Andy Squared

by Jennifer Lavoie

  “You cold?” Ryder asked.

  “Uh…a little.”

  Not seeming to notice Andrew’s discomfort, Ryder stepped back. “You’ll warm up.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  “All right.” Ryder added, “Helmet on. We’re ready.”

  Andrew put the helmet on with a scowl and left it unbuckled. Ryder unclipped the crossties and showed him how to slide the halter off from underneath the bridle, and then they were off, walking side by side with the horses following.

  “We’ll head out to the west field. It’s flatter.”

  “Whatever you say,” Andrew said.

  Once they passed through the fence and locked it in place behind them, Ryder helped Andrew climb up on the horse. Standing on the left side, he pulled the stirrup down and showed him how to put his foot in and pull himself up.

  “It’s easier with a horn,” he admitted. “And we have to adjust the stirrups for your leg length.” After another few awkward moments with Ryder’s hands tugging his legs this way and that to get the length just right, he was settled. Ryder climbed up on Cobalt and Andrew followed him at a walk through the field.

  Andrew soon became comfortable with riding because of the slow gait of the horse. Magpie could be controlled with just the slightest, gentle guiding of the reins and Andrew turned her where he wanted to go. He tested out his power over the large animal by gently tugging first to the left, then the right. Magpie’s ears flicked back at him and she snorted. Ryder pulled up next to him with Cobalt and their legs nearly brushed together.

  “Not so bad, huh?”

  “Yeah, it’s not bad,” Andrew admitted.

  “Make sure you use your legs to stay on. You should use your thighs to grip the horse. Don’t rely on the reins to keep you in the saddle. You could drop them right now and stay on,” Ryder said and dropped his to demonstrate. Cobalt kept walking in the same direction.

  “No thanks,” Andrew said, unsure. He had no desire to look like a fool today.

  “Just don’t put too much weight on the stirrups. It’ll make you unsteady.”

  Andrew watched him, a little skeptical, but agreed to do his best. They walked around the field at a slow, easy pace. Andrew relaxed and let his thoughts wander to the calm, early winter evening. The sun moved closer to the horizon as they rode, casting a calming light over everything.

  When they were about midway through the field, Cobalt broke into a run and Andrew gently pulled Magpie back with the reins to watch Ryder and his horse make a circuit of the field. When his friend joined them again, he was laughing and patting the horse’s neck. His cheeks were flushed from the wind and his hair fell in messy strands around his face.

  “That was amazing,” Andrew admitted, staring at him with wide eyes.

  “You’ll learn. We’ll go slowly. Cobalt knows me, and I know him. That’s important.”

  “You make it look so easy.”

  “It is, really. Once you’ve done it a few times it’s not bad.” Pulling back lightly on the reins, Ryder stopped, and Andrew stopped next to him. “I think we’ll stop for today. Don’t want you to get sore in the saddle.”

  “I’m fine, really,” Andrew insisted.

  “Trust me. It feels okay now, but after you’ve ridden for a few hours, you won’t be saying that. Let’s head back to the barn. I’ll show you how to groom Magpie.”

  The pair took the ride back to the barn just as slow and easygoing as the one out to the field. They joked about different things: school, girls, and their friends. A few times Ryder would bring Cobalt close and their legs would press together between the horses. Andrew felt that same strange heat from before fill him. He looked around, sheepishly, sure his face was red. He hoped he’d be able to pass it off as an effect from the cold air.

  “You feeling okay?” Ryder asked after a few minutes of silence. Andrew simply nodded.

  Riding out here like this with Ryder…it felt good. He couldn’t do something like this with Charlie. And Andrea would never go for it. It wasn’t enough excitement for her.

  Andrew was about to voice these thoughts when they spotted someone waving and running toward them along the fence. It was Ryder’s uncle. He shouted and gestured toward the other field, separated from the one they were in by a low fence made out of short posts and bars. Inside that field a horse ran with its lead rope dangling from the halter. They could just make out his uncle’s shouts as they drew closer.

