Rick had grown bitter to say the least.
A young adult's twenties were supposed to be a time for growth and exploration. A time to make bad decisions and live in every moment. Your twenties were supposed to be a time for self-discovery, a time to grow into the person you wanted to be for the rest of your life. That's what Rick had heard anyways. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to skip that phase of self-absorption when life slaps you in the face and tells you to grow the hell up. And it had slapped Rick hard enough to leave a mark.
He wanted to say it started with Claire. He wanted to blame everything on Claire, even though he knew it began well before her. He knew his father's abandonment wasn't her fault, nor was his mother's sickness. It wasn't fair to blame Claire for Popuri's marriage to the infamous playboy Kai, and he knew she didn't force the couple to run off to the city. But accusing her was his favorite destructive pastime, so he picked at her faults to find ease within himself.
He had loved Claire. He had loved her truly, madly, deeply. And there was a split second where she thought he had loved him back. He never thought she would, but there was that one night on Mother's Hill when they both had the night off. When he looked back, he could still see the grass stains on her perfect white summer dress. He could still smell the wilting flowers she had so delicately picked and braided into a necklace to pass the time while they talked. And he could still taste the bittersweet wine on her lips when they had pressed up against his. But the moment was fleeting, and so was Claire's feelings.
"We were drunk." She tried to write it off within the weeks that followed. "It was a mistake Rick. Just a drunken mistake."
"Was it, Claire?" He thought time and time again. "Was that all I was, just a stupid mistake?" Not wanting to lose what he had with her, he nodded in agreement and promised to forget it ever happened. But there was no point in denying that the kiss and her face was the last thing he thought about before he fell asleep at night.
It was pointless, thinking of the past now. Claire was happily married to Jack and they were moving far away from the goddess-forsaken Mineral Town. They had announced it upon the return from their honeymoon.
"To Forget-Me-Not Valley!" Claire laughed with joy as she made the announcement at Doug's Inn. "Jack was raised there, and that's where he wants to return to start our family." Tears were shed by many of the older women in the village, especially Manna's. Glasses were raised. "To Jack and Claire!" They all cried, drinking to their happiness and wishing the couple nothing but the best. And how had Rick reacted to the whole scenario?
"A shot of whiskey, please."
To think it had all been last night. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Karen asked as they walked towards the horse-racing tracks. It was Spring 18th, which was something of a big deal for Mineral Town. Though there were two annual horse-races in town the spring races were always the most exciting. The town was ecstatic for winter to finally have ended and were eager to get back on track of the sporting life.
"No. I'm fine." Rick lied. He knew the last thing that would nurse his hangover back to health would be to talk about his feeling with Karen. Even though she was his best friend, she had never been one to deal with others emotions. She was better at handing over a glass of wine and hoping you'd forget your problems. So Rick actively participated in her personal therapy, now more than ever.
"That white suit looks stupid on you." Karen smirked. Like Rick said, the spring horse races were a big deal for the small town. Everyone in town would dress up to the nines, only to spend the rest of the day drunkenly gambling away their savings on the different heats. Rick had thrown on a stuffy white suit he had found in the back of his closet, while Karen sported a dashing green summer dress with the traditional wide-brimmed hat. She used it to fan herself off as they approached the race tracks.
"At least I don't look like the Harvest Goddess." Rick jabbed back playfully. She did a pretty decent job of distracting him without managing to try. The two paid for their entrance into the races and assimilated into the busy crowd.
The spring horse races didn't just attract residents of Mineral Town. People from far and wide would gather to partake in the races or the betting that followed. Rick looked over the small brochure that displayed the racers that would partake in each heat. As he got lost in thought, Karen pulled him up into the stands to find empty seats. Having arrived early, they easily found a spot next to Elli and Trent, Mineral Town's first couple to tie the knot nearly two years ago.
"Good morning Karen!" Elli waved, scooting over to make room for the two. Trent merely nodded to acknowledge the presence of new company. Rick nodded back before plopping down and returning to the racer's statistics.
