Sterling's Daughter

For a second, Will didn't do anything. He just stood there, unmoving, unblinking, like he'd been frozen to the spot.
"What?" Laya asked, although she had a sneaking suspicion what his reaction was about.
"You want...my...help?" he asked slowly and unsurely, like he didn't fully comprehend what she was saying. Which he probably didn't.
"As much as it tortures me to admit it, yes. I'm asking for your help," Laya moaned. "Can you believe it?"
"Not really," WIll replied bluntly. Laya scowled. "What do you want help about?"
Laya hesitated. After finally letting her pride slip a bit to get this far towards help, she suddenly felt a snag of uneasiness. She didn't want to give up now, but...
"I'll be late for the bus," she said hastily and started to flee. A hand gripped her wrist and she felt herself being pulled back. Will pointed at wooden bench, signalling for her to sit down.
"No way. You're not going to fool me," he said firmly. "You're actually asking me for help, something must be really wrong."
At first, Laya was ready to put up a fight.
"Oh really? How would you know?" Lame. Yes, she knew. She jerked her wrist out of his grasp.
"Laya, c'mon," Will said, almost pleadingly. "I wanna help."
"Really? YOU want to help ME? I doubt it," she said scornfully.
"Try me," Will shrugged. "You told me once that we were equal. Let me help."
Laya swallowed. She shook her head.
"You'll just laugh," she mumbled quietly, almost hoping that he wouldn't hear. As it turned out, she was out of luck.
"Try me," WIll said again.
"Oh, fine!" something in Laya burst, and she was yelling at him. "It's this! I'm too freaking scared of hopping on the back of a freaking horse, even Juno, who I've been riding ever since she came to Sterling Stables, because all I can think about it falling off Tempo that freaking night!"
Maybe it was because she had just told a pair of ears that she was scared of riding, or maybe it was the humiliation from doing so. However, the tears started to trickle down her cheeks and then came in choking sobs. Laya put her hands over her eyes and pushed her fingers against them, as though to stop the tears. But that didn't do anything.
Her shoulders were shaking and her fingers were wet. The more tears that came, the more Laya hated how she'd been so suddenly reduced to tears.
Will's arms went around her shoulders, warm and comforting. She didn't bother trying to push him away - one, she felt to weak to even try, and two, it felt strangely nice. She buried her face into his shoulder and cried. He didn't say anything, but just held her there.
When she finally pulled back she snatched up her hankie and blew her nose noisily.
"The bus," she said, looking bleary eyed at the empty parking lot.
"Mum was picking me up so you can just get a ride with her," Will said. "I can see her from here. Let's go."
He took her hand in his and pulled her along gently. Laya just let him. Mrs Hamilton had most likely already seen her sobbing all over her son so what was the point of pretending everything was okay and that she hadn't been crying? She saw the look Will and his mum exchanged as she crawled into the backseat of their car. Thankfully, though, they didn't say anything.
THe car rolled to a stop outside the gate of Sterling Stables, and Laya, eyes having cleared, stumbled out of the car, mumbled her thanks, and started down the driveway.