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Post by BeLuna on Mar 23, 2009 19:09:54 GMT -6
Rose was further startled by the young girl falling, of course by Rose's own fault, but it just made her even more afraid. Then the dreaded lead rope flew out of the girl's hand, she was certain by purpose, and landed on the ground like a dead snake. Rosie moved as far away from it as possible, trembling badly and huffing through her nose. She was scared, panicked really, Matt could see. He hadn't expected her to be that explosive either, and now there she was on the other side of the pen, trembling and completely untrusting.
"Oh, so better that she runs away then kick me in the face?" Matt joked with a small laugh, offering his hand to help Taylor up, but she was independent and got up on her own. He moved his hand back quickly to run his hand through his hair, covering up.
"Well, that's alright, we got a lot of time to wait," Matt said with a wink, hopping up on the fence. He extended a hand to Taylor to help her up on the fence. He was willing to wait for the mare, however stupid it might seem to him later on. Right now, Rosie was a little more important than fast cars, feeling stupid, all that other life stuff. Matt turned to Taylor, completely pretending to ignore Rosie. Perhaps she'd get interested, curious even, and eventually come over to see them. He had a feeling that if they went chasing after her with a lead rope that she'd just run away and get even more frightened.
"So, while we're just here waiting, what do you want to talk about?" he asked, trying to make a little conversation. "I don't know if I've introduced myself properly, I'm Matt." He extended a hand for a proper introduction. [/center]
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Post by <Amy> on Mar 25, 2009 18:40:17 GMT -6
Taylor went to the fence and tossed the wound up lead rope over so it flopped in the grass. Turning so her back was to the fence, Taylor put her handso n the top rail and boosted herself up to perch on the top rung. The heels of her riding boots caught the rung below, helping to keep her steady while her hands held onto the rail so she wouldn't overbalance. Her eyes followed Roses are Red as she snorted and stomped around, kicking up dust until Matt spoke. Ty sent a disbelieving look over at the other teen, raising an eyebrow questioningly.
"Do all guys repeat themselves or is it just you?" she asked a bit sourly. Sadly however, Taylor's hate resolve was weakening and she heaved a sigh, looking away from Matt, looking at the barn instead. "Sorry, I'm not usually such a bitch. When Rose quiets down I guess we'll just halter-lead her into the barn and hopefully she won't fight. Sometime tells me so won't let me near her for a while."
Really Taylor was a lot like the abused horses Amy took in and passed to adopters. She'd been beaten around but unlike these horses, sometimes her beatings didn't get left in the past. True her dad had yet to get violent while drunk but sometimes the emotional beatings she took were worse. If a guy wasn't trying to cop a feel while she was at work or trying to flirt while she was grooming Ink, then she was cleaning up the house while her dad was in a drunken stupor on the couch. She really needed to break her shell but Ty just didn't think she wanted to, even if it was probably healthier for her.
Other girls were fine as long as they kept it friendly and didn't get bitchy. Guys though, god she would kill somebody.
Plus the fact that Lady in White, her dressage mare, was nearing her due date didn't help. The closer the day got the more nervous Ty got, ever since Amaris' mare had birthed Ink's firstborn son. She'd been watching keenly for signs of early labor from Lady but thus far had seen none but...the closer it got, the more nervous Ty got that Lady wouldn't birth on her due date or something would go wrong. She was just a fretting mess.
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Post by BeLuna on Mar 28, 2009 16:07:59 GMT -6
Well, apparently Taylor wanted no chivalry, for she merely tossed the rope back over the fence and got up herself, despite his proffered hand. Matt shrugged and put that hand back on the fence to balance himself, noticing with a small smile that she had totally avoided his question about what she wanted to talk about. He was thinking this was one of those girls who talked about horses and nothing else. But, then again, he could just be wrong. "I'm sorry, maybe I did introduce myself," he apologized quickly, realizing his mistake and shaking his head at her sour attitude. If she was going to act like that...and she immediately apologized also for her behavior, her description of herself making him grin. "It's totally understandable. I'm a guy, so naturally I must be an idiot and talked down to." He said this with a good-natured smile, having known many girls who had a vendetta against guys before meeting him.
