"Panicking Realizations"
Kris Furillo
Kris went to bed early that night with a lot on her mind. She was now officially a jockey, she still had her ranch hand job to tend to, she still had to unpack and clean her new home, and on top of all that, she was now in a relationship with Junior Davis. She wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it. She thought her life was going smoothly until this happened. She wasn't looking for a relationship currently and she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it. Junior seemed like a nice guy but she still had her doubts. The little voice inside her head was screaming at her to end this before it got ugly.
Before she knew it, the sun was rising behind the curtains and she had to get up. She had to face the day even though she didn't really feel like leaving her bed. She walked into her kitchen and looked around blankly. It was the place of the scene that occurred last night. A place she didn't feel like being in. Instead of beginning her usual morning routine of coffee and the newspaper, she pulled on her boots and ran over to the Ritter's house.
Since the Ritter's were early riser's – except Todd – just like Kris was, she was sure she wasn't waking anyone. She walked through the front door and into the kitchen where Jean and Matt were silently eating their breakfast. Jean looked up and saw Kris standing in the doorway and greeted her, "Good morning, Kris. I wasn't expecting you this early. Would you like something to eat?"
"Oh, don't worry about me, Jean. I just felt like some company this morning," she said, hiding her emotions behind her words.
"Well, I have some early errands to run. Maybe Matt can keep you company," Jean offered as she placed her plate and mug in the sink.
"You're leaving me alone with Matt?" Kris playfully whined. Everyone smiled at each other. Jean then scooted past Kris, brushing her hand against Kris' arm comfortingly. When Jean was out the front door, Matt pulled the chair next to him out and patted the cushion. Kris gladly accepted his demand and sat down heavily on the chair.
"What's on your mind today, Kris?" Matt asked as he took a bit of his cinnamon raison bagel.
"How do you know something is on my mind?" she asked, trying to avoid boring Matt again. She always seemed to unload everything on Matt and she felt like a nuisance. She was surprised Matt hadn't fired her yet for being so annoying.
"I know you Kris, pretty damn well too. So what's wrong? You wouldn't have come over here this early unless you wanted to talk," Matt said.
Kris sighed heavily. Matt really did know her too well. "But I feel like I am always boring you. Like there is always something wrong in my life and I always complain to you about it. I'm such a whiney bitch." She then folded her arms on the table and plopped her head on top of them, inhaling deeply.
Matt rested his half-eaten bagel on his plate and sighed. "Is that what you think, Kris? I don't mind. You're like my sister; it's strange how quickly we bonded. And believe me, if I thought you were being a bitch, I would have gladly fired you a long time ago." Kris lifted her head slightly when Matt touched the top of her head. Matt smiled warmly at her and she knew he was telling the truth. He then said after a long pause, "So, now will you tell me what's bugging you?"
Kris rose her head and blurted out, "It's Junior."
"Again? I thought you already complained about him?" Matt questioned. Not that he minded hearing complaint after complaint about his best friend, since sometimes Junior could really annoy Matt at how easily he could get women. But Junior was still his best friend and he wasn't comfortable ragging on him constantly.
"Yes, but I have something else to complain about," she admitted.
Matt's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Well, then, you have the floor."
"He ambushed me at my house yesterday and said that he wanted to go out with me still. That he was really a nice guy who really likes me and is completely crazy about me and blah blah blah. He said that I was scared to get into a relationship with him," Kris said, fury raging in her words.
"I thought he already asked you out and you said no?" Matt asked, still curious.
"He did. But he said he still wants to go out. He said I was scared and that he is too. But he was completely sincere and we should at least try this out."
"Well, what did you say?" Matt asked, probing for more details.
"I said that we could try it out," she sadly admitted.
"You did?" Matt said. He was completely confused. Every time Kris talked about Junior, she sounded so furious and annoyed, yet it always sounded like she was really attracted to him. But it was still a surprise that she agreed to Junior's date proposal.
"And you know what was the weirdest part?" she continued, not even acknowledging Matt's question. "He didn't kiss me. I could tell he really, really wanted to, but he didn't. Not that I wanted him to, I'm really glad about that. But I can't understand why."
"Hmm…that is weird," Matt said, pondering why Junior wouldn't have kissed her already. That was so unlike Junior.
"When I asked him why, he said –" Kris began before being cut off by Matt's rapid words.
"You asked him why he didn't kiss you? Are you nuts?"
