Horseplay
Chapter 11 : Fractures

  Neil had dim memories of Ruth snuggling with him then heading out
for a shower. Waking up with someone was something he'd quickly
adjusted to and now it was hard to roll over and find only his cool
sheets. Speaking of sheets, Neil noted his were in dire need of
laundry and stripped his bed before heading off to the showers. He
was late this morning and had to wait for a spot in the showers with
all the other late sleepers. So he put his basket in the "dibs" line
and sat outside with the other slackers, stretching out on the
concrete and watching the camp.
	The day was starting out warm and a light haze hung between the
pine trees down the hill. Neil spent a few moments gathering his
thoughts and came to several solid conclusions. First, he needed to
confront Mae. He hoped to rebuild a relationship with her, but she'd
have to admit to loving him or it wouldn't work. He also needed to
talk to Ruth and make sure he hadn't made as much a fool of himself
the previous night as he thought. That might be touchy, but he didn't
want another complication in his ever shifting love life. As for Leah,
he'd made two choices. First, he'd call her "poppet" although he
couldn't remember who he'd known with that nickname. Second, he had
to reinforce his resistance to her. She was plotting something, and
it was likely to be very, very hard to resist. His last order of
business was Derrick, a thorn that he'd managed to avoid, but one
that was still a thorn. He wouldn't pass him along just because his
other teachers had, nor would he score him low just for being an ass.
Although that was almost as tempting as Leah. Damn her.
	By the time he'd managed a shower and change of clothes
breakfast was nearly over so Neil grabbed a handful of grapes and
hurried down the hill to the commons. His first class was actually a
minor skills test, so he'd simply be escorting the class over to the
arena for one of the top counselors to grade them. He had high hopes
for a few students, no so high hopes for others. A few would improve,
and that's what Mom would nice on her report.
	The class arrived for Cynthia's evaluation and started to line
up for basic western ride testing. Neil sat in the back and tried to
stave off boredom and Leah's smoldering glances. He mentally graded
the students to pass the time and carefully avoided paying Leah any
attention. During the tests, though, he noticed Derrick chatting with
some of the girls.
	"That nigger bitch is going to grade me like shit, I just know
it" he was saying. "She's had it out for me since last year, you
watch".
	Neil's anger rose, but he couldn't do much from where he was
without making a scene. He intended to move down the rows and
confront the little bastard, but wasn't sure how to proceed. Instead
he tried to get below the grandstand and work over to try and catch
him.
	"I'm going to see if I can't get the big stallion, then maybe
lose a little control... freak her black ass out a little"
	The girls giggled, all except one. Neil saw her avoiding the
conversation and noted her name, Jamie. If it came down to it, maybe
she'd be willing to talk. At the moment, however, he had a better
idea. He made his way casually out onto the field and walked up to
Cynthia, who was shouting commands at Gwen.
	"Hey Neil.. you're not supposed to be..."
	"I know, just listen. The boy on the far left"
	"Derrick." she said with a note of scorn.
	"He's got something in his dickish little head" he said. Neil
acted like he was watching Gwen and waited for Cynthia to order the
next step for a grade. "He's going to want the black geld" Neil noted
that Derrick had called the horse a stallion and almost laughed. "He
wants to... scare you, pretend to lose control."
	"Of Homer?" Cynthia said with a laugh. "Homer's a sweetheart."
She watched Gwen, then glanced around at the other horses. "Now
Mackko... she's quite jittery. Perhaps he should ride her."
	Neil glanced over, "Cynthia?"
	She shook her head and pursed her lips, whistling to Gwen to
stop. "No, I'll let him take Homer. Lets see him lose anything on him
and I'll bust his ass out of this school. He was a bastard last year
and he hasn't changed much, I'd bet."
	"You'd win. Be careful"
	In the end, Derrick rode Homer by choice, learning that a
horse's size has very little to do with temperament. Homer was
responsive, easy going and did everything Derrick asked, which was
nothing like Cynthia wanted for his grade. Derrick returned sullen,
angry and full of spite.
	Before lunch Neil helped Cynthia put Homer away, only to find
himself cornered in a stall with Leah.
	"Neil, we need to talk"
	"Look, poppet, we can't"
	"Poppet?"
	"Oh, uh, pet name. Yes?"
