the exception [pin hawthorne] 𝐢𝐢

chapter eight

"So, I thought it'd be fun for us to do something all together," Mia started once they'd all settled at the beach. It was windy, and Olivia was glad she'd brought a jacket. "Think of this as a team-building exercise, so that we can all pull together and defeat the Holloway lowlives once and for all." As soon as the words left Mia's mouth, the so-called Holloway lowlives arrived on the beach.

"What are they doing here?" Zoe asked in anger, briskly getting up.

"Uh, this is our part of the beach," Mia said as they approached.

"It's a free country, so I think we'll stay," retorted Gaby.

"Fine, we'll go," Mia said stubbornly.

"Wait, Mia, look, we've had our differences, but if you think about it, we all want the same thing," Callum said.

"Look, you care about horses, and so do we. We're all competitive, and we're all really good," continued a guy Olivia didn't know by name, though she'd seen him train with Pin.

"So, instead of being enemies, why can't we just--" Callum added.

"Be friends?" Susie finished her boyfriend's sentence. The Bright Fields team stayed silent.

"I brought marshmallows," the same guy from before added, waving up a bag of marshmallows.

"Well if you're offering marshmallows I really don't see a reason to object," Olivia piped in.

"Fine," finally gave in Mia with as much enthusiasm as a rock. Neither she nor Zoe seemed very pleased by Holloway's arrival. Olivia, on the other hand, was always glad for an opportunity to see Pin, and Emma as well, she realized when said girl sat down on her right.

"Hey Via!" She said enthusiastically.

"Hey Em, what's up, how's training going?" Olivia asked.

"Really well, I've been improving a lot on my jumps, and I think I'm finally getting used to Stumpy," she said. Stumpy was Emma's new horse. Her old one had been injured, and so she'd needed a new one for nationals. Olivia was glad things were going well for her friend. The guy from before sat to Olivia's left, silently angling the marshmallow bag towards her.

"Thanks marshmallow guy!" Olivia chirped, taking some marshmallows.

"Always happy to help a fellow marshmallow fan," the guy joked with a wink, causing Olivia to laugh. "And you can call me Alex," he added. He then got back up and headed towards Pin. Olivia followed them with her eyes for a moment before looking down in fear of getting caught.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but that jacket does not look like it's yours," Emma said, eyeing the green piece. Red dusted Olivia's cheeks.

"Hum, well it was Pin's originally, but he gave it to me," she said, clearing her throat.

"I can't wait till you guys get together," Emma sighed.

"W-What?" Olivia said.

"Oh come on, you two were made for each other, anyone could see it," Emma replied. "Admit it."

"Fine, yes I do like him, but he doesn't like me, so it's not gonna happen," Olivia said. "Anyways, you should come meet Becky and Jade," Olivia added, quickly changing the subject. Olivia led Emma to her two old friends and introduced them. They all got to know each other better and actually had quite some fun, though Olivia did notice Becky seemed a bit off, she would have to ask her about it later. A few times during their conversation, Olivia's attention drifted off to Pin, her heart clenching everytime she found him still talking to Gaby and laughing with her. If Pin had ever held any feelings for her, it was clear to Olivia that he'd moved on.