There are two guys until me. I bend over, touch my toes and stand up, cracking my neck. “Maximum effort.” I put my helmet on and have Knox pull my glove back so I can tape it on.
I sit on the top rail of the chute, spacing out while the guy before me warms up his rope.
Knox punches me in the chest. It knocks me back but doesn’t hurt because of my vest. “Hey. Wake the fuck up. This isn’t a bull you can half ass.”
“I’m awake,Dad,” I snarl at him before kicking my legs over the top rail, spinning so I’m ready to crawl into the chute.
“Good, get pissed. You’re hurting. Get mad about it. Use it to help you. You’re not going to make the finals being a little bitch.”
“Hey, I’m no bitch.” I warm the sticky rosin up on my bull rope. The guy before me nods, and the gate swings around, clanging into the side of my chute.
“Could have fooled me. You don’t start riding something, we might find your picture next tolittle bitchin the dictionary.” Heat rises in my chest, and with it, an anger I’ve been pushingdown boils to the surface. I’m not mad at Knox, I’m mad at this entire situation—at myself and my stupid mistakes. “What was it she said?Second isn’t a good look?” he continues.
That verbal punch hurts, but it’s what I need. I climb on the bull’s back and put my hand in the handle of my rope. “Shut the fuck up and pull my rope.”
He pulls it tight. I grab my tail and wrap it around my hand. I take one deep breath.
Jessie might not want me, and my life might be a mess, but if there is one thing I know I can do, it’s ride bulls. I slide up to my rope and nod.
The gate swings open and the high-horned brindle blows up out of the chute. I slam my hips to my rope as his front feet hit the ground. He throws his head up, baseball bats for horns waving under my chin.
Yeah, pass. You’re not hitting me with those things.
He rears, and I make sure not to break too far over, staying clear of those horns. As he transitions to his kick, I can feel he’s going to turn back to the right. Once again, I stick my chest out and pull my hips down, then I throw my free arm over my head. He slings his head back again, and I can feel his momentum change, instead of going back into a rear, he bounces on his front feet, slings his head again, and kicks. I grit my teeth, rolling my shoulder back as I lift on my rope and draw my knees up to keep my upper body from lying over his horns.
Alright, you wanna play dirty? Let’s see what you got.
He throws in one more dirty hop-skip before he finally commits to his spin and levels out his timing. At six seconds, I throw my free arm over my head, harder than I have before so I can drag my foot up and kick out. I grunt through gritted teeth. I’m pissed, and I’m riding like it. I spur him two more times, then the whistle blows. I jerk my tail and sling my hips to the left, sticking the landing right in front of the bucking chute I leftfrom. I don’t turn back to see where the bull is—I don’t care. I walk right back in the chute, climb it and look Knox dead in the eyes. “There—fucking happy now?”
He smirks as they announce my score.
“88 points!”
Looks like I’ll be back for the short round.
Chapter 35
Jessie
Gran slams her coffee cup on the table.
I flinch, startled.
“Alright, it’s been a month and I’ve bitten my tongue, but I’m sick of watching you mope around. What happened when Trey left?”
Shit.
I don’t want to talk about this. I thought maybe Gran would let it go, but apparently, I’ve underestimated her attachment to him. I’ve actively avoided thinking or talking about Trey since he left. Every time I do, the memory of my words to him rips me apart, and I miss him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine.”
“I didn’t raise you to be a liar, so don’t start now.”
Ouch.
She isn’t pulling punches today. “Fine. We fought, and I kicked him out. It’s not a big deal, we all knew he was going to leave anyway.”
Her brow furrows.