  “Dante broke lose again!”

  Ryder groaned. “Stay here,” he instructed.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Going to get the damn horse back. Come on, Cobalt.”

  Andrew watched as horse and rider wheeled in a tight circle and Cobalt took off straight for the fence. As they approached it, Andrew realized they were going to run right into it if they didn’t turn or slow down. He’s going to kill himself! He wanted to call out to Ryder to be careful but knew the wind would suck his words away unheard. He cringed, wondering what the damage would be, and watched in amazement when the pair effortlessly jumped the fence, landed on the other side, and kept going. Andrew couldn’t believe they’d made that jump! Heart racing, he pressed a hand against his chest. Ryder’s uncle wheezed when he reached Andrew, struggling to catch his breath.

  “That boy is a daredevil, I’ll tell you. Him and that horse. They make a great pair, though, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Yeah,” Andrew agreed, in awe. He kept his gaze on Ryder and watched as he and his horse caught up with the one loose. Ryder reached out, stretching his long body over Cobalt’s neck, and grabbed hold of the other horse’s lead. “He makes it look so easy.”

  “He’s been riding since he was a boy, and he’s had that horse for I think close to five, six years now. I couldn’t say no when he wanted to bring him along. I know what it’s like to have to get rid of a horse. It’s not fun.” A beat passed. “How’s old Magpie treating you?”

  “Huh? Oh, she’s great,” Andrew answered, distracted by the loose-limbed way Ryder moved. He pulled the reins back on Cobalt and they slowed to a walk, turned, and headed back to the fence.

  “Damn Dante. He’s a wild one,” Mr. Kensington said through clenched teeth.

  “Are you boarding him, or is he yours?”

  “Oh, no. We’re boarding him, but the owners didn’t tell me he hadn’t been completely broken yet. I charge a lot more up front for that. I’ve broken plenty of horses, but this one just doesn’t want it. He has a free spirit. I think I might let Ryder have a shot with him.”

  “What do you mean by broken?”

  “Breaking a horse is kind of like training a dog. You know, get them used to your commands, and do what you want, when you want it? Except with a horse, it’s training them to accept a rider, too not just the commands. Most horses spook out when they have a rider on their back for the first time. You have to go slow with it and be easy with them. If Dante wasn’t good on a halter, I wouldn’t have taken him. I guess since he seemed okay I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to take him in.”

  “So what can he do?” Andrew asked.

  “Well, he accepts a saddle now, but he doesn’t like the bit at all.”

  All this terminology…Andrew felt like he needed to study a book. What’s a bit? He wondered. He sat up straighter, not asking. “And you think Ryder can do it?”

  “Yep.”

  “Can’t he get hurt?”

  Mr. Kensington looked up at him, his eyes crinkling up with his smile. “Sure he can, but he’s smart. He’s not an expert at it, but I’ve seen him work with spooked animals before, and he’s pretty good. If he can get Dante to take a rider, well, I think it’ll be a damn miracle, but I’ve run out of other options.”

  The conversation lulled as Ryder headed back toward them, leading Dante. Andrew kept his eyes focused on Ryder, unable to take his eyes away from his shape. He held on to his reins with one hand, while the other held the lead of Dante. The horse followed after him with no resistanc
e as if he hadn’t just been running away. His uncle went ahead to meet them and open one of the gates, but Andrew stayed put.

  The cold breeze blew through Ryder’s long, brown locks and they floated on the wind, brushing against his lips. His eyes sparkled wide with laughter as he handed off the lead to his uncle. His lean body rolled with each step of his horse, looking more like an extension of the creature than a separate being. Andrew’s pulse quickened at the sight and he shifted uneasily in the saddle, looking down at himself in alarm as other things stirred in his body—things that shouldn’t be stirring when he looked at one of his friends. One of his male friends.

  What the hell was wrong with him? It had to be the riding. Sitting in the saddle for so long…it was probably putting pressure in the exact wrong spot, at the exact wrong time. It had been a while since he’d gotten laid.

  It’s natural. Completely fine.