Of course, he could never understand why she was treating him so unless she told him, but he would take it with a smile. Matt shook his head silently, watching the still but quivering Rosie on the other side of the ring. She was not kicking up dust or running around like a maniac. Her initial outburst had been sudden but short and she just didn't have the fight in her anymore. Maybe when she was younger she would be still bucking and squealing, but now her head hung low and all trust was gone from her eyes. She wasn't sure which one of them it was who had scared her so, perhaps the girl because the girl was the one who had been carrying the rope. It didn't matter; neither could be trusted at this point.
"I have no idea what I'm doing. Now she hates me and I didn't even do anything yet. I'm not ready for this..." Matt said, put his head in his hands. His smile was gone, replaced by a small frown. [/center]
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Post by <Amy> on Mar 28, 2009 17:56:28 GMT -6
Taylor snorted at Matt's surprisingly accurate description of most men. Of course a few years ago she wouldn't have thought that. Then again, a few years ago her dad just drank one beer after work and her boyfriends didn't leave their mark in the form of bruises and concussions. Major difference, thus major attitude from Ty regardless of the guy. Nowadays she figured all men were the same under it all, having sinister or sexually driven purposes for ever approaching a female and being good for nothing except getting knocked up or knocked around. In other words an absolute waste of time and space. But, that was just her opion. Taylor knew a few girls from school she had heard of that had been abused by their parents or their boyfriends and were now dating like normal, healthy teens. Not that Ty could manage that though.
Looking over at Rose, Taylor sighed softly. The poor mare looked worse than when she had come out of the trailer and in the back of her mind Taylor knew it was marginally her fault. For once in her life she'd have to kick her pride and tell Matt that or Rose would have no chance if he gave up on her. To some level, Rose had bonded with Matt and if he quit now she'd think it wasn't worth doing again just to have things leave. They just couldn't let that happen.
"She doesn't hate you" Taylor told Matt, the response slightly forced and she didn't look at him, just continued to focus on Rose. "Horses don't know really how to hate, they just know what scares them and what makes them feel safe. We have to teach Rose that you make her feel safe, that's all there really is to it. That means you get back in the ring and just sit somewhere, yes on the ground, and wait."
Probably sounded dumb but Taylor didn't care and she wasn't doing it just to get Matt closer to Rosie and encourage the mare once again to be curious. Taylor swung her leg over the rail and dropped down outside of the ring. Backing up several feet to where the lead rope had been dropped, Taylor flopped down and sat Indian-style watching Matt with a look that said "go on, just suck it up and do it." She would have no sympathy if he got his jeans dirty though she might feel a little iffy about him getting his head kicked in. Still, at the moment it looked like Rose was in no real mood to fight anymore now that the intial fright was over.
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Post by BeLuna on Mar 30, 2009 18:13:02 GMT -6
"What?" Matt asked as she snorted at his comment. "I pinned it, right? Let me guess...boyfriend either left or abused you, or possibly both?" Matt's guesses were dangerously accurate, and he was certain that they were. Girls like Taylor only put up a hard, cruel front to guys if they'd had a bad experience with them in the past. At least, that was the case unless they were completely off their rockers. But he didn't think Taylor was. She seemed sane, just not very trusting or nice towards males. He had seen her around, being nice enough to the other students, mostly girls, so his conclusion was that she'd been abused or cast aside like a worthless piece of trash before. The weird thing was, his demeanor was completely serious. He didn't get this serious very often.
He followed her gaze to the exhausted and frightened mare on the other side of the ring, wanting to sigh too but refraining. "Horses don't know how to hate?" he asked curiously. He didn't really know what emotions animals could feel, but he had been certain one of them had to be hate. Or at least dislike. "Why can't humans be made like that? Only able to feel fear or comfort and never hate." Matt was getting slightly philosophical, and it was a little odd for himself to hear himself say these things.
He looked at Taylor with one eyebrow raised, as if she were nuts. "Um...not to question your judgement or anything like that, but on the ground is closer to her hooves. If she's frightened, maybe not by me, but perhaps startled...Well, that's my head she's liable to kick in," he said, shaking his head. Yet Taylor seemed completely serious and he knew she wouldn't let him be until he did it. The look she gave him when she sat down on the other side of the fence made him shake his head again as if to say 'I can't believe I'm doing this,' and then slowly get off the fence, Rosie watching him the entire time. Matt didn't really care about getting his jeans dirty; he could care less about the state of his clothes right now. What he did care about was scared horses and just what they might do to him if they got out of control.
