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Description

Quick and sketchy piece, but really just wanted to get the story up XD Your next dose of the drama all~

Bit of strong language in this one. Cal's too pregnant and grumpy for this nonsense.

Previous: Betrayal
Next: Pin Drop

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  The overly cheerful morning sing song of the rose gold iphone’s alarm stirred Tabby from the depths of her coma-like sleep and with a groan she reached over to silence the intrusion. Looking over at the screen to check the time, she instantly regretted moving, her head beginning to spin so hard it brought a wave of nausea. “The fuck did I do last ni-” she groaned, then suddenly froze. What did she do last night… Looking to her right, the bed was empty. The lights were out. The shower was silent. She could distinctly remember her shamefully drunken walk home and… letting Charles inside, the kiss, clothes coming off. The realization of what she’d done consumed her and guilt dropped her gut like a bag of bricks. She’d slept with him, that much she could remember, but she couldn’t remember afterwards. When had he left? Had he stayed at all? Not that it mattered. She’d done something reprehensible.
  God… Hugo… how was she going to go home and face him after this? How could she face anyone? Cal was going to rip into her, that much she knew.
  If she’d felt lonely, needy and emotional last night… now she was feeling it ten fold, and it was her own fault. It wasn’t too far to say she was devastatingly disappointed in herself. Dragging herself to the edge of the bed, her feet hit the cool floor and with no small amount of effort, she pulled herself up. It felt like she’d been hit with a truck, and every fiber of her being wanted to crawl back into bed and wallow in self pity over her actions, but life didn’t work that way. She had a horse to load and transfer to the airport, a flight to catch, and things to handle back home. ‘If I can go home,’ she rolled her eyes at herself, followed by a quick mental reprimand.
  You fucked up, no time to sulk about it.
  It wasn’t easy getting moving, but finally she fell into her normal routine and before the sun had even risen, she had checked out of her room and was carting her things out to the little silver rental car she’d been using all week. As she slid into the driver’s seat, she flipped down the visor, perhaps a little too aggressively. There were dark circles under her eyes and a crease between her brows as she stared herself down. “Fuck.”
  Checking to make sure she had everything, she ran down her mental checklist. Wallet, check. Phone, check. Charger, check. Self loathing, check. Keys, check.
  The stable was full of the normal show buzz, with end of event activity swarming through the aisles and walkways. Competitors gathering tack, loading horses, saying good-byes to friends. Tabby however slipped through the bustle silently, shades hiding her bloodshot eyes, to Padlock’s stall. “Hey buddy,” she whispered, her voice still ragged. “Ready to go home?”
  It took a few hours to get everything organized, packed, labelled and prepared for the long flight home. Padlock was finally led onto the plane and with satisfaction that all was set, Tabby made her way to the flight terminal. She always hated flying, but her career didn’t offer her many options. Stuffing her red carry on into the space above her seat, she squeezed herself into the window seat and promptly put her headphones in, making it clear she wasn’t open to conversation with her neighbor.
  Much of the flight was spent replaying her mistake in her head, trying to find clarity in the hazy, drunken details. Whatever had compelled her to do what she did, she still didn’t understand. The only thing she could blame was the alcohol and her own weakness. Talking about December had put her in a place she hadn’t been in for quite some time, and as she rehashed their conversation, she clenched her jaw to prevent the tears from welling up in her eyes. A nearly twenty four hour flight was no place for an anxiety attack.
  Little sleep was had, and even less food. The more time she had to settle with what she’d done, the worse she felt and the further her gut twisted. She had no idea how she was going to approach Hugo, to the point she’d flat out ignored messaging him during the journey home. For now, she had a checklist to distract her. Unload and inspect Padlock, get him on the way home to DREC. Stop at the pharmacy. Go to DREC and unload her gear. Then hide for eternity.
  As the flight landed, she finally pulled out her phone and stared blankly at the screen for some time before she mustered the ability to open a text to Hugo. “Landed safely. Lots to do before I can come home. See you later.”
  The tasks of getting Padlock unloaded and inspected, loaded onto her personal trailer, getting her belongings sorted and getting them on the way home was enough to distract her for a while. Traffic was, as usual, a nightmare, and she opted to stop by the pharmacy later rather than try to park the pickup and trailer and navigate side streets. It’d be easier once everything was settled.
  It seemed like forever before she was finally pulling up the gravel drive to DREC’s main stable block and her stomach lurched as Cal stepped out to greet her with a smile. Tabby put on a smile herself, but inside she was tearing herself apart, obsessing over what she would say. Of course it didn’t take Cal long to determine something was off and when Padlock was settled, Tabby’s tack neatly put away and everything was calm, she pulled Tabby aside.
  “So,” Cal sat at her desk, staring down her best friend and business partner.

