Chapter 20

   I woke the next morning to my phone going off several times with my text message alert. I glanced at it and groaned with annoyance. All birthday texts. I was officially seventeen. Of course, no one in school knew that. But I knew dad would get the word out to everyone in town in just a couple of hours.
   "Wake up, Sam!" He called up the stairs. "Your breakfast is ready!"
   I rolled my eyes and crawled out of bed. I dressed quickly and proceeded to brush my hair and teeth. My usual morning routine. I grabbed my bag and flute and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.
   "Happy birthday, baby girl" dad said when he saw me. The waffles that mom used to make were sitting on the table. This would be my first birthday without her. Upset by the thought, I didn't eat much that morning. Luckily, I was saved by a car horn.
   "They're here" I said, grabbing my stuff and heading towards the door.
   "Hurry home after school, Sam. I've got a special surprise for you" dad told me.
   I nodded and headed out the door.
   "G'morning Sam" John said, smiling at me as I climbed into the passenger seat.
   "Good morning guys" I replied, pasting a convincing smile on my face.
   "So... Anything special planned for today?" Jake asked.
   "Not really, no. Why?" I asked.
   "You know why" Jenna told me.
   "And we do too" Susan added.
   "Give it up, Sam. We know what you're hiding" John said.
   "Oh? And what is it that I'm hiding?" I asked them.
   They all glanced at one another. Then, in unison, said "Happy birthday, Sam!"
   I groaned in frustration. "How'd you guys find out?"
   "Your dad told my dad, and my dad told me" John explained.
   "And John told us, obviously" Jake finished.
   I sighed in defeat. "Alright, so what do you guys have planned?"
   John grinned back at the others suspiciously. "Something very special" he told me.

   School was a blur that day. Leo was absent, so I didn't have to deal with that drama. I managed to avoid the kids from the movie theater. The boys were absent that day with broken noses and the girls avoided me more than I avoided them.
   I rode home with my little group of friends only to get right back in the car with my dad giving John directions.
   I had no idea where we were going until we reached the town border. At that point there were only two places they could possibly be taking me that wasn't the big city. The lake or the stables. I figured it out when we reached the mile marker outside of town. We had passed the trail to go to the lake at that point.
   I watched the road as John turned onto the trail up to the stables. I hadn't been up this road but people had kept telling me to go up this way and had described it exactly as it looks. That's the only reason I knew where we were going.

   It didn't take long to get up to the stables. I climbed out of the truck and was immediately blindfolded.
   "It's a surprise" I heard Jenna's voice tell me. I rolled my eyes and chuckled at the group.
   They led me up the hill and into the stables. I could smell the horses and, despite the stench, it made me feel like I was at home. It reminded me of mom and brought tears to my eyes.
   Susan removed the blindfold and the first thing I saw was a brown and white snout. I looked up at the dappled horse and started crying right then and there. I knew it was mom's horse, Autumn. Those big brown eyes stared back at me, and when I saw her heart shaped birth mark on her forehead, a splash of brown in a sea of white, my thoughts were confirmed.
   Hot tears slipped down my cheeks as I stroked the horse's snout.
   "Hi Autumn" I whispered, placing my forehead to her snout.
   I could hear dad shuffling the others out of the room. John stayed though.
   I knew immediately that I wanted to ride her. Mom had said before she died that I would be getting her horse not long after I turned seventeen. And here she was. Autumn was mine now.
   I didn't even bother to saddle her up. I grabbed her bit and some rope and fashioned some reigns quickly. I pushed the bit into her mouth and climbed onto her back and flicked the makeshift reigns.
   Autumn galloped out of the stables and out into the riding field. We dashed through the field and raced down the hill. I didn't push Autumn as hard as mom used to but she needed some exercise.

   We headed home not long after I returned. We got home and I saw something I didn't expect to see. There were two cars in the driveway, one with a bow on top.
   "Happy birthday, Sam" dad told me.