First Date
The wind whipped by as she strained, urging her mount forward. Polo was one of those sports that looked easy to the casual spectator; It was a common mistake to assume the horses were the ones doing all the work, but this just wasn't true. She could feel the beast surging across the ground beneath her, muscles working against her legs as hooves struck the ground, a mild distraction as her focus was on the ball ahead. Keeping the horse under control was the first challenge. The second challenge was heaving the deceptively heavy mallet whilst riding the creature, much less using it with any accuracy. Carefully, she leaned to side as the other players began to close in on her, the skunk gritting her teeth with sheer exertion, the weight of the mallet causing her arm to burn as she closed the distance, holding it in a preparatory swing position. Timing herself down to the last minute, she swung and was rewarded with the jarring connection of both her mallet hitting the ball, and another horse bumping into hers. The animal beneath her veered off as she jerked on the reins, trying to keep it under control without being thrown from it's back. She swore under her breath, the horse rearing up as she pulled back on the reins...Fortunately the animal was quick to calm and slowed to a stop. Had it been any less trained she might have been in some real trouble there. Shakily, she dismounted and turned to see where the ball had went. A goal meant the end of the game, and she had only just barely managed it.
With a sigh, she passed the reigns of the horse off to the waiting servant and bent over to catch her breath, supporting her paws on her knees. When she looked up again, she was surprised to see her parents standing there. She was used to the indifference of the Polo players; It was a game they played together not out of any particular desire but more or less because they had to. It was part of what was expected of them, these social games. An opportunity to network over some friendly competition; a chance to keep 'in' with the well-to-do crowd. Her parents were speaking with a boy who had been playing for the opposing team. Another skunk. She licked her lips, her throat feeling suddenly dry. She knew where this was going.
Her mother was a stern woman. "Cold" was what usually came to her mind when she was in the presence of the older woman. She was quite pretty, but compared to her father she was very emotionally distant and frigid in her relations, even toward her own offspring. It wasn't as though she didn't care however; she frequently went out of her way to make arrangements for her children, though these were usually done on her terms...such was the case now.
"Dearest Sylvannah, you put far too much effort into these games. Just look at you! Sweaty, out of breath...You should be more of a lady."
"Polo is fun, Mother." Syl said flatly.
Ignoring her daughter's remark, she tugged the other skunk over to stand in front of her. "This is Billy Keaton. We've been in discussions with the Keatons lately and we've agreed to let the two of you date." She pushed the boy towards her, which didn't help his overall nervousness. She gave him an obvious once-over, feigning disinterest. He was not a bad looking boy skunk, though Sylvannah had not really been much interested in him in all the other instances they'd played together. She knew they went to different private schools though were essentially neighbors, and some of the Keatons had been employed by the vineyards her family ran. The boy looked to be about her age, maybe a year or so younger. He was of an average build with typical skunk markings of black and white. His tail was a bit shorter than hers, though still broad and fluffy. He wore glasses with circular frames, his mop of messy white hair lending toward his attractiveness at least a little, though the general impression she got from him was that he was just another rich geek.
Syl was about to speak, but her Mother cut her off. "We've arranged a study date for the two of you.", she said, her tone of voice indicating there was no room for argument. Syl wasn't a psychic, but she could almost hear her mother's thoughts between the lines, looking defiantly up into her eyes. {You've been too rebellious of late, dear. I'm bringing a boy in to distract you and tie you down and keep you in your place.}
"Hi." Bill said, forcing Sylvannah to address him awkwardly.
"Hi."
"Umm, I've been told you're good at the sciences. I was hoping you could help me with some homework when we meet?"
"Sure.", Syl said noncommittally.
"Bring whatever you need.", her Mother confirmed. There was no fighting her when she was like this. Syl had learned that the hard way.
Awkward. She had been unable to come up with any excuses that would call off the date, so there they were, sitting side by side on the couch, framed in the intense golden light of the setting sun, the sky red through the window. Syl was trying hard to ignore the boy as she watched the television and worked on her own homework. Of course she was stuck there. Her parents had left for the evening, ensuring that she would be not only left in charge of the house, but left alone with the boy on their "study date". It was her parents way of trapping her in this, ensuring she couldn't weasel her way out of it somehow.
"So...Have you ever dated before?"
"No.", Syl answered simply, wishing the boy would lose interest in her.
"I have."
This surprised Syl, and she looked up at him.
"Once, a long time ago. There was this girl who found me attractive but the parents didn't approve."
"She was out of your class.", Syl suggested, nodding knowingly.
"Yeah..."
"Guess I'm different."
The boy looked over at Syl awkwardly and shrugged. "I didn't arrange this, if that's what you think.", he said. "My parents simply asked me if I wanted to meet you."
"We've played before. Sometimes on the same team."
"Yeah, but we've never -met-."
Syl had to concede that this much was true. She still wasn't sure about the arrangement, but she was heartened a little by the fact that it had been forced upon him as well. She supposed they were in the same boat after all.
"Well, we might as well get to the homework. What did you need help with?", she asked, finally allowing him some of her attention.