Young Writers Society

Aiden sighed. "Cause she was cuffing me. Besides, I was cuffed to her too. Wasn't like I just cuffed her." He waited. Her dad looked like he was going to explode and rip out his throat. "Look, she wasn't in any danger. I wouldn't let anyone hurt her. I swear."

"She was in danger the moment you moved here!!! All our daughters were!"

Aiden's fists tightened. He glared at the police man in front of him. He turned on his heel to leave.

"Where the hell do you think your going?! Come back here!"

"Sir...begging your pardon, but unless you want a real fight on your hand, you'll let me go!" He waited for the sarg's response.

Sola put her hand on her dad's shoulder. "Enough fighting for one day, please daddy." She said. Her dad sighed and nodded before Aiden shot out the door. "You could be a tad nicer."

"Go home, Sola, no use in going back to school." He replied walking to his desk. "Just get on home." She didn't argue as she turned and walked out of the building and started walking towards her house. She'd feed the horses and then ride.

**Awh...she's not going to go looking for him?**

Aiden didn't know what to do. He wasn't going to go back to school, and he really didn't want to get into anymore trouble. He had had enough of that. He saw horses all around him. He used to love to ride when he went and visited his grandparents. He hadn't been on a horse in years though. He wondered where he could ride...he also was short on cash. He needed a job. Maybe that would make people around here happy. If he worked. As he alked out towards his place, he saw a big ranch. Out front was a "for hire" sign. He trapsed up the long drive way. As he neared the front he say Sola.

"Uh...hey..."

"What are you doing here?"

"I saw the for hire sign...and figured I could give it a try." He shrugged. "What about you?"

She looked slightly amuse with her hand one her hip. "I live here." She stated.

Aiden groaned. "Okay. Thanks. Bye." He turned to leave, but he felt her hand on his bare arm. He couldn't walk away from her, and that bugged the crap out of him. "What do you want?" He askemd, trying not to sound harsh or rude.

***No, I was thinking she ran into him.***

"My dad isnt' bad, he's just real protective." Sola said letting her arm drop. "Give this town a shot, everyone's defenses are up inlcuding your own."

"What do you think would happen with the looks I get." He asked crossing his arms.

"See, you jump on everyone at any given moment. I hope you don't plan on ever getting a girlfriend, cause the way you look at girls, well lets just say it's not very flattering." She replied crossing her arms in the same manner. Her mind strayed to when he had kissed her and she shoved the thought away as her lips tingled. She couldn't see him in any way other then hate. It wasn't allowed. But part of her wanted to ask him to ride with her. He couldn't be as bad as everyone said.

Aiden sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I got hurt once. Really bad. It was my first girlfriend. I really loved her. I...I thought we were going to get married. I planned on it. We even slept together cause she wanted to. One day I woke up to a text. She dumped me for some rich older guy. She had taken every bit of piece of me that there was. After she left...there was really none of me left." He shrugged and looked embarrassed. "Haven't really given another girl the time of day. It hurt to bad the first time."

He looked at her with sad eyes. "I know your dad is just trying to protect you. I know every dad here hates me because of the way I act. But I honestly am not looking for a girlfriend...or anything like that. You may think I'm cruel...but hoestly, I can treat girls right and I never let a girl get entangled with me unless she understands I'm not in it for a relationship. If she can't handle it from the get go, I turn her down. It's a lot easier to get hurt in the beginning than to give yourself away to some one and have them rip your heart out." He reached out and gently stroked her face. He couldn't believe that in less than five minutes she had knocked down all the walls he had tried so hard to build. "I really didn't mean to take your first kiss away. I'm really sorry I had to be your first." He dropped his hand. "Unless you desire my company any longer, I should get going." He ran a hand through his hair and looked past her at the rolling hills. It could really be peaceful out here.

Sola fought to keep the walls that protected her heart up. But when he touched her cheek it was like they all feel. "Sounds like you need therpy." She said uncrossing her arms. His eyes turned hard and she raised her hands in defense. "Let me finish. Come riding with me, it's the best therpy there is." She smiled a little. "Up to you." SHe turned and walked towards the barn her boots kicking up dust as she walked. They really needed rain. A minute later Aiden was walking alongside her.

"Wont your dad flip if he sees me here?" He asked.

"I know how to unruffle his feathers." She smiled. "It's not to hard."

"Hey, Sola, whose this?" Ky, their barn manager, asked walking over.

"Aiden." She replied giving him a quick hug. "He moved into town, and I figured I'd give him a taste of country life."

"Your father know about it?" Ky smiled.

"Nope." She smiled. He laughed shaking his head.

