Even the Sweetest Rose Has a Thorn., chapter 10
I took a deep breath as the day started, today was the big race, and I was nervous out of my mind.
"Be careful babe, I don't want anything to happen to you," Frankito said to me. I nodded and kissed his cheek for good luck and hugged everyone there. It was starting off good, I was riding Nickers first, his parents weren't big racers, actually we were thinking of steeple chasing him but somehow he made his way here.
Jonsie gave me a leg up as he sat calmly for me to mount up. My stomach were doing flip flops as I hadn't eating breakfast and this was the first time that I rode as a jockey.
"Ok, you know what to do, you've practiced on him many times, calm down ok?" Jonsie asked me. I nodded but I was still nervous. Nickers did a little side stepping dance as we walked there. It was the first race of the day and I was tired so I yawned and stretched my arms and got into the little box area. I closed my eyes as there was a silence. I was in the number 3 box, a pretty good advantage. I heard the boom and the doors opened as Nickers shot out of there.
Thankfully he didn't use all of his energy at the start. There was still just one horse in front of us that I couldn't get past. We went around the bend to the finishing line and past through in second place! There were many cheers from the stadium and I almost cried in relief on how this day would start.
"Wow, that ended so quickly!" I said while walking around with Billie Joe while leading Sundance and Apache around the track so they would be comfortable here.
"What did it feel like?" Billie Joe asked me.
"It felt like everything was a blur, I could barely see the track in front of me."
"So, how long until the next race you're being a jockey in?" Billie Joe asked while kicking around a stone.
"Probably in about an hour and a half."
"Those seats were really good."
"I know, being a half owner gives you some advantages."
"Some?"
"Yeah, like you get free meals and all of that, it's really cool."
"Who else has ever been with you here?"
"Um, Vulcan, Dragon, a lot of people actually, ex boyfriends and all of that good stuff."
"Well let's get some food, I'm hungry!" I said while walking around.
"I'm not, I just ate."
"Yeah, well I didn't so yeah..."
"I'm guessing that you don't have to pay?"
"You guessed right."
"Ugh, I went into the wrong business."
"Oh shut up I bet you get free food everywhere you go."
"On the exception I have to sign about fifty million autographs everywhere I go."
"People sometimes ask me for autographs, not fifty million but like horse fanatics and all think I'm some kind of hero."
"Hero huh?"
"Yeah, but most people don't know a thing about horses so I'm not as famous as you."
"I wish I could go back to that life."
"No, you don't, Billie, you are who you are, if you weren't who you were, then I wouldn't be here."
"What do you mean?"
"The first song I heard when I was a baby was Christie Road, and whenever I go to my horses, I always put my CD's in there, mostly Green Day, I know you must hate hearing that I'm kind of obsessed with you. I know you must hear all the time someone new is obsessed with you."
"Well when you go through a life like you, then I should actually call you my hero. I'm amazed you've gone this long without getting hooked on drugs or alcohol or anything."
"I have responsibilites," I said while Sundance rubbed his neck on the back on my knee, I got an idea.
"Billie, do you wanna ride around the track a little bit?" I asked him.
"Um, where are the bridles?"
"In my pack," I said while pulling out two simple western bridles from my emergency pack that I carried around.
"Um, I guess so."
I quickly put on the bridles and Apache went down on his two knees so Billie Joe could get on. He was amazed I had trained all of my horses to do that. I smiled and scrambled on Sundance's back.
"Wow, this is uncomfortable."
"I don't think so."
"Well that's because we're a different gender dear."
"Very true."
We walked around the track for a little while and we talked for a while.
"Frankito really loves you."
"I know."
"Is that it? You just know?"
"No, I love him too but I'm still trying to figure out why he was making out with Estelle."
"Good question."
"You heard about that too?"
"News travels, mouths talk."
I smirked at him as we walked to the barn and I took off Sundance's bridle and Billie Joe took off Apache's.
"Let's go find everyone else, I'm sure they're at the hotel."
"Yeah, they said something about the hotel earlier."
"Ok then."
"I have a question."
