“I don’t have one real good reason to help you, Riley. You have made my already miserable life even more unbearable. I don’t know if you are capable of changing, and I don’t want to waste my time. You strike me as the guy who quits when the going gets tough,” I said, not holding a single thought back. He quit our friendship the moment things got tough. The moment I couldn’t help him, I became useless.
“Do you still want to go to vet school?” he asked suddenly.
“Who told you that?” I demanded.
That decision was fueled by a situation of helplessness that I never wanted to feel again. The next time someone hit a dog, I would save it and not go through years of bullying.
“Rodrigo did. When we go on the circuit, he likes to fill the awkward silence. One of the things that comes up from time to time is you. He thinks very highly of you, both he and my father.”
I sensed jealousy in his voice, but I was smart enough not to call him out on it, not now. If I was cruel to him now, I knew I would never see this side of him again. I would save that tidbit for a later day, when he turned back into a prick.
“Yes, I still want to save animals,” I said.
“Let me help you pay for it. You help me, and I will pay the full costs of the school.”
I narrowed my eyes again.
The reason I wanted to go to vet school in the first place was because of him and Shiloh. The way he reacted after and the guilt he had made me feel should be reason enough for him to pay for the school. He should do that just to make it up to me, not for him to help. I didn’t think I would win that thought, and I would take his offer regardless. I was not too proud to accept free tuition to veterinary school.
My dad taught me that to get ahead in life, you had to treat it as one giant negotiation. As a kid, I never understood what it meant, but sitting here now, I began to understand. My silence pushed Riley into an uncomfortable position that he would want to talk his way out of.
“A raise, I will ask my father to give you a raise.”
“An extra five dollars an hour minimum,” I added.
“I will ask for ten, just for good measure,” he assured me.
The desperation on his face twisted something in my gut. I saw glimpses of that eight-year-old boy who had been my friend. That eight-year-old boy who had, at one point in time, been my protector. When he looked like this, I found myself wanting to help.
I couldn’t believe I was getting suckered into this, but I really wanted to become a veterinarian. I would never afford that on my own, not working here. Riley knew he offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I was impressed that he kept a smug expression from his face as I sat there and thought it over. This situation that had manifested was too good for either of us to refuse. He got his father’s respect, and I got to go to school.
I knew I was going to regret this, many times over.
“We will start bright and early tomorrow. We will start with the right way to muck a stall, not the lazy, half-assed way you did it.”
He looked like he wanted to challenge my assessment but then thought better of it. Maybe he wasn’t quite as hopeless as I thought.
“I will see you in the morning,” he said politely as he stood up and walked out. He held his shoulders and his head high, like a CEO would after negotiating a multimillion-dollar merger.
I bet he was proud of himself right now. I was the one with a raise and vet school. I thought I’d won this negotiation.
The moment he walked out the door, I let out a breath. His cologne continued to hang around. I inhaled it without shame.
What was the bright idea? To fake being a good horseman and person to impress his dad and then get his spot back in his father’s will? It could work if his father suffered a massive brain injury and forgot this week's events. Seriously, his father would see right through this scam. I just hoped I wouldn’t suffer for agreeing to it. Also, I could really use the raise if Riley could make that happen.
One thing was made abundantly clear: Riley Reys was a desperate man. His apology sounded sincere, which was a good start. His apology was just the very beginning of difficult things Riley would have to learn. I was the biggest idiot for agreeing to help him and investing my own hopes into this. Deep down, I hoped this would bring the old Riley back.
??
The next morning, Riley approached me, still half asleep. He was holding a coffee in his hand, and he looked like he would rather be anywhere else. He was in basketball shorts and a t-shirt, not equine-appropriate clothing. It was a good thing none of his father’s clients would be on the farm today.
“First lesson, drink your coffee before starting chores. You can do one, not both at the same time.” I had learned that lesson many times over. I had left many cold cups of coffee lying around because I got distracted with work.
Riley rolled his eyes at me. “Good morning to you, too,” he said in a clipped tone.
He couldn’t take orders without making a comment back. He has never been able to do anything other than give orders to the stable staff. Even then, he didn’t always know what needed to be done. He knew very little about the day to day operations of the farm. If it didn’t have to do with women or barrel racing, he didn’t care.
If he took over this place, he would have to care, or he’d tank it so fast William wouldn’t be cold before the place collapsed.
