BACK		My Spanish Rose

By Sofie

It was a warm, warm summer-day in Athelone. They were having the annual competition, everyone used to call "The Horse Beauty Pageant". Maggie stood with her beautiful snow white horse, Orange. It had won more than ten beauty pageant awards while living, and of course, Maggie was very proud. Not that she couldn't be proud of her own look, cause she could. Shapes as a model, everybody told her that, she just didn't believe whoever said so. Hair that reached to her shoulders, having the same colour as most of the horses on the track - A pretty light brown colour. Her eyes were blue, and clear, and always shone as little stars. Her lips were very unusual, and were always noticed as the first. They had the shape of a heart, and were red no matter what Maggie did. But Maggie's beauty didn't touch Shane (Or Filan, as they all called him) at all. He was only interested in beating Orange in the pageant. Being at the track, was the only way for Shane to get away from all the stress Westlife caused. He didn't even have a girlfriend he could relay on.
"Yo, Filan! You're going down!" Maggie shouted and waved at Shane who stood with Carlton, his one and only.
"Seal your lips, Cavallero..." Shane laughed, and almost gave Maggie the finger. Maggie stuck her nose into the air, and kept petting Orange.
"You know, Cavallero... If Orange looses this time, which she does, I don't think I'll ever let you forget it..." Shane giggled. Maggie gave him the killer-look,
"Orange'll win... Why? You want to bet? That's it, Filan! You want a bet!" Maggie laughed. Shane was her friend, as much as he was her enemy.
"Yeah, I guess so... What do you say? 10£?" he asked, while clapping Carlton's back.
"10£? Filan, you're boring me... Let's say... The winner kisses the losers boots!" Maggie offered, and turned her head against Shane, who worked with Carlton in the barn next to hers.
"Darn, I thought you was gonna say 'boobs'... Well, boots can do! I just feel sorry for you, Cavallero... My boots are very dirty!" Shane laughed.
"Why should I care?" Maggie snapped, and Shane turned against her.
"Deal, Maggie Cavallero?" he asked.
"Deal, Shane Filan!" Maggie finished. They shook hands, and released a smile each. Then they returned to their horses.

"Filan! Have you brushed your teeth? I don't want to make my boots dirty!" Maggie yelled across the field - The field, where they were running the competition. They'd already gone through the look- and behaviour-parts; all they needed was the talent-part. Shane and Maggie led the competition big-time. It was all a matter of who came in first - who would cross the red line?
"Oh, sweet Cavallero!" Shane giggled, and kicked some mud; "I think you'll be the one who's needing a toothbrush after this match!"
Maggie gave him the finger, and got up on Orange. There were only Orange, Carlton and a horse called Benny left. It was all a matter of talent and speed. Normally, Carlton was the quickest, but Orange had been running a lot lately.
"Ready..." the judge warned, "Set..." Maggie and Shane made themselves comfortable on their horses. They brought their helmets on, and leaned over the horses. "GO!" the judge yelled, and the horses started to run as fast as they could. Benny went far behind already at first, so it became a matter of winning between Carlton and Orange. Maggie and Shane both felt the sweat coming at sight, and they gave each other a look. They quickly turned to look forward again. There weren't so far to the red line, and they were even.
"Carlton leads over Orange!! No, Orange leads!! Carlton! Orange!!" the judge confused himself.
"GO!" Maggie screamed, Orange sat in high speed, and crossed the line, just a few inches in front of Carlton. Maggie jumped of Orange, and hugged it. She tied it to the fence, and went to wait for the judge to make up his mind.
"I guess you won, Cavallero..." Shane slowly went over by Maggie's side, and started to fix Carlton’s tale. They were both covered with mud all over their faces.
"You could have won too, Filan... You rode pretty well! I'm surprised..." Maggie giggled. Shane opened his arms, to greet Maggie with a hug. She agreed, and wrapped her arms around him. They held on for a minute, but then let go.
"Good luck, Cavallero..." Shane said, and grabbed Carlton.
"Right back at ya, Filan. Believe me, you're gonna need it..." Maggie laughed. Shane waved his hand at Maggie, and went away with Carlton, who was pretty tired.

"At number three, we have Henry with Benny!" the judge announced. Henry went to the judges to except his award. Shane and Maggie kept intense eyecontact. They knew that that was it.
"And at second... This was a hard choice, and I'm sorry. But though he's had most number ones in music-history, he's still number 2 in horseriding. Shane Filan with Carlton!" the judge laughed. Shane slowly went to get his prize. He knew that Maggie wouldn't let him get away with it.
"And as number one... Maggie Cavallero! Do I need to say why?" the judge smiled. Maggie lifted her arms to the applause, and went to get her prize. She smiled at Shane, but knew what she was gonna do with him...

"I never got to say congratulations, Cavallero..." Shane said, when he found Maggie stand out in front of the barn, where they were having a party. It was at night, and they were alone outside.
"No. No you didn't, Filan..." She smiled, and turned against him. He smiled, and went down on knees. He closed his eyes, and slowly led his mouth down to her boots.
"Stop, Shane." he heard her soft voice sing. She went down on knees in the mud too. It started to rain, as a sign from above. The mud became worse in their faces, and they remained eyecontact. Maggie slowly led her hands up to Shane's face, and slowly let her finger stroll down his muddy cheek. The silent tones of a sad lovesong could be heard out there in the rain. Maggie and Shane, both sitting in the mud on their knees, fell in love in that very second. Shane led his hands touch Maggie's brown hair, under the helmet.
"Kiss my lips instead..." Maggie whispered with a sensual voice. They slowly led their head against each other. They almost kissed; when they felt their helmets bang in to each other. They both giggled loudly. They turned their heads to left, and then kissed. Their helmets still bang into each other, when they were trying to move.
"This aren’t working, Maggie!" Shane laughed, and slowly removed Maggie's helmet. Maggie laughed, and opened Shane's. She took it of quickly.
"Now, let's try again..." She smiled. Rain was falling down, from their foreheads, dripping from their noses, and landed on their lips - It wasn't only rain, it was also mud. They slowly kissed, and in the meantime tasted the mud and rain. But they didn't care, that they were eating mud. They didn't even care that their pants would be soaking wet, as well as the rest of their clothes.
"I think I really like you, Maggie Cavallero..." Shane smiled, and slowly touched Maggie's cheek.
"I think I really like you too, Shane Filan..." she giggled, and embraced him, while kissing him gentle...



Dedicated to Shane Filan's Gillian Walsh, Bryan McFadden's Kerry McFadden and Nicky Byrne's Georgina Ahern. Good luck, Girls... Keep Mark locked in, until I get him, okay?