The Black and Sugar

CH17: I Couldn't Breathe

-Two Days from Invitational-

We switched back to our normal mounts after the day I rode the Black. Henry was more than impressed, he was in awe in the way I handled the stallion in the uncontrollable situation with Sugar. "Een Alec couldn't have gotten that horse to swerve over like that," he'd said as we turned to the barn. I just blushed a bit and went on with my business.

I was back on Sugar the next day, but it was more just a breezing than anything else. He was as bored with the workout as I was. I was getting better as a jockey, and Sugar more relaxed as a racehorse. That didn't stop me still from occasionally bringing my feet out of the short stirrups, and working on his spinning and stopping. He was so smooth, it was impossible not to admire the sleek movements.

People knew who I was now. I would go to a little diner every once in awhile and people would look and whisper, especially when I would come in with Alec.

Alec. Everyday it seemed I fell in love with him a little more. The way he laughed, and the crinkle between his forehead when we was cleaning stalls, every little detail abou thim made a spark ignite in my heart. The way he'd kiss my forehead right before he'd leg me up onto Sugar every morning.

And me, well, I couldn't help but become more and more nervous everyday as the race approached. I'd been more excited than anything leading up, until I took a look at the list of names of the running horses. No, it wasn't the horses taking a chance against my stallion, but one of the owners whose name appeared. Jerry Volence.

Of course he didn't want me running Sugar, because of course it would be against one of his own. His was a big brown gelding called Whoza Birdee, with a lot of run, but not much heart or passion. He stood a good shot, but not the best by any means. Jerry put a lot of money into getting him made into a good horse, and mostly, it had paid off. But that didn't change the fact that Jerry was an awful person.

I'd seen him again, when I was on Sugar doing a workout yesterday. He stood on the fence, his piercing blue eyes staring at me and the horse from the sidelines. I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't look away, until Alec came riding with me on Royale. He had returned Jerry's stares, anxiously awaiting action. I could tell if he had the opportunity to punch the kid in the nose again, he would do it. There was hatred in his eyes, matching the same intensity of the fear in my own.

Henry and Alec went into the office as I unsaddled Sugar today, when I saw Jerry again. He was standing across the stall block, watching me, while I threw the cinches over the saddle. I could feel his gaze, it made me nauseous. And he just stood there, a cigar hanging out the right side of his mouth, an occasional puff of smoke billowing out, and dispersing into the air.

I went on with my business, trying to look nonchalant as he watched me, and finished unsaddling and rubbing down the grey's legs. He seemed agitated, which was not surprisingly, because so was I.

Jerry left moments before I saw Henry and Alec leaving the office and walking towards our barn once again. They were conversing with one another, probably about the race in a few days, and seemed preoccupied, never seeing Jerry. I knew they would have rushed over and ushered him away if they had.

In that moment, I realized how much the two meant to me. They were basically the closest thing to a stable family I'd ever had in my adult life. Henry was like a father, Alec, the person I loved more than anyone in the world. I was at ease, and smiled when they got to the barn.

Tomorrow night was the gala for the race, Henry didn't want to go, but someone had to go and represent the farm, so Alec and I planned on going. I thought it would be fun, definitely be a change of pace, to get dressed up and spend a night away from the barn.