Even the Sweetest Rose Has a Thorn., chapter 6
"I don't get you," Frankito said as they headed up Cherokee creek to Foxburrow forest.
"No one ever does, don't feel left out," Paprika replied coldly. Mike cantered up the creek and squeezed Apache between Sundance and Cowboy in case any heat broke out.
"Why can't you forgive me?" Frankito whispered.
"Well, one because you ripped my heart out and tore it into a million pieces before it even got to heal again, and two you haven't even said sorry," Paprika said smugly. Mike looked at Frankito and just continued walked down the creek into the forest.
"We're turning back, you wanna gallop the whole way or just walk?" she asked. Frankito and Mike looked at each other and smiled.
"I'll race both of ya!" Mike said as he took off. Sundance reared and trudged ahead, he was so built and strong that he didn't wear out easily.
They reached the farm and cooled down their horses.
"Just toss your reins to a random worker and they'll un-tack them," Paprika said while putting Sundance in his stall and giving him food, and water.
"Why do we toss our reins to someone else while you take care of him instead of handing him to someone," Mike asked.
"Because Sundance is my special boy, like a dog, you don't just give him to someone else to feed, you do it yourself," she replied.
"Well, how come all of these people listen to you?" Frankito asked.
"Half of these horses are under my care, I own some horses and make some money off of them, and so these people do what I say."
"Are you coming home with me?" Mike asked her.
"No, I'm teaching a jumping class, so meet me back here in about an hour, or you could just watch?"
So, they stayed and watched Papika teach a jumping class, most of them were older then her, and had a lot more attitude.
"Kaitlyn, calm down with Teddy, he's getting too anxious!" she barked out. The girl named Kaitlyn seemed the same age as Paprika, didn't appreciate this.
"I don't have to listen to you!" she barked back. Paprika remained as calm as she could and turned to someone else, they obeyed.
"Kaityln, calm him down! Trot over the ground poles!" she barked at Kaitlyn. Again, Kaitlyn didn't obey.
"I don't want to have to remove you from this lesson! Trot over the ground poles!" Paprika's temper flared.
"She's sort of short tempered," Mike whispered to Frankito, he nodded in agreement.
"Kaitlyn, trot him over here!" it was the first time that Kaitlyn obeyed.
"Get off that horse and walk him around, if you don't, I will be forced to remove you from my jumping class, you may be talented but I'm more experienced, if you don't start doing what I tell you, you're going to be sorry one day."
"If you're so experienced, then why aren't you jumping?" she spat back.
Paprika smirked and motioned Kaitlyn off the horse. Kaitlyn got off and Paprika jumped on Teddy and started to trot around and jumping random poles. Then, Paprika sped up the horse to a canter and jumped higher until it was almost 4.7-foot jumps. Teddy was tired and Paprika cooled him down and handed the reins back to Kaityln, "you happy? Now put him back in his stall, and brush him, he's sweating."
"Why don't you do it?" Kaitlyn huffed; she's the sort of person that's never got single horsehair on her perfect breeches. While Paprika was sitting there, in a ripped up 'Rainforest Café' t-shirt and worn down jeans, almost covered in horsehair.
"Because I know how to take care of a horse." Kaitlyn huffed and walked out with Teddy. She took one look at Frankito and winked, but he was too busy looking at Paprika. Mike noticed though, but didn't do anything about it. Paprika closed the gate and smiled at Mike.
"I think I'm ready to go," she said tiredly.
Take Away The Strains Of Being Lonely, take Me To The Tracks At Christie Road.
Paprika quickly shuffled her hands in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
"Hello?"
pause
"You have the correct number.
pause
"Yes I am."
pause
"I know I am ma'am."
pause
"I'm sorry but did you call me just to tell me how old I am?"
pause
"I accept your invitation, would you mind if I bring along some guests?"
pause
"Thank you ma'am, thank you for the invitation."
She closed her cell phone and sighed, slightly irritated. Frankito and Mike traded glances while she sat at the tiny set of bleachers so parents could watch their kids ride horses. She was so exhausted, so worn out from all the stress of the last few days. She tried to stand up and walk but only managed to collapse, using Frankito as a support. Mike picked her up, and set her in the car.
"You think she'll be ok?" Frankito asked.
"Poor thing's exhausted, we'll take her to your dad's and let her get her sleep," Mike replied. Frankito nodded in agreement and sat down next to Paprika, gently putting her hand on his lap and letting her sleep.
Mike parked in Tré's driveway and picked Paprika up and Frankito unlocked the door and walked in.
"Frank, I've been so worried, what's wrong with Paprika?" he blabbered on and on.
"She's exhausted Tré, I would be too after the day she's had, is it ok if I set her on the guest bed?" Mike asked. Tré nodded and Mike walked back to the guest room and set her down on the bed and kissed her forehead.