Slowly, he moved to just slightly inside the fence, barely closer to Rosie whose ears were tilted towards him and whose eyes hadn't left him since he started to move. Still moving as slow as possible, he sat down in the dirt and waited, watching the horse for any signs of aggression. Her gaze moved briefly to the girl outside the ring and then back to the boy on the ground. Rosie was faced with something that was quite strange and unfamiliar to her. Humans were normally at least eye-level, yet now this boy was smaller, sitting as he was on the ground. He was less of a threat this way, more of a curiosity. Just as slowly as he had sat down, she shuffled towards him, making as if she were just walking along the rail because she /wanted/ to, not because if she walked along the rail it would eventually bring her closer to him. Matt's heart felt like it just might fly right out of his chest. [/center]
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Post by <Amy> on Apr 1, 2009 14:59:37 GMT -6
It took a few seconds for Matt's smartass comment to sink in. When it did, the boy was already in the ring and sitting, waiting for Rose. It was lucky for him he'd been quick to move or Ty was sure she would have broken his face. Springing to her feet like someone had shot her with lightning, Taylor bristled like an angry dog, brown eyes darkening as her glare of doom bored into his back. "That is none of your goddamned business" Ty snarled at the boy. She looked ready to kill and oh was Matt lucky he was out of range. She hated it when someone said she was "abused" like she was some horse or thing that had been thrown around too much. Yes, sometimes it felt like t hat but Taylor hated it being labeled, much less so easily called by some kid she'd just met that didn't know shit about her. "I hope that mare has some sense and kicks your skull in" Ty snarled.
Spinning on her heel, fists balled at her sides, Taylor left the kid in the corral. Let him deal with his own "abused" horse. Apparently he knew all about it so let him deal with her. No difference between abused horse and abused human apparently. She stormed into the stable and headed straight for the stall of her sixteen hand ebony Warlander. Ink hung his head outside of the stall door in time to have his neck hugged, Taylor putting her face against the stallion's dark mane. Ink snuffled but didn't flinch, too used to this behavior from his girl. Instead, the muscular jumper remained still, swishing his tail and watching over Taylor's shoulder.
"Why can't men be like horses? Silent and sweet" Taylor muttered to Ink, letting go of him.
Ink snorted and stomped a hoof but offered no other answer.
"I'm not going to help him. I shouldn't have even tried" Ty muttered. "He's just another jackass like the rest of them."
Some people would think she was overreacting but Taylor was touchy about people calling her on her abused past. It made her feel stupid for having fallen for the guy in the first place and then even dumber for not doing anything about it. She hated feeling dumb and weak like that so, when anyone tried to say something about it, she'd fly into overdrive on defense and go to instant bitch mode.
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Post by BeLuna on Apr 5, 2009 12:08:05 GMT -6
Matt had not expected such a reaction. He had expected her to maybe not say a word, close up or perhaps even laugh it off...but he had apparently hit a sensitive spot. He turned his head to look at her as she snarled at him, spitting words he knew she couldn't exactly mean, well maybe she did. He saw her expression and raised a brow. Aw, dammit. She was leaving.
Matt stood up quickly, glancing nervously at Rosie who was glancing nervously at him. Shit. He couldn't be left alone with her! He had no idea what he was doing! "Wait, I'm sorry! I didn't mean...aw, shit, Taylor, come on!" he called after the retreating back of the girl who was supposed to be helping him. Frankly, he thought she was being rather selfish and dwelling too much on her own personal problems. For one thing, it wasn't good for her health, and for another it wasn't good for those around her. Yea, Matt had his problems too and he wasn't totally over them, but at least he didn't lash out at every person that came his way.
When Taylor didn't stop or turn around, he slid through the fence and jogged into the barn after her, determined to talk to her. He didn't care if she hated him, he wanted to apologize and maybe, just maybe, find out why she couldn't talk to him like a civilized human being.
He stopped just outside the barn long enough to hear what she was saying to her horse. He sighed and ran a hand through his long hair, wondering what he could say to her. "I'm not a jackass 'like the rest of them'," he said quietly as he walked into the barn, gathering up the courage to talk to a girl who hated him for no other reason than his gender. "Taylor, I'm sorry for speaking out of turn. I have no right to say anything about your personal life especially when I hardly know you. And I don't care if you hate me or all guys or whatever. I need your help...I don't think you do, but if you want to talk about, well, whatever, I've got two ears and a whole lot of time." He said most of this sincerely and in one breath. All these troubled girls around here were really changing him, maybe for the better. [/blockquote]
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Post by <Amy> on Apr 5, 2009 18:40:05 GMT -6
Ink reacted first when he saw Matt coming. Call it animal instinct but something told him this was the guy making his girl unhappy. Anything that made his girl unhappy, made Ink unhappy. No matter how many broods he had, Taylor was his girl first. Ink neighed at Matt and pawed at his stall door making it rattle and making Ty let go of him. The big black Warlander snorted and tossed his head, casting the evil eye at Matt. He looked intimidating in the way only a sixteen hand, muscular black stallion trained as an advanced jumper could look. His powerful neck was arched, dark eyes trained on Matt and an air of dislike seeming to radiate from the ebony-casted stallion.