	Leah shrugged with some confusion and tried to get back on
track. "You and your rules SUCK." she whined. "I can't stop thinking
about you, I'm turning into a stalker. Do you understand? A stalker.
I want you with me and I don't care about the RULES"
	Neil tried to sidestep her, but even Homer seemed to be working
against him. The big black refused to budge. "Leah... poppet... we can
not do anything. You get it? NOTHING"
	Leah grinned and moved a step closer. "But I want you! I want
to kiss you and hug you and do... things to you."
	Neil flinched, his mind was suddenly fighting off a slideshow
of "things" that the monster was gleefully putting on. The bastard
was using animations and sound effects!
	"And I want you to be the ONE" she pleaded.
	The monster paused, then closed up his slideshow and took a
seat. "The one... the ONE?!?" Neil gasped.
	Leah swayed seductively, "I've been waiting forever for a man
who loved me to take me and make me... a woman"
	The monster was eating popcorn with his conscious. "YOU...
you... WAIT, are you serious!?!" Neil stammered.
	Leah sighed. "Of course!.... OK, not really. But did it help? I
mean does that really make it more exciting for a guy? To take a
girl's cherry?"
	Neil was so shocked and confused that he hadn't followed her
movements, Leah was now inches from him.
	"OK, how about this. Your little poppet wants it so bad, baby.
Do me!" she pleaded in a baby girl voice.
	Neil finally broke down and laughed. "No... that doesn't do it
either. I thought you weren't going to have sex with me just for
patting your fanny?"
	Leah grinned and shrugged. "I'm not saying I'm going to have
sex with you. I'm not some camp slut... although I could be talked
into... well... things"
	THAT woke the monster back up, and it was back at the projector
on the slide marked "Things I could do to Leah". Neil tried, but he
could not figure out how the monster fit so many things on a single
slide. There were things on there that would make a porn star blush.
Neil tried to take a step back, but he'd run out of stall space.
"Look, Leah... we simply can't, OK, we.."
	Her kiss took the wind out of him and his mind floated
somewhere else. She was so innocent one minute, so much tongue and
hand the next. He swam in a world that involved her lips, her tongue
and her hand on his chest, then stomach, then the alarm bell woke up
and he was around her in a football step that would have won him
three superbowls and a trip to the hall of fame. "No. No. YES... OK"
and with the last bit of common sense left in his blood-stared brain,
Neil fled.
=======================
	At lunch Mae actually came up to him. "I want to speak to you
Neil." she said as if she was going to discuss the finer points of
bridles. Neil nodded in surprise. "Tonight... I'll come by" she said
quickly before walking off.
	He still had a lot of Leah going on in the back of his brain,
although the monster took a moment from having some kind of oral sex
with three different Leah's and a Ruth to look up with hunger. That
bastard.
	Ruth was sitting across from him, her face a little sour. Neil
started to speak, but she interrupted. "Neil... I don't love you"
	"OK... uh" Neil started, trying to field this pitch.
	"And I don't want you falling for me.." she continued.
	Neil stopped and watched as at least one problem solved itself.
He laughed and Ruth gave him an evil look. "Sorry, I've been trying to
solve several problems, and you just solved...well, you. I was a bit
clingy last night, and that wasn't fair"
	Ruth smiled and reached over to take his hand. "I could fall
for you Neil, probably pretty easy... but I don't need that and I
think you don't either."
	Neil smiled and squeezed back. "You are a fantastic fuck, Ruth"
he said in a serious tone.
	Dave sat before she could respond, but she winked at him and he
got the message. Dave earned a quick kiss and Ruth was gone. "Jesus
dude, that was crazy last night" he said, diving into his sausage and
pasta.
	"That it was."
	"Got to do THAT again"
	Neil nodded and saw Harriet walking from the quad toward the
dorms. He ate the last of his lunch, waved to Dave and took off to
meet her.
	"How was town?"
	Harriet nodded "Good. Got some... stuff"
	"Stuff?"
	"Nothing you'd care about... except the sex toys."
	Neil stopped. "The WHAT?"
	"Mostly for me, but a few might interest you. Unless you want
me to take you up the shitter."
