Alright Guys and Girls! Listen up! Please... I have two different story ideas. I'm going with my gut instinct. P.S. Horses name is Star because several of your names that you all gave me had star in of 'horse talk' in this chapter. Sorry. This Chapter has a song with it! Fall to Peices by Avril Lavigne.

_Rian_

Star began to lope. I could feel her every move, every step, and every breath. I urged her onto the first jump, a low single oxer. She easily leapt over it. I moved her towards the next one, a low rock wall. Star had been my partner for almost 3 years, our worlds revolved around each other. If I had a bad day, she had a bad day. If she got beat up in the pasture, I got beat up in the ring.
But all in all, Star was my best friend.

_FLASHBACK_

I followed Rico upstairs, and to his appartment. "Are you sure you want to have dinner with my family?" Rico pause outside the door.

"Yes!" I smiled "You've met mine, and Lea. So I should meet yours. It's standard friend protocol."

"Stupid science talk." he mumbled opening the door. "Mom. Kevlar, Reggie. I'm back."

A short lady with long curly red hair was in the kitchen, she turned around. "Oh you must be Rian! Reg come in here and look at Rico's lady friend!"

"I'd hardly call her a lady." Rico looked at me and smiled.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"Please excuse the mess." a tall, well muscled man entered the room.

"Oh, it's fine you should see our barn." I followed Rico over to the bar and sat next to him.

"Ah, so this is the famed Rian, the horse-rider." Reggie leaned up on the bar. "Tell me, Rian. What is the worlds greatest racehorse?"

Rico sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm in the show jumping ring, but I'd have to say Man O' War or Seattle Slew."

Rico slapped himself in the forehead.

"Really? You like the "Big Reds"?" Reggie smiled at me.

"Change the subject." Rico whispered.

"Yeah. We have a mare that goes back to Seeking the Gold. She's not much to look at though."

Reggie smiled again, "I like her."

"Good." Rico's mom smiled setting down some chicken parmasan on the table, "Because I like her too."

After dinner, Rico and I were sitting in the livingroom with Reggie, when I noticed a shelf with trophies.

"Those are Leroy's racing trophies." Reggie said after a few seconds.

"I didn't know your dad was a jockey." I said slowly.

"Yeah. He rode Texas Star and California Rush Delivery."

I recognised the names of the horses, but it had been years since they last raced.

"Follow me." Rico jumped up and lead me to a back room, picture frames lined the walls. There were more trophies and ribbons on a huge shelf.

"Holy cow." I looked around "Where did all of these come from?"

"Dad won some of them, but most are what Reggie won with his horses." Rico nodded towards a picture in a black frame. "Theres the one."

I walked over and looked at the picture. A newspaper clipping and black and white picture filled the picture.
'Racing Legend retires. Taking top horses with him.' was the headline.
'Jockey legend Leroy Schmidt annouced his retirement at the end of the racing season this year. He states the reason as needing to spend quality time with his wife and 7 year-old son.'

7. Rico was 8 when his dad left, this was a year before. I went back to reading.

'Schmidt has purchased two of the racehorses he rode, Texan Misfit and California Rush Delivery, and says they will be kept around for a long time.'

Rico sighed, "And then a year later he was gone. He never came back, and honestly, I didn't blame him. Somtimes I wonder if he missed the track. It's not much of a life, more of a hobby really, an adrenilne rush. Oh well."
He turned and walked towards the door.

I started to follow him but stopped myself. A racing saddle sat in the corner with a bridle draped across it. The first thing I noticed was that the bridle wasn't one for racing, it was more like one used for English pleasure.
I noticed the saddle blanket writing. '13 R. Schmidt'

"You coming?" Rico called back in to me.

"Yeah," I took one last look at the saddle, "Yeah, I'm coming."

_FLASHBACK OVER_

Star cleared the second jump and then slowed down to a trot. Her attention turned towards the house. I followed her gaze to see Skipper leaning against his car, looking up at the sky.

I stopped my horse and climbed down. I led her towards Skipper. I noticed he was on the phone.

"Ok." he said. "Yeah, I'll be right there. Yeah, go see the sherrif I'll get Rian and- Found her."

Skipper looked at me with a concerned expression on his face.

"What is it?" I asked "Is everyone ok?"

Skipper hung up the phone. "Rian, don't freak out, but Rico's missing."

I watched Skipper for a moment. "What? How did this- Your lying."

"Rian, I'm not lying. I would not lie to you."

"He can't be missing. I just talked to him. Well, his voicemail actually but I just talked to him."

"Rian, I'll drive you to the police station. They want to talk to you." Skipper was trying to be calm.

"No, I didn't do anything. Do they think I did something?"

"No, but you did argue with him and you are his friend, so if he said anything to you at all about where e might be going. You need to share."

I nodded and started to lead Star back towards the barn. Rose and Lea were now standing on the porch."What happened?" They both asked.

I quickly pulled off the saddle and threw it in the tack room. While searching my mind, trying to take any note of anything Rico had said that would have helped me find him.
I had nothing.

I quickly felt my pocket. "Where's my phone?" I asked myself.

"In your room." Skipper answered, appearing at the barn entry. "I saw it up there."

"Dang. Ok." I took off running for the house. I grabbed my phone and looked a the once empty space on the wall.

Two horses were racing along the wall now. A white horse with a black mane led the way while a smaller yellow horse with a brown mane followed shyly.
I thought the picture was really good. I tilted my head at my work but shrugged and raced out the door.

not 5 minutes later, I was talking to Officer Miles about Rico's habits.

"Lots of students have shared that Rico was suicidal. Do you agree with this statement?" he asked.

"No, Rico had problems with his stepdad but they were getting over it." I sighed.

"Do you think Rico would have hurt himself if he thought you didn't like him?"

"Didn't you just ask this?" I snapped.

"Ok, you said Rico was having problems with his step dad. Care to elaborate?"

"Rico didn't like him, his dad ran out on their family and Rico doesn't trust Reggie at all. But he seems to like Kevlar, Reggie's dog."

"You said Mr. White has a dog."

"Yeah. Why?"

"Miss. Sanders didn't mention a dog. And neither did the officers we sent out."

"Ok. Kevlar is a golden retreiver."

"What does he look like?"

"He's big and yellow. Honestly where do they find you people?" I stood up and stormed out.

"Rian we aren't done yet."

"Oh yes we are." I slammed the door and heard Skipper and Marlene jump up.

"What's going on?" They both asked.

"We are leaving." Then, everything flashed to black. 'I know more than you think' My painting, the saddle, the trophies, Rico knew to much about the racing scheme to just be a by-stander.

Skipper slid into the mustang and looked at me. "You alright?" he asked.

"I know where Rico is." I whispered, more to myself than him.