical. They flew around the course three times before Izzy pulled the huffing stallion to a halt and patted his neck and said “Good boy!”
 
Letting him have the reins Izzy cooled him down then put him away. George and Martin had started bringing in the horses so Izzy went to start getting the food ready for dinner. Then Mark and Pat showed up and took the food and gave it to the horses. When they were all done the guys disappeared up to the Inn for dinner of their own while Izzy passed out hay to the horses. When she came the two stalls of her Trakehner mares, Star of my Heart, or Star, and Diamond in the Rough, or Dia, she stopped and checked on their swollen bellies that held the unborn foals. Once she was sure they were doing fine she went to check on the dogs and cats. After she fed them she checked on Shilo one last time for the night and made sure her Great Dane, Cronos was guarding everyone, she headed up to the house with Ares tagging along beside her.
 
After making dinner for everyone in the Inn and watching some T.V. Izzy finally made her way up to her bed around 10 and fell into a deep sleep with Ares at her feet and the Inn cats Lou-Lou and Peck-peck by her head.

When Izzy woke up that Friday morning she felt like something was off. She felt as if something was going to happen. It made her uneasy. She hurried through her chores and checked on the mares and Shilo. Shilo's pups were due today according to the vet (and he had never been wrong with any of her animals before) so Izzy made the decision to cancel Movie Night with her friends.

 When she arrived at school Izzy met Carrie at their locker and Ben soon joined them. She was just tell them about Movie Night being canceled when a loud call retched their ears.

 "Hey guys! I have some more news!" Lilly was making her way towards them in the now busy hallway. "He's being released today!"

  Izzy sighed and Carrie patted her on the head.

"Just bear with it for a few days. She'll get tired of this line of gossip and pick up something less annoying to talk about." Ben mumbled to them under his breath.

I hope he's right. And he should be since he's known her the longest. Izzy thought sourly to herself.

Ben and Lilly had lived in the same neighborhood since they were 4. Then when they happened to be in the same class as Carrie and Izzy in 4th grade, they all became fast friends.

  Putting on what she hoped looked like a real smile Izzy told Lilly that Movie Night was canceled. Lilly waved it off like it was no big deal and went straight into her gossip.

  "Like I said, he’s being released from the hospital TODAY! He's been there for a month and now they’re suddenly releasing him. Apparently they couldn't find anyone for him to stay with. His only living relatives, his aunt and uncle, are poor and have tons of kids at home so they couldn't take him in."

  "Okay. So where is he going to stay?" Ben asked
  
"Well, they finally got ahold of his aunt’s best friend and asked her if he could stay with them. Anyways. He's going to be staying with them. Supposedly they own an Inn somewhere near Charlottesville."

  Carrie laughed and nudged Izzy. "What do you wanna bet that it's you and your family?"

 Izzy stared coldly at her best friend. "I think I would know if some famous guy was coming to stay in my Inn. And I would probably throw a tantrum so he wouldn't." She was dead serious.

 "But isn't that a reason your mom might NOT tell you if he was? I mean they KNOW how you feel about famous people."

 "Trust me. I would know. I even if I didn't, Banana would and she would definitely tell me."

 "I for one want to know where he's gonna be. It would be really awesome if he was going to be staying with you Izzy."

"Why are you so obsessed with him!? He's just another stuck up pop-star who got himself into a mess." Izzy exclaimed. She was sick of hearing Lilly’s gossip about actors and actresses. Izzy didn’t trust any of them. They all had secrets and some of them were never good.

  "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because he's famous. Not to mention hot. Plus I feel a bit sorry for him. His dad's dead, his moms in a coma, and his only relatives can't take him in. Really Izzy! Maybe you should think about what it would be like to be in his situation! Geez!" Lilly gave Izzy a hard look then turned and stalked away.

 Ben laughed,trying to make a joke of it all, waved bye, and headed to class. Carrie looked at Izzy and said, "Whatever. Just ignore her."

  The bell finally rang and the two girls hurried off to Trigonometry. Even though she tried to not think about it, Izzy couldn't get Lilly's words out of her mind for the rest of the day. The only time she could actually concentrate was later that day when she was in the ring with Moondream. Then all her worries and the foreboding feeling in her guts where forgotten.