Original dA post: https://www.deviantart.com/drasayer/art/Such-Ugly-Things-782195005
The move from her home in Missouri was a drastic change Zora hadn’t been wholly ready for. She had seen it coming but wasn’t actually prepared for it. But if she wanted to keep her job at the stable, she had to go where she was needed. They had better talent at the main stable. Why would she be needed there? So she wasn’t surprised to be called into the main office and speak with the owner about a possible swap to the Southern branch of RidgeRunner down in Texas. She understood. She went without a fuss. It wasn’t like she was some grand rider or had marvelous horses. She was just an average rider with average horses. He was just grateful she could keep her job and wasn’t just let go on the spot.
Texas wasn’t too bad. At least it was warm. Adjusting was slow as she didn’t know any of the staff there. She just kept her head down and stuck to her thing; exercising the extra horses and working her own. She didn’t want to stir up anything and just quietly make ends meet while she studied to be a vet.
One of the riders wasn't hard to miss and her reputation got around. Tequila Brannon. The Texas “Rose” herself. More like Texas Troublemaker. She was loud and exuberant. Crass in the way she dressed and presented herself to other boys, always flirting and boasting about her bedroom prowess. Zora made quick work to avoid her. The pretty girl. The popular girl. Ugh. Not someone Zora would choose to hang out with. Not because she couldn't be a pleasant human being. Zora just didn't want to constantly be self-conscious of herself.
Tequila didn’t feel the same. She saw the redhead go over a jump on her horse and had to stop and stare. The blond twirled her long hair around a finger, staring curiously, “Why do you like ridin’ in that tiny saddle?”
Zora felt her blood run cold. She had failed to blend into the background. She had been spotted. She grit her teeth a little but put on a polite smile. Just answer the dumb lady’s questions and she’ll go away... “Uh, well, for jumping. I can’t really get over a jump well if I have a saddle horn in the way…”
Tequila stared closer at the saddle, “Hmmm...that ain’t what I asked.”
Zora’s smile tightened. Go away. She was already feeling super uncomfortable in her presence. She’d rather just work in peace on her own.
Tequila leaned on the rail, not shy that her cleavage was a mile long, bursting out of her shirt, “I’ve seen you ride western before. Why do you change back?” Tequila clarified her question. Zora had exercised some of the western horses too. She was an all-around rider but specialized in Show Jumping. It made her useful in doing lower level rider across the board to help out the other trainers that had too many horses on their plate or lesson horses that needed a tune up.
Zora was honestly a little surprised she even existed in Tequila’s narrow window of life that seemed to only consist of sex and booze. “Jumping’s just what I enjoy doing…”
“Really?” Tequila turned her head to the side, “Ya think you could teach me?”
“Ah!?” Zora was taken way off guard by a question like that! She assumed Tequila only knew western riding and would only ever want to! She was born and raised Texan and she’d only ever ridden western! “I- well...you honestly want to try it? It’s not something you can just learn overnight. It’s really not as fun as barrel racing or whatever…” What was she saying!? Jumping was way more fun! Maybe she feared trying to share something she truly enjoyed with someone if they might criticize it later. If she made it seem boring now, maybe she’d just give up before she could make fun of it…
Tequila snorted and giggled, “I can win any barrel race with my eyes closed. I ain’t never jumped nothin’ before! Teach me!”
“Uhh…” Zora really wasn’t in a position to “teach” anyone. “I’m not really an instructor…”
“You’re staff, I’m a boarder, what’s the problem?”
Zora wasn’t going to be swayed into making rash decisions. “Look, there are good trainers around that could give you some lessons. I can give you some names if you really want to try out jumping.”
Tequila puckered her lips and whined. Rejection wasn’t in her vocabulary. “Fine. What if I just rode around you and you jus’ shout at me if I do somethin’ wrong? Then we’re jus’ two bitches ridin’ around!” She smiled again, having solved the dilemma.
“Uh-”
“In exchange, I’ll take you to a party tonight! Drinks on me! C’mon!” Tequila offered.
Zora waved her hand, “Ah, no, that’s not really my thing. I don’t need payment or anything like that.” Not to mention she was underage. She didn’t even agree to “teach” her…
Tequila kept the pressure on, “Aaahhh, c’mon! It’s on the beach! It’ll be fun! I’ll do your hair, we’ll get you some makeup, get you all dolled up! Maybe snag us some boys for the night?” She gave her a playful wink.
Zora was finding it hard to have a genuine smile. “Sorry, it’s really not my thing. I’ve got school I need to study for tonight. Doesn’t really sound like my crowd of people.”
