“Looks like you’ve got some competition for being the scariest, Firecracker.” Mikey was still laughing. “Man, does that mean we’ve gotthreeRottweiler girlfriends in the mix?”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Ellison scoffed.
“You know, you’re protective and not afraid to punch dudes in the face, but then you’re all lovey and cuddly with Colter,” Mikey explained his thought process. “Colter’s a golden retriever, and you’re a Rottweiler.”
She didn’t look super convinced, but she still nodded. “Hmm, okay. As long as you don’t call me a feral kitten, I’ll take being a Rottweiler.”
“I need to hear this story, though. How did you make them cry? Did you punch them? How old were you?” Jake leaned forward on his elbows.
“You want to tell the story, or do you want me to?” I raised my brows at Sierra, a laugh threatening to surface.
Sierra rolled her eyes. “Since Keenan has never been able to keep his mouth shut, I guess I’ll tell it. Long story short, we were at a rodeo, and these bronc riders were talking shit about Hayden, so I told them off.”
“Yeah, that’s the SparksNotes version of it, Skippy. You gotta be more detailed. Tell them exactly what you said.” Keenan laughed.
“I don’t know what he said about Hayden, but it wasn’t very nice, so I just told him he looked about as smart as he was good at riding broncs. He was the worst bronc rider in the association.”
Both Keenan and I raised our brows, looking at her with expectancy to continue.
She sighed, her eyes rolling toward the ceiling. “Okay, and then Imayhave dislocated his kneecap because he didn’t think I was strong enough to beat him up and tried to kick my feet out from under me, but assault is a crime, so, for legal reasons, that’s a joke. If anyone asks, he took a really bad fall off a bucking bronc.”
Jake coughed, almost choking on his drink. “Damn, that’s brutal. Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
She grimaced, her face contorting with discomfort at the attention. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”
“I’d take it as a compliment, Skippy,” Keenan reassured her with a chuckle. “You’re loyal. Maybe sometimes to a fault, but I’d rather have a friend who’d defend me to the grave than someone who lets people drag me through the mud.”
“Well, I feel like you get enough shit as it is, Kee. You don’t need strangers giving you a hard time, too.” Shesmirked, mischief gleaming in her eyes where embarrassment once reflected.
“Nah, I think it’s just ’cause you love me.”
“I’ll give you that one. I’d love you even more if you’d buy me some peanut butter cups, though,” she teased.
The rest of the group had diverted into their own conversation, leaving the three of us in our own little world. Guess they had just wanted to hear Sierra’s story.
“You and your peanut butter cups.” I shook my head before turning my attention to Keenan. “Remember that time you couldn’t make a decision on what to get at the gas station?”
He scratched his head. “Uh, you’re going to have to be a bit more specific there, Hazey.”
“The day we went to Ranger’s,” I elaborated.
“We went to Ranger’s a lot,” Sierra mumbled.
I groaned, rolling my eyes. “The time we went to Ranger’s and you got something different than you get every single time. Then we went to the gas station, and you dragged me in even though Sierra said she forgot something and had to go back. Is that specific enough for you?” I huffed out a breath.
“Oh. That time. Yeah, I remember that.” Keenan nodded before stuffing a fry in his mouth.
Sierra’s face paled, and my brows pinched together.
“You good?”
Although her eyes glazed over a bit, like she wasn’t fully here, she nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
sierra
SUMMER BEFORE JUNIOR YEAR
