Chapter 8: New Things

On the way back from the bathroom Neil found himself in a fairly sour mood. He desperately wanted to shake Mae out of her mental state, but knew it was all but hopeless. If his strategy didn't work, he'd be short one girlfriend and long on remorse and regret. He walked into the cabin and saw that Mae was still asleep, curled down near the lower part of his bed. He watched her for a few minutes. Her hair was a mess, laying in ribbons across her face and shoulders, red even in the low light. Her pale skin, sprayed with freckles, shone in the tiny amount of light from the window.

Neil steeled his resolve, built his anger and frustration into a tight ball in his chest and dropped his pants. He gently pulled Mae to the edge of the bed and she mumbled sleepily. Without warning he slid his penis down the line of her mouth, which she opened instinctively and he slid his limp member into the warmth of her mouth. Mae's eyes opened half way and she grumbled something. Neil looked down at the scene, his half-erect penis laying limply across her lips and he started to get aroused. He slid in, feeling her tongue move to essentially avoid him as she woke. With barely a thought he started to slide in and out and Mae groaned again, moving into an easier position. Neil thrust faster, feeling Mae respond only halfheartedly. She was barely awake, although aware that he was in her mouth. She reached up to hold him and he blocked her wordlessly. She made some kind of grumbling sound and Neil increased his pace.

The monster in his mind woke up and arrived, ready to battle. Instead of a locked door and barred windows, however, Neil had the welcome mat out. In seconds, he was well on his way to orgasm, sliding steadily along her lips for pressure and friction, watching the display intently for the maximum impact.

Neil's balls tightened in preparation and he forced himself to maintain a steady pace, refusing to warn Mae. Her eyes shot open in surprise when he erupted into her mouth and she nearly gagged and choked. Neil finished slowly, pulled free and stepped back.

"I'll see you at breakfast." With that, he pulled up his shorts and walked out the door.

Mae was sullen and confused at breakfast, trying to sit close to Neil and get some response from him, but he refused to comply. He sat with her, but made no real attempt to look at her, touch her or even acknowledge her presence. Neil could feel her frustration and annoyance, and made no move to change anything. He left for his first class without any real goodbye, simply standing and walking away.

Neil's first class arrived at the tack room slightly late, which wasn't surprising. They had a junior counselor dropping them off and he would take the task of leading them around the camp wherever they went every day after their first class. He spent a moment checking names to faces on his clipboard, mentally sorting the class into people who would need specific skill work. Of his eighteen, four students stood out.

The first was the only of two boys, a sixteen year old named Derrick. Neil took a slight dislike to the boy instantly. He was over groomed, clearly overdressed and full of self assured ego. A number of girls were fawning over him, which grated Neil's nerve. He chided himself for assuming the worst, though, and resolved to give Derrick as much of a chance as he could.

Gail was clearly his most advanced student, and he wondered why she was even in his class until he saw her lopsided skill scores. She had several 4's, but they were all in dressage or show, none in Western or Trail. She was apparently trying to round out her equestrian education and he instantly tagged her card as a leader. Her skills in general horsemanship were excellent, and he could use her. Glancing up, she was a mocha skinned girl with a long black French braid. She was older, probably sixteen or seventeen. He wondered at her ethnicity for a moment and felt himself flush at other, less appropriate thoughts.

The girl with the most Western skill was Jennifer, whose face seemed to jump off the page at him. She was striking, with long straight blond hair and a Scandinavian look to her facial features. When Neil looked up he picked her out of the group instantly. She was short, very short, although she seemed to be nearly as old as the other in the group. According to her skill sheet she barely needed work in some arena skills, but was otherwise overqualified for his group. Neil flipped her card and checked her previous instructors and noted that she'd had Gavin every year, which was remarkable. Gavin was, without question, the most demanding instructor in the Western division. He was also the best and Jennifer's history with Gavin could only mean that she or her parents had specifically asked for him. Neil spent another brief moment in his fantasy land, marked her as a leader and moved on.