"Shoot."
"Why did you want to walk around with me, I always do stuff by myself."
"Because I just like listening to people. I like to hear new voices every once in a while."
"New voices?"
"Yeah, I'm used to hearing old familiar voices, same discussions, same everything, then you come along."
"That's what people say when bad stuff is about to happen."
"Hopefully that won't happen, I'll make your whole life good, Mike will too but I know talking to your dad is awkward cause you just found out about him. But to most people I'm not really talking type unless you have something to talk about, because I can start a conversation worth anything."
"So it's kinda like Poprocks and Coke?"
"Exactly. I can be your shoulder to cry on, you're best buddy or your wrestling buddy."
"Ha ha, I'm sure gonna need a wrestling buddy sometime soon."
"Well duh, everyone needs one."
"Are you a decent cuddle buddy?"
"Yes but not with people about twenty years younger then me."
"Oh fine then, I guess Frankito could handle it."
"I don't wanna talk about your cuddling."
"Oh shut up."
"I have a question for you."
"Ok."
"Why do you have to where that fancy get up of yours to a race?"
"To signify the farm I'm representing."
"You lost me."
"To show which farm I'm from."
"Oh, ok."
"Why? Do you want one?"
"I'll pass thanks."
"Fine, but this is the slimmest thing I've worn in about a month, seeing I had a race then too."
"Grapes or Strawberries?"
"What?"
"If you had to eat only grapes or strawberries, which ones would you eat?"
"Grapes, you?"
"Strawberries."
"I love the 80's or music videos?"
"I love the 80's."
"Breakfast or Dinner?"
"Breakfast."
"Cool, let's go."
"Wait what?" I asked while he dragged me to a place that looked good to eat.
"Why did you drag me in here?" I asked him.
"Because I decided I was hungry and you haven't eaten anything yet so I looked around and saw this place, come on, get anything."
"Can I take your orders?" the waiter asked us.
"Can you still breakfast?" Billie asked.
"Sure, you came right on time."
"I'll take the small stack and coffee."
"I'll have the same."
"Copier."
"Because I like pancakes?"
"Pretty much."
"Be careful babe, I don't want anything to happen to you," Frankito said to me. I nodded and kissed his cheek for good luck and hugged everyone there. It was starting off good, I was riding Nickers first, his parents weren't big racers, actually we were thinking of steeple chasing him but somehow he made his way here.
Jonsie gave me a leg up as he sat calmly for me to mount up. My stomach were doing flip flops as I hadn't eating breakfast and this was the first time that I rode as a jockey.
"Ok, you know what to do, you've practiced on him many times, calm down ok?" Jonsie asked me. I nodded but I was still nervous. Nickers did a little side stepping dance as we walked there. It was the first race of the day and I was tired so I yawned and stretched my arms and got into the little box area. I closed my eyes as there was a silence. I was in the number 3 box, a pretty good advantage. I heard the boom and the doors opened as Nickers shot out of there.
Thankfully he didn't use all of his energy at the start. There was still just one horse in front of us that I couldn't get past. We went around the bend to the finishing line and past through in second place! There were many cheers from the stadium and I almost cried in relief on how this day would start.
"Wow, that ended so quickly!" I said while walking around with Billie Joe while leading Sundance and Apache around the track so they would be comfortable here.
"What did it feel like?" Billie Joe asked me.
"It felt like everything was a blur, I could barely see the track in front of me."
"So, how long until the next race you're being a jockey in?" Billie Joe asked while kicking around a stone.
"Probably in about an hour and a half."
"Those seats were really good."
"I know, being a half owner gives you some advantages."
"Some?"
"Yeah, like you get free meals and all of that, it's really cool."
"Who else has ever been with you here?"
"Um, Vulcan, Dragon, a lot of people actually, ex boyfriends and all of that good stuff."
"Well let's get some food, I'm hungry!" I said while walking around.
"I'm not, I just ate."
"Yeah, well I didn't so yeah..."
"I'm guessing that you don't have to pay?"
"You guessed right."
"Ugh, I went into the wrong business."
