Disclaimer: I don't own any copyrighted characters.
Story: Perfect Image
Email Me At: Authoress: lilyqueen777
Continued Off: A Dad's Wish
A/n: BTW, I'm a Junior/Kris shipper, but in this story, it seems the boat has sunken…
Summary: Her dad left her mother, and her mother left her. Now it's her turn to leave and save herself.
Character Count: 6,948
Chapter One, I said that the number was a word count. I lied. It's actually a character count, minus spaces.
A/n:
6:54, February 25th, 2006:
What really set me off to update sooner was GreenEyed's review. I was really slacking, so this chapter in particular is dedicated to GreenEyedBabe09 for kind of giving me the kick in the ass I needed to start writing again.
mowrocks: Sorry that part was a bit confusing. I should've elaborated. She's confused about her feelings. It's kind of my way of projecting Kris's personal chaos wars onto the page without saying as much. Does that clear it up a bit? Thanks for the review.
JennCorinthos: Here's the second chapter. Don't worry—I'm going to follow this one through.
Spuffy-Spike-91: Cool. I'll keep you to that.
GreenEyedBabe09: I'm enthused by the enthusiasm your showing, LOL. Thanks.
GreenEyedBabe09: I'm so sorry. I got your review today, (well, my today anyhow), and I have got to say, I have been so busy, it hasn't even been funny. I can promise you that I'll follow this story through, though, and I'll be updating more regularly around March or so.
Wannabejockey101: I think this chapter will answer your questions.
Lily: Yep. You're the only email that I've gotten in a while that wasn't from one of my professors demanding homework as of late… Catchya Later!
Chapter Two
Backwards and Forwards
Glancing at the old clock on the wall, Pablo shook his head, as if trying to clear it of the thoughts that muddled his mind.
Kris hadn't stopped talking to Wildfire, and to be quite honest, her steady voice was a bit comforting. He listened in on a bit of the one-sided conversation she continued with the horse and almost laughed when she mentioned something about boys.
To mention boys, he thought back to when Junior and Matt first saw her. It was amusing, to say the least, when she turned them both flat down. She was so much like her mother in that aspect. To tell the truth, he had been satisfied to know that his daughter wasn't someone who gave herself freely, but what could he expect? She had grown up with a mother on steroids and Ecstasy, and who knew how much alcohol the woman had drunk during her pregnancy?
Kris had to know how to fend for herself and keep herself protected. If she didn't, she probably would've been on the streets or in some foster home. Where her mother lacked influence, her father's traits took over.
Jail? That was his trait. A knack for getting into trouble? Uh… yeah. His trait too.
The steady whisper of Kris's voice slowly faded with time, and Pablo knew the signs of a sleeping person when he heard them. Kristine Amalia Furillo was definitely a sleeping person.
Pablo walked over to Wildfire's stall and peered in. Yep. She was conked out on the haystack. Motioning with his index finger to his mouth, he willed the Thoroughbred to stay quiet as he swiftly and efficiently grabbed a wool blanket from the stack near the entrance of the barn and haphazardly set it over the sleeping 19-year-old. She would freeze out in what she was wearing, heated stables or no heated stables. She wasn't a horse, despite what Kris may have thought of herself.
"Papa…" She muttered, tossing in her sleep, and for a moment, Pablo stared upon her face, paralyzed.
Willing himself to drop the matter—she was only dreaming—, he gave the sleepy racehorse a small pat and walked away.
-
Kris woke up again, this time to the sun shining brightly slanted across her face, temporarily blinding one eye as she opened it against the white beam.
"Get enough sleep?" Pablo questioned, smirking, as he leant over the side of the stall.
Kris scowled. "Yes, thanks." She retorted snippily. Needless to say, sleeping on a haystack, with her neck bent in a weird angle did nothing to improve her morning chirpiness.
"Glad to hear it." Pablo said, handing her one of the coffee's he held and a glazed doughnut. "Go get a coat and your riding gear. You're warming up War-Drum Flat this morning." At Kris's disheveled appearance, he felt the need to encourage her to get moving. "C'mon!" He motioned towards the gate and walked off, his own coffee in one hand, the other hand grabbing a rope off the side of the barn.