The final student of note was Gwendolyn, who hovered hear Derrick like a fly to honey... or horse crap, Neil noted mentally. She was lithe, dark haired and fair with piercing eyes and a face that looked like it had been carved from marble. She was pretty, but lacked the softness of a beautiful face. She'd never model, and Neil saw a long future as a trophy wife before chiding himself again. He knew nothing of these students, and judging them from a card and first look was wrong.

"Welcome class, I'm Neil. Just... Neil. He said when a few hands raised. If you want to call me 'Mister Neil' I'll just have to take it." There were a few laughs, but he wanted to make sure they knew he meant business. "I've been riding for as long as I could walk. I have US Equestrian Instructor Certs at Class B for both Western and Trail. I have Level 6 skill certs in every Western class, Trail Class and Riding Group. I have a wall full of other certifications from ECAI, NAHT and so forth and enough gaudy prize ribbons to make a bed out of." The class became somewhat more respectful and Neil waited, letting them consider his speech. He noted the few who did not seem impressed. Derrick seemed to have no idea what he'd just said. His other leaders had nodded while he ticked off certifications, and he was satisfied with their reaction. The others were either too young or inexperienced to know what he was talking about, so he let it go.

"Now, that said. I'm here to make you better riders. My papers aren't worth firewood if I can't do that." There was a general reaction of happiness, but Neil held his hands up. "Except..." he said dramatically and waited. Jennifer spoke up after a long pause. "Safety certifications" she said with a scowl.

Neil nodded and pulled out a harness and reins. "Yep Sucks, I know. Now, rather than doing this today, we'll do some light trail riding. As long as we don't do any long trail rides, keep it at a walk and don't go into the arena, we can hold off on the safety test until tomorrow. BUT, I'm going to do a quick set of questions to quiz you. Then I'll pick out trail leaders and we'll get onto a horse. Which is why you are all here, right?" A chorus of happy yeses echoed in the barn and Neil smiled. "So, according to my list Jennifer, Gwendolyn, Derrick and Gail are my top students, so lets put them on the spot. Jennifer, what's wrong with this tack?" Jennifer stepped up and barely touched the set before pointing out a mis-attached clip. It would cause the horse to turn badly, pulling hard on the bit whenever the rider led left. Neil nodded and performed the same drill for Gwendolyn and Gail without issue. Gwendolyn surprised him with a very shy smile, making him question his dismissal of her as a future trophy wife. Derrick, however, was not a surprise. Surly and egotistical, he strode up and regarded the saddle and Neil with contempt. He looked it over for a moment, his face contorting slightly as he struggled to find the flaw. Neil glanced at the rest of the group and noted that most had already spotted the twisted girth and strap, which would prevent the saddle from sitting securely and would likely rub the horse raw under the buckle. Neil waited a beat or two longer than he might have for another student then called to the group for an answer, putting Derrick out of his misery.

He felt bad and walked to Derrick. "Don't worry about it, it can be easy to miss." he started. Derrick shot him a look of defiance and malice so intent that Neil actually paused. The younger boy simply turned and headed back to sit with his admirers, who started making soothing sounds.

Neil bristled and took a breath. "So, let's saddle up. Gwendolyn and Gail are on point and tail. Everyone takes a level 1 horse, even if you're qualified higher, until your test tomorrow. And everyone wears a helmet, that's a golden rule. Clear?"

Neil had Gwendolyn lead them on a slow circuit of the camp, heading from the lake, around the arena and up the hill to the admin area. They circled down the roads toward the parking lots, then back around the commons. As they rode Neil moved up and down the line, correcting riding positions and checking their tack for issues. He tightened a few girths, and was mildly surprised to find that Derrick had a very well cinched girth and nearly perfect tack. Neil started to congratulate him but the look he got from Derrick stopped him. The boy was aloof and defiant, almost daring him to find fault. Neil ignored him and moved back to Jennifer, who blushed slightly when he praised her.

"Thank you" she whispered.

Neil nodded. "Jennifer, I'd like you to be a trail leader. You have the skill set and I need people to watch this group."

