"She rides on her right!" Jackson said as he passed over the rope and crossed over to the far side.
A moment later, he was pulling the tail. I stepped into the chute, but paused to look back at J.D. "Catch me if you can, hot shot," I told him.
"Winner gets to be on bottom tonight," he shot back - and then nodded.
Fuck, I wanted to watch him ride, but I needed to get strapped in. Lowering myself down just enough to reach, I started warming the tail of my rope. The first pull was easy, but the second? Jackson tipped forward.
"Tighter!" I snapped.
"Shit, you scare me sometimes, Cody," he said - but he did hold it.
The next time I ran my glove over the rosin, he didn't budge. Behind the grill of my helmet, I smiled, deciding I did like this kid. He was just sweet enough to work well with me, and a few more years of riding would make him damned good.
I didn't say anything, though. No, I focused on pulling my hand down that rope until the rosin was stringy. Then I moved to the handle. Again, then again - and that was when the crowd cheered.
"I want to know his score," I told Jackson, but I didn't stop working the handle.
"Watching for it," he promised, looking up at the screen behind our chutes.
"Tail!" I ordered.
He leaned in, handing that to me, and then a smile took over. "J.D. got an 80.25."
"Rider score?" I asked.
"Uh... 35.5!" He sounded thrilled.
"That's shit for J.D.," I pointed out.
"Better than he's gotten all weekend, though," Jackson said as he climbed back to the good side. "And you're a go, Cody! Ride 'em, cowgirl."
Yeah, cowgirl was what Jake called me. It was enough to make me smile as I dropped down onto my bull's back. His name was Terribull, he was big, black, and sitting in ninth placeoverall. Not the best bull out there, but I might be able to get a decent score on him.
The moment my ass hit the hair, I nodded. The gate clanked, that sweet sound making this bull's head come up, and the rest of him followed, right out into the gap quickly opening before us. Dust rippled off of his coat. Muscles bunched under my ass, and everything around me shifted as he gained some height.
"Get in there!" Ty yelled from the chutes.
"Keep riding!" Renato was screaming.
"Spur!Spur!"
I couldn't make them all out, but I had this. Terribull landed on his front legs first, then dropped his shoulder and spun to the left. That used to be my good side, but now it was out of my hand. I still had this. This animal's back was so wide, I had acreage to work with.
So I got in a few spurs even as he spun. I also used my right leg harder than my left, and when I could, I gripped with my knees, trying to twist him back the other way - and it worked. Terribull slung his head, kicked up his ass, and doubled back nicely.
Before he got tight on me, I tried to push him forward. I wanted a few big kicks. I needed some of those big plunges, or maybe a kick out to earn me points. Thankfully, the third time I tried, this bad boy obeyed.
He landed hard, making my teeth clank, but I could hear the crowd screaming. Under that was the music Jake had picked out for me the other day. The bit about being too loud for this town, and I was gonna make that true. Each time Terribull kicked, I leaned back, forcing him to push against me. When he reared up, I leaned in, knowing I had this.
I was smaller, so he didn't have to work as hard. My center of balance was right on his back, so I didn't either. All my life, I'd been told women couldn't do this, but here I was, doing it justfine. And Terribull was giving me the kind of performance I'd always dreamed about having the chance to ride.
He kicked out so hard I could feel the fat in his ass shaking behind me. When he slung his head, the muscles were connected all the way to his shoulders. He was power incarnate, and I had complete control of him, making him not only do everything I asked, but also beg for more.
"Good boy," I whispered, running my spurs up him again. "Keep bucking, baby."
But the words were barely out of my mouth before the lights took over. The sound that came with it? In all the years I'd been watching the PBR, I'd never heard a crowd erupt like that. They were screaming! And right there before me, Tanner was waving his hands to let me know I'd done it.
I flipped the tail of my rope over, but held on. Today, I'd seen exactly how hard the dismounts could be. I waited one more buck, then yanked the end from between my rosined fingers, and tried hard to slide off the side.
