Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
His father gave him a stern look as he eyed him, a look that Nash knew meant he needed to rein it in if he didn’t want to step over that line and find himself in trouble.
Do good in school, respect others and don’t turn into your old man. Well, at least he was managing, or pretending to manage, in most of those areas. The teen had eyed his sandwich sheepishly as the man in the chair spat out the words about his boys needing to be better men than he was. Shaun Breckah was by no means an angel but suddenly Nash realized the man was maybe being way too hard on himself after everything that had happened.
Dad was right though, Fuck. I’m so sorry, mum’. Tracey had hated it whenever any of her brood, and even dad, had used any bad language and would’ve gently reminded them by putting a hand on their shoulder or back if she wanted them to rethink their words. Or, well, she would’ve scolded before making you do any extra chores.
”I know…” he said quietly, almost on the verge of tears as dad mentioned mum and he put his sandwich down on the kitchen counter. His appetite was gone alright. Nash sniffed back his emotions, he wasn’t going to show any of that right now after what had just happened with Jace but as he looked up at his father he saw the man swaying, ”Dad? Are you okay? Do I need to call Stephen? Or a doctor?”
Whatever his brother was going through was larger than anything Nash had ever seen before.Granted, the emotions and feeling of grief they had all dealt with over the past few months had been bigger than anything in any of their lives but Jace…Jace seemed to have gone over some edge that he wasn’t able to return from anymore.
It looked like the seventeen year old’s eyes were almost sparkling, enjoying all this even? Shit, this really went over his head and maybe he had just made the most fatal mistake by opening that window and spewing his sarcastic frustrations out at his brother.
"You wanted this!" his brother screamed again as he hit the window once again, almost like some wild animal at the zoo who was done being locked up. Nash swallowed down the fear that was building up inside his chest, he had too much pride to just run off but the alarm bells were definitely blasting. ”No, I didn’t want this, Jace, this is all on you!” he yelled out as the glass kept cracking, ”STOP IT!”
And there it was, a moment of silence, the eye of the storm and Nash saw something flash in Jace’s eyes as he locked his own green ones on the older boy’s. Crash! he jumped back at the noise as the glass shattered and looked up to see Jace making his way into the house, blood covering his hand and arm,
”Shit” he mumbled before panic mode struck and he moved back towards the door as fast as he could, ”Dad!! He’s losing his fucking mind!”
”I’m not being sarcastic…” Nash said sheepishly as he took another bite out of his sandwich, the crunching of the crisps echoing through the kitchen. Awkward much? It was hard to think of stuff to say to his father, there hadn’t been a whole lot of moments where it had been the two of them lately. Things were not like before anymore. God, he really missed mum.
The teen snorted at the man telling him not to swear, maybe keeping his mouth shut was the way to go here but he couldn’t hold it in either, not after the display that played out moments before. ”Seriously? Did you even hear you and Jace just now? And I’m supposed to be some good choir boy?” It was hard not to scoff at all of it, ”Forget it”
Did his brother really just put the cigarette out on his hand? ”What the….” that boy was literally insane. Fuck. Jace seriously needed help, okay maybe all of them needed some sort of help but Jace needed either a doctor, a therapist or just a freakin’ straight jacket to keep him from hurting himself or anyone else. Nash knew that dad was trying to get him to go see someone but the head of their household wasn’t really in the best position to get things done right now.
Before he knew it Jace had moved himself over to the window, the situation almost unfolding itself like a scene from some horror movie as the hand banged upon the window. The growl was loud as were the words that accompanied them and Nash flinched even with the glass in between them.
"Open the fucking window you gutless pig. At least I can fucking fight unlike you! Stop stealing them from me!"
The statement didn’t hurt him, fighting anyone was never a priority for the fifteen year old but apparently his older brother had a different opinion on that. ”For fuck’s sake, calm down will ya!” Nash raised his voice as he stepped back from the window, he wasn’t scared of his brother, never, but this wasn’t Jace anymore, this was pure rage.
The crack came out of nowhere and Nash felt his eyes widen, ”Are you seriously out of your mind?!”
”Start what?” he wondered as he took a bite out of his crisp sandwich, trying to act as casual as possible even if all of this left a mark on everyone in the family. Things had never been perfect in the Breckah home but it had always been loving and warm, adjectives that were hard to find these days. ”Looked like you just finished it though?” Nash did his best to keep the sarcasm out of his voice but the meaningful words were laced with scorn.
