daydream... or nightmare. [open]

[jenn;;]

being only nineteen, you're expected to be someone who you may not be. teenagers were supposed to be stuck up, snotty, jerks, and self-centered. for some teenagers, this was true. jenn was different. of course sometimes she might be like that, it wasn't what she was known for. instead of spending the night at a friend's house, she'd rather spend the night in the stall next to her horse. there was nothing that sounded better than that. she found adults who expected her to be like all the other kids to be judgemental. i mean, at least give her a chance right? luckily for jenn, the judgements of adults hadn't come to her for a while.

she walked into the coffeehouse. once again, as usual, there was no other customers in here. the town was so small and jenn didn't have many friends that lived here. they all lived in colorado still. she had moved right after she graduated. some parts of the move were exciting, but other's not so much. jenn had loved horses all her life and she couldn't picture herself without them or not being around them. she had taught herself how to ride in the mountains of colorado though. but she was called here. it was what she had to do. this time, she couldn't ignore reality.

she ordered her usual. a nonfat, upsidedown caramel machiatto. iced of course. on a hot day like this, she had to delight herself in the tallest cup they had. while she waited for the employee to make her drink, she observed the front counter. the rascal flatts new cd was for sale. she had always loved rascal flatts. they were her favorite band. her friend had already made her the cd. she had listened to it the whole drive down here. she probably had every single lyric of every song memorized by now.

she grabbed her drink when it was ready and walked back outside onto the patio. she put her sunglasses back over her eyes and sipped at her drink. the barn could be seen from here. she wondered when there would be the right horse for sale there. being a caretaker at the rescue center was hard work and jenn had wished she could just take all of them home. she had been looking at brownie and taken care of him since he had arrived. the poor horse had been through so much. once she had gained enough money, she would definitely adopt him. no questions asked.

[/size]

[jason]

"Oh, for the love of..."
Jason stifled the curse in his mouth, glaring into the rearview mirror of the little truck. He loved trucks- but this one had been through hell and back. It needed to be retired.
He pulled off the road, stopping in front of a business and killing the engine quickly, and the gravelly radio's song of Sweet Home Alabama. Another glance in the mirror indicated his haul had spilled onto the asphalt, making a few cars pull a few feet away from the median to avoid running over the sacks of ruined grain.

Jason slammed the door behind him, avoiding another curse as he went around to the back of the truck. The damned tailgate had completely fallen flat- no surprise, as it was rusted through- and dumped a couple good sized bags onto the road and the little pull off he had stopped at as well.
The young man sighed heavily, irritated with himself for offering to do the job.

There he had been, applying for an instructor position at the ranch down the road. Next thing he knew, a whiny stablehand was arguing with his boss about returning bad grain that had gotten raindamaged on the way to the farm. Thinking he'd score some extra points for his interview, Jason had stupidly chimed in, offering to take the grain himself. As he had lied, it was 'on his way anyway.'

Jason drove a hand through his short, dark hair. Way to go, man.
He toyed with the back of the tailgate for a moment, assuring himself there was no way it would go back up. It squealed pitifully, and he quickly ceasedthe movement. It was the stablehand's truck he was using, already loaded with the faulty grain. He would be sure to recommend some WD-40, and that was just for starters.
He shoved the rest of the grain back, and hooked some rope used for holding down hay to the bags, to make sure he wouldn't lose anymore. As for the bag on the road, it was long gone, already smashed by traffic.
He bent down and lifted another large bag into the bed, and tied it down securely, glaring at the truck bed, before finally looking around him.

He had parked in front of a coffee house. Creekside Coffeehouse, specifically. Not only that, but there was a girl in front of it, sitting with her drink on the patio.
Jason felt a hot rush of embarassment on the back of his neck...she had probably seen the whole thing. Well duh she had- it wasn't like they were far apart enough there was any doubt.
Jason clenched his jaw, wanting nothing more than to be out of the stupid situation quickly.
Bending again he hoisted the last bag into the bed of the truck, but found there was no more rope to tie it down with.

With his luck today, it would launch from the bed and smash into some poor driver's windsheild, and he'd get sued to high heaven. He exhaled, knowing there was no other way, and finally turned to the girl trying to keep the embarassment out of his expression.
"Hey, uhm, you dont know where I could get any rope or anything around here do you?"
It was a strange question, yes, but this was his awkward circumstance. She probably wouldn't know- girls as pretty as she tended to know little about rope and more about shoes- not that he was judging her, but it was a typicality.
Jason made a mental note to act irrational and explosive if after all this they still denied him the job.