Jennifer nodded. "Can... you call me something else?"

Neil shrugged. "Middle name? Nickname?"

"My mom calls me 'Jennifer'".

"Jen?", Neil pulled up his clipboard and flipped through. "LeahAnne?".

She stuck her tongue out and Neil suppressed a shiver. She was gorgeous and the tongue wasn't helping. He noted her age at 17 and sighed. Even at 18, she was off limits as a student but at 17 she was off limits, out of bounds, forbidden fruit and a big red no with a cherry on top.

"Anne? Annie? Leah?" She giggled at 'Annie', and was about to speak, but Neil interrupted. "Annie it is."

Jennifer blinked and shook her head. "Noo, that's a little girl name. Call me Leah."

Neil could feel her looking at him as he noted her nickname on his card and he looked up into her bright blue eyes. She was beautiful. As he gazed at her she looked down shyly and Neil felt a flush of lust. He felt a little bold and eased his horse closer. "Leah it is. But I'll save 'Annie' as my pet name for you".

Leah jumped and gave him a surprised and amused look. She smiled softly and nodded. She held his gaze for a few seconds and Neil actually looked away first.

Neil shook himself mentally and rode forward to talk to Gwendolyn. She was clearly comfortable in the saddle, looking back to check the other riders and picking an easy trail around the camp.

"Well, I made the right choice for trail leader." Neil said, riding up on her flank and clicking to her horse.

Gwendolyn looked back and smiled warmly, brushing a bit of hair back under her trail helmet. Neil was again surprised at how it broke her severe expression and sharp features.

"Is Gwendolyn good?" She shrugged and said "Gwen is fine". Her voice was deep for a girl, full of confidence and poise. Neil had to scrap his whole preconceived idea of her, except that she hung out with Derrick, who had fulfilled Neil's every low expectation.

"OK, Gwen. You're clearly qualified as a leader. Taking Western to round out your skills?" Gwen shifted in her saddle and frowned. It made her look almost evil, like a cartoon bad guy. "No. not really. I'm just tired of Dressage. I wanted to do something different".

Neil considered her tone. It wasn't a lie, not really, but there was more to it. She was taking Western... but not because she wanted something other than dressage. She had some other reason, but he left her to it. "If you say so." He said simply, drawing a surprised look. "You'll be one of my leaders, which means you get to look after these kids and not get paid. How can you turn that down?"

Gwen smiled, then actually laughed.

"Good. Now, the baiscs are, I have to get some of these lollygaggers and left-footers up onto horses without anyone getting hurt. YOU and the other leaders get to do riding and whatever while I pay attention to those who need me. Got it?"

Gwen nodded, still smiling.

"Anyone else you think should be a leader?" Gwen sat for a moment, either thinking or hesitating, Neil wasn't sure.

"Derrick..."

"Well, he has some skill, but"

"No" she said firmly. "He shouldn't be a leader."

Neil moved in surprise and his horse crabbed sideways. "Wait... I thought... how are you and Derrick..."

"He's my cousin." she said simply.

Neil nodded, but saw no family resemblance. "OK, well he wasn't really up for it anyway. He has some... remarkably average scores." Neil glanced back down at Derrick's skill card and saw something odd. On a scale of one to six, most students fell into a predictable pattern of strengths and weaknesses based on their talents and history in the saddle. Derrick had threes. All threes. In every single category. Neil scanned the card carefully and curiously. Not a single four. The lack of a single four was the only thing keeping Derrick in a moderate class with Neil rather than an expert or specialized class.

"The blond girl, Gail and the dark skinned girl are good riders", Gwen said, breaking Neil's concentration.

Neil looked up and saw Gwen looking back, her reins looped lightly over her saddle horn. She was content to let the horse walk back to the stable and was looking back over the group of riders.

"Maybe the curly redhead." She said finally.

Neil just nodded, glancing back at the two girls she'd mentioned who weren't on his list. "Thank you, Gwen" he said simply.

She smiled and nodded serenely and he pulled his horse to a stop so he could talk to Gail at the back of the line.