Kris made a face at his retreating back and summed up the energy to jump over the gate, with her doughnut in her mouth and the coffee in her right hand. Talk about gymnastics.
Running to her trailer, she polished off the doughnut and took small, tentative sips of the coffee. It was black, fresh, and hot as hell.
"Grabbing my coat, where's my coat, where's my coat, there's my coat! Grabbed my coat…" Kris sloppily set her coffee down on the table and shrugged on the coat. "Ahh…" She sighed with relief. Her coat was warm, and as of late, she liked warm.
Picking up her coffee once more, she rushed out of the trailer, taking note to lock the door behind her as she scurried away.
"I'm here!" Kris announced breathlessly as she made it to the arena on time. Pablo checked his watch. Exactly on time. It was 6:45 and 30 seconds until the next minute.
"Aaron, bring out 'Drum." Pablo instructed, and the stable boy nodded before returning shortly with a gorgeous thoroughbred, 17 hands and a dark brown so dark it was almost black. He bore an impeccable resemblance to his grandsire, Battlefield.
Kris couldn't seem to wipe off the ridiculously silly grin that seemed to have permanently attached itself to her face, and eventually stopped trying to fight it off and let it sit.
"He's gorgeous." She commented a bit breathily, her eyes glowing with excitement. War-Drum Flat wasn't as great as Wildfire, Kris thought to herself stubbornly, but he definitely ran a close second.
"That he is." Pablo agreed dryly, and handed the already saddled and tacked up horse to Kris, who gladly accepted the reigns.
"Now, just breeze him first. 2nd lap down, bring him up a notch, say it back to me." Pablo instructed, and Kris nodded intently. She knew everything could go wrong if she didn't pay attention to Pablo's instructions. He was definitely more experience in the matter than she was.
"2 laps, speed." She repeated, and Pablo nodded as she mounted and rode into the arena.
"Go." He started the timer.
Kris went.
¤
The workout had been good—for both 'Drum and herself. Kris had blown off some steam that she didn't even know was driving her.
"You still have room for improvement—so don't let this one workout go to your head." Pablo warned, and Kris resisted the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him. Every compliment of his was always matched with a bash.
In truth, Kristine Amalia Furillo's insecurities could eat her alive. Twice.
"Thanks, Pablo. I'll keep that in mind." She ground out, making a beeline for the Ritter house.
"You do that." Pablo nodded and made a left over to the stables.
Kris shook her head. But what could she expect? Pablo was like her conscience, but worse. He didn't even give her half a second to gloat over her accomplishments. Just because this was one of her best workouts yet didn't change the fact that Pablo Betart somehow managed to take the pleasure out of just about everything.
"Hey Matt." She greeted her friend as he passed her by, engrossed in the book he held. "What're you reading? Anything stupid?"
"As a matter of fact, no. This is a highly articulated volume that explains economics as more than just money and cash." Matt retorted, and Kris blinked at him, a blank look on her face.
"Money and cash?" She questioned dubiously.
"Err…" Matt flushed down a 3 deep shades that only he could accomplish.
"You should stay around Dani. That way, you two can be stupid together." Kris joked, and Matt frowned, affronted.
"Are you calling me stupid?" He asked, a confused expression on his face.
"Way to go, Einstein." The 19-year-old girl rolled her eyes.
Matt looked seriously peeved now. "First you call me stupid, and now you're calling me Einstein. If anything, you're the most hypocritical person I've ever met." He accused, and Kris looked bemused.
"Is that you're way of calling me stupid?" She laughed.
The confounded expression reappeared on his face.
Dedicated To: Lilyqueen777
END NOTE: Well, I decided that everyone deserved at least a shadow of an explanation as to why I wasn't updating as of late... or why I'm so damn slow. I didn't want the people who didn't want my excuses to have to read this crap, so I put it on the bottom of the page instead. Here goes:
Yes. That's really what happened. It was tragic for me too, I know.