Post by SigOUrNeY on Dec 27, 2007 12:09:39 GMT -5
”Rachel, you’re late,” Lani stated with folded arms.
”Thank you Captain Obvious,” Rachel retorted with a roll of her hazel eyes.
Lani restrained from exploding into a million pieces, and clenched her fists as Rachel continued to whine in her prissy, high class voice.
”Can we just get this over with?” Rachel moaned with hands on her hips. ”I have a nail appointment at three.”
Lani bit her lip. She felt like a bomb whose fuse was burning short. Any second now, she wouldn’t be able to hold it in anymore. ”Well then you better hurry up and get Dancer ready. She’s been waiting in her stall for the past hour.”
Rachel’s eyebrows shot up. ”I’m not tacking up that thing. She nearly bit my head off last week!”
”Well I’d bite somebody’s head off too, if some strange girl came into my bedroom and started screaming at every twitch I made.”
Rachel folded her arms and slit her eyes with a slight tilt of her head. Her entire stance made is clear. Make me.
It took all of Lani’s willpower not to strangle that scrawny little neck of Rachel’s, and her nails dug into the palms of her clenched hands. Her eyes shot daggers at Rachel, and she only managed to speak one word without losing complete control. ”Now.”
Rachel knew she was walking on thin ice, but she and Lani had been at it since the first day they met. Mr. Duce was Rachel’s uncle, and he had taken Rachel on as a stable hand in hopes of teaching her responsibility. Rachel’s father, Ford Duce, had bought River Dancer for her so that she could compete like her brother did with Viper. But so far, the only competing Dancer and Rachel have done is a battle of wills.
”I don’t feel like it. You’re so good at it – you do it,” Rachel said with a rebellious tone.
Lani couldn’t help herself anymore. She felt like stampeding the entire barn of horses over Rachel’s smug little face, but instead she settled for her words. ”You don’t feel like it?” Lani raged. Rachel’s hands dropped to her sides. Maybe she could have done without that last comment.
”Do you know what I don’t feel like doing? Having you assigned to me. Giving you lessons on Wednesdays. Hearing that whiny voice of yours. And worst of all, putting up with this bullshit that you give me!” Did I actually say bullshit? ”I’m sick and tired of seeing your face around here, and there’s nothing I’d rather do than toss you over a cliff. But unfortunately, I don’t get everything that I want, like you do. So instead, I have to put on a happy face, grit my teeth and bare it.” Lani knew she should have stopped there, but she had been holding all of this in for so long, she couldn’t bottle it up anymore. ”You haven’t know a hard days work in your pampered little life. Not one. It’s a privilege to get to ride these horses, and there’s nothing I’d rather do every morning. It makes me sick to see you walk all over them like they’re nothing,” Lani finished, and she heaved a quivering sigh, feeling as though a huge burden had been lifted off of her back. ”You know what Rachel? I’m done with you,” Lani added as she turned away. ”I won’t work like this. You’re aunt or uncle can teach you. You’re not my responsibility anymore.”
Rachel was stunned as she watched Lani walk away, and her eyes fell to the ground. She felt like she had just been spanked. Not even her own parents had talked to her like that. She should feel angry at Lani for talking to her like that, but instead, Rachel felt guilty. She looked up in time to see Lani outside, mounting Splash of Luck, and cantering out of sight bareback. Rachel knew she had gone on a trail ride, and wouldn’t be back for a few hours. Rachel bit her lip, and looked around the barn. All of the horses were in the pasture except for River Dancer, who had poked her head out of her stall to see the commotion. With a deep breath, Rachel walked up to Dancer’s stall slowly and cautiously. The buckskin mare pinned her ears as she saw Rachel coming close, and the girl’s heart sank.
”You know what?” Rachel said as she took a hold of the mare’s leather halter and lead rope that hung on Dancer’s stall door. ”I’m not taking your crap anymore.” Rachel opened up the stall door, and Dancer retreated to the far corner with ears pinned back. She raised a hind foot to kick, but lowered it when she saw Rachel swing the lead rope in warning. Dancer threw up her head when Rachel tried to reach it, but when she realized that her owner meant business, slowly dropped it enough so that Rachel could slip the headstall over her ears.
Rachel’s heart swelled with pride, and she hesitantly patted the mare’s powerful shoulder. When Dancer responded to Rachel’s clucking and tugging on the rope, Rachel praised the warlander more confidently, and led her horse out to the cross ties. Going up to the mare’s head, Rachel held on side of the buckskin’s halter before whispering into her ear, ”Let’s make Lani proud.”
