Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) (10 page)

              "No," Wyatt said, giving me absolutely no information. Then he scanned me with his eyes again and shifted his hat on his head. "I think it's time you learned how to ride."

              I paused, looking at him, wondering if he was serious. Learning to ride hadn't even crossed my mind, though it would make sense if I was going to tame Storm. "And you and Brooks are going to teach me?" I asked, silently hoping the other boys weren't involved. It's not like I minded being around the other guys, I had just had my fill of their hormones for today. Every girl needs her space and I had been hoping to escape to my room, put my earbuds in, and lose myself in the music for a while.

              "Yep," Wyatt confirmed with a nod, "You ready?"

              "Sure," I replied, trying to sound confident. In my head, I was imagining myself as the city slicker who tries to get on the horse and falls off the other side, or one who screams every time a horse takes a step. I may get along with Storm, but that was because we had so much in common. I had never ridden a horse before and I hoped when I tried, I didn't end up looking like an idiot.

              "Get on," Wyatt said, nodding to Brooks.

              Wow, how helpful. If only I knew how. I walked over to Brooks’ side, the top of his back was face level for me and the stirrup way too high up. I paused to think for a minute, glancing at Wyatt who was watching me and waiting to see if I could figure out how to get on by myself. I was happy he was letting me try to figure this out on my own though. Most of the time, people just gave me orders about how to do things and when to do them, so it was a nice change to be able to do it myself.

              I lifted my left foot and brought it up high, managing to shove my boot into the stirrup. I thought of how I could get up on the horse's back and how I hopped up on brick walls came to mind.

              That's it, I needed to hop.

              Hopping a couple times, I jumped upward. I didn't make it high enough though and ended up clinging to the side of the saddle like how a hitchhiker on a bike would grab onto the back of a truck.

              I clung there, gasping for breath before swinging my leg over.

              I was on and I had done it by myself! Starre would be proud of my girl power. Maybe now I would have something to talk about with her other than hot guys and clothes.

              Wyatt grinned, coming up beside me and patting Brooks on the neck, who was standing there calm as could be, not even bothered by how I had practically climbed up his side and onto the saddle like a bug. Wyatt was definitely smart for having me learn on a calm horse, because if Storm and I ever got to the stage of riding, I didn't think he would put up with my mounting skills.

              "How do you feel up there?" Wyatt asks, adjusting my feet in the stirrups as he moved around, checking straps and making sure everything was where it should be.

              I could feel Brooks beneath me, standing completely still, only occasionally moving his head around to look back at us. I brushed my hair out of my eyes and looked down at Wyatt, who had finished with his adjustments and had placed his hand on my leg.

              "It feels-" I paused, trying to think of the correct way to describe it. Weird? High? "-good."

              Wyatt grinned and handed me the reins. During my time in juvie, I had passed the time reading, not wanting to interact too much with the other kids. Their library had held some horse books, which I was now thankful I had read. Remembering some of the book’s instructions, I pointed my heels down.

              "Just relax and when you're ready, tell him to walk," Wyatt directed, taking a step back and completely taking his hands off his horse. Either he trusted my limited horsemanship skills or he trusted his horse not to bolt with me on it. At the thought of Brooks bolting and dragging me off across the ranch, he snorted and flicked his ears back at me as if he could read my mind and thought it was absurd that I would even think something like that about him.

              "Walk, Brooks," I said and stiffened, waiting for him to lurch forward and throw me off.

              He didn't do that at all. In fact, he moved forward so slowly that even if I did fall off, I would probably be landing in the same spot I got on. I felt Brooks shift with every step, making my body sway side to side, my heart beating hard in my chest as I took a deep breath.

              "Give him his head, he's not going to do anything you don't want him to," Wyatt instructed, his voice spoken from beside me.

              It was good to know he was still there. I loosened the reins and felt Brooks' pace even out and lengthen into what I could only guess to be a normal walking pace. I relaxed my hands and my body as he walked, turning him slightly to head back around to Wyatt, who had stopped following and was just watching from a ways away.

              "This is amazing!" I called out to him as we headed towards him. When I got close enough, Wyatt smiled and nodded, "You're a natural."

              I rode Brooks until Polly rang the dinner bell, Wyatt giving me instructions from the sidelines every so often. I directed Brooks towards Wyatt. When he got to him, he ambled to a stop, letting out a long sigh as Wyatt patting his neck.

              "You did good. I'll put him up and you can head inside," Wyatt praised me with a nod, holding Brooks' reins and waiting for me to dismount.

              Except I had no clue how to do get off of a horse. So, I thought about how I would climb down off of a wall. Considering it had worked so well for climbing on, I decided to give it a shot. I moved one leg over Brooks neck, making sure not to hit him with my boot, then sat on top of him with my legs hanging over his side. I pushed myself forward and dropped down, my feet landing hard on the ground.

              I did it!

