Third time is a charm!
The old man signals to a guy sitting off to the side behind a control board and the bull pitches forward. I clutch the reins with my gloved hand and hold on for dear life. It starts out slow, moving back and forth in a circle just long enough to relax. Then it really gets going.
My knees are locked in tight and I’ve got my free hand up in the air.
And I’m still on!
I am amazing at this!
The girls are on their feet, cheering for me, but they’re all a blur as I spin by them.
This is awesome!
The bull starts slowing down, and instead of jumping off, I stand up on it, raising both fists in the airRocky-style, and scream, “Wooooo-hoooooo!”
And the crowd goes wild.
When the bull finally stops, I leap off. More cheers.
“Very good, Charlie!” the old man says.
“That was the coolest thing ever!”
I’m walking back to Bianca, high-fiving everyone I pass, when I feel Olivia’s phone start vibrating in my back pocket. I pull it out and see my name on the screen.
“Hey!” I say.
“What is that noise? I hope you’re parked in front of Danlee’s house!”
I have to hold one hand against my opposite ear just to hear her. The cheers are so loud. “Yeah! That’s it! That’s where I am!”
“Why is it so loud?” she asks.
I step a few feet away. “It’s the radio.” She’s going to know I’m lying.
“Charlie—” she starts, but I interrupt her.
“I’ll call you back,” I scream into the phone, and then end the call, finally making my way to Bianca.
She throws her arms around me. “You were incredible!”
I lift her off the ground, giving her a little twirl. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” I set her down, one hand on her waist and the other linked with hers. “I’m going to slip out now. Thanks for dragging me in. That was really fun.”
She leans forward. We’re close. And I like it. “See you later, Charlie Messina.”
And I like how she uses my whole name, and she knows it. She starts to move away and I hang on to her hand until the last possible second.
Once I’m back in the truck, the phone vibrates again.
MOM:Don’t forget to send me a video of the line dancing!
I send her the video I took. And then I get another text. I cackle when I see who it’s from. Good ole letterL.
L:Done for today. Is there a party tonight? Wouldn’t mind running into you again
Oh, this guy is smooth. I prop Olivia’s phone against the steering wheel and rub my hands together, thinking of the perfect response. There isn’t a party tonight, and I know we have to eat family dinner at Nonna’s, but then there’s Judd’s thing at Superior. Perfect.
ME:No parties tonight And I have to eat family dinner at my grandmother’s house but then I’ll be at Superior watching a friend’s band play. It would be easy to run into me there