"No, I'm not nuts at all, thank you very much," Kris snapped back, offended by his unjoking words. "When I asked him why he didn't kiss me, he said that he was waiting for the perfect moment so it would be special. He said you only get one chance to kiss a girl like me. What's what supposed to mean?"
"Wait, he said all that?" Matt said, starting to think of something. Kris simply nodded her head, not wanting Matt to be pulled from his train of thought. She stared at his gorgeous face that was wrinkled up in thought and wondered what he could be thinking about so hard. Just then, Matt snapped his fingers and shouted, "Oh my god!"
Kris was startled and didn't know how to interpret his reaction. What was he thinking of that could give him that reaction? She straightened up in her chair and asked, "What the heck are you talking about?"
"Man, how did I not see this before, from all the times he talked about this? I'm so stupid!" he bellowed to himself.
"Matt! What are you talking about?" Kris yelled, furious he wasn't filling her in on his epiphany.
"Umm…Kris, I have some errands I need to run," Matt lied, making up an excuse.
"Your mom just left on errands. Matt, what's going on?" Kris saw right through his lie and wanted to figure out what was going on.
"Uh…yeah, but my mom forgot we needed this one thing. So I have to go get it. Kris, you know what we do here first thing in the morning, so you're in charge for the time being. If you have any questions, just find Pablo and he can help you out. I gotta go, Kris," Matt explained. By the end of his speech he was already on his feet, putting his plate in the sink and running out the door, completely ignoring Kris' screaming voice trying to bring him back.
Junior Davis
Junior was lying in his bed feeling completely content that morning. He finally was having things the way he wanted them and it made him extremely happy. Kris and him were finally going to go out and she would soon see that he was really a great guy. He knew that he looked like a guy who would only break a girl's heart, but he was going to be different with Kris. There was just something about her.
He rolled over onto his back and put his hands behind his head. He sighed with joy as a smile crept onto his face. Suddenly, his door was burst open with incredible force; he had to check twice to see if the door was broken. He then looked at his guest and laid his head back on his arms. "You could have knocked," Junior said to his guest.
"What are you thinking, Junior?" Matt asked as he stalked over to the king sized bed in the middle of the room.
"I have no idea what you are talking about, man," Junior said, still not shifting from his comfortable position.
"Kris told me everything that happened last night. And I mean everything. Including the answer to her last question before you left," Matt explained as he stood with his knees touching the edge of the bed and his arms folded over his chest.
"What? Are you upset that I asked her out first?" Junior asked. He never knew Matt could be jealous of him and he kind of liked the possible competition.
"No! Kris is like a sister to me!" Matt bellowed. Not that he didn't like Kris, but he thought of her as a sister and definitely not as a love interest. "No, I know exactly what is going on here, so don't avoid the subject."
"I still have no idea what you are talking about. Maybe you should explain more before you start threatening me," Junior suggested as he pushed past Matt and walked to his bathroom, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts.
"You only get one chance to kiss a girl like Kris?" Matt quoted Junior with one eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, what about that?" Junior said as he pulled on a gray T-shirt over his tan, muscular chest.
Matt stared blankly at the wall as he searched for the right words. When he finally found the correct words to use, he said, "Junior Davis does not say things like that to a girl. Junior Davis doesn't even think about those kinds of things. Junior Davis only wants to kiss a girl the first second he possibly could. What the hell is wrong with Junior Davis?" Matt questioned rather loudly.
"Wow, do you think you could have said Junior Davis any more than you just did?" Junior replied as he pushed past Matt once again to find a pair of clean jeans to wear. Matt simply raised his eyebrows at his best friend and waited for his answer. "Look, Matt, what do you want me to say? She is really different than anyone I've ever met."
"I know that, probably more than you really do. I know everything about her. She isn't interested in a guy like you who – " Matt began before Junior cut him off.
"A guy like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Junior shouted with a frigid tone.
"You know exactly what I mean so don't act all wounded," Matt shouted back, his tone equally frigid. "I've known you my whole life and you have always enjoyed picking a girl up and then dumping her the next moment you could. Don't get all offended by the type of person you've always been!"
Junior hung his head low, for he knew Matt was exactly right. After a long moment of awkward silence, Junior finally said, "You're right. Sorry, man. So, what was it you wanted to yell at me about anyway? Or are you done bashing me for the time being?"
"I had an epiphany this morning when Kris was telling me all this. I think…well this is harder than I initially thought it would be. I think you more than like her," Matt finally managed to say.
