Chapter 538) Aftermath

Brindleton Bay
The Elysium
Several hours after the previous chapter's events

Bri stepped outside into the backyard, the day was overcast like everyone’s moods, but the air felt liberating, triggering Bri to inhale deeply, while blinking against the bright sunlight tearing through the clouds now.

By now she was operating on going on well over a day with no sleep, yet too wired on adrenaline to even really be tired enough to attempt to lay down, her ears still ringing from the hours of tongue lashings she had received from her parents in the dining room of their home, while Jackson had been in one of the guest rooms upstairs with Connor and on the phone with Jack receiving his own customized tongue lashing from his dad and Connor.

Jackson and she had been taken into custody, booked for attempted horse theft, trespassing, breaking and entering and a slew of other things.

Charges were dropped against Bri by the Cunninghams, but since they didn’t let Jackson off the hook as well, Bri refused to leave her jail cell next to Jackson’s, which got her booked again for resisting officers’ orders.
More charges were added when she and Jackson wouldn’t stop bickering through the bars of their adjoining cells, even when officers tried to call them to order.

Both ended up gagged and handcuffed until her parents bailed both of them out with Nick and Liam.

Leading us here.

Bri had seen Jackson practically scurry, head-down, eyes-ahead, into the backyard when her dad had just started in on the next round of parenting her, now that she was finally released from her parents taking turns and verbal swings at her for getting into so much trouble again, she went out too.

She walked down the paths looking for Jackson, finally spotted him near a fence, overlooking the ocean and the bay.

As he heard her approach, he turned to her, his face darkened, so she raised up her hands.

“I come in peace, waving the white flag. Just needed some air. Since I am grounded – AGAIN – this is the only place I can go. Mom and dad get twitchy when I go near the front door.”

“Your house is huge! This ain’t a house, it’s a palace. And your backyard is a park! My entire cabin fits in one of your bathrooms. I’d wager my entire land fits easily in yer backyard! I knew you weren’t poor, but I never would have imagined THIS! This is completely insane.” Jackson sounded shocked and sad, not impressed, so Bri shrugged.

“I don’t know what to respond to that. Now you’re gonna hold what my parents accomplished against me? Sure, why not, everything is always my fault anyway. It really feels the harder I try to get it right, the harder I fall. Obviously, and no surprise, Brad’s parents are blaming ME for what you tried to do. Of course. I had literally nothing to do with any of it, but they are convinced we were in cahoots, cos me stealing my own horse, even though I have nowhere to put her evidently makes total sense if your last name is Cunningham. By the way, Molly didn’t rat us out, Brad’s dad saw us and called the cops. Of course.” Bri sounded tired and defeated.

“What did you ever want with me? Was I just for entertainment? The big dumb redneck who talks funny? Your personal rodeo clown? Like ya told yer friend, the big dumb Yee-Haw?” Jackson sounded hurt.

“I thought I explained it all to you when I came to see you with Jasper. You really didn’t listen at all, did you? But sure, if you need to hear it again: no Jackson, none of this has ever been a joke to me.”

“I heard ya. Heard everything ya said then. And I told ya what I thought of it. All bullshit. Got yer life sorted nicely, logically and strategically. That’s how life is supposed to be. Picture-perfect, alphabetically and chronologically sorted like socks in yer drawer.” his tone was clearly mocking her.

“Why do you sound like some free love for all hippie now? And no, FYI, I do not sort my socks any which way. But of course, is there logic to love and life, has to be. Otherwise, we’d be drifters doing whatever with whomever, no matter the consequences, bit near-sighted, don’t you think? I am all for winging it now and then, but we all need a plan and some structure.” she said.

He let out an unamused single laugh then said

“Bri’s life plan:
Become the popular kid in high school: Check.
Become prom queen: check.
Date the hunky football quarterback: Check.
Date the rich guy: check.
Go to college for some impressive, but useless degree to hang on yer wall: you’re on it.
Marry the rich guy: probably in the works.
Retire as trophy wife: working on that too.
Check, check, check …. CHECK!” Jackson’s words were full of anger and disdain.

“Cute. But wrong. Never dated a football player. Rich or poor, you are just like everyone else, the minute someone realizes who I am related to. I never get a chance to show who I am, cos everyone’s mind’s already made up. You are all the same. Never even bother to spend real time with me, but one look at me and you think you got me all figured out. Prejudice left and right. You know, there are ways to better the world without completely tearing down the system. Yeah, I am popular in school, always have been. And you know what I do with that? I am the one who sees that lonely kid, the reject or the new transfer, sitting all alone at lunch, so I go and sit with them until they start making friends. I have gotten in trouble cos I stood up for a boy being bullied, by the boys from the football team. I stood there, having to look way up at them, and told them off when nobody else would. Yeah, I was prom queen. And my acceptance speech was about asking everyone to spay and neuter their pets. Maybe it’s the vibe I am giving, maybe I just vibe shallow and airhead who doesn’t care about anything, but I assure you, I care a lot about many things, and I just about have it all up to here with everything. I don’t know what it is gonna look like, but something’s gotta give and I am about to burn some bridges, for better or worse.” Bri had gotten worked up during her rant, until in the end she sounded sad and defeated.