[jenn;;]

she hadn't taken that many sips of her drink before a collision was heard very nearby. he feet that were resting on the chair across from her were quickly lifted and placed on the ground and she rested the hand that held the drink onto the table. she sat straighter and tried to see what exactly was going on. she noticed a large pile of grain in the middle of the road. funny, she had driven on that road to get here and she never had seen a bag of spilt grain. he eyebrows rose and she noticed the old rusted truck on the side of the road. it looked messy.

she continued to watch, wondering if she should go and offer to help the poor guy. she couldn't get that good of a glance at him. but from what she could tell, he was a little over-whelmed. totally expected from someone who probably spent money in buying grain and seeing it plastered onto the ground by traffic and an old rusted car. it wasn't until he crossed the road and walked over to her when she felt a little pressured. she wasn't the one to talk to boys.

what he asked for rope she didn't know what to say. there was a tack shop opening around the corner but it had no supplies yet and was even still under construction. until then, everyone would have to deal with what they've already got. she smiled and noticed his embarrased expression, but she wanted to help him all she could. i mean, he was cute. not that jenn cared about that. ever since her first relationship she hadn't tried getting to know any other boys. they're were all drama freaks. more so than girls were to tell the honest truth.

o well, actually...

[/b] she pointed behind her, flipping her hair as she did. she turned back around facing him, still pointing in the other direction. there's a tack shop opening down the corner but, i doubt they have any supplies in stock yet.[/b] she stood up, leaving the drink on the table, half full. but, the rescue center is about a mile down the road from here. i work there maybe i could get some rope there if you're truly desperate.[/b] she smiled at him. she couldn't just blow him off, she could tell he was stressed. she wanted to help him best she could. she had nothing better to do anyways.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[jason]

Jason felt a moment of unease slip between the two of them- after all, he was a stranger. He didn't blame the girl for any tension, in this day and age it was probably a good thing if she was that way.

He was feeling like perhaps he shouldn't have even said anything when she finally replied, gesturing in a direction he assumed the tack shop lied in. He glanced behind her briefly, feeling the little prick of disappointment at the shops uselessness. She was most likely right, which so far meant he was out of luck.
Then she stood up, and heaven threw him a little bit of a break. A rescue center, huh?

Jason smiled, "Actually I am.. if you'd help me like that I'd owe you for life!" He slipped his hands casually into his pockets, feeling like he might have been a little overly friendly. He had a tendency to do that.
"I'm Jason, on that note." His introduction was accompanied by a half grin.

The boy glanced over his shoulder for a moment, making sure the truck he was driving and its cargo was safe. He grimaced unintentionally at it. He would have rather ridden Dallas for miles than a POS like that thing. Well, he didn't have a choice at this point.

As he looked back to the girl, he wondered if she'd let him pay her for the rope, if they were able to get some. He decided he'd try anyway- she really was bending over backwards for a stranger. It was a completely goodhearted gesture.
"I'm really sorry to ruin your coffee break here." He added after a moment, feeling a true pang of guilt.

Well. If he ever came across her again and she needed his help- he'd be a downright prince charming. Not that he wouldn't usually- she was sweet and cute to boot.
Jason shifted his weight, eager to get back to the ranch, and out of the poor girl's hair.

((sorry for the short post- super distracted :/ ))

[jenn;;]

jenn grabbed her cup of coffee right after the man had answered a yes to her question. she had absolutely nothing better to do on this lovely day. the rescue center was pretty slow these days and there was another caretaker that needed the hours. she was fine with it. but it wouldn't hurt to stop by anyways. she was sure she could get some rope from the tack room or something. she grabbed her black purse from the chair she was sitting in and put it over her shoulder. she looked up at him and smiled. afterall, she was only 5 foot 2 inches. somtimes she seemed like a dwarf compared to other people, especially boys. but it was better than being 6 foot 2 in her opinion.

she gestured towards her car and unlocked it with her key. as she opened the door she spun her torso to face the man who called himself Jason. she always loved names like that. better than troy or alfred. it was young and spunky. i'm jenn by the way.

[/b] she said with a smile. she usually introduced herself as jennifer but in her desperate need for a friend he had no time to take the long route towards a friendship. she opened the door but waited to sit inside before the conversation even ended. did you wanna tag along or do you need to watch your truck? it's literally a minute away from here.[/b]

what was she doing? she was never like this around guys but for some reason, she had been in an awesome mood since she woke up this morning. but, really only if you want to.[/b] she said, trying to catch herself in her previous mistake of inviting him. if he wanted to come it'd be fine with her but he also most likely had to stay and watch the truck. totally understandable. she continued to stand there until he would reply. she gave him a sweet smile and took a quick sip of her macchiatto.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[jason]

Jason continued to glance over his shoulder at the truck. It looked fine now, and he wondered if there was a way he could get it about half an hour across town without rope...but the opportunity here was too good to pass up, and if he had the same situation a mile down the road without the possibility of help that was here before him, he'd give himself a good hard kick.

