Even the Sweetest Rose Has a Thorn., chapter 9
"Ok, we're finally freaking here!" Jonsie told me.
"Ugh finally!" I said groggily.
"Ok, you need to help me with all of these horses," she said.
"No, I'm going to run away from you and leave all of my valuable horses behind."
"I wouldn't be surprised, little rebel," she said while ruffling my hair. Jones was like a second mother to me since my mother can barely take care of herself. She was always there for me and I told her about how who my true father was and all of that. She loved rock but since there were horses in the back, we didn't play it loudly like usual when we were together.
"Ok, I'll get Sundance, Apache, and Comanche, you can get Rock, Thunder, and Strawberry," I said.
"I'm guessing Jeremy will get Moon and Nickers?" she asked me. I nodded when Jeremy pulled up. I pointed at him and did a hand gesture that told him to come over here. He trotted next to me and I told him what to do. Then all the rest of our jockeys pulled up and settled them all in.
"Ok Paprika, you look exhausted, let's go to the hotel," she said. I nodded and we walked over to the hotel that was neighboring to the track. It was already about ten at night and we were all tired. I shuffled around the hotel room, not tired at all and the bed was uncomfortable. I groaned and put on my shirt and went to the barn.
I walked around the barn to Sundance's stall and he was as restless as I was. He must've sensed me coming and he stuck his head out and nickered softly.
"Ssh," I said to him while I rubbing his nose. I opened the stall door and walked inside his stall that seemed bigger then my room. I sat down while leaning on the stall wall and smiling at the sweet scent of clean hay and horses.
I started talking to him, not anything special but just talking, about home life, about Frankito and my real dad. I didn't expect him to answer but it did calm him down so he laid down on the hay. I scooted over to him so my head on was on stomach. I felt every breath he took and the smooth hair that was my new pillow.
"Where is my jockey!? I need to find her! Has anyone seen Paprika!?" I heard Jonsie yelling. I chuckled and I got up with Sundance at my side. There was hay in my hair and I realized it was Thursday, everyone was going to be here tomorrow! Yes, it did take almost four day to get to Kentucky but it's in a truck, not a ferrari, give us a break.
"Calm down Jones, I'm right here," I said, looking out of the stall.
"Why weren't you in the hotel? I was worried sick," she said hugging me. I checked my phone on my cell and found two text messages, five missed calls and three voicemails. The five missed calls were one from my dad, two from Frankito and two from Billie Joe, why's he calling me? My three voicemails, gotta check those first, the first was from my dad.
"Hey Paprika, I was just wondering where you were at the moment, we'll be over there tomorrow, we already headed out so I guess I'll talk to you later."
The second voicemail was from Frankito.
"Hey Rika, like Mike said, we're heading out. I've missed you so much since you've gone so I'll talk to you later since my dad is going crazy."
The third was from Billie Joe which confused me even more.
"Hey Paprika this is Billie Joe as you can see, we all miss you. Adie and I need to talk to you about something, so I'll talk to you later."
Um, ok that was really weird. I decided on my text messages for later since I have to exercise all of these horses while the jockeys got to sleep in. I groaned and brushed Sundance before tacking him up.
***
"Hey baby!" Frankito said while I ran to him at the barn. I ran to him and kissed him and hugged him.
"Ahem!" my dad fake coughed.
"Hey dad," I smiled while hugging him. I looked at Billie Joe and Adie with strange expressions on their face.
"Um, Paprika, come with us," they said to me, I hesitated and then my dad came with me and I felt safer. We went to the hotel lobby and they sat me down in a chair.
"Tré told us about your mother, what she did to you," Billie Joe said. Oh great, more memories, I started to sob a little bit.
"And we would like to know if you would like to testify against her, so she can go to jail," Adie asked me. I don't know if this was an ok thing, sending your own mother to jail. But then I remembered that she really like a mother to me, Jonsie was more of a mother to me then her. I started to sob even more and nodded as Frankito put his arm around me.
"I have to go and well exercise my horses," I said weeping.
"I'll come and watch you," Frankito said.
"Ok," I simply said.
"So, are you sad or angry now?"
