Zakary woke them up around 8:00am. Still was surprised that she had been sleeping so well lately, without the help of a sleeping aid. He told them to meet him outside when they were dressed and clean. As soon as he stepped outside of the room in a long stride, Black started in with enthusiasm while opening the window.
      "Come on, guys, we can escape through here. There's no way in hell we're staying here for long, we'll get behind schedule. Bartee, you first."
      "Now hold on," Still began, "We're not behind schedule at all. Bartee checked last night. If anything, we're ahead a day."
      "Like I care.." Black scoffed, "I'm not working for a scream-o emo redneck. Let's roll." After speaking his mind, he reached out for Bartee, who was on Still's back, his new favorite place to hang around. "No, Black," Still interjected, "We're working it off. You can't leave without me or Bartee, he's your key to getting your life and I'm of good help. If I stay, you have to too."
      Still smiled with satisfaction as Black reluctantly shrunk back into the room. She had won, and Black would have to rough it out for the rest of the day. She walked into the bathroom just as Black had both feet in the room. He began to object, but she smiled and closed the door on him with 2 words, "Ladies first."
     After Still and Black had gotten ready and clean, they headed outside to the backyard, back to where the barn held the cattle and the field held the rodeo horses. Zakary was waiting in front of the barn's door, leaning against the bright red finish. "Ready to work?"
    
      Zakary led Black to the field in the distance, over to where the saddles were held, while Still waited at the barn.  "Scrub these clean with the brush," he began, handing him one that was worn our and dirty. "They're old, might take a few hours to get all the saddles done."
     Zack walked off quickly, while Black muttered under his breath. "Stupid, ego-tistic, annoying, flirty little redneck-emo." He said it just loud enough for him to hear, but he didn't seem to mind, walking with long strides towards Still. When he approached her, he told her about his plans.
     "Truthfully," he said slyly, "There's nothing much else, besides brushing off those saddles, to do. There's some sweeping inside of the barn to do, but we can get that done in 15 minutes." Still nodded, grabbing the broom and handing the extra to Zakary. He, obviously, wanted to hang out for a while after the work. With Black  cleaning sattles, and Bartee inside the house, (Zakary didn't want him scaring the horses,) they would obviously have some free time alone. This thought alone, however, made Still a bit uneasy, but she didn't object. They had, after all, broken his window. A day spent with a cute boy was but a small 'price' to pay.
     Still took her sweet time sweeping the ground, trying not to stir up too much dust and mildew. Her new sensitive nose would sneeze regularly at new things, until her immune system adapted. She hadn't yet gotten used to indoor allergens, so she kept it easy going.
    Just as promised, they had it done in a bit more than 15 minutes. They both sat down on the closest seat available, a hay stack. "That wasn't too hard, now, was it?" Zakary asked with a smile, getting up after a few moments to walk out into the grass. Still followed.
    "No, not really," she replied, returning the grin. He sat down in an area in the grass next to the house, gesturing for her to join him. She did the same. He looked at her then, the smile still a bit visible on his face. "You know," he began, "I thought it was impossible for you to get better looking than last night, but apparently, I was wrong." He had a slight blush on his cheeks, as he leaned forward slight. Still didn't move, a million thoughts running through her mind. She barely knew him, and although he had a darling face, was this right? Should she lean forward, stay still, or turn away?
      Before her thoughts could clarify, he pressed his lips firmly against hers and left a soft, simple kiss. It lasted but a mere 2 seconds, gone in a blink. It was a perfect kiss, far from too wet or dry. His breath smelt crisp and his lips felt soft, but nontheless, Still stood up abruptly. Her thoughts barely began to clear as muttering to him an apology, rushing off quickly to where Black was taking a break in the front yard with barthalemeau.