The Weight of the World by Amy Leigh Strickland

distracted today.”
    “Oh,”
she said. Amanda knew he was flirting and she blushed. Sure, Nick had
a reputation around the school, but it didn't make his attention any
less of an ego boost.
    “So
how about that tour?”

    Nick
had gone home and regrouped since the discovery of his horse
telepathy. He had shot off an email to The Pantheon about his ability
and then changed his plan for Amanda McAffrey to work with his new
talent.
    He
ran through his hygiene routine-- shower, brushing teeth, and body
spray-- and dressed himself in blue jeans, a red polo, and the only
pair of closed-toed shoes he owned. He headed out to the McAffrey
Ranch just before eleven in the morning with a soft-sided cooler in
his passenger seat.
    When
he hopped out of his car, Amanda was in the doorway of the barn,
petting a tabby cat. She stood up and put her hand across her brow to
shield her eyes from the sun. “Forget something?” she asked. She
didn't think her Dad had time to email Nick yet.
    Nick
didn't answer until he had crossed the dirt lot to meet her. He knew
that he lost power when he had to shout to be heard. When Nick
finally spoke, his voice was soft and intimate.
    “Sorry
if I'm interrupting something,” he said. “I just... well I kept
thinking last night after I left that I really should have gotten
your number.”
    “I
thought I gave you all of the contact info...” she trailed off.
    “Not
your Dad's number,” Nick said, “your number.”
    “Are
you--”
    “I'm
asking you out.”
    “Listen,
Nick... I don't really have a lot of t--”
    “Do
you have a lunch break?”
    She
nodded silently.
    “Then
I brought lunch. I just want to talk to you. You seem interesting.
Just have lunch with me and then you can reject me, okay?”
    Nick
knew a lot about girls. He knew that most girls, especially girls his
age, weren't used to guys who asked for what they wanted. A little
assertiveness went a long way. He also knew that teenage girls tended
to like guys more if they knew for sure the guy liked them. Just the
validation of Nick's attention scored him points with Amanda
McAffrey, so long as he was confident and charismatic. Big blue eyes
and cute freckles were also a factor.
    “Alright,”
she said. “I was going to fix something back at the house and take
it down the trail to eat with Midas.”
    “I
have a little cooler with chicken salad and grapes in my car.” He
smiled. “If you still want to go on horseback, I'm up for an
adventure.”
    Amanda
smirked in a somewhat wicked way. She was going to test him. “If
you're up for an adventure...” she turned and plucked a saddle off
the wall. “Go get your cooler and meet me back here.”
    When
Nick came back she had two horses ready to go. Midas stood next to
another horse with a dark brown coat that blended into black along
the shoulders and mane. “This is Shadow,” she said. Nick could
tell from the way Shadow stomped his hoof in the dirt and the way
that Midas edged away from him that Shadow was a difficult horse.
    Amanda
climbed up on to Midas, leaving Nick with a challenge. He handed her
the cooler to carry and then turned his attention to Shadow. Nick
took a deep breath. He opened up his thoughts and felt both Midas and
Shadow brushing up against his mind.
    ' Easy,
boy,' Nick though, reaching out to put his hand on Shadow's muzzle. ' See
that cooler? See that bag she has? I've got carrots in there. If you
help me get to our picnic spot, you can have a carrot.'
    Midas
felt the need to interrupt. ' Any
more sugar cubes?'
    Nick
nodded and looked at Midas with a smile. Midas nickered and closed
his eyes in a pleased way.
    Nick
stroked Shadow's nose for a while before coming around to climb up
into the saddle. Shadow let him, and Amanda looked surprised.
“Ready?” he asked her.
    They
headed up the trail to a small pond that was hardly fifty-square
feet. Amanda got off and hitched Midas to a post mounted in the
ground. Nick brought Shadow over by the reigns. He had a