	"uh... that's tempting"
	"I knew it would be. Ruth hinted that you did some naughty,
naughty things to her last night, but that it was your surprise to
ruin"
	Neil grinned stupidly. "Ah. You want the ... surprise?"
	"Maybe... what is it?"
	"You have to ride the surprise, you can't just be TOLD"
	"Will I enjoy it?"
	"Ruth did"
	Harriet gave him a look, then grinned. "I'm free right now."
	Neil grinned, then shook his head. "I'd need more time."
	"How about a quickie, then? I've gone without for SO long"
	Neil started to argue, but Harriet gave him a long look, then
stood and headed back towards the cabins, sauntering, wiggling. Neil
shoveled some food into his mouth, dropped off his tray and was at
his cabin door before Harriet was. "Perhaps... I have time to show
you a few of the finer points" he suggested.
	Harriet grinned, ducking past him and easing into his room.
"Such as?"
	"Lie down on the bed... naked... and I'll show you"
	Harriet's face when he clipped the first cuff was priceless.
She tried to sit up, but Neil was fast enough to get her other hand
into the cuff before she could resist. She rolled back, however, and
was kneeling on his pillow in a defensive posture before he could
even think about getting to the leg cuffs.
	"Uh... no. nonono." she said quickly.
	"What? I thought you wanted the 'ride'" Neil teased, pulling
out a leg cuff and swinging it around.
	"OK.. Neil, I'm serious. I don't do 'tied up'.. OK? Not my
thing. I'll do anything you want.. I'm serious.. but not that."
	Neil stopped swinging the cuff and tried to make sure Harriet
wasn't kidding. "OK. I guess we need a safeword then."
	"The safeword is unlatch me right now" Harriet said, trying to
work the cuffs off.
	Neil walked over and unclipped one, and Harriet had the other
one unclipped quickly. "That's not a very good safe word." Neil said,
trying to relax the mood.
	Harriet came and hugged him, which was pretty nice considering
her lack of clothing. "Sorry... I just.. uh, don't do confinement.
Call it claustrophobia or ..."
	Neil hushed her with a kiss. "No means no, right?"
	Harriet grinned.
	"Anything I want?"
	Harriet rolled her eyes, then nodded.
	Neil undressed quickly, then lay on the bed. "I suppose I could
be motivated.." he lolled backwards, posing dramatically. "After all,
I need to consider my opti..mmmmmmph". Neil's monologue was
interrupted by a warm mouth over his somewhat limp penis. Harriet
wasted no time inhaling it and building to a quick pace. "Ahh...
so... many... options." Neil quipped.
	Harriet increased her pressure, then began to work on his balls
with her tongue. Her hands took up the rhythm and she ran her tongue
all around the base of his shaft, the sucked in one testicle.
	"OK.. OK.. lets slow that..." Neil tried to argue. Harriet
refused, doubling her speed and lathering his dick with saliva before
taking him to the base. Neil started to struggle, feeling the early
warning signs, but Harriet stopped him.
	"We don't have a lot of time. I suck you off, you suck me off,
OK?"
	Neil nodded, then pulled back. "How about the other way
around?"
	Harriet answered by taking him into her mouth slowly, writhing
her tongue over his head and down his shaft as she sank into his lap.
Watching her move, Neil struggled against his familiar foe. The worst
of it was Harriet's clear enjoyment at his pleasure. She was totally
focused on making him come, enjoying every groan and moan and
exaggerating every action when he looked down to watch. With is rapt
attention, she turned to a hand job, accenting each stroke with her
tongue, sliding down ahead or behind her hands, slowly jacking him
off. It was unbelievable to watch and Neil was amazed at her skill.
Neil's early warning signs passed, then his middle alerts, then his
last chance alert, each an electric tingle down his spine. He could
feel the flashes through his mind that indicated an imminent release
and moaned in ecstasy. Harriet got the signal clearly, cupping his
sack with one hand and sucking him in long, powerful strokes with her
mouth and other hand. Neil thrashed his head and started to thrust,
overcoming Harriet's attempt to hold him still. She finally giggled
and gave up, working to meet his upward jerks with her own downward
movements.
	The final warning hit Neil and he fought to focus as flashes of
Harriet and Leah competed for attention in his mind. Harriet sensed
his orgasm and started to slam downward while forcing her tongue up
against the underside of his cock. Her hand massaged his testes and
stomach and Neil slammed upward, exploding into her mouth and
growling into his pillows. His mind filled with wind and light and he
squeezed his eyes closed until he saw stars.
