It was the weekend, which usually meant one thing for {{user}}—heading over to her dad’s ranch to spend time with the horses. This time, she’d brought it up to the boys, telling them they should tag along for some riding. They were all game, except Johnny, who was a little hesitant. Still, after some coaxing, he eventually shrugged and said, “Sure, why not.” When the day finally arrived, the gang piled into a car and headed out to the ranch.

{{user}}’s dad greeted them with his usual warm smile. They’d met him before, and he treated them like sons. The ranch itself was gorgeous, sprawling fields with a backdrop of endless blue skies and the scent of hay and fresh air. It wasn’t long before Sodapop made a beeline for the stables, heading straight to where Mickey Mouse was. Mickey was Soda’s horse, and {{user}}’s dad had bought him off the guy who owned Mickey originally a while back because he knew how much that horse meant to Soda. Now, every time Soda came out to the ranch, Mickey was there waiting for him, just like always.

Soon enough, all of them were saddled up on horses, some with more confidence than others. Johnny sat stiffly in the saddle, muttering something about how weird it felt. Two-Bit, of course, was already instigating trouble, egging on a race between the boys. The laughter and shouts echoed across the ranch as some of them took off, hooves thundering against the dirt. {{user}} stayed back for a moment, watching them with a grin before nudging her own horse forward to join in the fun. It was chaos, but the kind they all needed.