SOMEONE DIFFERENT (22 page)

He frowned at me. ‘Let’s just leave it to the experts, shall we?’

A darting movement from the ménage caused us all to look round. Rory had closed in on Tia, but she almost knocked him to the ground as she galloped past and fled to the opposite corner. ‘It’s a f ... maniac,’ he said, changing direction. But once again, as soon as he got to within about ten feet of her, she bolted past him, and left him breathing hard and sweating heavily.

‘Will somebody help me catch this bloody horse?’ he shouted eventually.

Everyone looked at Becky. But she shrugged and shook her head. ‘I haven’t got a prayer,’ she said. Then specifically to Dad, ‘There’s only one person who’ll be able to get anywhere near her now.’

She raised her eyebrows in Jay’s direction, and they all turned to him. His face had set like slate though. ‘There’s no way I’m gonna catch her just so he can hit her again.’

‘No, no,’ Becky said. ‘I think Rory might have had enough for one day. You can just catch her and bring her in.’

‘Or,’ David sneered. ‘If you’re such an accomplished horseman, you could always get up there and have a go yourself.’

Jay glared at him.

Becky spoke quietly. ‘But he’s only ridden a few times before, and he’s still recovering from a broken rib. That horse is so up in the air right now, it’d be downright dangerous. I really don’t think –’

‘I’ll get on her if ya want.’ Jay put his hands in his pockets. ‘Whatever; I don’t mind.’

‘Excellent ...’ David smiled. ‘Swapping the old baseball hat for a riding hat, eh? Careful not to put it on back to front though, won’t you, lad.’ He sniggered, and I was furious with Dad as he chuckled along.

Jay walked over to the ménage, and David shouted to Rory. ‘Come on out, son; apparently, we’re all going to be shown exactly how it’s done.’

Rory’s face still blazed with anger, but when he noticed Jay opening the gate, it broke into smug amusement instead. Quickly, he came and stood next to me. ‘This, I have got to see,’ he said, taking off his hat.

Tia and Jay were alone in the ménage now, but he didn’t even approach her. All he did was stand a little way inside the gate and call softly, ‘Tia, come on
, lass.’

The others laughed, but their cackles soon stuck silently in their throats. Tia lifted her gorgeous head and set off towards Jay purposefully. He reached out as she stopped beside him, and stroked first her neck, then her ears.

I looked at them all.

‘Well, he was just lucky,’ Rory said. ‘Come on then, let’s see you get on her,’ he shouted to Jay.

But Jay didn’t allow them to rush him. He carried on stroking her, and although we couldn’t hear what he said, he talked to her constantly.

A few minutes went by before slowly, he took up her reins and moved to her side. In one smooth movement, he landed gently in the saddle, then when he asked her to ‘walk on’, she did; steadily and sensibly and beautifully.

My heart nearly burst with pride. He looked totally amazing, like he’d been riding for years. They walked for a few moments, then moved seamlessly into trot then canter. Tia arched her neck, pricked up her ears, and floated around the ménage like a painted horse on a merry-go-round.

Becky grinned. ‘Well, he really has shown us all exactly how it’s done.’

None of them answered, not one. But I just couldn’t resist. Without taking my eyes off Jay, I said sweetly, ‘Yes; she’s softened just like butter, hasn’t she?’

Rory struck the whip against the side of his leather boot. Dad coughed. ‘Err, well
, yes; the boy’s done alright with her, I suppose. I’m not sure he’d have been so successful if he’d got on her first though. Anyway, how about I show you all where we’re planning to build the new indoor arena?’ There was a lot of nodding, then except for me and Rory, everyone followed Dad towards one of the fields.

Becky smiled and
went across to the gate. ‘That’s brilliant, Jay. Do you want to fetch her in now?’

He slowed Tia down and brought her over. ‘I’ll just walk her round a couple more times to cool her off,’ he said, then he unzipped his jacket. ‘D’ya mind holdin’ this?’

Jay pushed the jacket off his shoulders and slipped out his arms, and my whole body became rigid. Underneath it, glowing like a flame in the bright sunshine, he wore that orange Reebok hoodie. The hoodie he’d lent me when I went to his house – and the hoodie Rory had seen in my room.