He had been on his way to the living room, just wanting to indulge in watching some mindless television now that nobody else was home and he got a chance to have first pick. However, something in his father’s demeanor as the man sank into one of the kitchen chairs told him he needed to stay right here. Nash leaned against the counter, mulling over what to say, ’It’s not your fault, dad’ No, he couldn’t say that since he wasn’t sure whose fault it really was. ’You’re doing the best you can, dad’. Nope, not that either.
”Fuck,” he mumbled before realizing that had been said out loud.
You couldn’t choose your own family, and in a way it was a good thing because some people would end up with no family at all. Like, who would want to have Jace Christian Breckah by choice anyways? Mum probably though. Shit. Nash silently apologized to her in his head but being kind to the brother who was being nothing but a hostile jerk was not on his mind at the moment.
”Who are you calling an idiot?” he spat back and rolled his eyes at the cigarette in his brother’s mouth. ”Why don’t you take another drag of that cancer stick, loser, we’d love to lose another family member" his contemptuous undertone was clearly taking over now.
The seventeen year old was not happy based on the scowl he received, ”Oh, you wanna put your money where your mouth is, tough guy? Or are you going to beat me up like you did dad?” he challenged only to close the window shut again, leaving some glass protection in between himself and the boy who couldn’t account for himself anymore. Maybe he was being a coward but there was no way he was any competition for Jace and he really didn’t need a shiner or bruised face to show up to the school play auditions with.
He was definitely asking for new headphones for his birthday or for Christmas. Heck, if anyone in this household still remembered to celebrate important milestones and holidays at that point. It wouldn’t be for listening to music though, no, it would be to block out the voices and breathing of the rest of his family members.
This was supposed to be a relaxing kind of day but Jace went and screwed that up once again. Well, actually it wasn’t even a surprise anymore, was it? ’And people say I’m the dramatic one..’ Nash mumbled as he fixed himself a sandwich in the kitchen, why did he have to be the only other one home today anyways, usually it was the fifteen year old who was out and about as much as possible to stay away from all of this.
The accusing shouts and roars had reached their peak and simmered down as the pictures on the wall started rattling. Nash didn’t care as long as the one with mum in it wouldn't take a tumble because that was the only thing he would get upset about, even if it was still hard to look at the photograph in question.
Jace yelling at dad and their father bellowing back at their brother wasn’t even something that shocked Nash anymore. If Tracey Brechah would’ve been here she’d have been livid at the display that just whirled through her house, then again, if mum was here none of this would’ve been happening right now. "Guess you really told him this time.." he scoffed while rolling his eyes at his father as he passed the man who was leaning against the wall. The teen knew the words his father had spat at his older brother didn’t hold any truth, just frustration, emotional pain and grief.
And apparently some physical discomfort too. The groan of pain was one that worried him though, did he need to call Stephen? Mav? Derek even? He wasn’t going to ask his father because he already knew what the man’s answer would be to that question.
You could be sure there was never a moment of privacy in a house with a bunch of brothers. The concept of really being alone was a tough one, the rare moments being times you needed to accept eagerly because you never knew when the opportunity would rise again. Some people thought being raised in a house full of males had to be ideal for a boy of Nash’ age but nothing could be further from the truth since tragedy had struck.
Not having Creven hog their shared bedroom for once was a relief because while Nash did his best to keep most of his time and activities outside of the house, away from all the tension, he still needed some time to recharge too as well as do the minimum required schoolwork to keep flying below that radar. It was easy to lose yourself in it all when all you did was try to find those high moments away from dealing with your emotions instead of actually sitting down and letting it all wash over you.
Something Jace wasn’t doing apparently. He was fighting tooth and nail to push the emotions out in a hostile way and it affected everyone in the Breckah household. At least he was giving his feelings free rein. Too much rein probably. Nash always tried to actively avoid the seventeen year old as much as he could and while he would never admit to having favourites when it came to any of his brothers, it sure as heck wasn’t Jace.
There was a loud bang on the roof, followed by others. Nash had heard Jace in the hallway earlier but was he actually on the roof again now? What was his brother doing this time anyways? Why couldn't he just stay inside the house or leave all together? This kind of rubbish was annoying as fuck.