"I figured, your dad doesn't take well to any guy that he doesn't know isn't attracted to you. I swear Haven couldn't come for a year before y'all proved to him that he was just a friend." Ky grinned. "Don't go to the west pasture, there were cougar tracks this morning."

"Thanks." She walked back to riding stalls and pulled a gelding out. "Here, do you know how to brush them down?" She asked as she pulled out her black stallion. He stood a good 16 hands at least. He was pure black with a majestic looking head that he rested over her shoulder. He was her favorite to ride, but she could only ride him when it wasn't breeding time.

Aiden actually loved horses. "Yeah. Used to do it all the time at my grandma's." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was so beautiful he could hardly stand it. He shook his head. He couldn't let her get to him. "So...no boyfriend?"

He looked at her and she flushed bright red and shook her head no. "Like I said...today was my first kiss."

Aiden nodded. "So...who's this handsome fella?" He asked, running his hand over his nose, loving how the smootheness felt. Like velvet. He forgot how easy it was being around horses.

"That's Ky's Boy. K.B. for short." She replied. "He was an accedent." She smiled. He looked up at her.

"How so?" He asked.

"Well, Ky's first day here, which was eleven years ago, he accedentually let one of the stallions in with one of the brood mares that was in heat." She smiled. "Dad gave KB to Ky after that. I thought dad was going to fire Ky, but daddy was laughing so hard. Said everyone messed up sooner or later." She grinned. He laughed and rubbed the horses head. "Ky loves that horse, but he has about four here so he lets us ride KB."

"Whose that?" He asked pointing towards the horse that had it's head over her shoulder.

"Sola's Escape." She smiled. "He's five, I've been training him when it wasn't breeding time. When it is he's locked up. We might breed him this year, we're not sure. But he gets mean during breeding season. But I got to pick the horses to breed and this is what I got." She smiled.

Aiden smiled. He really liked this girl. He sighed. "So...Are we going to ride or--"

He froze as he saw her brother and Haven step into the barn. He felt so unwelcomed in this town. Everyone hated him. He waited for the explosion. Would her brother punch him out? Or just tell him to get the hell out of his sight?

"Hey Haven. How was the rest of school?" He tried.

"Boring, boy do I wish I'd gotten an out like you did." Haven said pulling another horse otu of a stall. Colt walked over and stood next to Sola his eyes questioning.

"Aiden's going riding with us." She smiled. He nodded and walked to another stall pulling out a bay mare. She quickly tacked up Escape with a pleasure western saddle and tehn she put a hackamore on him. He acted up when he had a bit in so she used a hackamore or a halter. He listened really well.


**Be back in bit**

Aiden didn't know really what to do. Well...he didn't know what he was allowed to do. He took the horse and saddle near him and saddled him. He used his muscles to swing himself up and smiled at. haven. "Okay. The next time I get in trouble with practically everyone in town and get handcuffed together, I'll be sure and switch places with ya."

Haven chuckled.

Aiden had missed being on a horse. It felt amazing. He pet the geilding's neck.
"Gosh. I forgot how good it felt to be on a horse!"

Sola smiled and nodded. "It's the best feeling in the world. Just wait til we get to the field and run. You'll feel like your flying." She smiled as she turned Escape out of the barn and down the trail.

"YOu feel like your flying case Escape has the smoothest gallop ever. You hardly feel like your moving. Trip here is bump until you get him all out." Colt laughed.

"I'm not complaining, Buck is a great horse." Haven laughed.

"You pick who you ride, Colt." Sola smiled back at him as they moved through the woods. HE rolled his eyes.

"I know. I just really like Trip."

"I love Escape." Sola laughed as they came into the clearing. "Trot around first, we'll warm them up." She said as she leaned forward getting Escape to move into a trot as they circled the wide open field. After a few times she pushed him into a gallop and closed her eyes letting the wind whip past her face and through her hair.

Aiden felt strange. But he liked watching Sola. She was so free here. She acted as if everything was okay. Aiden rode a bit apart from everyone else, just walking and soaking up the sun. It felt amazing out here.

Haven came close and Aiden bit his lip. "Hey...is there any guys interested in Sola?" He asked unexpectantly. He just had to know. If there was someone better for her...then he'd step aside.

Haven laughed. "With who her dad is?" He asked shaking his head. "Even if Sola gave a guy a second glance, her dad would find some reason to toss them in jail. Last year Billy Martin asked her to the dance. She said no, but her dad found out. Billy ain't never done anything wrong, but he got pulled over the next day, never talked to Sola again. She thinks it's cause she turned him down." Haven smiled.

**OY**

Aiden chuckled. "So...He would murder me?"

"Pretty much."

Aiden sighed. "What about you? You seem daddy approved. Surely he wants her to be happy an find a good guy. What about you? You have any intreset in her?"