Mistletoe Kiss

by Niki Contreras

3.Race

  I ended up back at the stables and went right to Rugrat’s stall. He whinnied and pawed at me but I ignored it. I saddled him up and I was lucky that he was calm by the time I led him out to the track. The track was a quarter mile oval that was luckily clear of any snow. I took Rugrat around a few times without pushing too hard. It didn’t take long for him to get used to me again and after a few minutes I felt in my element. Riding was easy and helped clear my head better than yoga or chai tea or even a full body massage.

  His hooves barely made contact with the ground as he galloped. My heart beat in time with each of his strides. My muscles were coiled tightly and I could feel him just as tense. The wind bit against my skin but I welcomed it. For just a few minutes Rugrat and I were speed and nothing else in the entire world mattered. I could focus on the sting of the icy gust and keeping him on track rather than my job and Jared and my family.

  I pulled Rugrat to a stop after a couple of laps and hopped off. He was panting hard, his breath making thick puffs of fog in the cold air. I smiled and patted his nose gingerly. “Good job, buddy. You were awesome,” I breathed out.

  “You were pretty good, too.”

  I whipped around quickly. Christian smirked down at me from his chestnut mare, Hailey’s Comet. My jaw locked and I glared hard at him. “Dammit, Christian stop scaring me! Why the hell do you keep showing up?”

  He shrugged. “I was just going for a ride and I saw you guys out here. I don’t think that Rugrat’s gone that fast since he won the Classic back in oh-two.”

  I smiled dreamily. “That was a good day. Rugrat was just a little four-year-old. Now he’s an old fourteen-year-old.”

  Christy laughed. “Yeah, well he’s in pretty good shape considering that he didn’t retire until five. I think that your sweet sixteen was your first birthday not spent at the horse track.”

  I patted Rugrat’s nose and my smile slipped a little. “Yeah, you’re right. That was the year that I decided that I wanted to work in fashion. I guess that I didn’t have much time for horse racing after that.”

  “Well you’re here now and there’s time now for some racing. C’mon. Let’s race to the lake.” He shrugged out of his thick winter jacket and tossed it down to me. I was instantly grateful to get into something warm.

  I pulled my leg over Rugrat’s saddle and flashed Christy a smile. “First one to the pinyon pine?”

  “You’ve got it. Ready? Go!” he shouted before I was even adjusted in the seat. I shouted at him and kicked my horse into gear. We both went at breakneck speeds but he was too far ahead. Besides, his mare was way younger than my old guy so she was in much better shape.

  “You are such a damn cheater,” I accused after I got off of Rugrat.

  Something wet and cold hit my face and I gasped. I wiped the snow off my face with my bare hand and chucked it back at him. “I’m sorry, Baylee, but I couldn’t help it. Besides, I have to cheat to beat you at anything.”

  I laughed at threw myself into the snow. It was cold and I was quickly going numb but I didn’t care. I sort of liked the sensation of losing all feeling to the cold. I started making snow angels and it wasn’t long before Christy started doing it with me.

  We stayed out there for hours and the sun was just getting ready to go down. I was so relaxed that the roar of an engine startled me and made me jump a mile high. I whipped around and found Amber and Jared pulling up in the ATV Rhino. He looked pissed. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to talk to you, Baylee,” he snapped.

  “I’ll, um, I’ll take Rugrat back to the stables and leave the Rhino with you guys. Christy, why don’t we leave these two alone?” Amber suggested.

  They left me with Jared and the keys to the Rhino. “So what did you want to talk about?” I asked icily.

  “What the hell have you been doing out here with him all day?”

  I rose to my feet and my eyes hardened. “Christian happens to be one of my best friends. We come to the lake to hang out. It’s no big deal.”

  “You’re with me now, Baylee. He’s part of your old life so stop acting like a teenager with a crush.”

  My hand shot forward and connected with his cheek with a sharp smack. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that, Jared. I know that we’re together but Christian will always be part of my life.”

  “Why? Why is he so important to you?”

  “Just because.”

  “That’s not an answer and you know it. Why is this guy so damn important to you?”

  “Because he saved my life,” I shouted. I clapped my hands over my mouth the minute that the words escaped. No one knew about what had happened between Christian and me all those years ago except for our immediate families and we wanted to keep it that way.

  “What?” He instantly deflated.

  I sighed deeply. “Christian saved my life when I was seven. Bobby and I were out here skating and I fell through the ice. Christy was just riding by and he heard my brother freaking out. He risked his own life to get me out from under the ice. I’d never even met him before that moment but he still saved me. Christian is a good guy so don't even try to pretend that you’re so much better than him.”