"'Morning Elli," Karen smiled. "Placed any bets yet?"
"Oh, I haven't bet since before Trent and I got married." Elli laughed. "Too many bills to pay now. Isn't quite worth the risk."
"Eh, you never know." Karen smirked, nudging Rick. He knew she had won quite a large sum in poker last night against Saibara and Basil and planned to bet every last piece of it. "Who's looking like the best candidates this year?"
"There's talk of a new racer this year. His name's Neil, and he's an animal dealer in Echo Village. Apparently races in his spare time, and he's got quite a few titles to boast." Elli chattered while Trent merely listened. "Everyone loves a new face, so I'm sure most bets will head his way."
"What about that girl who's taking over the farm here?" Karen inquired.
Rick perked up. "Someone's buying Olive Farm?" He had been so self-involved in his pity-whiskey last night that he hadn't heard the plans for what Claire and Jack would be leaving behind.
"A girl named Rafael Braxton." Trent shocked everyone by speaking up for the first time. "Claire told me at her last checkup. They're cousins." He simply wrote it off when met with quizzical looks.
"You would've known that if you hadn't been throwing a pity party for yourself last night." Karen rolled her eyes. Rick only shrugged.
"Anyways," Elli continued. "She was supposed to be a crowd favorite, but I heard she didn't do so well in her last race. Must've hurt her image."
"Well, I could use a drink." Karen sighed, obviously burdened with the fact that it was 11:30 and she wasn't sipping a mimosa. "Do you guys want anything?"
"Scotch." Trent pulled out his wallet to give the gold to Karen.
"Just a water for me," Elli innocently smiled, wrapping her hand in Trent's.
"I'll come with." Rick mumbled, not wanting to observe the love birds. He figured he might as well put in a bet or two, and who knew? Maybe he'd come out with some winnings and could turn around the miserable state the Chicken Farm was currently in.
"I swear on the Harvest Goddess, if you mess this up…" Rafi threatened the silver-haired man that sat in the corner of the stables.
"Darling, have I ever messed up when there's money involved?" He teased, running a hand through his long hair. "Besides, I thought you were done with this lifestyle. Ready to start anew."
"Shut it, Skye." She hissed, "You know I couldn't afford that farm my cousin sold me. I did it as a favor so that she could get on with her life. So consider it my big finale. My one last hoo-rah."
"Yeah, but what about your life?" Skye stood up, leaning in towards Rafi. He towered over the girl, who looked petite in comparison. "That proposal still stands my dear."
Rafi blushed for only a split second before returning to her senses. "Piss off." She turned her head away from him and folded her arms. "You and I are partners in crime, not partners in life."
"Have it your way," He sighed, ruffling her long blonde hair and smirking mischievously. "You always do, don't you Rafi?"
"Can we focus on the reason why I called you here today?" Her eyebrows furrowed down in anger as she was slowly losing patience with the young thief. She pulled away from Skye and sauntered over to her chestnut thoroughbred stallion. "Unfortunately I can't bet on my winner Apollo here." Rafi cooed at the steed, who whinnied back playfully.
"And that's where I come in." Skye sighed. "Blah blah blah, I know the details. We've done it a million times before." He rolled his eyes in boredom.
"Try to take this seriously Skye." Rafi snapped. "You know the drill. We go sell my name to the audience to get the maximum amount of bids and the maximum payout."
"Then, right before your heat, I place everything we've got on you. I know I know. You're such a bore now." Skye followed Rafi over towards Apollo. "What we really need to focus on is your look. There's no way we're going to sell your name with you running around like that. Do you still have that little black dress I stole for you, and those pearls to match?"
Rafi reluctantly pulled off the coat she was wearing to reveal the exact outfit. Out of one of the pockets she retrieved something red and hairy, pulling it over her head. "And the red wig to match." She frowned. Though she felt guilty about doing this, she knew she had to do it for Claire's sake and her own.