"So... she does own that horse?" Billie Joe said appearing out of the backdoor, smelling of cigarettes. Mike nodded and rubbed his eyes.
"That's amazing," Tré said while finishing a packet of Nerds.
"She owns others too," Mike continued.
"That girl is probably as rich as us," Billie Joe sighed.
"Wouldn't be surprised."
After about an hour of talking about Paprika, blast of music hit Mike, Billie Joe, Frankito and Tré's ears, which they recognized as the bass line of 'Homecoming.'
"I'm guessing she found your bass in the guest room?" Billie Joe asked.
"I'm guessing so," was Mike's reply.
"How many hidden talents does she have?"
"They're not hidden," Frankito interrupted. The three adults looked at him and he continued.
"She played 'Maria' in the talent show, and Dad, you knew she owned Sundance, the only thing I didn't know about was the singing, other then that, everyone knows."
Mike was already by the door of the guest room, listening to her sing. It was the perfect replica of his voice, on it had a memorizing tone to it, one he knew too well.
***
"Umm... I need to ask you guys something," Paprika said while fiddling with her thumbs. Green Day and Frankito looked at her and she turned beet red.
"I got invited to a dinner party by some fancy rich person, I'm aloud to bring 5 people along with me, since my mother can't come, would you guys go with me, along with Adie?" The guys looked at each other in a silent conversation.
"We'll come with you," Mike finally said.
"I'll tell Adie right now, what time does it start and where?" Billie Joe asked while playing with his cell phone.
"It starts at seven p.m. and at Piétro's."
"Ok, I'll drop you off at your house while I'm going home."
"Thanks Billie Joe," she smiled.
***
"Ok, time to pick up Paprika bud," Tré said while fixing up his bow. Frankito nodded and found his black tie and put it on.
Frankito walked up the door and tapped on it quickly. The door opened up and Paprika walked up and opened the door, Frankito took all he could not to gasp.
She had three slashes on the left side of her face. She looked like she had been crying and stepped out the door.
"Stop, come back here," Frankito said while holding onto her. She didn't hesitate, she held onto him and he kissed her cheek.
"Get some more of your things, you're staying at mine," he said. Paprika smiled and came back 5 minutes later with a bag in her hand. They trotted to the car, smiling. Tré took one look at Paprika and looked at Frankito, he made a face that said, 'we'll-talk-about-that-later.' He nodded and Paprika cuddled up Frankito, and he was glad that maybe, just maybe, she had forgiven him.
"No one ever does, don't feel left out," Paprika replied coldly. Mike cantered up the creek and squeezed Apache between Sundance and Cowboy in case any heat broke out.
"Why can't you forgive me?" Frankito whispered.
"Well, one because you ripped my heart out and tore it into a million pieces before it even got to heal again, and two you haven't even said sorry," Paprika said smugly. Mike looked at Frankito and just continued walked down the creek into the forest.
"We're turning back, you wanna gallop the whole way or just walk?" she asked. Frankito and Mike looked at each other and smiled.
"I'll race both of ya!" Mike said as he took off. Sundance reared and trudged ahead, he was so built and strong that he didn't wear out easily.
They reached the farm and cooled down their horses.
"Just toss your reins to a random worker and they'll un-tack them," Paprika said while putting Sundance in his stall and giving him food, and water.
"Why do we toss our reins to someone else while you take care of him instead of handing him to someone," Mike asked.
"Because Sundance is my special boy, like a dog, you don't just give him to someone else to feed, you do it yourself," she replied.
"Well, how come all of these people listen to you?" Frankito asked.
"Half of these horses are under my care, I own some horses and make some money off of them, and so these people do what I say."
"Are you coming home with me?" Mike asked her.
"No, I'm teaching a jumping class, so meet me back here in about an hour, or you could just watch?"
So, they stayed and watched Papika teach a jumping class, most of them were older then her, and had a lot more attitude.
"Kaitlyn, calm down with Teddy, he's getting too anxious!" she barked out. The girl named Kaitlyn seemed the same age as Paprika, didn't appreciate this.
"I don't have to listen to you!" she barked back. Paprika remained as calm as she could and turned to someone else, they obeyed.
"Kaityln, calm him down! Trot over the ground poles!" she barked at Kaitlyn. Again, Kaitlyn didn't obey.
"I don't want to have to remove you from this lesson! Trot over the ground poles!" Paprika's temper flared.
"She's sort of short tempered," Mike whispered to Frankito, he nodded in agreement.
"Kaitlyn, trot him over here!" it was the first time that Kaitlyn obeyed.
"Get off that horse and walk him around, if you don't, I will be forced to remove you from my jumping class, you may be talented but I'm more experienced, if you don't start doing what I tell you, you're going to be sorry one day."
"If you're so experienced, then why aren't you jumping?" she spat back.