He watched awkwardly as the girl grabbed her purse and her carkeys. He hadn't exactly counted on the fact that it would be a good idea to commute together, yet another sort of awkward spin. Oh well. Make the best of it, kid.
Jason smiled as she replied with her own introduction. Jenn..she looked like a Jenn. It fit her, and he liked that.

As she advanced to her car and opened it, there was a pause where it seemed their next action was to be determined. Ride with her or wait?
As much as he was unsure of how a ride with a stranger would go, he wasn't about to let her perform a complete favor for him while his lazy butt stayed behind. How much ruder could he be today?
"Yeah, I'll tag along. If you don't mind that is..." He grinned sheepishly, forgetting the crappy truck back on the side of the road for the time being. No one would want to jack that thing. It hardly looked like it could even run.

Jason pulled the handle on her car and eased himself into the seat, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable. He was pretty sure he had dirt on his boots, and who knew what else- did he smell horses? The car definitely smelled like horses...
Looking over to Jenn inquisitively, he asked "Do you ride?" He had assumed the rescue center she had mentioned was for small animals, but maybe he was completely wrong..
His unease disappeared at the thought of a fellow equestrian. Maybe they had something in common afterall...

[jenn;;]

jenn eyed the truck before climbing into the car. he must've been very comfortable leaving it on the side of the road like that. but this town was pretty small anyways. no one would want that thing. when justin agreed to tag along she swallowed hard and slowly raised her eyebrows. she had never ridden in a car with a boy before. never. this would be awkward. she could feel it almost instantly when he sat in her car. but she had to hide what she wasn't sure of. she slid into her seat and started the car. she backed out of the space and began the short drive to the rescue center, hoping, and waiting for him to say something.

she turned her radio down once justin began to say something. she knew he spent his time around horses, otherwise he wouldn't be carrying grain in the back of his truck. but she would let him make the first move. she was fine talking to him at first. but now it was a little more awkward. she had to get over it. she looked at him for a second then turned back to the road to reply. well i don't think i'd be living in this town if i didn't ride. she said with a slight giggle towards the end. usually people who move here are into competition, or just love horses. i'm the second option.

[/b] she replied to him. she slowed down when the car approached a red stoplight. she had always hit this light when it turned red. figures.

the rescue center was right around the corner. she was thankful it wasn't far away. nothing in this town was far away though. so i'm assuming you just moved here or something right? i haven't seen you around before.[/b] she said. not that she wanted to get off the subject of horses but she was never the one to continue on one conversation. jenn would rather just move on. meanwhile the car pulled into the rescue center parking lot and she put the car in park and took out the key, still waiting for justin to reply. she was happy that she had finally made a friend, if she could even call him that quite yet. but she hoped they'd be good friends eventually.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[jason]

Jenn's radio began to crackle with music until she turned it down. The scenery moved past their windows with accelerating speed, rich greenery of the lanscape.
Jason had glanced at it briefly, but his full attention was back on Jenn, listening for her history with horses.
He felt a little foolish, realizing that it was true that most of the town's inhabitants did revolve around the equestrian sport. But he had so rarely just ran into people that were used to it, the sensation was still a new one to him.

He grinned after she spoke, mentioning the fact that she just loved horses. He was more of the C- All of the above type.
"Very cool."

Jason glanced around the buildings, memorizing the names of them for future reference. He would have to get comfortable with the layout, and quickly.
She tossed him a quick question, and he rerouted his attention with a shrug. "Yup. Last week actually, this is the first time I'm kind of getting out." He paused, feeling a little more push to elaborate. "I'm trying to get a job at the big ranch here, hence the grain and stuff."
He gave a quick laugh thinking of it again before his voice quieted and they pulled into the rescue lot.

He eyed the facade of the building for a moment before getting out of the car and glancing to Jenn.
"By the way..thanks for doing this. Like seriously, its really nice of you."
Jason smiled to her, hoping she knew it was a sincere emotion.