"Neither, I have a great boyfriend, and a wonderful new family."
"Ugh finally!" I said groggily.
"Ok, you need to help me with all of these horses," she said.
"No, I'm going to run away from you and leave all of my valuable horses behind."
"I wouldn't be surprised, little rebel," she said while ruffling my hair. Jones was like a second mother to me since my mother can barely take care of herself. She was always there for me and I told her about how who my true father was and all of that. She loved rock but since there were horses in the back, we didn't play it loudly like usual when we were together.
"Ok, I'll get Sundance, Apache, and Comanche, you can get Rock, Thunder, and Strawberry," I said.
"I'm guessing Jeremy will get Moon and Nickers?" she asked me. I nodded when Jeremy pulled up. I pointed at him and did a hand gesture that told him to come over here. He trotted next to me and I told him what to do. Then all the rest of our jockeys pulled up and settled them all in.
"Ok Paprika, you look exhausted, let's go to the hotel," she said. I nodded and we walked over to the hotel that was neighboring to the track. It was already about ten at night and we were all tired. I shuffled around the hotel room, not tired at all and the bed was uncomfortable. I groaned and put on my shirt and went to the barn.
I walked around the barn to Sundance's stall and he was as restless as I was. He must've sensed me coming and he stuck his head out and nickered softly.
"Ssh," I said to him while I rubbing his nose. I opened the stall door and walked inside his stall that seemed bigger then my room. I sat down while leaning on the stall wall and smiling at the sweet scent of clean hay and horses.
I started talking to him, not anything special but just talking, about home life, about Frankito and my real dad. I didn't expect him to answer but it did calm him down so he laid down on the hay. I scooted over to him so my head on was on stomach. I felt every breath he took and the smooth hair that was my new pillow.
"Where is my jockey!? I need to find her! Has anyone seen Paprika!?" I heard Jonsie yelling. I chuckled and I got up with Sundance at my side. There was hay in my hair and I realized it was Thursday, everyone was going to be here tomorrow! Yes, it did take almost four day to get to Kentucky but it's in a truck, not a ferrari, give us a break.
"Calm down Jones, I'm right here," I said, looking out of the stall.
"Why weren't you in the hotel? I was worried sick," she said hugging me. I checked my phone on my cell and found two text messages, five missed calls and three voicemails. The five missed calls were one from my dad, two from Frankito and two from Billie Joe, why's he calling me? My three voicemails, gotta check those first, the first was from my dad.
"Hey Paprika, I was just wondering where you were at the moment, we'll be over there tomorrow, we already headed out so I guess I'll talk to you later."
The second voicemail was from Frankito.
"Hey Rika, like Mike said, we're heading out. I've missed you so much since you've gone so I'll talk to you later since my dad is going crazy."
The third was from Billie Joe which confused me even more.
"Hey Paprika this is Billie Joe as you can see, we all miss you. Adie and I need to talk to you about something, so I'll talk to you later."
Um, ok that was really weird. I decided on my text messages for later since I have to exercise all of these horses while the jockeys got to sleep in. I groaned and brushed Sundance before tacking him up.
***
"Hey baby!" Frankito said while I ran to him at the barn. I ran to him and kissed him and hugged him.
"Ahem!" my dad fake coughed.
"Hey dad," I smiled while hugging him. I looked at Billie Joe and Adie with strange expressions on their face.
"Um, Paprika, come with us," they said to me, I hesitated and then my dad came with me and I felt safer. We went to the hotel lobby and they sat me down in a chair.
"Tré told us about your mother, what she did to you," Billie Joe said. Oh great, more memories, I started to sob a little bit.
"And we would like to know if you would like to testify against her, so she can go to jail," Adie asked me. I don't know if this was an ok thing, sending your own mother to jail. But then I remembered that she really like a mother to me, Jonsie was more of a mother to me then her. I started to sob even more and nodded as Frankito put his arm around me.
"I have to go and well exercise my horses," I said weeping.
"I'll come and watch you," Frankito said.
"Ok," I simply said.
"So, are you sad or angry now?"
"Neither, I have a great boyfriend, and a wonderful new family."