  Most people knew the edited version of how I met Christy. We told everyone that we met at the lake one day while Bobby and I were skating and he was riding by. The End. I hated thinking about what could have happened if he hadn’t shown up at that moment and the thought of losing me at such a young age was sort of a scary subject for my family so we avoided it. Christian didn’t like to be played out as a hero so he stuck with the short story, too. I would have rather I never had to talk about that incident again but Jared was being so damn pushy lately.

  We were both angry and sulking the entire ride back to the house. Riding in the Rhino wasn’t nearly as much fun as riding Rugrat but I had to deal. The worse thing about riding back to the house in the ATV was that I was stuck with Jared for a good ten minutes. I ditched him the second that I parked the Rhino.

  I stomped toward my room once I got inside the house. “Baylee, honey, where are you going?” my mom asked, stopping me. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

  “Oh, well then I’m going to go clean up really quick.”

  Her eyes narrowed at me. “Baylee, you’re blue. You’ve been outside for hours in nothing but Christian’s jacket and some jeans. And you’re sick? Go take a warm bath right now and then you can eat when you get done.”

  I smiled at my mom. “Okay. Can you hang up Christy’s jacket and give it to him if he happens to come by?”

  Mom smiled knowingly at me. “Of course, Baylee-Bug. It’s good to see the two of you hanging out again. I’ve missed seeing you two together.”

  I blushed. “Mom, we’re not together. Christy and I are-“

  “Just friends,” she cut off. “Yeah, I’ve heard that one more times than I can count. But you two have always been perfect together. And I see that look every time Amber flirts with him, even now. I’m not saying that you two are in love, but there’s something there, Bay.”

  I dropped my gaze. “Mom, please don’t. I’m with Jared and that’s not going to change. I’m leaving at the end of the week so nothing is going to happen between Christian and me.”

  I couldn’t sleep that night. I was still freezing even after two bowls of broccoli soup and a steaming mug of hot cocoa. I tossed and turned for what seemed like forever. By six in the morning I’d gotten maybe four hours’ worth of sleep and was cranky. I got up and made my way to the living room. I plopped on the couch, wrapped my comforter snuggly around me, and flipped on the TV.

  I guess I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to someone poking my foot. I jerked and my eyes flew open. I glared down at the end of the couch. Christy smirked at me with my feet in his lap, playing with my toes. “What the hell are you doing?” I growled, my voice thick with sleep.

  He shrugged easily. “I’m trying to watch Sports Center and you were snoring.”

  I kicke
d him but he just laughed. “Christian, shut up. I’m tired and grouchy and not a morning person. Besides, don’t you have your own house to occupy and your own family to bug?”

  Christian’s green eyes narrowed slightly at me. “My parents are in Cheyenne. I’ve been working for your parents this winter to help pay the bills. My mom’s hospital bills are starting to pile up.”

  My blood froze in my veins. “Wh-what’s wrong with your mom?”

  I could see his face fall. “Her heart’s starting to give. It’s not pumping enough blood through her body. My dad’s been staying with her so that she’s not alone so far away.”

  I blinked back tears and shifted on the couch so that I was leaning against him. I put my arms around him and hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry, Christian. I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?’

  He shrugged. “You and I haven’t talked since graduation. I wasn’t going to call and bug you with this.”

  I hit his arm playfully. “Christy, that wouldn’t have bugged me. We’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember. What happened that spring doesn’t change that. Even if I was still mad at you, I love your mom. I wish that you would have emailed me or called so I would have known. Now I feel like crap for being such a bitch.”

  He hugged me back and gently kissed my head. “You’re not a bitch, Baylee. Well, at least not a total one. I’m glad that you’re here, now, though. I’ve missed hanging out with you like this.”

  I smiled. “Me, too,” I replied.

  I felt like I was a little kid again, just lying on the couch watching cartoons with Christian. I wasn’t really sure how we got to Nickelodeon but it was still fun to watch the older, better shows. To add to the fun, Christian could tell that I was coming down with the flu so he acted as my butler running around getting me water and medicine and tissues. We hung out just the two of us for a good hour-and-a-half before anyone else got up.

  “What’s going on here?” Jared asked as he walked into the living room. His eyes narrowed at me and I resisted the urge to flip him off.

  “Your girlfriend keeps kicking me with her stinky feet,” Christy answered with a laugh.

  “I do not have stinky feet,” I protested, sticking them under his nose. He made a sour face and quickly shoved them away from his face. Jared just stood there and glared daggers at me. After a minute of goofing off with Christian I sat up and patted the spot next to me for Jared. He reluctantly took the spot and I leaned my head against his shoulder.

  “How did you sleep?” He sounded like he couldn’t care less.

  “I didn’t really,” I shrugged. “I’ve been up for hours and Christy was just keeping me company.”

  “I’m sure he was,” Jared muttered bitterly.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and glared. “Excuse me? What was that?”