"I like you as a red-head." Skye edged in towards Rafi, who had gone from a long-haired blonde to a short bobbed red-head. "How about a kiss for good luck?"
"Well, one couldn't hurt…" Rafi cooed. She leaned in closely to Skye before pulling back her leg and kicking him as hard as she could in the shin.
"Dammit, Rafi!"
"Now get your ass to work!" Rafi demanded, leaving the silver-haired man to kneel over in pain by himself.
Rick waited patiently while Karen waited in the never ending line for beverages. Duke and Doug must've loved all of the publicity the horse races brought them, but both looked more frazzled than the chickens on Rick's farm during feeding time. Thinking about all of the memories that sat waiting home at the Poultry Farm for Rick only made him frown. It was obvious most of them weren't pleasant.
"Hey, you." Rick looked up. He could've sworn he heard Claire calling at him, but he knew he was dead wrong. She was off somewhere enjoying the day with Jack before the big move. Instead, the strawberry blonde found himself face to face with a small woman that had even brighter red hair than his. She looked like she had stepped out of one of those old-time black and white films he knew his mother Lillia loved to watch. "God, you look depressed." He noticed she had a way with words.
"Might I ask who you are?" Rick's frown deepened at the accusation.
"Name's aren't really that important, but if you must know, call me…Ella." Rafi lied, throwing out the first name she could think of. "I'm a promoter for some of the racers here. I was just going to give you this stats pamphlet..."
"I already have one." Rick cut her off rudely, still upset that others could see his self-loathing.
"Look, can I buy you a drink? You look like you could use it." Rafi offered. "And maybe in exchange you can take this pamphlet off my hands? Maybe give it to a friend? My boss will kill me if they're not all gone by the end of the day."
Rick sighed. The gesture really was a kind one. "Sure, why not?" He gave in. The red-head smiled as she handed over the pamphlet, and he couldn't help but notice how much it looked like Claire's.
Two mimosas later, the two hovered back towards the stands.
"So what brings a fine, sad lad like yourself here?" Rafi questioned as the two sipped the cool beverages.
"It's Rick." Rick smiled weakly, interested in the red-head's strange behavior. "What brings everyone else here? The lure of the bets. A chance to win big."
"Well Rick," Rafi knew it was time to strike while the iron was hot. "What would you do with those winnings?"
"Well," Rick didn't have to ponder for long. "I'd start by paying off my mom's medical bills. Cancer." Rafi frowned at the bleak response, feeling even more ashamed for the game she was playing. "I'm so sorry." She muttered, trying not to make things more awkward than they already were.
"Yeah, well, that and then I'd probably pay off the debt on the Poultry Farm I run. Hasn't been the best year." Rick quickly changed the subject, seeing that the girl's' cheeks had flushed almost as red as her hair.
"I can understand that." Rafi snorted, all too familiar with debt. "Well, I'll give you some friendly advice. From one broke individual to another." She leaned in closer towards Rick as if confiding a secret. He thought he felt his heart skip a beat. "I'm not allowed to bet, but from what I hear from everybody running the event, Rafael's chances are looking pretty high. If she wins, her payout is supposed to be huge. But of course," she pulled away, leaving Rick looking rather flustered. "You can do whatever you want with the info. It all comes down to instinct in the end, right?" Rick only nodded. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Rick," She clinked his glass with hers. "But I have to get back to work. The boss'll have my head if he knows I'm drinking on the job."
"It was nice meeting you too Ella." Rick smiled.
"What? Oh…oh yeah. Well, see you around." Rafi ran off, leaving Rick alone with his thoughts.
"What was that all about?" Skye purred as Rafi retreated back to his side.
"That was a master at work. I hope you've been focusing more on promoting my name instead of watching me the whole time."
"I already have ten people in line waiting to bet on you. So you better win."
"Like you said Skye," She retorted as they withdrew from the crowds. "I always have it my way."
"And what can I do for you sir?" Rick had found his way over towards the betting booths with a new found confidence.
"Let me get 15,000 gold on Rafael Braxton."