	Afterwards, Harriet spent a few moments at the sink and grabbed
a soda out of her bag. "You need to eat more veggies or something" she
complained, making a face. Neil stuck his tongue out, which she took
as an invitation. Before he could move, she was up onto the bed,
pushing pillows out of the way and straddling his face.
	"Suck my pussy" she ordered, grinding downward.
	Neil wiggled into a better position and began to work. She was
right over his chin, so he started to wiggle it while sliding his
tongue back and forth. Harriet had to shift up and down, since he
couldn't move, but she seemed to find a good motion and was rocking
on the bed like riding a horse. Neil was fairly comfortable, letting
Harriet do the work.
	"Oh yeah... suck it.. lick my clit.. oh yeah" she muttered,
getting into a steady groove on him. Neil felt like a pony, but let
her go, simply enjoying the afterglow of his orgasm and finding a bit
of humor at Harriet's lust. Normally he finished last, so it was
interesting to watch how Harriet moved and reacted to different
speeds and movements. He had a fairly objective position, having no
interest in further sex for a bit, so he clinically analyzed her
lusty expressions, her bouncing and grinding and even her words. She
was getting dirtier and dirtier, getting off on her language.
	"Fuck my cunt with your tongue" was pretty extreme, even for
Harriet and he nearly laughed at that. She continued her movement,
breathing harder and faster as time ticked by. She leaned further and
further forward, getting less stimulation from his chin and more from
his tongue on her clit. Finally, she stopped rocking and Neil could
feel her leg muscles go tense. She didn't say anything, but he could
feel the spasms rocking her as he came. He flicked his now tired
tongue as fast as he could until she finally slid off suddenly,
throwing her leg over him and essentially dismounting.
	"Good?" He asked with a chuckle.
	Harriet was standing next to the bed, bent forward and panting.
"Yes..." she groaned, "but my legs were starting to cramp... and it
got a little intense there at the end"
	Neil smiled and rolled up and to his feet. "Well, my lady
friend. I have a ride this afternoon. But thank you for the ride at
lunch."
	Harriet grinned and swatted at him.
	Neil replaced the cuffs under his bed and washed his face.
Harriet moved up behind him and leaned against him, snaking her hands
around and holding him still. "No tying me up, OK?"
	Neil nodded, reaching back to pat her flank. "OK."
=======================
	Neil was distracted by Leah and Harriet performing acts in his
head during the start of the trail ride. They had reached the far
west side of the lake when he finally fell back through the riders
and checked their gear and stances. When he passed Derrick, he noted
the perfect tack without comment and moved on. At the back of the
line, though, something bothered him. He checked his clipboard and
noted that Derrick was riding Guido, which, from where he sat, was
the horse he was on. Riding forward, however, the horse just LOOKED
like Guido and Neil felt a twinge of anger. That anger turned to fear
when he mentally ran down the list of black gelds he knew. There were
only two, one with a faint white star and one with a dappled flank.
He rushed forward, praying to see a dappled flank so he could dip
into the pool of anger, but there was no dapple on the horse.
	"Derrick" he said very quietly. "Tell me that horse is Guido"
	"Its the horse I was given" Derrick said cryptically.
	"By me?"
	Derrick shrugged and shifted in his saddle. The horse was
content where it was, following the tight trail behind the horse in
front of it, but it was ignoring Derrick's commands entirely. Neil
realized that Derrick had been trying to move away from Neil so he
couldn't inspect the horse, instructions that his horse was not
interested in following.
	Neil looked ahead and tried to judge their position. They were
in the safety of the trail for a few more minutes, but it could be
salvaged so long as the Derrick's horse was in a tight group with no
open fields. Derrick was on Arnoss, and Arnoss liked to run. If they
reached the open field, if Arnoss sensed even a single horse was
trying to race him and that Derrick had no control, he would bolt. An
experienced rider could reign him in, pull the horse around and check
him... but Derrick was green, green and stupid, green and stupid and
cocksure, and that would get him hurt. Neil pulled ahead, carefully
watching Arnoss, trying to reach the line lead. It didn't take long
for him to realize he wasn't going to make it. An arch of sunlight
was within sight and the lead horse was already breaking the cover of
the woods. Neil gritted his teeth, then eased into the trail and used
his horse as a blockade, forcing the trail line to stop.
