Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Denial: The First Step To Recovery ❯ Breakups and Trail Rides ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1

Breakups and Trail Rides

 

He glanced across the room at her from his comfortable spot on the futon. The girl in question was staring out the window, arms crossed underneath her chest and a scowl on her face.

 

Dragging his fingers through his coffee brown hair, he sighed and asked, “What's wrong now?”

 

Her blue eyes moving in his direction was the only indication that she had even heard him. Finally, after an uncomfortable pause, she asked, “Who is that girl? I thought we were going to be alone.”

 

“It's probably just Eleri. She won't bother us; she's only here to see the horses.”

 

The girl's eyes were still glued to the figure that had stepped out of the white car. “You mean that girl that's always hanging around you? She just gets to come over here act like she owns the place?”

 

Alec let out an exasperated sigh. This wasn't the first time that the subject of Eleri had come up. His current girlfriend, Miranda, was completely stuck on the fact that his best friend was a girl. “You know exactly who she is. We've been over this a million times, why are you bringing it up again?”

 

“Why shouldn't I? You spend way more time with her than you do with me.” Miranda whipped around to pin him with a glare.

 

Lately it was just more and more of this fighting, and frankly, he was getting sick of it. `Maybe if she knew just how little I actually care about her, she'll drop the subject and just be happy with what she's got.' Alec wasn't intentionally trying to be cruel with his thoughts. It was just that Eleri had been his best friend since practically kindergarten, and he had been going out with Miranda for a little over three weeks, which was a little over his cut-off date. It was common knowledge that Alec DeMuray didn't stay with one girl for too long. And well, frankly she was getting on his last nerve…

 

It took awhile, but he did eventually notice that she was still rambling on about each and every single thing that was so completely wrong with Eleri. That was the last straw. “Do you ever STOP? I don't care how much you hate her, you won't make me. We haven't even been going out a fucking month and you act like you own me.” He got up from his place on the futon and stalked across the room to stand in front of her. Alec watched as the color drained from her face when she realized that he was finally going to stand up for himself. She could sense the impending break-up. “You don't. I can talk to whoever and whenever I want and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. If you don't like that than get the hell out of my house.”

 

“Does she really mean that much to you, that you'd honestly break up with me over her? Do you have any idea what you're throwing away?” The blond was screaming at the top of her lungs at this point, though it didn't faze him at all.

 

He gave her a look that quite clearly asked if she was stupid or something. “Do you even have to ask?”

 

Much to his surprise, she reached up and slapped him across the face, the sound of flesh on flesh sounded sharp in the still air. Then she proceeded to storm out of his room, slamming the door behind her. Alec, on the other hand, simply stood there in shock. He could still feel the sting of her palm against his skin. Now, he had broken up with quite a few girls, but that was the absolute first time that one of them had slapped him. “The bitch actually hit me!”

 

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Eleri jumped as the steaming girl walked right up behind her as she was fastening the saddle onto Eclipse's back and started spewing every sort of insult under the sun.

 

“Don't sit there and stare at me like you're stupid or something,” said Miranda, red-faced and ticked off.

 

She had no idea what she ever did to make the girl this mad at her, but apparently she was the equivalent of the devil in Miranda's eyes. Now, Eleri was not one to sit back and take other people's shit. So she reacted as she usually did. “What's wrong with you?” She didn't give any sort of reply, so Eleri continued, “Where do you get off coming in here and scaring the horses and accusing me of… of whatever it is you think I did?”

 

The girl turned on her heel and stomped right back out of the barn to her shiny red sports car, kicking at clumps of dirt and hay as she went. She tore out of the driveway, and Eleri couldn't help but cringe at the sound of squealing tires.

 

Mere seconds later, Alec rushed out the front door with a murderous look in his eyes. Apparently they had a fight… and apparently, it had something to do with her. Seeing that Miranda was long gone, his shoulders slumped and he slowly made his way over to her.

 

“What happened?” she asked, her eyes full of curiosity.

 

“Eh, just a fight,” Alec started to say, “and well, I uh… kinda broke up with her.” With his left hand resting on the back of his neck, he looked distracted.

 

“Really,” she answered nonchalantly. She knew it was going to happen sooner or later. The tension growing between the two had been obvious, and when Alec had started coming to her to vent and avoid his girlfriend, she knew that their relationship was nearing its end.

 

“Yeah, really,” he answered sarcastically. She eyed him. “Don't look at me like that.”

 

“Then don't talk to me like that.” Seeing that he was in no mood to deal with any attitude, she relented and stepped forward to embrace him. “I'm sorry.”

 

He sighed and brought his arms around her, holding her loosely. “Don't be, I'm not.”

 

“You were getting sick of her, huh?” She already knew that, but it was the only way she could think of that would get him to start talking.

 

“Yeah, I guess.” Pulling away from her, he sat down on the bench situated between two of the stalls. “It's just that she always fought about the absolute stupidest things. I couldn't take her jealousy.”

 

Eleri moved to sit next to him. “Jealousy?” `Well, that explains a lot,' she thought in reference to Miranda's earlier outburst at her.

 

“Yeah. She just couldn't take me talking to other girls,” he turned to look at her. `Especially you,' he thought, though he dare didn't say it out loud for fear of making her feel guilty.

 

Changing the subject, he asked her, “So, did you see her before she left?” Alec was staring at the ground obviously feeling guilty about something.

 

“Uh yeah, and apparently I'm bitch and a whore and oh yea, a slut,” she replied sarcastically. “Among other things that I'd rather not say,” Eleri mumbled that last part.