Tequila was at a loss. She didn’t run into many people that turned down parties. (Mostly because she hung out with the party crowd…) Who turned down free booze?? She frowned a little and looked dejected. Her lip poked out as her shoulders slumped. “I ain’t got nobody else to go with though…”
Zora thought that was absolute bullshit! She had loads of connections and friends, surely! This wasn’t some ‘pretty girl is lonely’ soap opera drama! “I’m sure you know someone in the area that’s gone with you before…”
Tequila looked up at Zora, her pout game intensifying into a pathetic scowl. “Not anybody I want to go with.”
Zora pinched her lips and held strong. She would not waver. She didn’t belong at a stupid party to watch idiots do stupid shit all night. She had responsibilities and common sense.
Tequila batted her lashes, pleading, “Please? What if you just come with me until I find someone else then you can go home? C’mooooon.”
A guaranteed out. Dammit. Zora sighed, hanging her head. She was too nice… “Okay. But I’m not staying.”
“Ahh!” Tequila squealed, “Thanks Zo! You’re the best! You’ll have fun! I’ll come by and get you tonight!”
Zora gave a nod as Tequila skipped off. She shook her head and muttered to herself, “You don’t even know where I live…”
And because of that Zora hung around past her work hours for a little while longer. She was dreading this. She really didn’t like the party scene. She felt horribly stupid for agreeing to this. She did not belong in that crowd. She had a feeling all she was going to end up being was a wingman for Tequila to lean on and get laid or a DD to make sure she even got home. Either way, Zora was just an add-on. This night was going to be awful.
And it started with hair and makeup. Tequila dragged her off to her car and was prepping her before they even left the stable. “Let’s do something fun with yer hair! Why don’t you ever do anything with it? You put all this color and cut in it and not do anything with it?”
“I straighten it…” Zora responded. She didn’t take offense, really. Honestly, she felt she had enough money in keep her look. It was slightly edgy, just the way she liked it and nothing more!
“No, no, no,” Tequila shook her head, plopping herself down in Zora’s lap and taking strand of her hair up. “Low maintenance hair means low maintenance men. Let’s put some kink in here,” she giggled and gave Zora a wink. “You know what that means~”
Zora chuckled nervously, the awkward feelings intensifying, “Yea, well, I’m not going for any men tonight so…”
Tequila waved her words away, getting the curlers and hair spray out. She wouldn’t have such negativity in her presence. “Do it for me then.”
Hair curled, nails done, makeup? Everything Zora really didn’t care about. She felt like a clown. Someone like Tequila wore it naturally and looked like an Instagram model. Zora, well, she just didn’t have the confidence to carry it very well. But she would if that’s what Tequila thought she needed. She’d be forgotten in the crowd within minutes and then she could sneak off home again. That was Zora’s master plan.
A shame, Zora really thought this place would be so pretty on the beach with a campfire if there weren’t so many loud people there. And oh god...they were all “Tequila’s people”. Cowboy hats and boots everywhere among the blaring country music. Boobs spilling out of bikinis, so much hairspray they were more of a fire hazard than the bonfire. Zora was kind of concerned about the amount of alcohol and fire, honestly. Someone was definitely going to catch fire. At least the waterline was near?
“QuiQui!” a man hooped. Zora was relieved. They sounded like someone who knew her. She could go off with him and Zora could escape! Yes! She gave a polite smile as Tequila staggered around.
“Will, the hell you doin’ here!?” She flipped her hair and raised a brow.
Zora frowned a little. No...she didn’t look interested. Crap.
Will smirked like he was hot shit, obviously flexing to impress her (and obviously drunk). He put an arm over her shoulder, leaning in close to her face, “Why don’t your brother come down anymore? Haven’t seen him in months. Beginnin’ to think he don’t love me no more.”
Tequila giggled a little, “Sydney does whatever the fuck he wants. And I ain’t his momma. You’d have to find Justin.” They both laughed and Zora smiled a little, taking a step back. Good, maybe they were friends after all.
Will leaned even closer to Tequila, rubbing his stubble against her cheek, “Thas’ okay, I’d rather hang with you QuiQui.” He grabbed the strings to her bikini, pulling on one to loosen it.
Tequila giggled and snuggled into him, “Wiiilll, you’re being naughty. I have my friend with me.”
Will looked up and noticed Zora for the first time. He gave her a once over and didn’t seem to mind that she was the only one there in a one piece. He gave a shrug, “Howdy miss.”
“...hi…” Zora muttered. She was trying to deflect any interaction with him at all costs.
Will smiled and clapped a hand between Tequila's thighs, crudely showing where his mind was, “So, threesome?”
While Zora looked wholly disgusted and offended, she looked even more confused that Tequila would even laugh about it. Tequila bit her lip and tapped a finger on Will’s nose, “Hey, sweet baby, my girl ain’t into that. I’m hanging out with her tonight, okay baby?”
Will slumped and let his hand hang by his side. He looked saddened, “Aw hell…”
“But Miranda looked wet for any dick with a drink in his hand. You can smell her from here. Why don’t you go talk to her, huh, babe?”