	"We have to turn around" he said simply.
	The riders grumbled, and the pack ahead was mostly unaware
they'd stopped, but Neil had no choice.
	"Hold here" Neil said to the front rider of the new pack, and
worked his way back. Halfway, he spotted Derrick, moving along the
other side of the line, urging Arnoss on.
	"Derrick, stop that horse!" he yelled.
	Derrick gave him a glare, and spurred Arnoss in the flanks
dramatically. "YA MULE!" he yelled, laughing.
	Arnoss ignored him, plodding happily along the outside of the
line of horses.
	Neil cast around desperately for a way through, but the horses
were packed and he would risk hurting someone. Finally he grabbed the
reigns of a horse in front of Derrick and pushed, forcing the horse
into Arnoss' path.
	Derrick flashed him a look of contempt. "I'll have you FIRED"
he growled, then turned Arnoss left, apparently trying to go around
the horse in his way. Instead, Arnoss pulled back, nearly running
into the line of horses. The big geld turned the other way and saw
the trees. Derrick growled something and kicked and Arnoss reared up,
spinning in place and landing facing the back of the line. Derrick
shouted, then spurred him again.
	This time, Arnoss reacted. The black geld started to jog back
down the path, inciting a yell of glee from Derrick and a howl of
anger from Neil. Neil pulled his horse to a trot, trying to catch up,
and realized instantly that it was a mistake. Arnoss turned his ears
back, catching the clop-clop of Neil's horse jogging and reacted in
the worst way, he lunged forward. Derrick whooped with glee, ducking
to avoid the low branches. Arnoss had to pick his path carefully,
avoiding the horses in the line until he reached a crossing path. The
big horse turned hard, circling completely around and stopping. Neil
tried to slow his horse, to keep Arnoss from running, but Arnoss
challenged his with a loud whinny, swishing his tail and stepping
backwards on the side trail. The horses around started to move off,
and Neil had nearly reached the path, pushing through the other
horses when Arnoss reared up again, whinnying and slamming down.
Derrick dropped the reigns in surprise and latched on to his saddle
horn in desperation, falling forward. Neil tried to reach out for
Arnoss' reigns, but it was too late. Arnoss spun quickly onto the new
trail and lept into a gallop.
	Neil reached the crossroad and stopped, listening to the
receding howls of Derrick. He spotted Leah in the back of the line
and yelled. "Get this group up to the lead group, then get everyone
back to the stable!".
	Leah nodded in shock, her eyes wide with fright.
	Neil spurred his horse, who jumped to run and was down the
trail in a flash. The horse was not a fast runner, but Neil had to
try. He grabbed his radio and keyed it, trying to see the channel
marker while leading his horse. Finally he abandoned the reigns,
trusting the Appaloosa to not kill itself on the run. He keyed in
channel 9 and flicked the switch, praying someone was nearby.
	"Emergency."
	"Trails! " he yelled, holding on as branches swept by faster
and faster. "I've got a kid on a runner, tearing down..." Neil drew
the map in his mind. They had stupid bird names and he couldn't
remember any in the panic. "Towards the north end of the lake... "
	"Bluebird trail or Cardinal?" the voice responded.
	Neil shook his head. "Right off of.. uh.. Blackbird. He's got
to be..." Neil pulled short as they broke out of the woods into a
clearing. A long crescent of grass and a small dock stood on the
north side of the lake, giving riders a nice spot to rest their
horses. "We're north of the lake, I can see the boathouse" Neil
yelled.
	"That's Cardinal, we're on our way" was the response.
	Far ahead, Neil could see Arnoss in a full open gallop at the
far end of the grass. His tail and mane flew in the wind and Derrick
was clutching his saddle for dear life. Arnoss burst through a small
inlet, throwing marshmallow plants and rushes up in the air, ran up a
small hill and out onto the gravel access road that ran along the
North and East sides of the lake.