 

He visibly flinched. “Damn, she said all that.” His eyes locked with hers. “I really didn't think she'd come out here and yell at you, I swear.”

 

“I know. It doesn't really matter. We've never gotten along, so it's not a tragedy.” Her response made him feel a little better. At least she wasn't mad at him.

 

“You know what, I think you're better off without her, I really do.” It was Eleri's turn to stare at the ground. “I know that my opinion doesn't matter so much here, but I could tell that you two weren't right for each other from the very beginning. I'm surprised that it lasted as long as it did.”

 

She stood, forcing Alec up with her. “But whatever. The last thing you need is someone criticizing your relationships.” She drug him to the far stable where a handsome bay horse waited. “C'mon, you're coming riding with me.”

 

“That's what I like about you El, no drama…” She looked back down at him from her standing position and gave him a small smile.

 

“Yeah,” Eleri whispered before walking off the find the saddle and bridle for Alec's horse.

 

She helped him saddle up the colt, Anthem was his name. Her horse was tied up near the doorway, all tacked up and ready to go. It didn't take too long, since Anthem was a fairly compliant horse, though the fact that he simply loved to go on rides was a huge help also.

 

Leaving him there to finish the job, she jogged over to Eclipse, who didn't seem to be disturbed in the least at being left there all alone, and hoisted herself onto his back. Realizing just a moment too late that she had forgotten to untie the creature, Eleri sighed. With a little bit of urging and promises of treats later, she convinced the paint to put his nose nearly to the hook and let her lean on his neck so she could undo the loose tie. It wasn't something that most horses would be completely comfortable with, but she felt it was safe to do with her horse.

 

Well, the horse wasn't hers, it was Alec's, but for all respective purposes, and probably in the horse's eyes as well, she might as well be her owner.

 

She backed up and then urged the horse out of the doorway to make room for Alec who was just emerging from the alleyway. With the prospect of a ride, he seemed to be in much better spirits, as Eleri knew he would be. That's why she invited him along after all.

 

She stared at him unabashedly, admiring the way he looked atop his horse. His back straight, proud gaze forward, he looked more like the boy she knew and loved. With a glance in her direction, Alec signaled Anthem to start trotting toward to forest where the two had beaten a trail long ago.

 

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Deep in thought, Alec didn't even see the branch until it was too late. It hit him square in the face, no doubt leaving an angry red welt on his cheek. “Damn it.”

 

Eleri, who was a little ways up the trail from him, turned her mount around and trotted to his side. “Huh?”

 

“It's nothing; I just got attacked by a tree.” He rubbed the afflicted cheek as he spoke.

 

She giggled. “A tree huh, what'd you do to piss it off?”

 

“I apparently got in its way.” Alec smirked at her, an all too familiar look.

 

Giving him a playful look from over her shoulder, she replied, “Maybe… you should be more careful from now on.”

 

“Yes ma'am!” He saluted.

 

`Well, at least he's back to normal.' She simply smiled and trotted on ahead. Hopefully, she had managed to get his mind off of the recent break-up. He was never one to wallow in such things unless he particularly liked the girl, but this time it had even distracted him from the one thing he loved most - riding and being with the horses.

 

Eleri then turned to look behind her. `Or, maybe not.' She sighed, he was back to sulking. `What's wrong with him?'

 

“Alec, come here.” She waited as he caught up to her. When he was walking beside her, she asked, “What's wrong?”

 

“Nothing, I was just thinking.” He kept his eyes downcast, not looking at her. There was something that he wasn't telling her.

 

Eleri grabbed his arm, effectively stopping both horses and nearly making him fall in the process.

 

“El, wh-” Alec rarely called her by her name, opting instead to bestow her with one of his nicknames for her, El or Elli.

 

She cut him off. “Don't tell me nothing's wrong. I know you better than that.”

 

Gulping loudly, he removed Eleri's hand from his bicep. “I was just thinking about what she said to me… during our fight.” He fiddled with his reins as he spoke, still not willing her meet her gaze.

 

“Was it bad?” She sunk back into her saddle. The warm May wind rushed around them, blowing Eleri's hair around her face. Without thinking, Alec reached over to smooth her hair back behind her ear. She shivered under his touch, though he probably hadn't even realized what he did… or what he did to her.

 

“I really don't want to talk about it.”

 

“C'mon, it can't be so bad that you can't even tell me. Seriously Alec…”

 

He fidgeted under her scrutiny. He also knew that he was completely incapable of lying to her. “She just… said some things… about you.”

 

Eleri thought as much. “What kind of things.”

 

“Do we really need to talk about this?” He whined. The absolute last thing that he wanted to do was upset his friend, which was what was likely to happen.

 

She ground out a `fine' and then started walking her horse once again. `If he can be difficult, than so can I.'

 

“You're mad at me now, aren't you?” It was more of a statement than a question.

 

“No.”

 

“Yes you are.”

 

“No I'm not,” she stated more forcefully.

 

“Whatever you say.” He sighed.

 

Upon hearing the resignation in his voice, she immediately felt bad. He was just trying to avoid hurting her, that was all, and she knew it. A little softer she replied, “I'm really not.”

 

“Good.” He was relieved. “Wanna head back now?”

 

“Yeah”

 

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A/N

 

I know I shouldn't be starting another story because I just know that I won't be able to update often, but here it is anyway… enjoy.

 

The original story, Denial: The First Step To Recovery, is copyrighted to me.