Colorado Skies

Chapter 19 {The Fight}

I got out of my seat and grabbed the keys to my four wheeler, 40 different thoughts running through my head all at once. Was he hurt? Is he okay? Did he do it on purpose? I blocked all the thoughts out of my head and started the four wheeler. Max told me they were down near the shooting range so I drove on the snow covered dirt road past all the other cabins, down the mountain to the shooting range. Max and Riley were standing next to a four wheeler that was flipped into a ditch. "Oh my God." I parked the four wheeler and ran over to Riley. He had his baseball hat on backwards and his face was glowing red, probably from the cold. Reese walked over to the four wheeler. I pulled Riley's head down to my height. "Are you okay, are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine." I nodded. "We can pull the four wheeler out of the ditch tomorrow morning." Max said. "What happened?" "Black ice." I nodded. "Come on, lets go back to the cabin." Riley got onto the back of my four wheeler and Reese and Max got onto his.

When we got back to the cabin I didn't say anything to Riley and just went straight to the back bedroom so I could get changed. Riley followed me in. "That was crazy." "Really? Is that you what you call it? Because I call it being stupid." I said staring right at him. "Seriously? Are you gonna make this my fault?" "Yeah, I am Riley! I told you be careful, and you go right over black ice and into a ditch!" "Oh cause it was my fault I didn't see the ice!" "Funny, cause when I came up there I saw it 10 feet away and I slowed down so I wouldn't go over it." He laughed. "I'm sure." "Riley I told you if you didn't stop doing the stupid shit, then we were done!" "Oh I'm sorry I wanted to have a little fun before I get deployed!" "What did you say?" I asked lowering my voice back down to a regular tone. His expression changed after he realized what he said. "What do you mean deployed, Riley?" "A couple months ago I enlisted in the marines, I'm getting deployed in January." The anger came back to me now. "You just now decided to tell me!" "Relax Brynlee. I was gonna tell you." "You should've talked to me about this before you did it!" "I should've talked to you? It's my life Brynlee!" "And I'm part of your life! You didn't think this would affect me!" He shook his head and then stormed out of the room. I followed after him until he went out the front door. I could feel the eyes of my family burning holes through my skin as I walked past them. I shut the front door behind me, and caught Riley just before he pulled out of the dirt driveway. "Riley if you drive away, we're done!" He looked me straight in the eyes and then drove away, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

I walked back into the cabin with tears in my eyes. "Someone pour me a drink, I'm getting loaded tonight." I told everyone with tears in my eyes. "Why, is everything okay?" Krew asked. I shook my head no. "Riley and I just broke up." "Why, honey what happened?" My aunt Jen asked. "We just wanted different things I guess, now please someone pour me a drink, and make it strong.

10 Minutes Later. Riley's Pov

I pulled into a bar before I got onto the highway. Brynlee's words on replay in my head. "If you drive away we're done." and I drove away. I let the best thing that ever happened to me walk out of my life. I walked into the bar to see an older women probably a couple years older than Brooke was bartending. "What can I get you?" "Something strong." I took my I.D out of my wallet and handed it to her to prove that I turned 21 on the 3rd. "Coming right up, honey." I watched her make my drink, not even caring what it was. All I cared about was if it was strong. "Penny for your thoughts?" "Just thinking about how I messed up something good." "Care to share? Maybe I could give you some advice." "I enlisted in the marines, and didn't tell my girlfriend for months and lets just say she didn't take it too well." "Let me tell you the difference between me and you. I know how to fix a good thing before it gets too late. You need to go back to her." "No, I need a drink." "Maybe you do. But a drink isn't gonna fix this." "It's better this way, that way she won't miss me when I'm gone." I said downing the rest of my drink.

2 Weeks Later. Brynlee's Pov

I sat in the cold with the vet as he checked over one of our baby heifers. Riley and I still hadn't made up, and we were still broken up. "How does she look Dale?" "She is happy and healthy, I would consider her a great Christmas gift, well early Christmas gift that is." He laughed. "Thanks Dale." "Anytime darling." I walked him out and then went inside to a very pregnant Charlotte decorating the Christmas tree. Krew and Cody were at the grocery store getting food for the next couple days. "It looks beautiful Char." "Thank you, I just wish baby girl could be here for Christmas." "Hey you never know." She smiled "I heard Riley is back in town from his horse show. Have you talked to him?" "Nope." "Maybe you should. You love him, and he loves you." "That's not the point Charlotte." "Talk to him, or I will talk to him for your." I nodded and helped her put ornaments on the tree. Krew and Cody walked through the door. Krew was carrying grocery bags and Cody had a box in her hands. "Here Brynlee this is addressed to you." She handed it to me and I walked upstairs to my bedroom with it. I took the top off of it and inside were a pair of pink boxing gloves and a note. I picked up the note and read it aloud. "Here you go Rocky, it's an early Christmas present. Meet me at the place we first met at 11 tomorrow. I wanna talk to you." Riley sent it, and I knew exactly where we first met.

The Next Day

I drove to my old highschool's track and sure enough Riley's truck was parked in the parking lot. In 5th grade I was on our schools cross country team, and Riley was on the football team. I was already best friends with Reese for two years before that but I had never met her brother. One day we were doing sprints on the track and the football team had to come run laps on the track.
I parked my truck and pulled a jacket on, walking over to the actual track. Riley was sitting on the bleachers, a bouquet of flowers next to him. I walked up to him with my hands in my pockets. "Hey." He stood up at the sound of my voice and handed me a bouquet of orange carnations, my favorite flowers. I took them out of his hand. "Thanks." "Anytime darling." He smiled at me and I sat down next to him. "So what did you call me here for?" "You know we need to talk, we haven't talked since the fight." "Yeah, I guess we haven't." I smiled a small smile. "I hate the way we ended things Ry, but I don't know if we can go back to the way we were." "I miss your Brynlee." "I miss you too." I wiped a tear off my eye before it could fall. "You know I love you Bry." Riley said putting his hand on my shoulder. "I love you too, but how are we gonna make this work? Your gonna be hours away on the other side of the world." "We can figure it out, we always do." I smiled at him. "Wanna give us another try?" "I wouldn't wanna do anything else."