Taylor didn't make a move or command to stop Ink from showing his displeasure. Once Ink had it in his head to not like someone it took a lot to change his mind but in this case Taylor really didn't care. Instead she turned to look at Matt, arms crossed over her chest with a stony expression. She leaned on Ink's stall, the stallion's head over her shoulder as her boy glared at Matt but at least didn't go kicking the stall door anymore.
"You think I give a shit about your nice boy sentiments?" Ty snapped coldly. "Guys don't know when to shut up, never have and they never know when to stop. That's one thing I've learned and you're a guy, no different from the rest of the bastards in the world. Whether you mean to or not someday your going to hurt a girl, whether its human or horse and not realize just how bad you hurt them. That's all I have to say to you. Have fun getting Rose in a stall city-slicker. You're not my problem."
Turning, Taylor let herself into Ink's stall. Invisible Ink snorted loudly at Matt, his chest pressed on the stall door as he towered as tall as he could make himself to try and intimidate the human. Whoever this guy was, he made his girl unhappy. Ink swished his tail and neighed deep in his chest, a challenge from stallion to stallion when they were together but this time it was challenge from stallion to human male. No much difference which was why Ink just treated him like a young colt that needed to be put in his place, be taught that Taylor was HIS and nobody made his girl unhappy.
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Post by BeLuna on Apr 5, 2009 18:58:26 GMT -6
Matt could have cared less how that horse looked at him. Sure, he wasn't entirely comfortable around all horses now, but he was trying to get a point across here and both of them were making it difficult. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again, wondering why things were going so badly. He didn't glare right back at Ink, but tried to convey as best he could that he hadn't done anything but say something to the horse's owner. And of course, she was overreacting.
He raised a brow as she snapped back at him and instantly decided he wasn't going to be so nice anymore. "So you think every man on the face of the planet does the same goddamn thing? That we think the same way and don't have a mind of our own? Are you even listening to yourself? I don't care if that's all you have to say to me, because I am not done talking to you and I don't care if your horse gives me the death stare because of it!" Matt's voiced was raised slightly and his tone had completely changed. It wasn't mean, cruel or even condescending. It was harder than before and slightly angrier, but there was still a sincerity to it.
"Comparing me to every other guy in the world is like comparing this horse or that horse or any horse in the world! What if you had a bad experience with a horse, would you think that all horses were like that? You don't even know me. How can you know if I'm the same as every guy you've met? As far as I know, the worst I've done to a girl is take her on a bad date! If you don't even give me a chance to show you who I am and that I do care, then you will never give anyone else a chance and you'll be miserable your entire life." Done ranting, Matt glared around Ink at her, although his anger had faded somewhat as he talked and his glare was only half-hearted.
He heaved another sigh. "All I'm asking for here is for you to help me. I can't do this on my own and if you want it can be strictly professional. Just give me a chance...please?" [/blockquote]
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Post by <Amy> on Apr 5, 2009 19:08:14 GMT -6
She wanted him to disappear. Wanted to hit the mute button and make him shut up. Taylor hated being called on her...tendencies toward men. It was just one of those things people didn't touch on. Usually no one noticed but she made a point to keep away from men unless she was with someone else, someone she was comfortable with. In a way...she was exactly like the TAEA rescues that the stable cared for. She shied away from every touch, shrieked and ran when someone got too close and threw a fit when someone closed her in. Someone had and still was abusing her, one person was abusing her from the past by caging her in. They all thought it was so easy to let that go and forget how much it hurt to trust and then be hurt just for loving. She could handle horses because she could relate to the abused and beaten, broken and battered because that was what she still was. Even if she wouldn't admit it.