  “What was what?” Amber asked as she bounded into the room. She was such a morning person it was annoying. She’d been awake for maybe twenty minutes and was already dressed in a sweater dress, leggings, and even a bow in her silky hair. My sister was too chipper.

  “Nothing, Amber.”

  She rolled her eyes at me and sat herself down on Christian’s lap. For some reason that simple act really bugged me, and he didn’t look all that comfortable either. “Whatever, Bay. Mom wanted me to ask if you were feeling any better after nearly freezing your ass off yesterday.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I grumbled.

  Christian snorted. “You’re such a liar.” He turned back to my sister. “Amber, tell your mom that she’s getting the flu. You should try to keep her resting but we all know that she’s a mule.”

  I narrowed my eyes up at him. “Christian, you’re an ass. Shut the hell up. I’m not a mule.”

  He just laughed at me. “I rest my case.”

  He and Amber got up and left, leaving me alone with Jared. He glared at me until I just got annoyed. “What?” I snapped.

  “I don’t like that you’re spending so much time with him, Baylee.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Jared, we’ve gone over this. Stop being so damn possessive because it’s really starting to piss me off.”

  “You’re mine, now, Baylee.”

  My jaw snapped shut. “I’m not anybody’s. This isn’t some contest and I’m definitely not some prize. Get your shit together and stop being so jealous all the time.”

  “I’ve got some work to do so I’m going into town for the day. Get better so that we can hang out when I get back.” With that, he went to the door and pulled on his thick winter coat. It kind of bugged me that while I was completely sick he was going to do God knows what.

  I really hated being sick. My mom and Christian made sure that I stayed on the couch, but channel surfing could only keep me entertained for so long; especially since my parents only had like 80 channels to choose from. By ten I was already bored out of my mind. I got up, wrapped myself in my blanket, and shuffled into the kitchen. Everyone was already in there when I entered. Mom and Amber were looking through the cookbooks and telling Christian and Bobby which ingredients to get out. Dad sat at the table trying to sneak some of the dough that they’d already made. I smiled. It was just like when I was growing up.

  “Baylee, honey, shouldn’t you be lying down?” Mom scolded when she saw me leaning in the doorframe.

  I shrugged. “I got bored. Can I watch?”

  She smiled gently at me. “Of course you can, honey. You can keep an eye on your dad and make sure that he stops eating the cookie dough.”

  Dad froze with his finger in his mouth, licking off a scoop of peanut butter cookie dough. “How does she know this when she’s not even looking?” he asked in amazement. “I swear that you’re mother’s a witch sometimes.”

  I giggled and plopped down next to him. When Mom’s back was turned, I immediately got my own scoop of dough. “Baylee, you’re sick and raw dough is just going to make it worse.” I froze, my eyes wide while everyone else laughed at me.

  Even if I couldn’t help, it was still fun to watch. We played Christmas music while they made a million different types of deserts for the Christmas Eve party in a couple of days. When they were doing sugar cookies, Bobby and Christian started racing to see who could make the most. Only like one in every three of their cookies actually managed to survive but it was definitely entertaining to watch. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t even breathe.

  Jared got back at around three when we were cleaning up the giant mess from cooking. Of course he walked in at the worse possible moment when I was belting “Last Christmas” and dancing with Christian. His eyes instantly narrowed at me. I pushed away from Christy and cleared my throat awkwardly. "Hey, did you get a lot of work done while you were in town?”

  “Loads,” he answered tersely.

  I tried smiling at him. “Well, that’s good. You were certainly gone long enough.”

  He glanced between Christian and me. “Yeah, I can tell.”

  I rolled my eyes and ground my teeth together. I walked up and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the living room. “Don’t do this here, Jared. Please don’t make a big deal about things, okay? We’re not going to start a fight right now.”

  “Tell me why not, Baylee? Every time I see you you’re with him. How can I not make a big deal about this? I didn’t even want to come in the first place.”

  “See, now that’s the exact opposite of not fighting.”

  “Oh, shut up, Baylee. You can’t expect me to be all right with you two all over each other.”

  I punched him right in the jaw but I was too mad to feel bad about that. My brown eyes narrowed dangerously. “First of all, Jared, don’t ever tell me to shut up,” I hissed. “You know that I hate it when you start treating me like that. Second of all, I’m done telling you that there’s nothing going on between Christy and me because apparently you can’t get it through your thick skull. You’d better get the hell off your high horse this second or I swear you’re going to regret it.”

 
I turned on my heel and stomped to my room, slamming the door shut. Jared was seriously starting to piss me off. I hated when he started treating me like shit. I would have broken up with him by now but he was normally able to control his ridiculous attitude and make me want to stay with him. This was definitely turning into the worst Christmas ever.