	"Turn... TURN" Neil begged. If Arnoss took the access road, he
would have an open, straight run back to the stable which would
probably be his goal. If he continued along the trail it wound down
into a low swampy area, becoming a maze. There was a tangled group of
trails heading out east from the East trail, running back toward
farmland. There was no way Derrick could stay on if Arnoss charged
into those turns.
	Neil relaxed slightly as he watched Arnoss turn, barely pausing
on the gravel. But it didn't last. In slow motion he saw Arnoss lunge
forward, stretching back to an open gallop, exploding forward in a
spray of rocks. At the same time Derrick let go to yell and wave for
help at the buildings across the lake. The lunge caught him off
balance and Derrick fell backwards, rolling back over the seat of the
saddle and bouncing off Arnoss' flank. Derrick tumbled, heels up and
head down behind Arnoss, barely missing the horse's flying heels.
 From five feet above the gravel he continued to rotate and fall,
slamming into the rocks and dirt with a thud and a clipped scream.
	Neil reached him and slid his horse to a halt. Arnoss would
return to the stable for a walkdown by an aggravated stable hand,
Derrick would walk back beside Neil and Neil would be fired for
incompetence. But Derrick wouldn't be walking anywhere. As Neil
dropped next to him Derrick moaned and tried to move, then shrieked
in pain. Neil switched to first-aid mode and noted several disturbing
things. Derrick's leg was broken, badly. A length of bone extended
from his shin at an ugly angle. He was also bleeding, although Neil
couldn't do much about either injury. Finally, he was trying to move
forward, something that Neil COULD do something about.
	"Lay still you idiot" he yelled, dropping from his horse and
sliding on the gravel. He grabbed Derrick and keyed his radio. "I've
got a student down, broken leg, compound fracture, bleeding. I need
medi"
	"Hold on! Neil? Are you still near the water?"
	"Right on it, North side."
	"I'll send the boat" came the voice.
	Ten minutes of holding Derrick down later, the big pontoon boat
arrived. Neil knew one of the medics, Geoff, a heavy man with cropped
hair who had abandoned his normal joking persona and was all
business. He quickly had Derrick checked and boarded with a neck
brace. Derrick screamed in pain when they bandaged his leg, shrieking
and cursing at Neil.
	"You are dead" he growled, clenching his teeth in agony.
"So...dead."
	Neil shook his head and helped the crew load Derrick onto the
boat. In a few short seconds it was on its way across the lake. Neil
turned, watching Arnoss jogging at the very end of the long access
road. The horse had looked like it could win the Kentucky Derby,
kicking up rocks and dirt. Neil forced himself to watch, knowing it
would be the last time he would be allowed near a horse at
Silverspire.
=======================
	By the time Neil was sitting solemnly in the admin office,
rumors had already swept the camp. Neil had put Derrick onto a crazy
horse. Derrick had gone crazy and tried to escape the camp on Arnoss.
Derrick had broken his spine, his skull, was dead and gone. Neil sat,
sullen and honestly afraid, wondering what was going to happen next.
	Mom entered, sweeping in, drawing Gwen and one of the Trail
guards behind her. "We're going to the hospital. All of us. Derrick's
father will be there, and I'm certain he will want to say a few things
and hear a few things." She gave Neil a very, very long look before
turning out.
	They traveled using the school's big van. It was not a
comfortable ride. Gwen was clearly frightened, but sat in the back
and held Neil's hand, which he could never thank her enough for. It
was a thirty minute ride from the school to town, then another ten to
reach the hospital, park and walk up to the waiting room. At five
fifty-three, Neil walked into a waiting room with Nathanial
Rothcrest.
	The man was imposing. He was dressed in a full business suit,
carefully tailored with a fancy crest sewn in the breast pocket. A
very young woman hovered on his arm, clearly not Derrick's mother.
Nathanial turned when the entered, his face a combination of anguish
and rage.
	"Mister Rothcrest", Mom started, "I am very sorry to meet you
under these, conditions."
	"I should say", he responded coolly. He noticed Gwen and drew
her over, giving her a warm hug. "Now. I demand to know how this
happened."
	Mom started to describe the nature of horses, but Nathanial
stopped her. "I am very aware of the dangers of horses, but this goes
above and beyond. I understand the horse that threw him was a RACER! I
want to know who is responsible for THIS!"