  “So what?” Tabby deflected, not making eye contact as she pretended like she didn’t have complete resting bitch face.
  “What’s your problem? Yah can’t tell me something din’t happen. You look terrible and you’re walkin around here like you’ve got a stick up yer ass.”

  Biting her lip, Tabby crossed her arms over her chest, taking in a deep breath as she yet again fought back the shameful, guilt induced tears. Shaking her head, she knew she couldn’t say anything without the tears flowing.

  Seeing the instant change in Tabby’s posture, Cal’s attitude switched from irritated to concerned. “Tabby…” she stood up, coming around to the front of her desk to comfort her friend. “What’s going on?”

  It took a while before Tabby felt she could speak, and she took a step back from Cal before she did. “I uhm… I really fucked up on this trip.” Her voice wavered, and she tried to keep it together. She wanted no pity, she deserved none. “This reporter, uhm..” she exhaled a deep sigh, feeling the tears beginning to sting. “He wanted to interview me about December. We ended up talking for a long time and I got really, really drunk, and I-” she choked, teeth clenched, shaking her head, feeling incredibly stupid and guilty.

  “You what…” Cal asked, her tone still concerned, but now cautious. Tabby couldn’t have done what she was thinking, that just wasn’t her. She’d been with Hugo for so long, been on so many trips. “Tabby… what did you do?”

  Looking Cal in the eyes, Tabby said all she needed to with a look. Quickly staring down at her feet, she felt the tears finally stream down her cheeks. Meanwhile Cal’s brows furrowed, absolutely stunned by what she was being told. “You fucking cheated on him? Tha fuck were you thinking Tabby?”

  “I wasn’t, ok?” she shot back. “I fucked up. I got drunk.” She swallowed down the tension that was constraining her throat, making her voice nearly crack.
  “Yeah… Tabby, I don’t know what to say.” Cal shook her head. Tabby was her friend, but Hugo was her best friend. They’d been through hell and back at each other’s side and she was instantly concerned for how this would hit him. All she knew was that however it went down, it wouldn’t be good. “Listen… you’re both my friends and I’m not going to take sides here, but I won’t lie and say I’m not pissed. I cannot believe you. Are you going to fucking tell him? I mean, you have to.”

  The tension was enough to make Tabby want to simply disappear. “I didn’t even tell him I’m home yet. I don’t know how I’m going to face him.”

  “Like a goddamn adult, that’s how. You know this isn’t going to go well. Tabby you have no idea what he went through to get where he is now, where you two are now. I do, I was there. You couldn’t have done anything worse.”

  “I know! Alright, I know,” she snapped, the tears now freely flowing. She reached up and messily wiped them away on her arm. “I can’t fucking change it. I wish I could, but I can’t. I was stupid.”
  “Go,” Cal waved. “You go call him and tell him you need to talk. I’m not going to let you hide this from him.”

  “I didn’t plan to,” Tabby scowled. “I know I have to tell him. I’m just… scared. It’s my fault, I know that, but fuck.”

  As angry as she was, Cal’s heart rang with sympathy. People make mistakes, God knew she’d made her fair share of them. Hugo had too, when he’d reached lows. But Tabby had no reason to do what she had and the thought of the pain it would bring Hugo alone was enough for her to feel furious with the red head. “I… damnit Tabby. Listen… I’m going to be here for you no matter what, but I’m pissed. Really fuckin pissed. You figure out how you’re doing to deal with this and let me know if you need anything, but don’t expect me to be okay with it.”

  Simply nodding, Tabby silently acknowledged Cal’s anger, knowing that nothing she said from here out would make the situation any better. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned to leave, pausing at the door a moment with the temptation to try to explain herself, but it felt like it would be a wasted effort and so she disappeared out into the entryway. Cal rounded back around her desk, sinking into her chair. “Shit…” Pulling out her phone, she shot Jessie a quick message that he should call her as soon as his shift was over, that there was trouble with Tabby and Hugo.
  Meanwhile, Tabby retreated to the tack room, thankful that it was too late for the staff to still be around, and too early for lesson riders. Leaning back against the counter top, she pulled out her phone and began to compose a text. “Hey, made it home. Can you come over to DREC? We need to talk. Please don’t call, it needs to be in person.”