Gail turned out to be a serious but friendly girl. Her exotic looks were a serious distraction, but Neil managed to not look like a moron talking to her.

She was fully willing to take on leadership responsibilities, and even confessed to taking the intermediate class so she didn't have to "work" over the summer.

"Well, I'm going to ruin that. And give you high scores all week so you'll have to move up." He said in a serious tone.

Gail mocked a pout and grinned. "I know, I'm a slacker" she said lightly.

Neil rode with her back to the barn, resisting the urge to watch her bounce in the saddle, or worse, ride behind her and leer.

Neil arrived at lunch ready to plow through some meat, and was sorely disappointed to discover vegetarian lasagna. He took his bowl with a scowl and flopped down on the bench with a growl.

Ruth sat across from him and leaned down as he arrived. "Big night tonight, Neil?" she asked.

Neil had to pause, then remembered he'd promised to meet up with Ruth and Dave and Harriet for some entertainment. Ruth was clearly very eager to get him and Dave into her clutches. To cover, Neil mocked ignorance, hoping she'd take it all as an act. "Tonight? I'm playing pinochle with Sven and Ingrid down at the Spa. Sven is horrible, but he insists he can beat us if we drink enough absinthe".

Ruth growled and nearly bent flat against the table to get closer.

"You listen here, this is my big fantasy and I will not be deNIED".

Neil was surprised at her aggression. She was obviously agitated. "Woah, I'm just..."

"I KNOW" she growled. "You don't know how much I want this. I've been hot for you forever, and I've wanted a three way forever!"

"Four way" Neil corrected.

"Harriet's just ICING. You're CAKE. Harriet's been selling your dick for the last two days, telling me how good you are."

"Great, now I'm..."

"Look Neil" she nearly pleaded. "I don't do... submissive like Mae understand? I want what I want and I go after it. I don't want that to..."

Neil shook his head. "I'll be there and I'll be ready Ruth. OK?"

Ruth nodded. "I'm sorry, but this has been something I've dreamt about forever. Two guys, doing... everything to me. Taking whatever I want... Shit... I'd better stop."

"Or you'd better meet me back at your cabin, because you're seriously getting me hot" Neil said.

A flash of lust filled Ruth's eyes, but she shook her head. "No... no, Dave's on duty... and we'd only have... ARGH! See what you're doing to me?!"

Neil patted her hand and smiled. "OK, I'll be good until tonight.

" Ruth grinned and eyed him over. Neil suddenly felt like a slice of cake on a dessert cart. "Tonight. Oh yeah..." she whispered. "OK, I'm eating in my room. With the door locked" she said suddenly, standing and gathering up her plates.

Neil finished lunch with a grin, suddenly noticing that Mae was nowhere to be seen. He dropped off his tray, changed and headed back to the stables without seeing her.

The afternoon was split abnormally for Neil. The first half of the first class was dedicated to study for the safety test all students had to eventually pass. He and another counselor sat bored and listless in the common mess while their charges reviewed the test material. The test wasn't really all that hard, but failing meant remedial classes and a lack of saddle time. No camper wanted that.

The second half would be added to the second class to create a long class. All of the campers would assemble in the arena grand stands for a series of boring presentations, lectures and introductions to the advanced teachers who would be taking very small classes through intense skill sets.

For Neil, it usually meant a lot of sitting around and staring at nothing.

After about ten minutes of watching them study, Neil wandered out to the back door and sat, trying to get comfortable on a bench. When he was nearly settled in, however, Leah came out and kicked his legs so she could sit.

"I can pass this with my eyes closed" she said, sitting on the far end of the bench and leaning back against the wall.

Neil tried very hard not to stare at her. She had put on a light green halter top and it was clingy and revealing in ways that he wasn't allowed to dwell on for too long. He simply nodded and prompted Leah to tell him about herself.

She started with obvious things, school, home, family, then drifted into horses and finally drama. She was studying to become an actress, but her height was a problem. "They all want tall actresses for the leads, and I'm too short."

