Chapter 19

 Chapter 19!!!!

"What are you doing here Tyler! Dan! What's going on?!" "You see my love, you're in the dark forest. That is the gateway to hell." Tyler says. They both start inching forward. "Well excuse me! Now if you'll just move I can be on my way back to the golden gates." "No, sorry baby girl but you can't go back there, too risky, especially for us." "Don't you ever call me your baby girl ever! And don't you ever call me your love because I never will love you, I'm already taken." "He doesn't love you!" He snarls. "He's only using you." "No Tyler, he's not, you got your people mixed up. YOU, used me. Bruno loves me, and I love him." Dan looks at Tyler. "Contain yourself apprentice." "Yes mentor." "Wait a minute, if your alive, and your dead, how the hell are you going to kill me in the real world? Oh wait you can't because your dead so I guess I had nothing to worry about!" He look at each other and laugh. "I'm not dead pretty lady, I faked my death so you would come out hiding, which you did. You went back to Bruno, and the press was all over you so it was easy as pie to find you again." I cross my arms over my chest defiantly. "I don't believe you." Inside I was terrified out of my mind. What if he was telling the truth? What if he was still alive? I start backing up as they near me. "Where you gonna go now baby girl? Ain't got that punk Peter here to save your ass this time." "I don't need him to be saving my ass all the time. I can fend for myself and I plan on it." "Oh, getting gutsy now are we?" Dan throws a punch. I duck and the hits the rusty iron gate. I kick his legs out and scramble away. Tyler comes after me, he kicks my feet out and stands over me. I kick straight up hitting him dead on between the legs. He crumbled to the ground. Dan came after me from behind, he lunged for me and at the last second I dodged his grasp. He stumbled forward and I kicked him in the center of his back. I feel my feet come out from underneath me and I hit the ground with a oomph. Tyler grabs my feet and starts to drag me to the rusty gate. I manage to sit up and I start clawing his hands. I literally start clawing his flesh away until he let's me go. I roll away, still on the ground and stand up. "What do you freaking want from me?! Why can't you people just leave me alone?" "Because we hate you, you need to pay." "Why?! Dan, you hurt this family so much, mom still has nightmares to this day of you coming back. Tyler, you made me waste a year of my life hiding in fear of you killing me or Bruno. Now honestly, it should be me wanting to kill you! Not the other way around!" I start backing up. "Now can't you people just leave me alone?" "You win this round Brooke Daniels." Dan said. "My names not Brooke Daniels anymore, it's Brooke Hernandez." And with that I turn and just run. I run and run until I finally see light. I keep running and burst through the familiar clearing. "Brooke! I'm so sorry I had no control the took you and make you enter through the dark forest! Oh god I'm so sorry! Are you ok? Did they hurt you?" "Carlos! I'm fine. It's fine, I'm ok." He pulls me in and hugs me. "I'm fine Carlos, I just wanna go home." He nods his head and I drink the water from the pond.

*

I open my eyes and I'm back on the couches, still laying on Bruno's chest. I slowly get up and take a shower. I change into a neon yellow tank top, and a pair of denim knee shorts. I slowly sneak into my room, careful not to wake the snoring Phil, and grab my red blackberry. I unlock it and I have 1 missed call. I check to see who it is, it's Jessica. I step outside onto the balcony and call her back. "Hey Brookie! Omg I have to tell you something!" "Well hello to you too! What's up?" "Ok, you remember Frankie?" "The one who trains racehorses?" "Yeah, yeah him. Ok so the Kentucky opens coming up." "And?" "Frankie wants you to jockey for him!" "Girl shut up! Are you serious?" "Yeah! Dead! And he said you get your pick!" "Seriously! He has like 50 horses!" "I know I know, he has a zebra too!" "Oh my god! This is crazy!" "So are you in or what?" "I'll have to talk to Bruno about it." "Oh, right your engaged to Bruno freaking Mars!" "The one and only." "Ok, well I'm sure Frankie can work things out. He really wants you." "Alright, I hope everything does." Jessica gives me Frankie's number and I hang up. Wow, I haven't been to a horserace since I was 22.

