Missed Me, Missed Me, Now You Gotta Kiss Me

It's On Like Donkey Kong, Bitch

  Lulu and I separated ourselves from lunch the next day. She wanted to ask me in private if her brother had behaved himself-that and she was so, so, so sorry forever that she had to let him drive me home.

  I shrugged, swirling around the mashed potatoes on my plate. Meatloaf today. This, for the mostly vegetarian, was not good. I worked around it, though-see; mashed potatoes! "He didn't put his hands on me, if that's what you mean."

  Lulu cringed. "But....?"

  I sighed, ready to give up on the too salty soupy potatoes. "He is determined we should go out."

  "Oh, God!" she muttered, thoroughly embarrassed. "My brother is such a creep!"

  To this, I just laughed inwardly at the sheer irony. "On the other hand, well....." I held up my still bandaged hand. I had left the wrappings on, not wanting to go down to the barn to change the wrapping nor did I really want to take them off.

  Lulu gasped. "Dude, is it broken?"

  I shook my head, laughing slightly. "Nah. Just rope burn. My new colt got scared when my friend called on my cell when I was lunging him." Wait. My colt?

  "Aw! Well, I mean, not 'aw' that you got hurt-are you okay?-but 'aw' that you gotta new colt! Is he cute?"

  I nodded, ignoring the first part of her question. "Yeah. He's eight months old. Blue Rhone. Liam bought him at Pete's Saturday."

  Lulu gave me this 'ooh-how-scandalous' look. "Liam bought you a horse?"

  "No! He's training him so he can sell him." Why did my stomach feel sick at the thought of never seeing Terry again? "I'm just kinda helping."

  "So he's not your colt."

  I shook my head sadly. "Not technically."

  "What'd you name him?"

  "Mystery. Terry for short."

  Lulu blinked. "I thought you said it's a colt? You do know a colt is a baby boy, right?"

  I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I know that."

  "Okay, just checking."

  I hadn't really meant to even mention it-I was strong in the force of denial-but in the little bit of silence that passed, I opened a big can of worms. "Liam almost kissed me last night."

  Immediately, Lulu dramatically spit her drink out in front of her. See? Can o' worms. "When?! Dude, tell me everything!"

  "Well," I picked at my potatoes with my fork once again. "Nothing really happened. I got the rope burn, he patched it up an then.....Shit."

  "What?" Lulu looked around wildly. "What?"

  "Tanya," I muttered fatefully. And she was making her why right over toward us.

  "Oh, hi, Pied Piper," she sneered. Seriously? Did this joke of a southerner really expect me to be insulted by that? Her presence, now, was a different story. "How's everything at the farm? More specifically, how's Liam? I mean, Saturday he said he bought a new colt."

  I tried not to scowl. Why was there that little twinge of jealousy in me? No, not jealous. Disgust. What would posses Liam to date this southern belle ho? "Fine."

  "Mmm hmm," Tanya snorted. "Well, it's to know you don't know. I mean, that'd kinda make me jealous. You know, you hanging around my boyfriend an all."

  I rolled my eyes, my hands clenching to fists. "That's great, Tanya. I hope you an the colt are very happy together."

  Lulu laughed hysterically-even Tanya's friends looked as if they were hiding a smile.