Nash slid open part of the bedroom window, the obvious smell of cigarette smoke hitting him immediately. ”What the hell are you doing out here?”Kill yourself? I’ve got better ways if you are looking for actual options. He really needed to keep his mouth shut, he had probably said too much already. ”Can you keep it down? Some people are trying to focus and have an actual life”
Eva was definitely a girl right up his alley. Maybe even a little cooler and more collected than he was, or at least that’s how she came across. There was no way he was ever going to tell her or anyone else that, nor was he going to admit to that, not even under torture. She didn’t seem to be afraid to speak up as well as speak her mind. It was something Nash had always tried to do, sometimes with a little too much bravoure than was actually needed but keeping quiet was like living your life with the handbrake on. Why would you ignore your own feelings and opinions when others would just roughshod over you anyways? Life was supposed to be fun and should not be taken so damn seriously.
’Your parents’. Ah. right. Them. Life’s curveball to his method of functioning. Okay, so lately life had been more difficult than he had ever experienced before and he wasn’t sure if things would ever calm down again but he really didn’t want to talk about them right now. ”Hmm” he acknowledged, the playfulness in his eyes never fading as he did his best to push the thoughts away. The arched eyebrow and the comment that followed made him forget about the grief and anger that had almost snuck up on him again, ”Ohh, so you think you know what I was going to say?” Maybe he was just going to mention the prices here compared to Willow Bridge City. Who was he kidding, she seemed to be one step ahead of him and it was both intriguing as well as annoying because he liked to be the quick-witted one having the upper hand. ”Fine, fine..,” came the smug reply as they entered the cafe part of the arcade.
”Nice to meet you too” Nash tried to flash her his biggest and brightest smile. Man, he was going to have the best story to tell his mates who had been eyeing the new girl over the last couple of weeks. ”Theater crowd, yea I guess you could say that,” he smirked before he continued, ”would be a shame to deprive people of this face up on stage now, wouldn’t it.”God, Breckah, give it a rest.”Transferred? Where from?” The polite thing would’ve probably been to ask if she was willing to share that at all but he was too curious. So was Eva apparently, ”Ha! Yea, I guess that about covers it?” Bad girl, hot girl, it all came down to the same thing, right? One thing was for sure, she was interesting alright and he certainly wanted to know more. ”So what’s your kind of crowd?” he asked as he started to dig some coins out of his pocket and ordered two blue slushies.
Nash shifted in his seat as he looked over his shoulder back at the display full of sugary goods and contemplated getting another loaf of the lemon cake. He really needed to start eating breakfast at home again if he wanted to save up on money, but it would mean sitting down with hs family and he wasn’t sure he was up for that most mornings. Money was a thing at home at the moment even if he knew his brothers were trying to keep that piece of information from him and Creven. He knew Stephen and Mav had been using their own; trying to scrape together anything to pay the bills. Derek even sent money over as well and Keith had been helping in his own way.
”Yea, the world doesn’t seem to take feelings into consideration, right?” Nash had no idea what Emma had gone through but by the way her words carried the emotion it was definitely something traumatic and heartbreaking. ”That sounds like some hot motivational quote but I guess you could be on to something?” He really didn’t see all this as a challenge but more as a ‘your life will never be the same again, so get used to it’-kind of thing.
Nash nodded when the girl asked if his brother was taking a break from his studies. It was easier to just acknowledge that instead of going into everything that had led to this point. ”Creative….” The fifteen year old pretended to be pensive, ”I like it, I like it. Maybe we are the smart ones after all? Languages are definitely a creative way of expressing yourself. I only know the big car brands in German,..” he said before he started ticking off a few on his fingers, ”...ya know, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz”
”Ah, okay, yea they are all older besides my youngest brother…obviously” Gee, well spotted, Breckah. ”Mess is a lifestyle you have to commit to” he joked, things were definitely more chaotic and less organized now that mum wasn’t there anymore. ”That’s cool, probably smart too before the field gets all moist and wet. I will have to come check it out sometime.” He looked at the book that Emma was eyeing again and nodded, ”Hmm, we’re actually working on Hamlet at the moment, can’t escape Shakespeare anywhere these days it seems.”
’Always be respectful.’ That was something Nash had heard pretty much his entire life from his parents and while it was hard at times it could never hurt when getting caught in the act of skipping class. No matter how old the teacher or adult in question was. Nash was good at being polite when he felt like it and it usually helped so he wouldn’t get yelled at.
”Fine, Mr. Stonehouse it is,“ he nodded, a lazy smile tugged at the corner of the teen’s mouth, ”if you will call me Nash?”Bingo. Buy one get one free. ”Nicholas makes me feel like I’m in trouble, which I’m not, right?” Hey, nobody could blame him for wanting to make sure before he continued the conversation or scurried off.