  Ryder stopped in front of him and Andrew’s focus shifted to him. He hadn’t been paying much attention and didn’t realize Ryder had gotten so close, and from the look on his friend’s face, Ryder knew it. He felt his face heat up but couldn’t look away. Ryder’s eyes caught his and seemed to burn through him, looking into his mind and seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt. The smile that pulled at his lips hinted at something far from innocent, and Andrew shivered.

  “Let’s head back,” Ryder whispered and didn’t wait for Andrew to answer. Cobalt turned and walked for the barn. Andrew hesitated a moment before he and Magpie followed after him.

  Together the two of them got the horses tied, removed the riding gear, and put it away. From the tack room, Ryder pulled out two buckets of grooming supplies and handed Magpie’s to Andrew. Ryder showed him what to do with Cobalt first, then the mare. Ryder’s hand covered Andrew’s over the currycomb, guiding him into firm but gentle strokes to brush the horse. He barely heard Ryder’s instructions, though; his mind was lost in thought. When Ryder released his hand, Andrew stopped brushing and stood there, staring at Magpie’s flank.

  Why had his body reacted like that to Ryder? Or before, in the barn, when Ryder brushed against him. It had felt warm and comfortable, but Andrew knew he shouldn’t feel like that. Danielle and Cynthia were warm and comfortable. And soft. Ryder was not soft.

  “Andy? You all right, man?”

  Distantly he heard his name and turned to face Ryder, then blinked back to the present. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Maybe a little tired. But I had fun.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it. You should come over Saturday if you’re not busy.”

  “I don’t know…my dad might need me,” Andrew hedged, unable to shake the feeling that things were suddenly different between the two of them. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was…something. Maybe he didn’t want to know.

  “Well, if he doesn’t need you, then. We can spend the day out riding. I can show you how to trot. You seem comfortable enough in the saddle. By the way, how do your legs feel?”

  “They’re all right. My ass is a little sore.”

  Ryder smirked and gave Magpie a sugar cube from his pocket. “Wait until you start to trot. It’s really going to be sore then,” he said, leaning against the wall and staring at him with one eyebrow raised.

  That same strange feeling spiraled through Andrew. Scowling, he threw the brush at Ryder. “Shut up about my sore ass already.”

  *

  “Danielle called.”

  Andrew looked up at Andrea and then down at his math book again. The numbers swam uselessly on the page, taunting him as he tried to wrangle them into some sort of equation.

  “She said to tell you she’s sorry, she didn’t mean it, and would like to hang out on Saturday. She’s free.”

  “She told you all that? Seriously?”

  “Actually she told Mom all that. Not me.”

  “Mom? That’s a little much.”

  “Yeah, well, Mom wants to know why you didn’t tell her you were having girl trouble again. I’m wondering the same thing, actually. Why didn’t you tell me? You know I wouldn’t have told Mom.”

  “Because it’s none of her business. And I guess I just didn’t think it was that important.”

  “Whatever.”

  “As if you’d want some guy talking to Mom about you. I didn’t like Danielle that much, anyway.”

  “That’s what you said about Cynthia,” Andrea teased from her desk. Andrew crumpled a piece of paper and chucked it at her head, but it fell short and dropped onto the carpet in the middle of the room. “You’re going to say that about every girl that breaks up with you. Face it. You suck at relationships.”

  “Like you’re any better, Andrea,” he said in response. She stuck out her tongue over her shoulder.

  “So, are you going to call her back?”

  “No, I’ve got plans on Saturday.”

  “What plans? You didn’t tell me about this.”

  “It just came up. Ryder’s teaching me how to ride a horse. That’s where I went after school today.”

  “Bet you’re going to fall off,” Andrea said, sipping from a mug of hot chocolate.

  “Shut the hell up. I didn’t fall, actually.” At least, not off a horse. “You’re the impulsive one who’d fall off.”

  Andrea flipped him off as she went back to her homework. A few minutes later, she asked, “Did you hear anything today from Coach about the scouts? Have they set up an appointment yet?”