*

The horse I was riding was a pinto. Her name was Flicka. If we won the race we were going to the Kentucky derby. The biggest horse race in the world. We were in first, our biggest rival quicksilver was right behind us. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, we rounded to corner and it had rained the previous night, she lost her footing and we both fell. She slid into the guardrail, I slid past her and slid into some bushes. I ran over to her, the guardrail cut through her stomach, her front foot was bent forward. "Flicka!" I screamed. I laid in the grass and she laid her head in my lap. She nuzzled my hand and I pet her in her favorite spot, right under her chin. She looked up and me and I saw so much love in her eyes words can't even explain. She died right then in my lap, I had known her since she was born. Trained and ridden her, I was the only one that could ride her. She wouldn't let anyone else ride her. No one though she would even win a race since she was a pinto, but she loved to run and that's all that mattered, she proved everyone wrong. I got 16 stitches in my ankle, after that day I never set foot in a barn or racetrack again.

*

Bruno walked up behind me and kissed my cheek. "Morning beautiful." "Morning handsome." "Who were you talking to?" "Jessica. She said one of our old friends really wants me to come and jockey." "You mean like, race the horses?" "Yeah, I raced some when I was 22 but I stopped because my horse died on the track." "Wow, I never knew that." "You learn something new everyday." "So, are you gonna do it?" "Yeah I think so, but I'm going to see if he can get me races in the same places your touring so that we won't have to be separated. I've always wanted to go back but I was too scared. But I'm not gonna do it unless he can." He turns me around so now my backs against the railing. "Brooke, if this is what you really want, do it. Don't make your decisions revolve around me. Don't let me be a dream taker." I smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure Frankie can work something out." I go to give him a quick kiss, but instead he kisses me back with everything he has. I melt in his arms and he pulls me in closer. His tongue slowly traces the outline of my lips. He gently bites it. Our tongues meet, and they start twisting together. I run my hands through his soft, curly hair and gently pull. In return he pulls me closer. My phone vibrates in my pocket scaring 3 years outta me. "Jesus Christ!" I shout. I take it out of my pocket and look at the caller ID. Unknown number. "Why don't you wake the guys, and get dressed and we'll go out for lunch?" "Sounds good to me." He kisses my cheek and walks back inside. "Hello?" "Brooke Daniels." "Frankie Davis!" "Did Jessie already talk to you?" "Yeah, yeah I just got off the phone with her. She said you really wanted me to come back." "You got that right. You get your pick, you know horses the best so I'm sure you'll pick a winner." "Yeah, listen Frankie. I'm in Hawaii with...." "Bruno and the hooligans, I know." "Yeahh, I'm going to have to talk it over with them to see if their cool with it." "Got it, but let me know ASAP. We got the cabin on the mountain if you want it." "Sweet, I'll call you back later this afternoon." "Alrighty Brookie." "Bye." "Bye." I walk back inside and the guys are all up and dressed. "Woah, that was fast." "We heard food was involved." I laughed and grabbed the keys to my moms van. We all pile in and decide to eat at a pizza place. We sit down and Bruno sits beside me and we order our food. "Okay so listen, any of you ever watch horse races?" They nod their heads. "Okay so you know the people who ride them, jockeys? Well one of my good friends wants me to jockey for him but he lives in Tennessee. Would you mind flying there and spending some time there?" They all nod their heads. "Sounds fun," Phred says. "I mean if you guys don't want to I can always go myself." "No it sounds like fun." Ari says. "Yeah, we've never really been to Tennessee." Eric said. "Alright cool." We eat our food and go back to my place. "Brooke." "What's up Phil?" "I was..Uh wondering...." "Yes you can invite Melody." "How'd?" "You obviously have a thing for her and she obviously has a thing for you." "Thanks." He calls Melody and she gladly agrees to come. She arrives later with her things. I call Frankie back and he has our flight set for 11am the next day. We went to sleep that night and surprisingly I didn't go to the golden gates that night. We woke up and said our goodbyes to everyone and headed to the airport. As soon as we arrive we're surrounded by paparazzi. We manage to make our way to our plane and we board without any problems. "Brooke?" "Yeah?" "Isn't being a jockey kind of dangerous?" "It can be, I've gotten 16 stitches in my ankle for it and lost a horse. But anything can happen." "Will you promise me you'll be careful?" "I promise Bruno." I give him a peck on his cheek and we take off to Tennessee.