Swallowing hard, I closed my eyes and prayed he wouldn’t remember. It was such a tiny detail; surely it wouldn’t have registered, would it?

But before my eyes had even opened again, Rory’s warm breath brushed against my cheek. ‘Tut tut tut,’ he whispered. ‘Shagging the stable boy. What
will
Mummy and Daddy say?’

My head spun round and I stared at him. ‘I ... I don’t know what you mean?’

His mouth stayed closed, but his icy face said it all.

He would as well, wouldn’t he? He’d tell them. God, what could I say, what could I do? My heart thumped against my ribs as Jay led Tia out of the ménage.

Rory’s fingers stroked his forehead and he stood watching as the huge smile Jay gave me turned into confusion when I didn’t smile back.

‘You take her into her stable.’ I said to Jay, trying to sound cold and in charge. ‘And I’ll err ... I’ll go and put my things away.’ I hurried into the tack-room, closed the door and took out my phone.

Texting in riding gloves wasn’t easy, and I had to stop halfway through to take them off. As quickly as I could though, I managed to write:

Really sorry. will explain later. can’t talk to u or meet u in the barn

And I was just about to press ‘send’ – I actually had my finger hovering over the button – when Rory walked in. The hand holding the phone dropped to my side, but his eyes followed it.

‘Awe, sending someone a love message?’ he said. ‘It must be quite difficult though
– you know; having to stick to one syllable words, so he’s able to read them?’

God. I could have literally scratched his eyes out. What a bloody idiot. ‘It’s got nothing to do with you whom I’m texting.’

‘But it is him though, isn’t it – that, err, employee ... out on the yard?’

I’d
have loved to have told him; to have shown him how all his money and education and confidence didn’t mean a thing. That what Jay and I had was worth a million times more than any of it.

But if I did tell him, he’d tell them
– for definite. And I wasn’t ready to risk that yet.

‘No,’ I said.

He shook his head then lurched forward. ‘You’re lying.’ And before I could even look down at it, he snatched my phone out of my hand.

‘How dare you?’ I reached up and tried to take it back, but he pushed me away. I stumbled back into the shelves, and only just managed to keep my balance.

Rory scrolled up the screen, and I froze, as I realised he could see the whole thread. Every single text Jay and I had ever sent to each other.

‘Give it back!’ My panic-
stricken voice rang out louder than I meant.

But Rory just smirked. ‘No time for anyone, eh? Well, it appears you’ve had plenty of time for this guy.
Meet me here, meet me there
...
missing you Jay
... ‘Jay’ – that is his name, isn’t it? And it certainly explains why I never stood much of a chance.’ He lowered the phone, and his voice. ‘But it’s still not too late, Annabel. I could still forgive you. If you change your mind now, there’s no need for anyone else to ever know about him.’

My head shook slowly. The nerve; the absolute, bloody, nerve. ‘You’re actually saying, that if I break
-up with Jay, and start seeing you instead, you won’t tell anyone?’

‘Yes.’ He breathed in and stepped towards me. ‘You must know it’s the best option. I’m right for you, aren’t I? And he ... just ... isn’t.’ He grinned. ‘I mean, you’re not seriously telling me you want to be stuck with some retarded chav who thinks the sole use of a semi-colon is to make a smiley face?’

For a second it fell silent, then all my deepest loathing and boiling anger erupted at once. ‘You arrogant bastard! You don’t know the first thing about him, or his life. What gives you the right to stand there shooting your mouth off, thinking you know everything, speaking about him like that ... and, reading
my
bloody texts?’ I grabbed at the phone, but he snatched it up even higher so I couldn’t reach. ‘Give it to me!’ Tears burned in my eyes. I lashed out at him with my hand, but he caught my arm, twisted it down, and forced me back into the corner.

The rough breeze-blocks pressed against my head. I tried to free my arm, but his clutch tightened. ‘Let me go.’

Rory stood motionless for a few seconds, his ice-cold expression fixed. Gradually though, it cracked, and his grip loosened.