Neil glanced over, avoiding looking down her fair skin to her slightly revealing cleavage and nodded sympathetically.

"I can act! I can project, I can even dance! But everybody wants some amazon goddess instead of a short, skinny girl" Neil started to object to her self-description, but let it go. She was already getting a little to fond of him, and he didn't want to fan that flame. "Are you going to Hollywood or something?" Leah shook her head. "No. I'm probably going to go to college and take business."

"You should buy a theater, then you get any part you want"

Leah laughed, but seemed to consider it for a moment. "Really?" Neil grinned "Yep. I've worked theaters before. Not plays or shows like that, but you see a lot of playbills and stuff. Lots of names on the owner's list show up on the cast list."

Leah chuckled evilly. "I'd be the drama queen owner bitch..." She blushed furiously and Neil laughed out loud.

"Ten demerits for cursing" he said jokingly. He got up to go inside, but found Gwen and Gail heading toward the door, followed by a short train of other campers.

"Can we take it now? We've got time."

Neil glanced at his watch and thought. "Well, you wouldn't have full time, but I don't see why not. I'd have to set up the overflow room."

They all nodded quickly.

Neil got the room set up easily, leaving the remaining campers to study with the other counselor. Six of his wanted to try the test, too, so they joined Neil and his. Along with Gwen, Gail and Leah, Derrick and four others came in and sat. Neil passed out the books and pencils, then sat at the front of the small room and opened the instructor's book.

"OK, you've all done this before. Short of it, answer 80% correct and you're safety certed for this year. No talking, go!"

Within ten minutes most of the group was done. Soon only Derrick and, to Neil's surprise, Gwen were left from his group. He quickly graded the others while they worked.

Neil noticed something odd within a few moments. Derrick was clearly struggling with his test, looking at some early page, but when Neil looked away to grade and back up, Derrick was done. Neil looked over at Gwen, who was erasing and refilling circles on the form quickly, racing down the test. Neil did some quick detective work in his head and took Derrick's form.

Gwen was the last to leave, handing him the form and turning to leave, but Neil stopped her.

"You took his test."

Gwen spun, her eyes wide. "What?"

"You took Derrick's test."

Gwen frowned sharply and bit her lower lip. "... no... I..."

"You know this shit." Neil said harsly. "Derrick was struggling until I stopped watching. Then suddenly he's done and you're rushing to erase and finish. I don't need to look at the tests to know. You'll score 100 and so will he."

Gwen's face took on a pained look. "You didn't see me do anything" she said softly.

Neil sighed. "No. I didn't. And I probably can't prove anything. So Derrick gets a safety certification."

Gwen nodded silently.

"But now I have to watch him, because he doesn't know a good cinch from a bad one." Neil had a sudden thought, "You saddled his horse this morning!"

Gwen didn't move, refusing to answer.

Neil was mad. It was out of his control and he could feel the anger ready to explode in his stomach. "Then you better make sure you saddle it this afternoon, too. And tomorrow, and the day after, do you understand?"

Gwen nodded sadly.

"Don't you get it, Gwen? Now I have to watch him. Every day. Every god. damn. day. Every time he's near a horse, I have to make sure he doesn't screw something up. Every time he's riding, I have to watch that nobody gets hurt! I have to protect the horses, the campers, even Derrick!"

Gwen suddenly looked like she was about to cry.

"Shit" Neil said softly. "Stop... OK? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be yelling at you... I..."

"Yes you should..." Gwen said sadly. "but what am I supposed to do? His dad pays for me to be here. My mom can't... not for me and my two sisters"

Neil sighed, letting it sink in. "So you carry him. Is that why you're in western and not dressage?"

Gwen started openly sobbing and Neil pulled her down to sit. He wanted to hug her, but that was way past the line. "He... wanted to do Western this year. I didn't... We'd done dressage forever, why THIS year? I was approved for special... but it doesn't matter. I'm in Western and that's that."

Neil sat heavily and tried to work something out. "I could put you in a skill class, maybe with..."