Paprika smirked and motioned Kaitlyn off the horse. Kaitlyn got off and Paprika jumped on Teddy and started to trot around and jumping random poles. Then, Paprika sped up the horse to a canter and jumped higher until it was almost 4.7-foot jumps. Teddy was tired and Paprika cooled him down and handed the reins back to Kaityln, "you happy? Now put him back in his stall, and brush him, he's sweating."
"Why don't you do it?" Kaitlyn huffed; she's the sort of person that's never got single horsehair on her perfect breeches. While Paprika was sitting there, in a ripped up 'Rainforest Café' t-shirt and worn down jeans, almost covered in horsehair.
"Because I know how to take care of a horse." Kaitlyn huffed and walked out with Teddy. She took one look at Frankito and winked, but he was too busy looking at Paprika. Mike noticed though, but didn't do anything about it. Paprika closed the gate and smiled at Mike.
"I think I'm ready to go," she said tiredly.
Take Away The Strains Of Being Lonely, take Me To The Tracks At Christie Road.
Paprika quickly shuffled her hands in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
"Hello?"
pause
"You have the correct number.
pause
"Yes I am."
pause
"I know I am ma'am."
pause
"I'm sorry but did you call me just to tell me how old I am?"
pause
"I accept your invitation, would you mind if I bring along some guests?"
pause
"Thank you ma'am, thank you for the invitation."
She closed her cell phone and sighed, slightly irritated. Frankito and Mike traded glances while she sat at the tiny set of bleachers so parents could watch their kids ride horses. She was so exhausted, so worn out from all the stress of the last few days. She tried to stand up and walk but only managed to collapse, using Frankito as a support. Mike picked her up, and set her in the car.
"You think she'll be ok?" Frankito asked.
"Poor thing's exhausted, we'll take her to your dad's and let her get her sleep," Mike replied. Frankito nodded in agreement and sat down next to Paprika, gently putting her hand on his lap and letting her sleep.
Mike parked in Tré's driveway and picked Paprika up and Frankito unlocked the door and walked in.
"Frank, I've been so worried, what's wrong with Paprika?" he blabbered on and on.
"She's exhausted Tré, I would be too after the day she's had, is it ok if I set her on the guest bed?" Mike asked. Tré nodded and Mike walked back to the guest room and set her down on the bed and kissed her forehead.
"So... she does own that horse?" Billie Joe said appearing out of the backdoor, smelling of cigarettes. Mike nodded and rubbed his eyes.
"That's amazing," Tré said while finishing a packet of Nerds.
"She owns others too," Mike continued.
"That girl is probably as rich as us," Billie Joe sighed.
"Wouldn't be surprised."
After about an hour of talking about Paprika, blast of music hit Mike, Billie Joe, Frankito and Tré's ears, which they recognized as the bass line of 'Homecoming.'
"I'm guessing she found your bass in the guest room?" Billie Joe asked.
"I'm guessing so," was Mike's reply.
"How many hidden talents does she have?"
"They're not hidden," Frankito interrupted. The three adults looked at him and he continued.
"She played 'Maria' in the talent show, and Dad, you knew she owned Sundance, the only thing I didn't know about was the singing, other then that, everyone knows."
Mike was already by the door of the guest room, listening to her sing. It was the perfect replica of his voice, on it had a memorizing tone to it, one he knew too well.
***
"Umm... I need to ask you guys something," Paprika said while fiddling with her thumbs. Green Day and Frankito looked at her and she turned beet red.
"I got invited to a dinner party by some fancy rich person, I'm aloud to bring 5 people along with me, since my mother can't come, would you guys go with me, along with Adie?" The guys looked at each other in a silent conversation.
"We'll come with you," Mike finally said.
"I'll tell Adie right now, what time does it start and where?" Billie Joe asked while playing with his cell phone.
"It starts at seven p.m. and at Piétro's."
"Ok, I'll drop you off at your house while I'm going home."
"Thanks Billie Joe," she smiled.
***
"Ok, time to pick up Paprika bud," Tré said while fixing up his bow. Frankito nodded and found his black tie and put it on.
Frankito walked up the door and tapped on it quickly. The door opened up and Paprika walked up and opened the door, Frankito took all he could not to gasp.
She had three slashes on the left side of her face. She looked like she had been crying and stepped out the door.
"Stop, come back here," Frankito said while holding onto her. She didn't hesitate, she held onto him and he kissed her cheek.
"Get some more of your things, you're staying at mine," he said. Paprika smiled and came back 5 minutes later with a bag in her hand. They trotted to the car, smiling. Tré took one look at Paprika and looked at Frankito, he made a face that said, 'we'll-talk-about-that-later.' He nodded and Paprika cuddled up Frankito, and he was glad that maybe, just maybe, she had forgiven him.