Will smiled again and gave Tequila a sort of hug like a bro just got hooked up. He staggered off to go find that Miranda girl…
Zora still looked disturbed, “Ugh. Why do you hang out with guys like that? You just let them grab you like that?” No self-respecting woman would ever!
Tequila wrapped her arms around Zora, giving her a hug, “Whaaa, Will? He’s harmleeeeesss. We fuck all the time. An okay dick. Ain’t nothin’ to brag about but Miranda ain’t gonna care. Will’s got this trick where he’ll put a couple more fingers in ya so it feels like-”
“AH AH AH AH- I don’t wanna know! I really really really don’t want to know! Sorry I asked!” Zora waved her hands, shook her head, leaned away, anything to get away from that horrible mental image! She forgot how much of an over-sharer Tequila was! The woman didn’t know what privacy was!
Tequila hummed and smiled more, leaning on Zora’s shoulders. She really wasn’t sober anymore either. “Sex isn’t something to be-”
“Tequila, I really don’t want to have the sex talk with you right here, okay?” Deflect! Change the subject! Anything! “What happened to you finding a friend!? That was the deal!”
“I did! I’ve got you, ZoZo!”
...ZoZo…? Zora...could die. She had fallen in a trap. Her freedom would never come. It was a long night of standing through southern slurs, dirty jokes, party games, and laughter (at least for the others). The worst was Tequila attracted them like moths to a flame. But...she did seem to bat them off Zora for the most part. Zora appreciated that at least.
Really, she was just surprised Tequila really stuck by her throughout the night. She honestly expected her to go off with some guy or a pack of the girls like her. She nearly did a couple times but she always came back around just as Zora was starting to make an exit. “Les’ get a beer!” or “Dance with me!” or “Come play ball!” None of these Zora actually joined in on but she stayed in the vicinity. She would feel kind of bad to ditch Tequila at this point. She was so drunk…
Zora sat near an abandoned fire on what was a giant sand penis...someone was proud of their work… She was just tired of being there and waiting for Tequila to either blackout or finally decide she had enough. How much more could she possibly drink?
As Zora sighed tiredly, Tequila plopped down next her, draping her tie-on shirt over her shoulders and cooing, “ZoZo! Look how pretty you are!”
Zora forced a friendly smile as she had been doing all night, “Suuure.”
“Put it on! Put it on!” Tequila cheered.
Zora just did it to shut her up. One less thing she could lose.
“Zoooo, you’re so cute. You should dress up all the time! Show some titties!” She pulled open the tie-on shirt, leaning her head on Zora’s chest.
“Ah, no, I don’t do that.” Not like she actually had boobs to have any cleavage anyway.
“Why not? You’re hot! Flamin’ redheads have fun!”
Zora’s smile softened a little.
She wished she could feel a little complimented coming from someone as pretty as Tequila. She really did. But she just kind of felt even worse. She knew Tequila meant no harm. But how was she supposed to feel pretty if she had to put all of this makeup on and fix her hair just because her natural looks weren’t enough? If she couldn’t be liked for who she was naturally, why would she want to be liked as someone she wasn’t? But she knew that’s not what Tequila meant. Of course not. She was just a drunk pretty girl.
Zora reached over and pulled her loose bikini strap back up and over her shoulder before her boobs fell out of the poor thing...again. She sighed quietly, “You’re drunk.”
Tequila giggled and leaned herself into Zora to hold up, “Hell yea, I am.” She quieted down for the first time all night, staring at the crackling fire. Zora was relieved she was like a small child watching TV. Now if only she would just decide they could leave already…
“Hey ZoZo…?”
Dammit. “Yea, Tequila?”
“Thanks fer hangin’ out with me~ You’re somethin’ a lil’ diff’ernt, ya know that?”
It was hard to understand how much of that was the booze and how much was genuine but Zora just nodded and let it go. Best not hang on to words drenched in the stench of alcohol. Lessons that were learned and not taught.
“Hey ZoZo…?”
“Yea?” Now what?
“Will you hold my hair. I’m gon’a throw up a lil’.”
“Wha!?” Zora jumped. “Right now!? How about over in the bushes!?”
Tequila shook her head and was already lurching forward. Zora squealed and grabbed as much hair as she could! There was so much hair! She wasn’t sure she actually got it all out of the way! A warning would have been nice! Zora grimaced and groaned. “Tequila...can we go now?” It was more of a plead than a question!
Tequila spit off to the side and sat up again, wiping her chin like she totally didn’t just upchuck several pints of liquor. She flicked back her hair and dotted her makeup with a finger, “Sure thing, sweetheart. Lemme go find my Will baby. Told him he was mine after M’anda.”
Zora watched her get up and stagger away to go find Will. She sighed and hung her head in defeat. Pretty girl...why surround herself in such ugly things? Sigh.
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