Taylor whirled around to face, Matt, fists balled at her sides. "You think it's so goddamned easy for forget when its still happening?" Ty growled. "You think this doesn't hurt, you think this is just a memory?" Taylor pulled her shirt up just enough for him to see her stomach, nothing else. There was an ugly bruise spreading over one side from last night when her dad shoved her down the stairs in a drunken fit. The bruises were on her back too but she wouldn't turn her back on him.
"Did you know that with every abuse case it gets harder to get a risk horse to trust?" Taylor asked, putting her shirt down. Her voice was quiet but deadly. "A guy my own age hasn't hit me for two years but a guy twice my age hits me at least three times a week but he's all I have so I have no choice but to take it. You think you could forget that and say everyone's friendly when next week you could hurt me worse than they do?"
Taylor didn't cry. Just spewed her words with a straight, stony face and stormy eyes. He thought it was easy to see that everyone was nice when every man in the world seemed to be able to overpower her and take advantage of her? He could hurt her now, regardless of Ink being there. The bruises weren't just physical ones but physiological too, emotional and those were so much harder to ignore and fix.
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Post by BeLuna on Apr 7, 2009 18:08:12 GMT -6
Ironically, Matt wanted himself to disappear, too. He should never have followed her in here. She didn't want him near her, and he had no idea why he was trying to apologize when she clearly didn't want to speak to him or even look at him. He couldn't understand what she was going through, but he wanted to try. For some reason, he felt some sort of kinship with her...and he was soon to find out why. Matt hadn't had the best relationship with his parents, especially his dad, and several times had been hit and beaten by the abused man who finally killed his mom. He had to live with those memories every day, so there was a reason there was a sort of connection between the two, even if he was the only one who could feel it.
When she whirled on him, his angry expression dropped and he looked a little shocked. Her words finally shut him up, as did the bruises on her stomach. He felt like the wind was knocked out of him and without any explanation, he immediately understood what she was going through. Damn, no wonder she was wary of men. For a moment, he just listened. The shocked expression was gone now, replaced by understanding and sadness. His own memories rushed back in on him, he couldn't hold them back.
"I...." he had to stop for a minute and think. Matt let out a heavy sigh and for a second wanted to hold her like a best friend and tell her it was going to be alright, even if it wasn't. He knew what she was going through, but how did he let her know he understood without revealing his past? "I don't know exactly what you're going through, but I can imagine. My dad was abusive too...and I know it doesn't make any difference, but I'm sorry for what's happened, happening, to you. And I want you to know that it's okay to feel angry, I do all the time." His voice was gentle again and full of understanding.
Matt saw the stone mask over her hurt, and he wanted to help. Still, he knew she wouldn't let him. At least not yet. Maybe never. "I guess I'm going back to jail, then," he said resignedly, glancing out the door at the horse he couldn't train. If he couldn't fulfill the terms of the court order, he would have to go back to jail and it looked like that would happen since she wouldn't help him. [/blockquote]
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Post by <Amy> on Apr 7, 2009 18:25:20 GMT -6
Taylor snorted and turned back to Invisible Ink, running her fingers through his course mane. It didn't matter to her what happened to the kid but she knew if she didn't at least do something Amy would give her freaking hell for it. She looked over at the guy, a death glare still in her eyes but a bit more toned down. "Go find my cousin, Ashton. She said she'd be cleaning up Shimmy today. She'll help you. She might be more your type anyway. Much more friendly."
On the birth certificate, Taylor's middle name was Ashton but her cousin's name was also Ashton, Ashton Sinclair. For whatever reason in their family it was like someone was always named after a favorite relative. In these cases it included an Aunt Ashton and a Grandma Ashely. How Ashley turned into Ashton was beyond Taylor but that was apparently the story her cousin had been fed so they didn't question it.
Grabbing a green nylon lead rope, Taylor clipped it on Ink's halter and unbolted the stall door, using it to shoo Matt out of her way. "Just go over to the wash stalls and ask for Ash, she'll probably have her iPod up to loud and a stallion named Shimmy in the stall. Give her five minutes and she'll be up to helping. I'm done with my community service for the rest of my life."
Leading her formidable Warlander out of his stall, Taylor clipped him into the cross ties. The normally relatively passive stallion cast a glare at Matt, a warning to stay away while his mistress headed for the tack room to fetch his tack. Both of them needed a good long drill over the jumps to get over their blues. For Taylor it was unwanted confrontations and for Ink it was his irritation that stemmed from Ty's irritation at Matt.
(there's already a thread at the wash stalls if you're interested)
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