”Thank you Captain Obvious,” Rachel retorted with a roll of her hazel eyes.
Lani restrained from exploding into a million pieces, and clenched her fists as Rachel continued to whine in her prissy, high class voice.
”Can we just get this over with?” Rachel moaned with hands on her hips. ”I have a nail appointment at three.”
Lani bit her lip. She felt like a bomb whose fuse was burning short. Any second now, she wouldn’t be able to hold it in anymore. ”Well then you better hurry up and get Dancer ready. She’s been waiting in her stall for the past hour.”
Rachel’s eyebrows shot up. ”I’m not tacking up that thing. She nearly bit my head off last week!”
”Well I’d bite somebody’s head off too, if some strange girl came into my bedroom and started screaming at every twitch I made.”
Rachel folded her arms and slit her eyes with a slight tilt of her head. Her entire stance made is clear. Make me.
It took all of Lani’s willpower not to strangle that scrawny little neck of Rachel’s, and her nails dug into the palms of her clenched hands. Her eyes shot daggers at Rachel, and she only managed to speak one word without losing complete control. ”Now.”
Rachel knew she was walking on thin ice, but she and Lani had been at it since the first day they met. Mr. Duce was Rachel’s uncle, and he had taken Rachel on as a stable hand in hopes of teaching her responsibility. Rachel’s father, Ford Duce, had bought River Dancer for her so that she could compete like her brother did with Viper. But so far, the only competing Dancer and Rachel have done is a battle of wills.
”I don’t feel like it. You’re so good at it – you do it,” Rachel said with a rebellious tone.
Lani couldn’t help herself anymore. She felt like stampeding the entire barn of horses over Rachel’s smug little face, but instead she settled for her words. ”You don’t feel like it?” Lani raged. Rachel’s hands dropped to her sides. Maybe she could have done without that last comment.
”Do you know what I don’t feel like doing? Having you assigned to me. Giving you lessons on Wednesdays. Hearing that whiny voice of yours. And worst of all, putting up with this bullshit that you give me!” Did I actually say bullshit? ”I’m sick and tired of seeing your face around here, and there’s nothing I’d rather do than toss you over a cliff. But unfortunately, I don’t get everything that I want, like you do. So instead, I have to put on a happy face, grit my teeth and bare it.” Lani knew she should have stopped there, but she had been holding all of this in for so long, she couldn’t bottle it up anymore. ”You haven’t know a hard days work in your pampered little life. Not one. It’s a privilege to get to ride these horses, and there’s nothing I’d rather do every morning. It makes me sick to see you walk all over them like they’re nothing,” Lani finished, and she heaved a quivering sigh, feeling as though a huge burden had been lifted off of her back. ”You know what Rachel? I’m done with you,” Lani added as she turned away. ”I won’t work like this. You’re aunt or uncle can teach you. You’re not my responsibility anymore.”
Rachel was stunned as she watched Lani walk away, and her eyes fell to the ground. She felt like she had just been spanked. Not even her own parents had talked to her like that. She should feel angry at Lani for talking to her like that, but instead, Rachel felt guilty. She looked up in time to see Lani outside, mounting Splash of Luck, and cantering out of sight bareback. Rachel knew she had gone on a trail ride, and wouldn’t be back for a few hours. Rachel bit her lip, and looked around the barn. All of the horses were in the pasture except for River Dancer, who had poked her head out of her stall to see the commotion. With a deep breath, Rachel walked up to Dancer’s stall slowly and cautiously. The buckskin mare pinned her ears as she saw Rachel coming close, and the girl’s heart sank.
”You know what?” Rachel said as she took a hold of the mare’s leather halter and lead rope that hung on Dancer’s stall door. ”I’m not taking your crap anymore.” Rachel opened up the stall door, and Dancer retreated to the far corner with ears pinned back. She raised a hind foot to kick, but lowered it when she saw Rachel swing the lead rope in warning. Dancer threw up her head when Rachel tried to reach it, but when she realized that her owner meant business, slowly dropped it enough so that Rachel could slip the headstall over her ears.
Rachel’s heart swelled with pride, and she hesitantly patted the mare’s powerful shoulder. When Dancer responded to Rachel’s clucking and tugging on the rope, Rachel praised the warlander more confidently, and led her horse out to the cross ties. Going up to the mare’s head, Rachel held on side of the buckskin’s halter before whispering into her ear, ”Let’s make Lani proud.”