Ashlan.

I slipped into the bar stool seated in front of the kitchen counter. I pressed my hands against the tan granite countertop farthest in front of me and pulled, sending me spinning. I grinned and repeated the process, sending me spinning some more. My grand-mère giggled from across the room, shaking her head at me.

I beamed up at her, a great smile on my face.

“So I found this place on the outskirts of Sheffield where we can go riding,” she said, sitting next to me and stopping me from spinning. This bit of information only made my grin widen.

“We can go now if you go get changed,” she continued. By the time that she was finished I was out of my chair, kissing her on the cheek and running up the stairs to go put on my riding gear.

“Western or English?” I called down the stairs. I was struggling to put my white riding pants on, clearly having some difficulty as I kept falling over.

“English,” she called back from somewhere near. I figured she was getting changed too.

I slipped on my sandals and quickly grabbed a small duffel bag out of my closet. I put a pair of shorts, a separate t-shirt, socks and my riding boots in there.

I figured that I could just take a shower after I get home, seeing as I was usually sweaty and smelt like the barn after everything.

//

I was bouncing on the balls of my feet as one of the instructors at the barn finally let me work with a horse. I say finally because it took us at least an hour to convince her that I have ridden and taken care of horses before.

She brought me over to a gold champagne horse, claiming that her name was Champagne. Wasn’t very original if you ask me.

“Do yeh know ‘ow teh bathe a ‘orse?” she asked snottily, expecting me to not know.

I nodded at her, smiling at the disappointed look on her face.

“Fine. Then yeh can bathe Champagne.” And with that she turned and walked away.

//

I let the brush slide softly down her back, knowing not to go behind her. I had been done for a while now, and noticed that my grandmother had been riding off and on for a bit. I desperately wanted to ride this horse. Giving a horse a bath can really spark a connection.

“Yeh done?” the same lady from before asked, eyeing my work on Champagne. I nodded at her.

“Um…can I ride her?” I asked, my voice quiet. She shrugged before nodding.

“I’ll ‘ave teh watch yeh though. Yeh’ve got teh post on this ‘orse ; ‘er backs not too good.” I nodded and followed her as she led Champagne out to the gated field.

//

Though my legs were sore from not having to post in a while, I had the most fun I’ve had in a while. More fun that when I was with Suzan or Mathew. The whole car ride back I kept thanking my grandmother for taking me. Even when I entered the shower and as I exited I kept thanking her. I also thanked her during dinner. And I almost kissed her feet when she told me that the owner said I could work there.

My mother also laughed at me the whole day. She laughed until I fell into a peaceful nap on her lap. When I woke up saying thank you, she started again. I felt so groggy that I went and brushed my teeth. Mid-brush I heard the doorbell ring. Of course everyone’s lazy and made me go answer it. Toothbrush still in mouth, baggy cheer shirt and short black cheer shorts on with my hair up in a messy bun with a slight drool dribbling down my mouth, I opened the door – of course not before I wiped my chin.

Suzan and Lynn stood there, giggles escaping their lips at the site of me. My eyes widened as I noticed the car full of people behind them. I slammed the door shut in their faces before leaning up against it. My senses kicked in and I ran to the nearest bathroom. I spit and washed before trying to fix my somewhat crazy hair. I ran back to the door, jerking it open to find an amused Suzan and Lynn.

“That wasn’ very nice,” Suzan smirked, laughter glinting in her eyes. I mumbled a ‘shut up’ before asking why they were here.

“We’re ‘ere to pick yeh up,” Lynn replied, allowing herself into my house. I raised my eyebrow at her retreating form as if she was crazy.

“Why?” I asked.

“We’re goin’ teh a concert!” Suzan responded. I shot Lynn a nasty look – not one that said I hate you, but one that said you’re disgusting – as she came back with her mouth full of banana and open.

“No,” was my simple response.

“C’mon! It’s the guy’s band,” Suzan pleaded with Lynn now beside her, kicked puppy look on both their faces.

“No. I don’t like their music,” I replied, shuffling into my house. I noticed the group in the car looked a bit restless.

“Please?” And I caved.

//

There were sweaty bodies everywhere. People were so close and so packed that the sweat rolling off of one person landed on a different person. Everyone smelt of horrible body odor, alcohol and drugs. This was worse than the first party I went to. In retrospect I wasn’t surprised that Suzan left me. At least this time she didn’t leave me alone. No, she left me with Thomas, Oliver’s brother, and right now my favorite person. He actually talked to me, acknowledged me.

Even while taking pictures, he talked to me. He told me that Becky had also ditched him to go with the other girls. I learned a bit about him, and well, I could feel a friendship blossoming. He even answered the question that I desperately wanted to know: what his last name was.

Though, by the end of the night, Thomas Sykes had become my second best friend. No matter what she did, Suzan would always be my first, seeing as she was there first.

//

“I don’t think Becky likes yeh hangin’ ‘round Tom so much. Actually, neither does Vegan or Oli,” Suzan said, her body sprawled out on my living room carpet.

“Oh,” I replied. Tom and I had hung out for the rest of the week, three of those times by ourselves. He wanted a break from all the guys and a little time with someone that he didn’t always have to be couple-y with. He also used me as a model for some of his pictures. And he’s been teaching me how to take well, good photos, because in all honesty, the photos I take are always horrible and blurry.

I also brought him to the barn and let him take pictures of me working with the horses and cleaning their stalls. He was the first person I brought with me; not even my mother went yet.

“‘S fine. Yeh can still hang with him, jus’ keep it teh a minimum of bein’ alone; people are startin’ teh get jealous.” I shrugged.

//

“It takes you forever to get ready,” I said to Tom, laughing at him as he bustled about in his room to get ready. Becky was beside me, because really, I didn’t want to get on her bad side after a couple of weeks of knowing her.

“‘E’s like a girl, I swear,” Becky said, laughing as Tom tripped over some of his clothes. His cheeks tinted a dark red.

Once he was finally done, we headed out, walking in the direction of the ice cream parlor.