  “No,” Andrew replied, giving up on his math as he set the book aside.

  “I wish they’d hurry up.”

  “Nothing may come from it, Andy. Don’t get your hopes up.”

  “You’re so damn negative! If you think positive, good things happen. If you don’t quit being such a pessimist, you’ll ruin our chances.”

  I don’t know if I want the same chances anymore, he thought, but didn’t dare voice it. Andrea would kill him if she knew he was, again, thinking about giving up soccer and focusing solely on his education. It had been her—no, their—goal since they made it onto the varsity team their sophomore year. But it wasn’t as if he wanted to play soccer professionally. It was just something fun to do after school. He could get other scholarships, academic scholarships. His grades were good enough. Soccer wasn’t his whole life. It didn’t have to be, did it? Everything in his world seemed to be shifting.

  Chapter Seven

  On Saturday morning Andrew drove out to the Kensingtons’ place after breakfast. The air had a biting chill more intense than the day before and the sky had grown overcast. A light snow began to fall and the small flakes drifted lazily to the ground. Andrew could smell the snow in the air and when he breathed out, he could see his breath before him.

  When he reached the house, he pulled into the driveway and parked beside another truck with a large horse trailer attached. Ahead of him, the lights were on in the barn and Mr. Kensington was talking to a man standing next to him. He waved when he saw Andrew.

  “Ryder’s up in his room. He’s waiting for you.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Kensington.”

  A fire blazed in the living room, making the house warm and inviting. Andrew waved to Ryder’s aunt and headed up the narrow stairs to the bedroom right at the top. The door stood ajar and Ryder lay back on his bed, his iPod lying on his chest and the earbuds nestled in his ears. He didn’t seem to notice Andrew as he approached, and Andrew felt the sudden urge to shove his cold hands against him. So he did.

  Ryder yelled loudly, sitting up with a start. “Damnit, Andy! You scared me! That’s cold!”

  “Gotcha.” Andrew grinned wickedly. He fell back when a pillow hit his face.

  “Yeah, whatever. You ready?”

  “Yup, ready. We’re taking Magpie again?”

  “Of course,” Ryder said, getting up and pulling his boots on. He reached under his bed and pulled out a box. “Here.”

  Andrew took it, confused. “What’s this?”

  “For you. Just open it. Consider it your early Christmas present.�
�

  “Ryder.”

  “Just open it. Besides, you need it.”

  Andrew glared at him and opened the box. Inside, wrapped in white tissue, he found a pair of brown boots, size ten. He pulled them out and held them up, inspecting them while he ran his fingers over the soft leather. These must have cost a fortune. Why did he get these for me? He was stunned. “Thanks.” He realized his voice had come out slightly breathless, as if he had trouble getting air.

  Ryder beamed and shrugged a shoulder, reaching up to pull his hair back into a short ponytail. “I’d like a new iPod Nano for Christmas. The red one,” he teased. Andrew considered throwing the boots at him, but didn’t. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled them on. They were a comfortable fit and not too stiff.

  “These are great, Ryder. Thanks.”

  “Just make sure you come over and ride with me. I don’t want them to go to waste.”

  “I will. I promise.” And after Andrew said it, he realized he meant it. In the short time they had been friends, he had come to value Ryder’s friendship immensely. Ryder didn’t get caught up in the drama like Charlie, Andrea, and Sarah did. He was confident in his own skin.

  The two of them made their way out to the barn and both were excited to see a light flurry had begun. The truck with the trailer no longer stood in the driveway.

  “There was someone out here with your uncle before. Who was that?”

  “Oh, the vet. He came out to take a look at one of the boarded horses. Uncle Kyle must have gone with him to his office. Come on.”

  Inside the barn, the heaters worked hard to keep it warm and comfortable. Andrew found it easy to forget the cold outside as he and Ryder prepared the horses for a ride.

  Andrew remembered a lot from earlier in the week and did most of it on his own. Ryder checked to make sure Andrew had secured the saddle.