	Mom stammered, so Neil stepped forward. He was angry and scared
and frustrated, but seeing how upset mom was sparked something. "I
am." he said simply.
	Nathanial turned, his face angry. "So? And who are you?"
	"I was his instructor."
	"And you... allowed this to happen?"
	Neil paused, trying to find the words to settle this, to
protect Gwen, to keep Silverspire from being sued, and gave up any
hope of keeping his job. "Sir, with all due respect, your son is a
conniving, manipulative, disrespectful student who uses your money
and influence to avoid any work or responsibility".
	Rothcrest's face flashed from angry to outraged to furious.
"Wha.. HOW DARE YOU!!"
	"I am responsible because I failed to report his lack of
skills, the fact that he forged a skill transfer sheet, the fact that
he was unqualified to ride, unqualified to even be in my class. He's
intentionally refused assigned horses and selected horses outside his
skill range to impress his friends and ego. Finally, he plotted to run
down a counselor with a horse."
	Rothcrest paused. "He.. what? What are you... talking.." he
glanced down at Gwen, who was squeezing his side.
	"I hesitated to report any of this because of Gwen, and in
telling you this I am breaking her confidence.... and I'm sorry Gwen,
but ..."
	Gwen was shaking her head furiously, and Nathanial bent down.
"Gwendolyn, what's going on here."
	Gwen broke into tears and tried to turn away.
	"She's been carrying Derrick. She sets his saddles, she sets
all his gear. She's only in my class because Derrick did not want to
do Dressage this year."
	Nethanial grasped Gwen by the shoulders. "Is this true? Is this
true, Gwendolyn?"
	Gwen nodded, crying. "He said you wouldn't pay for me to come
here... that you'd ..."
	He drew her into a hug and murmured to her. "No... NO... I
never..."
	Neil's anger had dissipated and he decided to continue.
"Derrick forged a transfer sheet, it has Gwen's mother's name on it.
I suspect he cheated on his safety test, and he has on two occasions
ridden a horse other than one he was assigned. That's what happened
today, and I should have been watching him. He was not qualified to
ride Arnoss. Arnoss strongly resembles the horse I assigned him, but
he switched... and Arnoss got away from him. I am responsible for
that."
	Nathanial stood, running his hands through his hair. "It
seems... that there is quite a bit more to this than I suspected. Ms
Chandis, I'm going to check on my son, then I want to have a few
words with your employee here. I'll make sure he gets back to you."
	Mom, Nathanial's wife and Gwen started to leave. Mom gave him a
very difficult look, somewhere between confused, angry and
understanding. Gwen's look, on the other hand, was clear. He had
betrayed her.
=======================
	Neil spent an hour in the waiting room, mostly staring at six
month old copies of women's magazines or switching between the three
local channels the television showed. He was exhausted and worried
about his job. He couldn't get past the fact that Derrick was going
to undermine everything he'd just told Nathanial Rothcrest, and that
the man would come out of the hospital room with his very big guns
blazing.
	Instead, Rothcrest emerged a very tired and quiet man. His face
was impossible to read and he simply paused long enough for Neil to
collect his few things before walking to the elevator. Neil stood
away from him, trying to determine something, anything that he could
do to get a feel for what was going on.
	Nathanial had a car waiting, which surprised Neil. It was a
rental, although a nice one. Neil had half expected a limousine or
giant black SUV or something. Their drive was blessedly short,
Nathanial had opened the side door first, holding it for Neil and
indicating that he should sit in the passenger's side. It was a
little unnerving, even for the ten minutes it took to get to the only
nice hotel in town. They parked, then went inside to a large suite.
Nathanial's wife was waiting for them, dressed in a robe. Neil
realized he hadn't seen her leave the hospital, then realized that
she was incredibly good looking. He turned away and waited, examining
the carpet while they spoke for a moment. Eventually she went into the
bedroom, closing the door softly.
	The room was half living room and half office. There was a desk
against one wall, currently occupied by a laptop with a screensaver
that seemed to be showing moving line graphs. Neil assumed it was a
stock ticker or bond chart or some other rich-person money tracking
system. There were two sofas and a large easy chair, plus a small
bar, which was Nathanial's next stop.
	"Neil, correct?" Nathanial asked, pouring himself a drink from
a crystal decanter.