“Taylor’s not pregnant.” Jackson said, his tone and demeanor less resentful.

“Yeah, I know. As if I needed more ways to humiliate myself that day after that public faceplant. Found out after our … umm …. discussion, you had already left. She isn’t knocked up, her horse is.” Bri sighed defeated.

“I sure hope not, considering he’s a stallion.” Jackson said dryly.

“Oh, right. Oops.”

Bri and Jackson both burst out laughing, no matter how hard they tried not to. Both were upset, at themselves and each other, but the laughter seemed to clear away a lot of the tension. When they could finally get a hold of themselves again, she turned to him.

“I am sorry Jackson. I should probably get that sentence tattooed on for future use, so I can just flash that as needed.” her tone sounded sincere, her words an olive branch.

“Do I get to pick the body part?” he grinned and winked at her.

“Shut up! Or I will tell Taylor you said that. I don’t even care. I am already going down, I’ll take you with me.” she smiled a brief, fleeting smile.

“Be my guest. I bet she and her boyfriend will get a chuckle out of it.” Jackson told her, her smile instantly faded, as she stared up at him.

“Oh no. I am so sorry. Foot in mouth again. I did find that out too, sorry … but kinda forgot. But why was she at the party with you, if you’re broken up, that is so confusing, unless she’s dating Stryker now?”

“Told ya, I grew up with her, small community, so you don’t easily quit bein’ friends even if things go sour otherwise. I never really got the chance to actually break up with her, not for lack of trying, but first she didn’t wanna hear me, and then guess she got tired of waitin’. And no, ain’t Stryker, he’s too hung up on gettin’ his ex back, but I know the guy. Hope he can make her happier than I could. Shouldn’t be so hard, considering I treated her like shit. Not proud of that. Not proud of a lot of things I gone done of late.” Jackson sounded down.

“Yikes. You okay?”

Jackson just stared at her, then looked away, shaking his head.

“More cryptic Jackson-isms without actually saying anything?”

“Nothing cryptic, nothin’ to be said here. I just sometimes can’t believe my life. Never mind that. Right now I need to figure out how to get home. I got no clue what happened to my truck and trailer. Hope Prairie Rose is okay.”

“She’s fine. Your truck and trailer are in our driveway, Connor went to get them from impound and drove them out here. Dad bought Prairie Rose from the Cunninghams’, paid them what the broodmare would have cost, and took her over to my cousins for now, they own horses too. He was just gonna pay to bring the Cunninghams’ broodmare back from HOB and just swap the horses again, but your dad said the Duncans love that animal already, so dad decided against that and just paid for her. You can take Prairie Rose with you when you leave. I thought about what you said about you being the rightful owner, mom and dad and Connor agree. I’ll be off to college soon anyway; I don’t need a horse sitting here for four years. And you are right, she is yours. I honestly didn’t know, I seriously thought you sold her, and I was very mad at you for it. She’s nearby, right over there, you can see it from here. Kinda ironic, their home used to be where AG used to live when she was involved with your dad. My aunt and uncle bought the place from her a few years ago. Fate really has an odd sense of humor. So, in a way, that house over there is where it all once started and here we are full circle. Without AG moving there and meeting your dad, Connor would have never met him, and I would have never known you even exist. And here we are again, many years later and that house is relevant again.” Bri walked up to the fence and pointed at another cliff, past a beach, Jackson followed her and could make out what looked like a large white estate.

“Holy crap.” Jackson felt buried under an avalanche of information, while he could feel the anger between him and Bri morph into something like melancholy.

“Yeah. Speaking of crap, that hit the fan for me again after last night. Cunninghams were the ones who called the police. After we were bailed out by Nick and Liam and my parents, they dropped all charges against me again, I told them to drop the charges against you too, they refused, so dad called Uncle Liam who said you’d be stuck here on bail until he could talk sense into the Cunninghams, very carefully, cos Brad’s mom is a judge at one of the courts Uncle Liam and Nick frequently have cases at and you really don’t wanna piss off your judges. So, I called Brad, who’s extremely pissed at me, thinking you and I were screwing behind his back again, he honestly believes I have been lying to him this entire time, he also seriously thinks we planned the horse theft thing together as some idiotic prank against him, won’t believe me otherwise, no matter what I said, I begged him to talk to his parents to let you go, and he hung up on me. I called and called and he didn’t answer, I texted and got no replies. So, I called his dad and struck a deal with him for something I knew he wanted badly. Worked too. He dropped the charges, when I promised to break up with Brad and not date him again. I didn’t know what else to do, so I agreed, then called Uncle Liam, he confirmed it, Cunninghams dropped your charges too, he was finalizing your paperwork when I called. So, you are free to go, and nothing will be on your record.” Bri sounded sad.

