Pas(sade) de Cheval

Trakehner

Ryan was glaring at Dallon from across the fire pit, and it had nothing to do with the way he was laughing at everything Brendon said, nor the way he was gripping his arm and leaning in close to him. He told himself he was only upset because he'd been informed that they weren't going to get their dressage results until the next morning. He found that utterly ridiculous, and while it likely wasn't Dallon's fault specifically, he was channeling all of his annoyance at that one man. 

It seemed like most of the riders in the event, their employees, and the staff at the stables had caught wind of this party, and at least seventy people were gathered in the grass surrounding Brendon's tent as loud music poured out of the speakers of a nearby truck.

There was an empty log next to Ryan where he sat staring by the fire, and Sisky plopped down onto it with a grin and a can of hard lemonade in his grasp. Ryan slowly turned to look at him, his rage that he'd been keeping in check suddenly changing focus to the new target. Sisky squinted at Ryan through his inebriation and let out a sudden squeak of fear. His eyes went wide and he tipped over backwards in his haste to get away from Ryan before he exploded. His lemonade spilled all down the front of his shirt, but he didn't seem to notice as he mumbled some incoherent excuse and scrambled to the other side of the party. 

Ryan allowed a little bit of amusement to get through his miserable mood as he shot a glance around at the people near him, looking for Spencer. He spotted him through a gap in the crowd talking to Jon, Zack, and Shane. They seemed to be laughing and getting along, and he wondered if he could just go back to the trailer since Spencer didn't seem to require his presence. 

As if on cue, Brendon sat down in the seat Sisky had vacated, having to set the stump back upright first. He must have parted from Dallon at some point when Ryan was distracted.

He smiled sheepishly at Ryan and took a sip of his drink. Unlike most people who were drinking out of cans and bottles, Brendon had a solo cup that he seemed to have mixed his own drink in, and Ryan wondered fleetingly what drink was worth the effort. Before he could start on this line of small talk, Brendon started talking very quickly, the words seeming to fall from his mouth. 

"Look, I'm really sorry about running off earlier. I said I would walk with you and then I bailed, and I didn't even get to walk the whole thing so now I'll have to just wing it and hope I can find my way." Ryan cringed at how worried Brendon sounded. He felt a little guilty for scaring him off and potentially messing up his ride.

"No, don't apologize. Please. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Brendon blushed and looked away, hiding his face behind the rim of his cup as he took a few deep gulps. 

Ryan felt acutely aware of his own sobriety, and while he was busy forcing himself to not stare at Brendon's throat as he drank, he noticed Jon offering a joint to the guys he was standing with. Ryan hesitated for a second before telling Brendon he'd be right back and weaving himself through the crowd. 

When he stopped a few feet away from the circle, Shane had the joint between his lips and Ryan hovered awkwardly behind him. Spencer noticed him first, and shot him a warning look. Ryan pushed down the embarrassment that caused him and shuffled a little closer to Jon, trying to smile in a way that didn't make it too obvious what he wanted. 

"Oh, hey man." Jon greeted him. 

Ryan nodded a little wildly, his fingers starting to twitch with the urge to reach out and snatch the joint out of Shane's hand. "How's it going?" Ryan asked, ignoring Spencer's pointed throat clearing. Jon gave an easy smile and nodded. "Do you mind if I..." Ryan nodded in Shane's direction, and Jon shrugged his indifference. 

He was reaching for it when Spencer finally spoke up. "Dude, do you really want to do that?" 

Ryan didn't hesitate in answering, "Yes. I really do."