"Oh shut up I bet you get free food everywhere you go."
"On the exception I have to sign about fifty million autographs everywhere I go."
"People sometimes ask me for autographs, not fifty million but like horse fanatics and all think I'm some kind of hero."
"Hero huh?"
"Yeah, but most people don't know a thing about horses so I'm not as famous as you."
"I wish I could go back to that life."
"No, you don't, Billie, you are who you are, if you weren't who you were, then I wouldn't be here."
"What do you mean?"
"The first song I heard when I was a baby was Christie Road, and whenever I go to my horses, I always put my CD's in there, mostly Green Day, I know you must hate hearing that I'm kind of obsessed with you. I know you must hear all the time someone new is obsessed with you."
"Well when you go through a life like you, then I should actually call you my hero. I'm amazed you've gone this long without getting hooked on drugs or alcohol or anything."
"I have responsibilites," I said while Sundance rubbed his neck on the back on my knee, I got an idea.
"Billie, do you wanna ride around the track a little bit?" I asked him.
"Um, where are the bridles?"
"In my pack," I said while pulling out two simple western bridles from my emergency pack that I carried around.
"Um, I guess so."
I quickly put on the bridles and Apache went down on his two knees so Billie Joe could get on. He was amazed I had trained all of my horses to do that. I smiled and scrambled on Sundance's back.
"Wow, this is uncomfortable."
"I don't think so."
"Well that's because we're a different gender dear."
"Very true."
We walked around the track for a little while and we talked for a while.
"Frankito really loves you."
"I know."
"Is that it? You just know?"
"No, I love him too but I'm still trying to figure out why he was making out with Estelle."
"Good question."
"You heard about that too?"
"News travels, mouths talk."
I smirked at him as we walked to the barn and I took off Sundance's bridle and Billie Joe took off Apache's.
"Let's go find everyone else, I'm sure they're at the hotel."
"Yeah, they said something about the hotel earlier."
"Ok then."
"I have a question."
"Shoot."
"Why did you want to walk around with me, I always do stuff by myself."
"Because I just like listening to people. I like to hear new voices every once in a while."
"New voices?"
"Yeah, I'm used to hearing old familiar voices, same discussions, same everything, then you come along."
"That's what people say when bad stuff is about to happen."
"Hopefully that won't happen, I'll make your whole life good, Mike will too but I know talking to your dad is awkward cause you just found out about him. But to most people I'm not really talking type unless you have something to talk about, because I can start a conversation worth anything."
"So it's kinda like Poprocks and Coke?"
"Exactly. I can be your shoulder to cry on, you're best buddy or your wrestling buddy."
"Ha ha, I'm sure gonna need a wrestling buddy sometime soon."
"Well duh, everyone needs one."
"Are you a decent cuddle buddy?"
"Yes but not with people about twenty years younger then me."
"Oh fine then, I guess Frankito could handle it."
"I don't wanna talk about your cuddling."
"Oh shut up."
"I have a question for you."
"Ok."
"Why do you have to where that fancy get up of yours to a race?"
"To signify the farm I'm representing."
"You lost me."
"To show which farm I'm from."
"Oh, ok."
"Why? Do you want one?"
"I'll pass thanks."
"Fine, but this is the slimmest thing I've worn in about a month, seeing I had a race then too."
"Grapes or Strawberries?"
"What?"
"If you had to eat only grapes or strawberries, which ones would you eat?"
"Grapes, you?"
"Strawberries."
"I love the 80's or music videos?"
"I love the 80's."
"Breakfast or Dinner?"
"Breakfast."
"Cool, let's go."
"Wait what?" I asked while he dragged me to a place that looked good to eat.
"Why did you drag me in here?" I asked him.
"Because I decided I was hungry and you haven't eaten anything yet so I looked around and saw this place, come on, get anything."
"Can I take your orders?" the waiter asked us.
"Can you still breakfast?" Billie asked.
"Sure, you came right on time."
"I'll take the small stack and coffee."
"I'll have the same."
"Copier."
"Because I like pancakes?"
"Pretty much."