Description

Quick and sketchy piece, but really just wanted to get the story up XD Your next dose of the drama all~

Bit of strong language in this one. Cal's too pregnant and grumpy for this nonsense.

Previous: Betrayal
Next: Pin Drop

-------------------------------------------------

  The overly cheerful morning sing song of the rose gold iphone’s alarm stirred Tabby from the depths of her coma-like sleep and with a groan she reached over to silence the intrusion. Looking over at the screen to check the time, she instantly regretted moving, her head beginning to spin so hard it brought a wave of nausea. “The fuck did I do last ni-” she groaned, then suddenly froze. What did she do last night… Looking to her right, the bed was empty. The lights were out. The shower was silent. She could distinctly remember her shamefully drunken walk home and… letting Charles inside, the kiss, clothes coming off. The realization of what she’d done consumed her and guilt dropped her gut like a bag of bricks. She’d slept with him, that much she could remember, but she couldn’t remember afterwards. When had he left? Had he stayed at all? Not that it mattered. She’d done something reprehensible.
  God… Hugo… how was she going to go home and face him after this? How could she face anyone? Cal was going to rip into her, that much she knew.
  If she’d felt lonely, needy and emotional last night… now she was feeling it ten fold, and it was her own fault. It wasn’t too far to say she was devastatingly disappointed in herself. Dragging herself to the edge of the bed, her feet hit the cool floor and with no small amount of effort, she pulled herself up. It felt like she’d been hit with a truck, and every fiber of her being wanted to crawl back into bed and wallow in self pity over her actions, but life didn’t work that way. She had a horse to load and transfer to the airport, a flight to catch, and things to handle back home. ‘If I can go home,’ she rolled her eyes at herself, followed by a quick mental reprimand.
  You fucked up, no time to sulk about it.
  It wasn’t easy getting moving, but finally she fell into her normal routine and before the sun had even risen, she had checked out of her room and was carting her things out to the little silver rental car she’d been using all week. As she slid into the driver’s seat, she flipped down the visor, perhaps a little too aggressively. There were dark circles under her eyes and a crease between her brows as she stared herself down. “Fuck.”
  Checking to make sure she had everything, she ran down her mental checklist. Wallet, check. Phone, check. Charger, check. Self loathing, check. Keys, check.
  The stable was full of the normal show buzz, with end of event activity swarming through the aisles and walkways. Competitors gathering tack, loading horses, saying good-byes to friends. Tabby however slipped through the bustle silently, shades hiding her bloodshot eyes, to Padlock’s stall. “Hey buddy,” she whispered, her voice still ragged. “Ready to go home?”
  It took a few hours to get everything organized, packed, labelled and prepared for the long flight home. Padlock was finally led onto the plane and with satisfaction that all was set, Tabby made her way to the flight terminal. She always hated flying, but her career didn’t offer her many options. Stuffing her red carry on into the space above her seat, she squeezed herself into the window seat and promptly put her headphones in, making it clear she wasn’t open to conversation with her neighbor.
  Much of the flight was spent replaying her mistake in her head, trying to find clarity in the hazy, drunken details. Whatever had compelled her to do what she did, she still didn’t understand. The only thing she could blame was the alcohol and her own weakness. Talking about December had put her in a place she hadn’t been in for quite some time, and as she rehashed their conversation, she clenched her jaw to prevent the tears from welling up in her eyes. A nearly twenty four hour flight was no place for an anxiety attack.
  Little sleep was had, and even less food. The more time she had to settle with what she’d done, the worse she felt and the further her gut twisted. She had no idea how she was going to approach Hugo, to the point she’d flat out ignored messaging him during the journey home. For now, she had a checklist to distract her. Unload and inspect Padlock, get him on the way home to DREC. Stop at the pharmacy. Go to DREC and unload her gear. Then hide for eternity.
  As the flight landed, she finally pulled out her phone and stared blankly at the screen for some time before she mustered the ability to open a text to Hugo. “Landed safely. Lots to do before I can come home. See you later.”
  The tasks of getting Padlock unloaded and inspected, loaded onto her personal trailer, getting her belongings sorted and getting them on the way home was enough to distract her for a while. Traffic was, as usual, a nightmare, and she opted to stop by the pharmacy later rather than try to park the pickup and trailer and navigate side streets. It’d be easier once everything was settled.
  It seemed like forever before she was finally pulling up the gravel drive to DREC’s main stable block and her stomach lurched as Cal stepped out to greet her with a smile. Tabby put on a smile herself, but inside she was tearing herself apart, obsessing over what she would say. Of course it didn’t take Cal long to determine something was off and when Padlock was settled, Tabby’s tack neatly put away and everything was calm, she pulled Tabby aside.
  “So,” Cal sat at her desk, staring down her best friend and business partner.

