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The gate beside his clanked, but fuck waiting. I wasn't a pretty little thing that might break, and half these cowboys were pulling while someone was riding. Like I had so many times before, I headed for the gate to grab the tail of J.D.'s rope just as soon as it was available.
He glanced up through the grill of his helmet and nodded once. That was all the warning I got before he started yanking the rope, but I had this. The harder he pulled, the tighter I made this thing. I could see the rope across the bull's back dimpling its fat, but I didn't care. My mentor was going to have the best ride of his life, if I had anything to say about it. That would at least make up for my shit score a bit.
I heard the boom of the pyrotechnics. I didn't bother to look, though. J.D. yanked on his handle, getting everything where he wanted, and then I pulled again. His bull danced but didn't lunge, so I pulled a little more. When the animal tried to come up to relieve the pressure, I decided that was good.
Then J.D. took the end and started his wrap. My job here was done, so I stepped back to the catwalk, not surprised at all when Jake was there to give me a hand down. I didn't need it, and I was pretty sure I glared at him for the kindness, but he smiled back sweetly before heading for his own chute.
J.D. spared me one last look before dropping onto his bull's back and nodding. The sound of that metal latch was all it took. He knew it. I knew it. Hell, the bull knew it, and before the gate was even moving, the creature was turning for his exit with gusto.
The pair exploded from the chute with a groan from the bull and a puff of dust filling the air. J.D. was pushed back, but his seat didn't budge at all. When the bull hit the ground, my mentor proved why he was the best in the PBR.
He didn't just spur. He all but flapped his feet against the animal's side, sending his black-and-red chaps flying with the effort. The bull bucked. It kicked. It reared. When it refused to spin, J.D. all but grabbed the beast with his knees and twisted him into it, forcing as many points from this ride as possible.
For the first time in my life, I started to realize what was possible. No, I didn't ride that good, and while J.D. kept saying I was better than him, I really wasn't. He had this. The man was the master, and that hunk of bovine had just become his servant.
Higher. Bigger. When the bull started to tire, J.D. egged it on, sitting up there like he'd been born to ride that power. His hips rocked, taking what he wanted.Thatwas what he meant when he said to ride like I fucked! His hand pulled, keeping him from being slung around, all that upper body strength working to his advantage.
I could see the sparks of flash photos being taken. Some were close. Others were across the way in the audience. This? It was the kind of ride that we all wanted on our posters, and J.D. was making it look easy.
All too soon, the buzzer went off. I grabbed the rail a little tighter, knowing the dismount was the dangerous part, but I shouldn't have worried. J.D. unwrapped his hand and slid off the side, landing on his good leg, then skipped a step away.
Tanner slapped his arm as he passed, moving in to do his job. J.D. didn't stop, jogging his way back to the still-open chute to climb halfway up to me. He wasn't smiling, but he didn't look pissed either. He looked proud, and I was pretty sure my face matched.
"Nice ride," I said.
"Almost as good as yours." Then he twisted to look back, waiting for the score.
The bullfighters got the arena emptied out without a hassle, and seconds ticked past. Finally, J.D.'s score was posted, along with the video of his ride. There, at the bottom of the big screen, for all the world to see, it clearly said 91.0.
And with that, J.D.'s mood turned dark. His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, but he didn't say a damned thing. He didn't need to. He'd just scored almost ten points higher than me, and for an easy ride. Had he earned it? Yes, but so had I.
A moment later, Tanner made his way over with J.D.'s rope. He didn't say a thing, possibly because he could read our mood, but J.D. nodded his thanks. Then he climbed over the rail to my side. Tanner was barely out of the chute again before Jake's gate clanked open.
"Fucking bullshit," J.D. muttered under his breath as we turned to watch the top rider of the day try to keep up.
I murmured my agreement. "I swear my rides are getting better each time, but my scores keep dropping."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Pretty sure it's not you."
Maybe so, but that didn't help anything. "Are they trying to chase me out?"
"I honestly dunno." He glanced over for a split second, then back to Jake. "Don't think Ty was, though."
Yeah, I didn't want to talk about that, so I slapped his shoulder. "Well, I'm not winning today."
The words were barely out of my mouth before the buzzer went off for Jake's ride. Like the professional he was, he got himself free and went to make his dismount. It wasn't as clean as J.D.'s, but his ride hadn't been either.
My eyes jumped to the scoreboard. Out on the dirt, Jake was gathering up his gear, and the bullfighters were doing their thing. Seconds ticked past. I felt like I was holding my breath, but I had to know. I desperately needed to see Jake's score. I wanted proof that my own score was an outlier.
88.50
The moment it was posted, Jake's name dropped into second place, which pushed me into seventh overall. I tried to console myself with the fact that I was still in the top ten, but it only helped so much. That J.D. had won again actually made it a little better.
"Give me your stuff," I told him.
He just grunted and turned me towards the alley that would take us inside. "Sunday. We get a whole display this time."
Right. Joy. And with the mood I was in, the last thing I needed was to have a spotlight shining on me as my name was barely mentioned. Still, when we hit the main alley, I dared to glance back, checking the scoreboard for Ty's placing. Mostly, I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be standing too close to him. I wasn't sure I could take that.
