Derby Disaster

chApTeR sEvEn

Leo O'Callaghan had been cleaning his room at three in the morning when he took a break and checked his phone. He had an email, an email from Will. His freckled face donned a confused expression as he read it. He felt joy at the thought of seeing Will again, but he hadn't heard from Will since moving away. His blond friend hadn't made much of an effort at all to keep up and now he was on a road trip. Whatever, Will hadn't ever been great at keeping up with anyone he didn't see regularly. Leo hadn't ever thought he wouldn't be seeing Will regularly, but then his dad got a promotion at work after sobering up and that was that. 

The thin redhead stretched out on the grey carpeted floor of his room, rubbing his eyes as he thought of a response to Will. Why the fuck did Will email him? He still had his phone number, right? Who even emailed? Leo couldn't tell if this sudden communication was really weird or if he had been awake for too long. He didn't sleep much anymore, and the less he slept the more things seemed to be a little off. 

"I will text Will back in the morning, I can't deal with this now," Leo said to himself, trying to give his overactive brain boundaries. He would sleep before this, and maybe have some breakfast. 

The move away from Horseland and its merry faces had been rough on the boy. He changed schools, switched wrestling teams, and had to leave his childhood friends behind. He felt as though his anxieties had been magnified since the big change, trying to find control in any place he could. And not to mention the fact that his dad had a girlfriend. 

Leo did not like Tina Maddox, and neither did his younger brother, Tommy. Jim O'Callaghan had showed no interest in dating since the death of his wife, Charlotte, but now there was this woman hanging around. She dressed too fancy for Leo to feel like she was a real person. He thought of her more like a paper doll in her looks, and he despised how she treated him like he was still a baby. He knew he wasn't the tallest at five feet and three inches tall, but he was sixteen. Tina wore heels to his wrestling meets and wore so much jewelry she wasn't far away from being a wind chime on a gusty day. Everything had been normal, and then suddenly this woman moved in without much warning. Leo wanted her gone, and gone for good. 

                                                                                 ***

Will woke up early, groaning. Waking up was one of his least favorite things, but the horses' breakfast needed to come before sleeping in. He slapped himself awake, falling onto the floor in a pile of soft blue blankets to the grating shrieks of the alarm. He sat up on the ground, grumbling to himself. The floor was too hard, the air was too cold, and it was too early. However, he dragged himself to his feet and put on barn clothes: an old sweatshirt, some jeans, his boots.

He brushed his teeth in the bathroom across the hallway and splashed water in his face to help him wake up more. He walked out to the barn, checking his phone; Leo hadn't responded yet. Maybe the email address wasn't the ginger. Whatever, wouldn't be a huge loss. But it would be. It would be a loss since no email back meant not even having the chance to ask Rory on a road trip. What if he didn't see Rory again? It shouldn't be that bad, right? He really only had met the boy like two times and this crush was almost certainly one sided. Will began to fret as he fed the horses, giving Jimber some cuddles as well. 

"Jimber, I am being ridiculous," he murmured as he hugged the palomino's neck. 

The horse's ears pricked forward, "What's wrong, buddy?"

But all Will heard was a gentle knicker from his stallion. He didn't say anything else, preferring to breathe in the sweet scent of Jimber's coat. It was very soothing to him and after a few minutes he returned to his chores. He fed the hens and collected their eggs, turned out horses, then going back up to the farmhouse for breakfast. 

Aunt Ava was up and stacking pancakes onto a big plate for him when he came inside. She gave him a big smile despite her concern over what she had been told from the events at the derby. "Morning, Sunshine! Want any coffee?"

"Ughhhh, when do I say no to that?" He groaned as he was unable to stop a grim from splitting his face in half. 

"You don't," Ava walked behind him to give him a big hug like she did every morning. She fluffed up his hair. "Didn't brush your mop today?"

Will's grin turned cheeky, "Hey, at least I cut my hair."

Ava rolled her eyes in a joking way. She did get annoyed at Bailey's aversion to the barber shop when he didn't take care of his hair. "We will see how long he lasts with that mullet."

Will only nodded in response, his mouth stuffed full with warm pancakes, buttered and dripping with syrup. He loved his aunt's pancakes, as much as he loved sleeping in. As he ate, he began to think about Rory again. He doubted that he would want to hang out with him for kicks after this whole derby thing. He still could ask though he suspected to be told no. His fingers were crossed that that email had been to Leo for more than one reason now. 

A/N

Hello, I have two more finals and I can't make myself study. #YOLO