This man didn’t only look cool but he appeared to be such as well. Hopefully it wasn’t just an act to get the fifteen year old to listen to him. Nash could definitely live with that comment and would certainly take it into consideration next time he opted out of being bored to death by his history teacher. No promises though. "...No?” he replied, ”Just a long day and my brain was fried?” That was easier than saying it was just one amongst many he had been skipping lately and that the class being lame didn’t really help.
Free block. He needed to get his hands on those things. ”How do I get one of those? A free block? Sounds wayyy better than marking stuff, you sure you even want to go back today? I bet you have way more interesting things to do than dedicating all of your time to the educational system of doom.”
The look in his brother's eyes had the tiniest of smiles tug at the corner of his mouth for the first time since he had left his friends at school earlier that day. Nash had seen those green eyes narrow at him plenty before. Good, he was still able to annoy the older boy as he always had, even if most of it had been in jest over the years. The fifteen year old also knew he was never, ever, going to be able to win an argument with any of the older crew but that hadn’t kept him from trying.
”We have Jace,” he deadpanned when his brother put the bat down and shared he always wanted to have a mogwai. ”It’s pretty much the same thing as a gremlin, just replace water with human interaction and ta-da.” Nash rolled his eyes and snorted but thought it was a pretty clever comparison on his part. ”I come away scot free at least,” he piped up as he pointed at the clock, ”it’s after midnight and I just ate and am still a normal boy.” Okay, yea, sure, that was debatable but that wasn't the point right now. ”Lucky number seven, that’s me….” the slightly uttered words were laced with sarcasm.
He had missed Stephen when he had been away at university and while he really wanted him to have a good education and go places in life he had also hated it when the boy had left and hadn’t returned for the summers that followed. Though now that he was back, Nash found it hard to revert to the way they had been before. Nothing was like it had been prior to all the mess anymore anyways. What if he got used to Stephen being home again? He would depend on his brother like when he was younger only for him to leave once more? It would break his heart all over again.
”Well, no… not all of you... I guess?” he answered when his brother wondered if Nash was talking about all of them. ”Mostly the usual suspects who have been able to fuck up family life even more than we all thought was possibly,”Dad. Jace. Nash shrugged, feeling defeated mostly. Feeling alone. ”Not you, though. Well, some days you too?” it was just honesty and it was more of a question than an actual statement anyways but he didn’t have the courage to look at his older brother. His mind, and feelings, more confused than ever. Did he really hate dislike his family? No. No, he didn’t. He just didn’t like them very much at certain moments lately.
”I mean, come on, bruh. You can’t possibly tell me you’ve been enjoying being back here?” Nash sighed and looked at the empty bowl in front of him, ”Shit, now I want more cornflakes and we’re out of milk. Bloody gremlins.”
Maybe he was bold, brave, or cocky. Or maybe it was just insanity. Nash wasn’t afraid of anything and he usually went in full guns blazing when it came to any situation. He had learned from a young age that with seven other brothers you needed to get what you wanted when you wanted it or else there wasn’t anything left to get. If you wanted the attention you needed to grab it when the moment was there before it had passed and left you wondering what could have been. You had to be as confident in your ways to get to the goal even when it didn't always work in his favour.
Of course he wasn’t completely fearless because bravery only existed in spite of fear but this had always been his modus operandi. He had nothing to lose, right? Besides, this girl was cute. You had everything to lose in life if you didn’t grab it by the horns and after mum had passed he felt like he needed to get everything out of life so he stopped caring about the consequences because he couldn't lose much more than as he already had.
Entertainment, that’s what he needed. Preferably the kind standing across from him but mostly anything to keep that mind from wandering into the darker places of his thoughts and away from those pesky feelings. Nash was still leaning against the pinball machine as it started to make noise again, calling for its next player and the boy tried to keep his cool. He was cool, right? ”Confident is my middle name” he smirked. ’Kid’ Pfft, he snorted inwardly; who was she calling a ‘kid’ anyways, wasn’t she still in secondary school with him too? The fifteen year old decided not to voice it though, not wanting to spoil any interaction they had going for them at the moment.
Her name was Eva and apparently he was buying her a slushie. Mission Accomplished. ”Sure, yea. A blue Icee I can do, that’s all it costs? Cheap that....” Maybe he needed to quit while he was ahead. Nash grinned as he walked with the girl towards the cafe, or as he was basically being pulled along by her. Same difference. Hot shot. Okay, okay, he had made it this far at least, that was promising. ”It’s Nash,” he said and nodded, ”Breckah. Yea, I’ve seen you in the hallways. You new?”