"What do you mean?" Junior said, his head quickly snapping up to meet Matt's gaze.
"Never mind," Matt said. Initially he was coming over to ask if Junior was in love with Kris, since that was what it seemed like. Junior never acted this way around a girl, therefore Matt jumped to what seemed to be the only logical conclusion that Junior was in love. But now, standing in front of Junior, it seemed so irrational that he couldn't even finish his interrogation that he had planned out.
"You meant love didn't you?" Junior asked, getting straight to what Matt was trying to say. He knew Matt just as well as Matt knew him.
"Well…yeah. But it seems too silly now," Matt admitted, embarrassed he thought that far ahead.
"Who knows," Junior began as he pulled his legs into the only clean pair of jeans he could find, "maybe you're right. Or maybe it's just the beginning."
Matt searched Junior's face for any sign of sarcasm, but all he saw was honesty. He had never seen Junior like this before, and it kind of freaked him out. If Junior was turning around and becoming a better person, than Matt was completely grateful for that. But the only kind of Junior he knew was the playboy kind of Junior, and seeing someone totally different, someone he didn't even seem to know, it kind of scared Matt.
"Just, can you please try to convince Kris that I'm not an evil lunatic like she thinks I am. I'm really trying to make this work here. And it can't really work when she isn't 100% into the idea of us being in a relationship," Junior begged. He needed Kris to be as excited about their new relationship as he was.
"I'll do everything in my power, man. After all, who was my best friend first?" Matt joked.
"What you really mean is who bailed you out of trouble with your mom more?" Junior joked back. For the next fifteen minutes, Matt and Junior talked about Kris, Raintree, Davis Farms, and their childhood. Then Matt said he had to get back to work since he left Kris alone and he figured she was freaking out by now. Then they quickly parted ways and began the rest of their day.
Kris Furillo
Matt came back to see Kris sprinting around Raintree trying to figure out what to do. Even though she had seen what Matt did every morning – which really wasn't that much – Kris was in a panic. She had three ranch hands working on the same stall, there was two practice jockeys that were supposed to ride the same horse, and Kris still was in her pajamas. Matt ran over to Kris and caught her by her arms before she could run off further and cause more chaos.
"Kris, honey, go get dressed and I'll fix everything out here. Come find me when you're done," he ordered her. Kris also needed to take a quick shower since she was sweating from all her stress she caused herself. When she came back, she was showered, dressed and Matt had fixed every problem and got Raintree going on a fresh day with ease.
"You make it look so easy," Kris admitted as she walked up to Matt.
"It really is easy. You just made it hard," he explained with a chuckle.
Kris laughed at her awful morning and said, "What would you like me to do first? Please let it be something I know how to do."
Matt laughed at her again and he placed his hand lightly on the arch of her back and directed her in his walking direction. "I wanted to talk to you first. It's about Junior."
"What about him?" she asked as she began panicking again.
"Look, I know that he really likes you. And he is going to do everything in his power to make sure that you aren't going to get your heart broken by him or anyone else for that matter. He cares about you that much," Matt explained.
By now, Kris was staring down at the dirt ground underneath her, watching the dirt make dark clouds around her feet. "How can you be so sure about this?" she mumbled.
"Because Junior is my best friend. And you are currently my other best friend. And I wouldn't want anything to happen to either one of you. I know you like him too, you just won't admit it to yourself. Just give him a chance. You both deserve it," Matt said.
Kris breathed deeply without responding to Matt's request. Then she finally said, "So, what do you want to me do today?"
Matt stopped walking and looked down at the clipboard in his hands. He checked it over again and said, "What I want you to do today is take the day off and sort things through. Clear your head and call Junior. Talk to him and let him know how you are feeling. Until I hear from Junior that you called him, you can come and ride on Oakwood Amber (A/N: one of their horses that I made up) and practice on him. Other than that, you are free to go."
Then Matt started to walk way from Kris and she ran after him. "But I can't have the day off. There is so much for me to do. You need my help. That's why you hired me."
"We have other hands that can help. And I'm sure if I call Dani, she would come over to help. We can live without you for one day. Raintree has survived a long time before we hired you, Kris," Matt said as he quickened his pace and walked away faster. "Enjoy your day!" he called over his shoulder, leaving Kris behind completely speechless.
A/N: Well, volleyball is over so I should have updates more frequently but there still is no guarantee. Hope you liked this update. I personally really like the next chapter I have written, so the faster you all review, the faster I'll post the next one. Thanks everyone!