  “So what?” Tabby deflected, not making eye contact as she pretended like she didn’t have complete resting bitch face.
  “What’s your problem? Yah can’t tell me something din’t happen. You look terrible and you’re walkin around here like you’ve got a stick up yer ass.”

  Biting her lip, Tabby crossed her arms over her chest, taking in a deep breath as she yet again fought back the shameful, guilt induced tears. Shaking her head, she knew she couldn’t say anything without the tears flowing.

  Seeing the instant change in Tabby’s posture, Cal’s attitude switched from irritated to concerned. “Tabby…” she stood up, coming around to the front of her desk to comfort her friend. “What’s going on?”

  It took a while before Tabby felt she could speak, and she took a step back from Cal before she did. “I uhm… I really fucked up on this trip.” Her voice wavered, and she tried to keep it together. She wanted no pity, she deserved none. “This reporter, uhm..” she exhaled a deep sigh, feeling the tears beginning to sting. “He wanted to interview me about December. We ended up talking for a long time and I got really, really drunk, and I-” she choked, teeth clenched, shaking her head, feeling incredibly stupid and guilty.

  “You what…” Cal asked, her tone still concerned, but now cautious. Tabby couldn’t have done what she was thinking, that just wasn’t her. She’d been with Hugo for so long, been on so many trips. “Tabby… what did you do?”

  Looking Cal in the eyes, Tabby said all she needed to with a look. Quickly staring down at her feet, she felt the tears finally stream down her cheeks. Meanwhile Cal’s brows furrowed, absolutely stunned by what she was being told. “You fucking cheated on him? Tha fuck were you thinking Tabby?”

  “I wasn’t, ok?” she shot back. “I fucked up. I got drunk.” She swallowed down the tension that was constraining her throat, making her voice nearly crack.
  “Yeah… Tabby, I don’t know what to say.” Cal shook her head. Tabby was her friend, but Hugo was her best friend. They’d been through hell and back at each other’s side and she was instantly concerned for how this would hit him. All she knew was that however it went down, it wouldn’t be good. “Listen… you’re both my friends and I’m not going to take sides here, but I won’t lie and say I’m not pissed. I cannot believe you. Are you going to fucking tell him? I mean, you have to.”

  The tension was enough to make Tabby want to simply disappear. “I didn’t even tell him I’m home yet. I don’t know how I’m going to face him.”

  “Like a goddamn adult, that’s how. You know this isn’t going to go well. Tabby you have no idea what he went through to get where he is now, where you two are now. I do, I was there. You couldn’t have done anything worse.”

  “I know! Alright, I know,” she snapped, the tears now freely flowing. She reached up and messily wiped them away on her arm. “I can’t fucking change it. I wish I could, but I can’t. I was stupid.”
  “Go,” Cal waved. “You go call him and tell him you need to talk. I’m not going to let you hide this from him.”

  “I didn’t plan to,” Tabby scowled. “I know I have to tell him. I’m just… scared. It’s my fault, I know that, but fuck.”

  As angry as she was, Cal’s heart rang with sympathy. People make mistakes, God knew she’d made her fair share of them. Hugo had too, when he’d reached lows. But Tabby had no reason to do what she had and the thought of the pain it would bring Hugo alone was enough for her to feel furious with the red head. “I… damnit Tabby. Listen… I’m going to be here for you no matter what, but I’m pissed. Really fuckin pissed. You figure out how you’re doing to deal with this and let me know if you need anything, but don’t expect me to be okay with it.”

  Simply nodding, Tabby silently acknowledged Cal’s anger, knowing that nothing she said from here out would make the situation any better. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned to leave, pausing at the door a moment with the temptation to try to explain herself, but it felt like it would be a wasted effort and so she disappeared out into the entryway. Cal rounded back around her desk, sinking into her chair. “Shit…” Pulling out her phone, she shot Jessie a quick message that he should call her as soon as his shift was over, that there was trouble with Tabby and Hugo.
  Meanwhile, Tabby retreated to the tack room, thankful that it was too late for the staff to still be around, and too early for lesson riders. Leaning back against the counter top, she pulled out her phone and began to compose a text. “Hey, made it home. Can you come over to DREC? We need to talk. Please don’t call, it needs to be in person.”