	Neil nodded, sitting when Nathanial indicated the other sofa.
	"I spoke with Derrick." he said flatly. He paused to take a
long sip of the whisky or brandy, refilled it, then poured a second
glass and handed it to Neil.
	Neil took it and set it on the end table. He wasn't sure he
wanted his last meal just yet. "Is he... going to be..." Neil
started, unsure how to approach the conversation.
	"He has a badly broken leg, some bruises, probably a cracked
rib, and he has a fat head." Nathanial said with a grunt.
	Neil nodded, then took a short sip of his drink when Nathanial
glanced at it. Whisky, he guessed.
	"I must of course, hold you responsible in some part, Neil. But
between Derrick's lies, half truths and exaggerations, I am having a
difficult time nailing down just what part that is." he continued,
taking another drink. "Why don't you help me out."
	Neil was confused, and realized that Nathanial was
uncomfortable, not angry. "I'm... not sure I.."
	"In hindsight, where were your mistakes?"
	Neil started to answer, but stopped. He weighed the question
carefully, guessing a lot rested on his answer. "I... wanted to go to
Mom.. er, Ms Chandis, but... I was trying to figure out a way for Gwen
to continue at the school. I talked to Harry about it.. but he"
	"Harry? Harry who?"
	"Harry Thatcher, he's the "
	"I know Harry." Nathanial said firmly.
	Neil tried to draw something from that statement, but gave up
and continued. "Well, I knew Gwen was fixing Derrick's tack, but I
let it go because she was doing a good job and it kept things as they
were. Then I suspected she cheated for him, taking his safety test,
but I didn't catch her. Then I found out your.. uh... sister was
supposedly his former riding instructor..."
	"She was, in a way. Victoria got the kids into horses, but
Derrick was attending a riding school while staying with his
mother..."
	"Well, he had a transfer sheet with Victoria Simmons on the
top. I knew that was forged..."
	"So you had everything you needed to kick him out of the
academy."
	Neil nodded. "But two things stopped me. Gwen and Mom. She
wanted to go to the school, and I thought you might be an investor.
So I was... managing Derrick. Not well, but things were ..."
	"Safe?"
	Neil nodded, then shook his head. "Safe if you mean the
situation. I don't know if Derrick was really.... safe.."
	Nathanial nodded and took another drink.
	Neil matched him with a small sip, feeling the warm liquid flow
down his throat. His fingers started to tingle.
	"So you were... 'managing' the situation, afraid to upset the
apple cart" Nathanial asked, noting Neil's nod. "I see. How old are
you, Neil?"
	"Eighteen."
	Nathanial laughed softly. "Ah?" He reached over and took the
glass, glancing at the change in levels. "And given it all to do
over... what would you change?"
	"I would have told Mom when I had all the... evidence." Neil
didn't want to sound like he was condemning Derrick, but he sounded
like a police investigator on a cheap TV show.
	"And when did you have it .. ALL?"
	Neil paused and thought back. "I guess... Well, I still don't
have it all. I know certain things, but ..."
	"You'd have waited until the end of the summer, or until
something forced you to act." Nathanial said solemnly. "And it did.
Hesitation, Neil. Its the cardinal sin of adulthood, something I
suspect you haven't had time to learn".
	Nathanial stood slowly and rubbed his eyes. "I, too, bear
responsibility. I have been far too willing to let Derrick's mother
handle things."
	Neil stood, unsure of where things were going. "Sir?"
	Nathanial smiled sadly. "Nevermind Neil. I'll get a car to take
you back to the school. I will be out tomorrow to discuss a few things
with... 'Mom', but I believe I have a good understanding of what's
going on here." He came over to Neil and put his arm around Neil's
shoulders. "I won't be calling for your head tonight, son. Probably
not tomorrow, either."
=======================
	Neil sank onto his bunk with a slow sigh. Between the confusing
day and the whisky, he was unable to fully wrap his mind around the
day's events. Nathanial Rothcrest had been the opposite of what he'd
expected. Instead of a crazed rich cartoonish businessman, he had
been a worried father. One who was willing to see the flaws in his
son's character and discuss it. Neil didn't know if he'd be packing
his bags for home, but he could at least sleep safe without worrying
about Rothcrest's hitmen coming to rub him out.

--