[jenn;;]

jenn remembered when she had first moved to the town. back then she was still obsessed with her boyfriend, who was now complete history. after they broke up she remembered running to the barn where she had met a few of the horses and got to look around the barn for a while. all her worries disappeared. she had forgotten since she had had that boyfriend, of how in love she was with horses. when she had a boyfriend her love went to him rather than with the horses. when he was gone, there was even a bigger love for horses. so much bigger that she wanted to help them, and decided to work here, at the rescue center. but that was all in the past. jenn now had nothing to worry about anymore.

she closed the door behind her and nodded as he answered her question. so he wanted to work at the ranch! that interested jenn more than anything. but before she could reply jason thanked her. jenn giggled. really, it's no problem. i was pretty bored today anyways.

[/b] she grinned a little and opened the back door that went into the stabled area. you can just follow me this way. she said. as she walked down the stall area she noticed brownie. he wasn't usually in a stall but maybe it was his turn to be inside tonight. she couldn't help but stop and say hello. she rubbed his soft black and white nose. ello boy. how are you today?! she said in a higher pitched voice than she talked to jason with. she horse raised his nose harshly and then looked towards jason.

this is my boy brownie![/i] jenn said happily to jason and patted the gelding's black and white neck. dust flew off. jenn grinned a little. she had just bathed him about a week ago. how could he be this dirty this fast?! she threw the thought away and stared at the gelding, who still had his ears perked towards jason. a few moments passed till jenn awoke from her sudden daydream. rope![/b] she reminded herself and turned around, heading up the barn again. she went to the hay room and searched a few shelves here and there until she finally came across some old, dusty rope. she brought it back out to jason and handed it to him. hopefully it doesn't break from dust overflow.[/b] she giggled at her own joke and stood by brownie again.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[jason]

Jason grinned at Jenn's brushing off of her niceness. He found in life that most really genuinely great people didn't even know they were being so awesome. Sort of a bit of irony.
He followed her through the door and instantly was hit with his favorite smell-horses. He loved the rich, earthy scent of the animals and everything that went with them. Some people hated it, and he just couldn't understand.

He looked over everything around them, trying to get a feel for the place. It was nice...it gave off the vibe of safety and care. He liked it a lot, and it fit that someone like Jenn would work here.

She stopped at a horse and he smiled at the handsome gelding who looked squarely at him. The look was unmistakeable. 'What are you doing with my girl?' Jason stifled a laugh, answering to the introduction."He's a handsome boy for sure. Hey, Brownie."

As Jenn disappeared, he placed a hand on the side of the horse's face. At first, Brownie didn't look to sure about this new boy touching him. But after a moment or so, he began to relax slighty. Jason imagined a rocky past would have the horse being that jumpy,and then some. He seemed to really like Jenn though, watching her untli she returned with the rope and handed it to Jason.

Taking it, he laughed,"Yeah...that'd do us no good. So how often do you work here?" It was an amazing place. He wondered if they couldn't do a fundraiser for it or something. How cool woould that be?

[jenn;;]

jenn watched jason take the rope and once again was caught in a space. she didn't usually space out this often. but whatever it was, jenn began to enjoy them. she kissed brownie on the nose quickly and he backed back into the stall and took a few sips of the water which began to flush in some clean water. she smiled at her horse. she had planned to adopt him sometime this week. jenn couldn't wait to get up on his back again. she began to walk back out the way she came. was always not that fun going to work on your day off. not that jenn didn't like being around the horses, no no. but there were those times when all you want to do is be lazy sometimes. happens to the best of us.

she waited for jason to exit the barn and she closed the small door they had gone in and out of. grabbing her keys from her front pocket she clicked the button and the car unlocked. as much as i can.

[/b] she said in response to jason's question. the population in this town really isn't he greatest so they need more workers here. but, i love the place, and the horses, so it doesn't bother me.[/b] she giggled a little and opened her door to the driver's seat. she climbed in and started the car. as she waited for jason to get in she continued the answer to his question. and, i see miracles here all the time. a few of the lesson horses at the ranch are actually rescue horses. i can point them out to you sometime.[/b] she said, and blushed a little. she didn't want to initiate anything with him. not yet.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

ooc>sorry so short. i'll do better next time[/blockquote][/size]

[jason]

Jason followed Jenn out, glancing at the horses as they passed them. He found it cruel the way people treated animals like furniture, dropping them off when they became too inconvenient for them to entertain anymore. He would never dream of doing anything of the like with Dallas, or any animal he had posessed. He wondered how many sad things Jenn had seen while working there.

"Well the animals seem to like you a lot...id say you're doing a great job." He grinned, following her then to her car. She unlocked it and the two of them cimbed back into it, Jason stowing the winds of rope down by his feet while they drove to keep the dust off Jenn's interior.

He grinned at her offer, even though it was a small one. Not only would he be interested in seeing the horses again, (he felt Dallas honestly needed a companion), but he wouldn't mind spending time with her again. She was truly a sweet girl."That'd be really awesome, actually. Im going to have to take you up on that."