When he didn’t respond, she sighed, then turned and slowly started walking back towards the house, Jackson followed her, walking next to her.

“You didn’t have to do that. Seriously Bri, I know I got myself into this. I didn’t want you to have to break up with him again, just to save me from my own idiocy. Not that, not like this.”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t really matter anymore anyway, Brad is convinced I cheated on him again when I really didn’t, so clearly the trust between us is gone, and I can’t even blame him. I thought I wanted him, it seemed obvious that he was the one I was supposed to be with, I adore him, but if it’s not one thing, it’s another tearing us apart and I am tired of fighting that same fight over and over. So, oh well. Life goes on. Topic change before I start getting really depressed. Look, I am grounded indefinitely, otherwise I would have offered you a tour of Brindleton Bay since you are already here, but not sure I really have tour guide in me anyway. This time I am grounded for taking my dad’s new car without asking. Grounded for going to jail for supposedly stealing a horse with you, even though I was actually trying to do the opposite, but okaaaay. In trouble at school for missing an important Math exam, mom and dad begged the principal for a chance, so now I will have to retake it on the same day I already have a REALLY big English exam, the day before a big cheer competition, and while he didn’t actually come out and said those words, yet, I think it’s save to say that me and my boyfriend whom I literally just got back together with, are history – again – and even if not, it’s over since I struck that deal with his stupid father to bail you out. The cherry on top of that is probably that Brad’s father and mine in some weird straight-up subliminal war now, which is why dad bought the horse, he wants me to have nothing to do with the Cunninghams anymore nor owe them a dime. And honestly, I glad he did, cos I need this to be over. But I’ll be fine. Why wouldn’t I be, right Jackson? I mean look at this BIG house and the BIG property and the BIG bank account my parents have and all that fame. I mean, I live in a house with bathroom in which your entire cabin fits into according to you. I am such a lucky, lucky girl, aren’t I? Such an achievement being born into this. Welcome to the wonderful, easy life of Briar Rose Cameron, Jackson I’d tell you to enjoy your stay, but since you seem to hate everything you think I stand for, you are probably miserable and itching to put that foot on the accelerator and rush home.” her tone sounded defeated, mature, saddened.

“No, no Bri, it’s not like that. I am sorry. I don’t know what I can do to fix any this, but I’ll try. I could try talkin’ to Brad or his father and confirm that you and I didn’t …I’d try it.” Jackson suggested, Bri immediately shook her head.

“Don’t. I am done trying to fix things, I am so done bending every which way to make everyone happy, to fit someone else’s mold, while the real me falls through the cracks, and every time I try to do something for myself, something that feels right to me, it backfires and fingers get pointed at me. My mom said something yesterday, right after yet another dream of mine blew up in my face, something about her wanting me to make a life for myself, find myself, be myself, be independent, not because I have to be, but because I want to be, because I should be, and that really resounded with me. Clearly, relationships aren’t my strong suit, so I’ll stop trying so hard. And sorry Jackson, not to be rude, but I gotta study for two very important tests tomorrow and practice for a cheer competition the day after now, plus, none of us got any rest since last night and I am exhausted, so have a good and safe trip home, not sure if they told you, but Stryker is in San Sequoia right now since you dumped a bunch of canned food on him and rushed out to steal a horse, so Keira’s taking care of him till you get back, Connor is going with you, to keep you company and take over the wheel so you can get some rest too, he said it’s at least a two or three day drive and since he doesn’t need much sleep he’ll be a good travel companion for you, he’ll make sure you eat and sleep, but he has to leave here very soon cos he can’t take too much time off work on such short notice, so I guess this is goodbye. Take care of Prairie Rose for me.” her tone was sad, but firm.

She turned to walk back inside; Jackson stopped her.

“Bri … am I gonna see you again?” Jackson asked, generating a sad smile from her.

“Looks like we can’t help running into each other, whether we want to or not. So yeah, I am sure our paths will cross again before too long. Look Jackson, I am not avoiding you or anyone, not even Brad. I am not mad at anyone, not even you for getting me into this current mess. In a way it feels like a wakeup call, reminding me to just focus on me for a while. Turn off all the background noise until I can figure out whom I supposed to become.” she stood up on tippy toes and planted a kiss on his cheek, then hurried inside, passing Connor in the doorway as she entered, and he exited.

“Hey kid, how long do you need till you can be ready to take off? Mom packed us snacks and drinks for the road, my cousin Kristin called, she is riding your horse over here now, I have no clue how to get that thing into a trailer, so I need you to come and help, so start saying your goodbyes.”