              I turned to Wyatt with smirk that said, 'Ha, I did it all by myself' only to find him grinning so wide that it was almost a smile, his shoulders shaking slightly.

              He was laughing at me!

              "What?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. This was just great, I thought I could make it through the lesson without someone laughing at me, but there was Wyatt, doing exactly that.

              His eyes landed on me and he pulled his emotions back until his grin turned amused. "Nothing."

              "It wasn't nothing; you were laughing at me. I thought I did pretty good without any instructions," I remarked, crossing my arms.

              Wyatt loosened Brooks’ girth, then slid the saddle off and swung it back on his shoulder to carry it, sliding the reins from Brooks’ neck. He looked over at me, his blue eyes meeting mine. "Just watching you, cowgirl," he said, then led Brooks away, not saying anything else.

              I sighed heavily, knowing Wyatt wouldn't say anything else unless he wanted to. I walked towards the house and saw the other boys emerging from different places on the ranch as they headed towards the house too. I was relieved that they had stayed hidden while I rode and hoped Wyatt wouldn't tell them about my embarrassing mount up. That's all I needed; Gavin reminding me about how lame I was and making fun of me.

              I don't think Gavin really understood what it took to live in the city. I'd like to see him walk the dark alleys of Los Angeles late at night and see how he'd come out of it. I smirked, thinking of how Gavin would react to all of the 'city slickers' partying or trying to rob him. Maybe if he was robbed and got beaten up by gang members a couple times, then he'd be more understanding, though I doubt even that would get him to hold any kind of respect for me. Even now, he had his eyes narrowed at me with his jaw clenched as if just the sight of me was enough to tick him off.

              Landon ran up from behind me and yanked me off my feet, my thoughts of Gavin whooshing out of me along with my breath as he carried me up the steps. I growled as I bounced, trying to pull myself up so my face wouldn't smack into his back from his bounding steps.

              "Put me down!" I demanded, trying to put as much force behind my words as I could. I was glad I was wearing shorts and not a skirt like I used to wear in the city. It was hard enough keeping the guys’ eyes off of me, let alone in a compromising position like this one with my butt up high in the air. I tried to think of a good way to get out of his hold. I had been in fights before, but I didn't want to actually hurt Landon, just show him I wasn't the kind of girl he could heave over his shoulder whenever he wanted.

              A memory flashed in my mind of the last time I had been slung over someone's shoulder, causing me to shiver. There was nothing I could do as the memory yanked me in. It was like I was back in that moment all over again, the sight of my own blood dripping onto the floor. My body had been limp as my vision blurred in and out, I had barely kept myself from passing out then. But now, I wasn't too weak to fight back.

              "Put me down," I growled out seconds before going completely insane. I screeched and fought, scraping my nails across his back. I grasped at his hair and yanked his head back as I kicked wildly at his chest and stomach. He cursed and tried to set me down, but it only enabled me to reach the rest of him.

              I was blind with rage, punching and kicking wildly, only to feel arms around my waist, yanking me backwards. I screamed and swiped my hands at him, just nicking his face with my nails.

              Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I fought, the sound of the blood rushing through my veins was so loud that I couldn't hear what the voices was saying.

              I'd be damned if I let anyone hurt me again.

              I felt the person go down behind me, his arms still wrapped around my waist, preventing me from getting up. I felt someone grasp my hands and pin them down, so I kicked out with my legs, blindly hitting whatever I could reach with them. I felt my legs as they were pinned down, causing me to snarl as they immobilized me.

              So much for being able to fight back. There were too many of them. If only I could get an arm loose, I could punch one of them in the face and get loose.

              A face appeared in my tunnel vision, shouting something at me. I blocked it out, it was probably something I've heard hundreds of times before when this happened and I had no interest in hearing it again.

              I felt someone straddle my chest, kneeling on my hands as they grabbed my face with their hands. I twisted and pulled, screaming as I prepared for the beating I was sure to get.

              But the hands didn't move, the hold on me didn't release and I felt no pain of anyone kicking or hitting me. It was strange. Why weren't they hurting me?

              The face continued to hover over me and the hands stayed on my face, a voice speaking to me. "Nova!" Why was the voice saying my name? They had never used my real name before, so why was now different?

              I blinked, gazing up at the face as it came into focus in front of me.

              Wyatt.

              What the hell was he doing here? I paused, frozen where I lay pinned as I looked up at him in confusion.

              Wyatt looked worried, his eyes searching mine as he breathed heavily, his panting almost matching mine. "Nova, you're okay."

              I squirmed, trying to sit up so I could figure out what was going on. Maybe it was time to run.

              Wyatt made shushing sounds as his fingers smoothed the side of my face, like he was petting me, "You're okay, no one's going to hurt you."

              I focused on my breathing, slowly relaxing and bringing myself back to the present. I felt the pressure on my legs subside seconds before Dylan's face appeared next to Wyatt's, the same worried expression on his face.