For some reason he thought of the last time he had a girlfriend, but then changed his thoughts. That wasn't the route he ought to be going after just meeting her. She would be a cool friend to have- for now anyway.


((Dont worry bout yours, mine sucks more XP lol))

[jenn;;]

jenn started the engine and reversed out of her parking spot. she turned back the way they came and looked over, smiling at jason and how he had seemed excited to be able to spend the time getting to know the lessons horses. jenn was the person to ask after all, and since he was going to be a lesson instructor it was always good to know each of the horses so that he can match each one up with a inexperienced, or experienced rider. she could see the coffeehouse now but for some reason wanted to turn back. she didn't want to go already. jason was her first and only friend since she had gotten here so far. although she knew she would be meeting more people, she didn't want him to go yet.

she sighed a little and glanced over at jason in the passenger seat. jenn quickly looked back onto the road, better to pay attention to that then to a cute boy that just happened to be sitting in the passenger seat of the car. she smiled so do you own any horses? she asked, trying to make a conversation that they could each relate to. it wouldn't be a surprise if he did own a horse, after all he was going to be a lesson instructor, so jenn knew he had experience under his belt. but he definitely looked like the western type. most guys were. it wasn't every day when you see a boy riding english.

it was then when she thought about rocky. her first horse, although it wasn't her horse. but he had taught her how to ride and she was the one always feeding and taking care of that gelding. he was a black paint with a few white patches here and there. rocky was also on the short side, standing only about 14.3 hands. but jenn was short anyways, her five foot two inches was hard to handle sometimes, especially when it came to those impressively tall horses that were bred to jump or do cross country. they weren't necessarily the horses for her. she hadn't owned a horse since she was twelve and it was only for about a year until she died. tulip was a mare that jenn would never forget. the mare was crazy and bucked and kicked and everything, until that terrible accident a year later. jenn tried to forget.

[/size]

[jason]

Her car rolled along the road away from the adoption center back to the coffee house. The rope would certainly work well enough to bind the grain until he got it back to the shipping place or wherever they had sent him with it.
He was sort of sad though that he wouldn't get to hang out with Jenn anymore...
As she asked him about owning any horses, he grinned ear to ear. He loved talking about his boy.
"Just one. He goes by Dallas...he's a painted quarter horse. Sweetest guy you'll ever meet, with a mind of his own sometimes."
Though his horse could be a pain in the rear, he was a lovable goof and Jason loved him like his own brother.

"We compete in western events. He's a pretty reliable guy." He smiled, half because it sounded like he was talking about a person. He often referred to Dallas like that without noticing.

As they pulled nearer to the coffee house, he went out on a limb, wanting to get to know Jenn some more."Hey... do you have any plans tonight? I was thinking since I'm so new maybe we could hang out..you could show me around..something like that?"
He hoped she'd say yes, at this point he didn't really know anyone else, plus she was really great. He quieted, waiting for her response.

((lol my muse is an evasive little butthead. :/ ))

[jenn;;]

so had assumed correctly. he was a western rider. it didn't bother her much but now they wouldn't be able to compare they're riding skills anymore. he probably wouldn't know what a diagnol was or how to jump at all. but jenn was definitely still interested in how he rode and was definitely wanting to meet the fine horse he had talked about. dallas, a perfect name for a western horse for sure. she didn't have a horse yet. brownie was going to be hers but she was going to wait. so riding around town probably wouldn't happen. they would either have to walk or drive in the car again. and it would probably have to be her car, considering his truck was literally falling apart.

when she pulled into the coffeehouse she parked in the same spot she had when she came here the first time. it was then when jason asked her to show him around. she grinned. it was just an excuse for a date. sure she liked the guy but she wasn't into the dating thing just yet. she was still getting over her previous relationship and had come to shady lane to focus on horses and helping them. basically she came so she didn't have to deal with any relationships. especially right now. but jason was cute, and the way he asked, she couldn't back down from his question. she enjoyed showing people around town because she knew nearly everything there was to know about shady lane.

she continued to sit in the car even though it was stopped and in park. she was planning on going home now, take a nap or read a book or something. she was done with the coffeehouse and it was her day off. so she wanted to just take it easy for the rest of the day. she watched jason with a smile. yea i can show you around town. no problem. she said, having a tone in her voice that she didn't want to have a date. she wanted to just be friends for now. nothing more than that. she waited for him to get out of the car and placed her hands on her lap. we can meet here! at the coffeehouse. it's a good place to start out.

[/i] she said, waiting for him to tell her when and what time and all those little details.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]