I rubbed my wrist with my other hand. ‘Rory, I want my phone and I want to go.’

He didn’t budge.

‘Get out of my way.’

‘I will. Once you’ve calmed down – I really don’t know what’s the matter with you, I only want us to talk.’

‘Let me pass. Now!’ I started to walk forward, but he blocked my way. I just couldn’t get round him, and that’s when the sob escaped from my mouth.

But then he did move. Because he got dragged backwards. Spun around. And Jay’s fist smashed into his face.

‘No!’ I screamed.

Rory crashed down on to a pile of rugs. Somehow, he staggered back on to his feet, then rushed at Jay. My hands covered my face. ‘Please, stop it; both of you.’

Jay shoved him away, but still Rory went back.

The door swung open. Dad shouted, ‘What the hell
...?’

But before he could do anything, Jay dodged Rory’s punch, drew back his own clenched hand, and fired it into Rory’s stomach.

Rory crumpled into a heap on the floor. He wheezed loudly, and spots of bright red blood dripped from his nose and landed on the grey concrete.

Jay stared down at him, then up at me. Between taking in big mouthfuls of air, he said, ‘He shouldn’t have done that to ya,’

But I had no chance to respond, because that’s when everyone else arrived.

Gillian wailed like an ambulance. She and David dropped to Rory’s side, and Dad squared up to Jay. ‘Who the hell do you think you are?’ he yelled. ‘Behaving in that manner? It’s outrageous; you’re like some kind of animal.’

Jay looked away, a reddish blush rising in his cheeks.

‘Oh, my darling, are you alright?’ Gillian held a handkerchief to Rory’s nose, then helped him lift himself up into a sitting position. ‘What on earth happened?’

‘That fucking psychopath.’ Rory’s lip actually curled up into snarl. ‘He attacked me, for no reason.’

‘That’s not true; you know that’s not true.’ I looked at them all desperately. ‘It was Rory
; he took my phone, trapped me in the corner. Jay stopped him, that’s all.’

Dad scowled at me, then Rory.

‘Well, she would say that, wouldn’t she?’ Rory said, straightening up on to his feet. ‘Because she’s sticking up for her bloody boyfriend.’

‘What?’ Dad whizzed round. ‘Annabel?’

A tear trickled down my face and I wiped it away. ‘I ... I ...’ But it was no good, the words wedged in my chest like a cricket ball.

Rory reached down and picked up my phone off the concrete. ‘Here,’ he said, offering it to Dad. ‘Read it.’

My stomach swirled as Dad skimmed through the messages. I glanced at Jay; his eyes tried to reassure me and his mouth tried to smile, but the tears pressed harder and harder against my eyelids.

When he looked up again, Dad couldn’t speak. Maybe it was the shock, or the anger, or the embarrassment; or maybe it was a combination of all three.

‘I wanted to tell you, Dad, honestly. But I knew you wouldn’t understand.’ My words were still weak, but at least they were out.

‘All these weeks ... you’ve been lying to us, deceiving us ...’

His expression made me shrink.

But then I watched with panic as he turned it on Jay instead. ‘And it’s you who’s been encouraging her to do it, isn’t it
? It’s your influence that’s led to all of this.’

‘No, it’s not,’ I said quickly. ‘It’s both of us, Dad. We care for each other, we’re
–’

‘Oh my God, Annabel, be quiet.’ Mum filled the doorway and spoke for the first time. She pushed her hair behind her ears, then shook her head. ‘You obviously have no idea what you’re saying, and no idea how utterly childish you sound.’

‘But I know exactly what I’m saying. We do care for each other; we’ve become really close.’

‘Well, not for much longer. Of course
, this ... relationship ... can’t carry on; it won’t carry on.’

It took a big effort, a very, very big effort, but I tried my best to be gentle. ‘You haven’t got a choice, Mum. You can’t stop us from seeing each other.’

‘Oh, can’t I?’ She took a pace forward. ‘Well, he certainly won’t be working here anymore – in fact ...’ she glanced behind her, out of the door, then back at us. ‘... there’s a good chance he won’t even be living around here anymore.’