              The pressure from my hands was removed as Wyatt shifted off of them. He glanced above me and nodded to someone and the arms around my middle immediately withdrew. I sat up, realization hitting me then as I looked around.

              I was still at the ranch. None of that had actually happened just now. I caught sight of Landon behind Wyatt and Dylan, his face a shocked mask as he wiped blood from the side of his face.

              I tensed back up as I realized what I had done. I hadn't been being carried by the guy from the nightmare that was my past, it was Landon. And the people pinning me down? That was Wyatt and Dylan, with Gavin behind me.

              Polly approached from the kitchen slowly, "Is she alright?"

              Wyatt nodded to her before focusing back on me, one hand had gone to the floor beside him while the other had slid from my face to rest gently on my arm.

              I swallowed hard and stood slowly, everyone else following suit. They were all watching me carefully, as if waiting for me to go insane again. How embarrassing was this? I had just completely panicked and when crazy like a lunatic. I looked at Landon again, who was watching me and touching some of the scratches on his neck now.

              My eyes went to the floor and I felt panic rising inside me. I needed to get away from everyone and be alone. "I'm sorry," I whispered, then darted away, rushing up the stairs and into my room. I closed the door quickly behind me and propped the chair against it to keep it closed. I rushed to slip my earbuds in with shaking hands as I tried to keep myself from breaking down. Turning the volume up loud, I wrapped my arms around my legs and rocking forward and back. I could feel my insides crumbling like the only thing that was barely keeping me together was ripping and tearing apart.

              I couldn't believe what I had done. Landon no doubt hated me and Gavin now had lots of new crazy girl material to throw in my face. Not that he needed to say a word, but everything that just happened had made it perfectly obvious I didn't belong here. They wouldn't want me and I wouldn't be surprised if they called Mrs. Hinndle to come and get me as soon as they could.

              I let myself fall sideways so I could curl into a ball, putting an arm over my face and ignoring the knocks on my door throughout the evening.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

              I woke up sometime later, the sky outside a black sheet, meaning it was no doubt way after midnight. This would be the perfect time to leave. Mrs. Hinndle would probably arrive in the morning to pick me up and take me away from here. A thought flickered across my mind that my date with Dylan was supposed to be in the evening and I would probably miss it. Not that it mattered. Why would a sweet guy like him want to go out with someone like me anyway? He had probably changed his mind. I hadn't even been here for a week and I already had feelings for them. The thought that none of them wanted me, and would be glad when I was gone was enough for me to finally crumble.

              I let out a sob, then covered my mouth with my hands, trying to conceal the sound. They didn't need to know how I felt and I had already caused enough trouble without interrupting their sleep with my crying. It had been so long since I had cried that the wetness coming from my eyes felt almost unnatural.

              I heard a door open in the hallway and froze, swallowing hard as tears rolled down my cheeks. I tugged off my earbuds, my Ipod's battery long dead, and listened. I could hear movement outside of my door and then everything went silent for so long I thought maybe they had left without a sound.

              Then I heard the soft strumming of a guitar from outside my room.

I sat still, wondering if maybe I was hearing things. The sound continued and I slowly stood and moved to the door, sitting next to it and avoiding the chair leaning against it.

              I’d never heard anyone here play the guitar, so I wondered who it was. I sniffled and wiped my tears away, leaning my head against the door. There was no voice to give away who it was and I didn't open the door, afraid that if I did, they would stop or want to talk.

              After a while, I closed my eyes. The throb of a headache working its way through my skull, a result of crying too much. The music didn't make it worse or better, but helped me relax enough to let exhaustion overtake me.

              The low murmur of a voice caused me to jerk and open my eyes. I listened to the man on the other side of the door as he sang. His voice was so quiet that I could barely make out the lyrics The tune and words were unfamiliar to me.

"I can see the clouds rolling in,

her emotions held deep within,

as she tries to hold herself together,

from the outside forces trying to do her in.

Droplets fall from her eyes,

as she sheds her pain from the sky,

her tears raining down on me.

I sit outside her door,

waiting for the storm to pass,

and her sorrow to be gone at last.

The sound of her breaking cracks like thunder,

shocking me like lightening,

fogging my mind of anything but her.

There's no comfort I can give,

that will ease her pain,

and make her see that she's the perfect storm,

no matter the terror others see her to be.

I lean my head back,

heartache hitting my chest like a hailstorm,

as I wait for the sky to clear,

and the sun to light up my face with her smile.

Until then,

I sit here waiting,

her tears raining down on me."

              I closed my eyes as a tear slipped down my cheek. I listened to him as he finished his song, the lyrics reaching into my chest, making me feel like they were squeezing and caressing my heart at the same time. He only strummed his guitar afterwards, not singing anymore. I tried to stay awake for as long as I could, but his song had given me some comfort, and the sound of his guitar quickly lulled me to sleep.