But over at the side, I saw Jake, leaning against the gate to the arena. His arms were crossed over his chest. His jaw was clenched so hard there was no hint of any dimples. And when he looked up at me, those stable concrete grey eyes of his were darker.
They looked like a storm was brewing.
Chapter 63
I heardwhat Cody told the press, and she wasn't wrong. The fact that Wes, Jackson, and even Ty had joined in? Yeah, she was teaching a few of these boys that being tough wasn't the only power they had. They could be smart too.
But that score had me pissed. The sort of rage that burned cold, because I knew it a little too well. This was my father's doing. This was how he'd always gotten his way, and it was time to put an end to it. Fuck him, and fuck trying to not be an embarrassment to him.
Donald Merrill hated being pushed into a corner. He always used that as an excuse for his bad decisions or lashing out. Well, I was his son, whether I wanted to be or not, and it was time for my old man to see what it felt like being on the receiving end of this shit.
Because I'd won tonight.
Oh, not just me. Ties were rare in the PBR, and they were only really possible on the first day of an event, yet somehow Ty and I had managed to pull off the exact same 90.5. Mine had given more points to the bull than me, but it didn't matter right now because the closing ceremony of the night would put the winner up on that bullpen, which meant both of us.
And I had a plan brewing.
"You ready for this?" Ty asked as he came down to where I was still waiting.
The reporters had cleared out, wanting their space in the arena for the ending bullshit. If they were lucky, we might walk close enough for them to get one more interview before the end of the night. Usually they weren't, but they always tried.
The bull riders were all making their way into the warm-up area to strip off their gear and find a bar. All day, there had been an enthusiasm behind the chutes, but watching them? This wasn't just the dejection of losing. This was heavier, something piling up. While I didn't have a name for that thing, we all knew what it was.
So I looked over at Ty. "I'm going to make a scene."
"Good," he said, "because that's my plan too. They fucked over Cody long enough."
"Now they're going after J.D. for being gay?" I huffed. "That's not ok, Ty."
"Noneof this is ok!" he shot back. "This is fucking bullshit! This is them thinking we're their bitches to bend over as they want. They're in charge, so we should all shut the fuck up and take the check, right?" He turned and punched the gate I was leaning against. "J.D. fucking pointed out the hypocrisy. I can fuck as many girls as I want, and that's fine. Cody has two boyfriends, or those men happen to be into each other, and nope. That's 'wrong' somehow."
"But Wes said it better," I told him. "It's nottheirbusiness."
"But they think they can just push out anyone who isn't the kind of man they approve of," Ty growled. "And who the fuck aretheyto make that decision? The fucker who has a bastard he's still trying to hide? The one who was a fucking meth addict?"
"Sousa," I said, proving I'd heard that rumor too. "Yeah, but he's clean now."
"And good for him," Ty said, "but he wasn't when he was riding. Oh, but that's different, right?"
And that little plan of mine was getting clearer. "Ty?"
"Hm?" He turned to me, pushing out a breath like he was trying to calm down.
"What if they can't tell who to hate?"
His eyes narrowed. "I'm not following."
So I pushed myself away from the gate and actually stood up. "What would you do to help Cody and J.D. with this?"
"And Tanner," he added. "I didn't know him as well, but I respect that guy."
"But how far?" I pressed.
"Far as I can?" He made it sound like he was guessing.
"Like, would you run naked through the arena?" I asked. "You know, get embarrassed for a while because it keeps coming up over and over, and once it's online it doesn't go away?"
"If I could see how it'd help," he said, "then sure. Because I don't give a shit about what anyone else says about me."
