Wild Horses

I sat at my desk, bored out of my mind. It’s like any school I guess, only in smack dead in the middle of nowhere, nowhere being a barren little town in Tennessee.  Everything and everyone are all the same here. That’s why I like our little farm so much I guess, it’s an escape for me and ever since my mother died when I was four, I needed that. I looked out the window and there they were, a whole herd of wild horses. I don’t know how long I had held my gaze before Mrs. Smith slammed her ruler down on my desk, inches from my hand. I couldn’t help but to glare at her, though I at least tried to contain it. “Peggy, your day-dreamin’ better have somethin’ to do with your paper, and I don’t see any words in that notebook yet”, she lectured. There were so many things I wanted to say, so many comebacks I wanted to make, but all I said was “yes, ma’am”, and looked to my paper, anticipating the final bell. I had been at home for a couple hours that day, just getting done feeding our horses when a baseball landed at my foot. Sure enough, it was my best, and actually only friend Jeremy, whom had just returned from practice. “You done?”, he asked. “Yup”, I said, brushing my red hair out of my face. “What about that one?” he asked, pointing to a black horse in our outside holding pen. “She’s a wild one, daddy found her hurt and brought her back here, he wants to train her. Good luck feeding her though”, I said. Jeremy chuckled, “Try this”, he said, opening his bag to retrieve an apple.  He handed it to me but I hesitated. “Come on you two really aren’t that different”, he said. “You’ve gone out of your mind boy!”, “Think about it Pegs, you’re just as headstrong, you just don’t embrace it”. “No, I’m a coward, you’ve known me since we were kids, you know better than that.”, I replied. “You’re hesitant”, he said, “But that’s all about to change”, he grinned, holding up the key to the holding pen. “Your dad gave me permission to take her out”. “Now I know you’ve lost it”, I joked. He just smiled and unlocked the gate. He stepped in and  stretched his hand out to me. This was my chance to be less hesitant. I took his hand and  he stood behind me as I offered the apple to the beautiful beast before me. To my surprise she took it. It wasn’t long before Jeremy hopped up onto her bareback, again outstretching his hand to me. What possessed me to take it? I have no idea, but I believe it is fate to this day. There we were riding bareback, the best moment of my life. I felt free, brave, and for alive for the first time in a long time. We tied the hose to a nearby tree and sat on a small hill just in time to watch the sunset. I looked over to Jeremy knowing where this was going, and kicking myself for falling for it, but at the same time, anticipating it. Jeremy and I have had a crush on each other ever since we met and I wanted us to be more, but I couldn’t stand to lose his friendship. I sat beside him on the hill, finding myself curled up next to him with his jacket around me, this was all happening so fast, but in that moment, I didn’t care, as his piercing blue eyes gazed back into my brown ones. “Now do you see it?”, he asked. I nodded, bringing my hands up to his face and kissing him. Sure enough he kissed me back. “We can get outta this small town by the end of the summer, we’ll go to New York just like you’ve always dreamed”. “What’s you’re dream?” I asked. He kissed me again, giving me his reply. I finished that paper, in fact, I’m an published writer, living in New York and yes, married to Jeremy, the man who set me free.