To Mend a Broken Memory - [Troy Otto]

Chapter 57

"Are you focused? Ready to kick some asses?" as I am getting Whisper ready to compete, lacing up the saddle and everything, Nick's hand rests on my shoulder , like a father teaching his son how to ride a bike, it'd be funny if it wasn't so annoying.

"Nick, give me a break"

"The hell I will, I want the damn pizza"

"You want me to sign you up for the game? As I recall, you're one hell of a rider" he fell off the minute he hopped on. One of my best recent memories.

"Mock me if you want , as long as you get the pizza",

"I might actually punch you if you say it again" he smirks and then shrugs. Meanwhile he's distracted, looking over my shoulder, and then I notice Troy's approaching, followed by Shadow. She grew attached to him too. And sometimes she follows him around if she can't follow me.

"You're always waddling around with your horse, this time do it for a good reason is all I'm saying"

"Have you told them you used to be a rider of you're going to fool them too?" Troy intervenes. He looks relaxed, normal. And I feel relieved, because I was actually kind of afraid to find out his mood.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" he simply smirks. I love that smirk, I can admit it to myself at least.

"Suck it up Troy, we all need this" Nick states, and I roll my eyes again.

"I swear to God Nick, if I get the bloody pizza, we'll all eat in your sleep" he shows me the tongue then he spots someone he knows and he goes to say hi. Thankfully. Troy puts his hands in the pocket of trousers and he leans on a pole.

"For the record, the whole idea was on Nick" he clarifies after a couple minutes.

"Never doubted it for a second. It's kind of hard to imagine you drooling over a pizza"

"You'd be surprised" and he smirks again. But it's true, he's surprised me with a lot of things, so perhaps he's a pizza lover and I've never known.

"Touché"

"I'll go get another horseshoe" as I am brushing Whisper, I feel steps behind me, but I don't turn around thinking it's Troy, he didn't have much distance to cover.

"The horseshoe won't really help" but the voice I hear is unknown. I turn around and I see a tall guy, light brown hair and brown eyes, with a tone that doesn't mean to be helpful, but more provocative. Or so it sounds to me.

"Let me decide about that" I simply reply.

"I am just trying to spare you an effort" he shrugs with a holier-than-thou attitude. I already don't like the guy. He's getting too 'friendly' already.

"Do I know you?"

"Iker" he says, but he doesn't stretch his hand or anything.

"Well, Iker. Thank you for the unwanted opinion, but I've done this for quite a while, thank you" I turn around again and fix Whisper's bridles.

"I meant changing it won't make a difference. You're kind of tiny, I'd focus on that" not he's not so deliberately insulting me. In a stupid amateur race, where's the sense?

"Got a problem, buddy?" Troy replies, coming from the background. But certainly I don't need him to come to the rescue.

"Easy, Troy. He's competing, it's a good thing really" but Iker does not budge at my allusion.

"Is that so" he replies, but with no hint of interest.

"Yeah, because a decent rider would know that being small actually helps the horse go faster" now he raises an eyebrow, he didn't see the insult coming maybe. Well, serves him right.