Page 102 of Hung Up
“Who you’ll have to worry about is me kicking your ass if you fuck this up.” I whip around, my eyes the size of saucers because there’s Kai, coming toward us on crutches, his leg in a cast.
“Oh, did I forget to mention?” Faith slides up next to me, grabbing my arm. “You had one more surprise.”
Kai stops a couple of feet in front of me, giving me a reassuring smile. “If you really thought I wasn’t going to be here to watch you win that buckle for me, you clearly aren’t as smart as I once gave you credit for.”
“I thought you’d be at home watching, given the cast and all.” He holds his hand out, keeping the crutch tucked under his armpit, to smack my hand. “I know I probably would’ve been.”
“Wow, so you wouldn’t have come to support me?” He shakes his head. “Maybe I will go home then.”
Faith laughs, pushing me aside to walk up to him, her arms wrapping around his neck. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just nervous.”
“He’s not nervous,” Stevie responds, taking the space beside me that Faith has vacated. “He’s just…anxious.”
“That’s the same thing, Stevie,” Faith tells her, humor evident in her voice.
“Well, excuse me, not all of us went to some big fancy college.” She tries to sound offended, but the grin on her face gives her away. “Anyway, Carson is riding Doze You Down. He’d have to be perfect to clinch those few extra points he might lose due to the way his bull prefers the middle of the ring.” I lookdown at my sister in surprise. “What? I watch you all the time. I’ve learned a thing or two.”
It’s Faith who says, “If my calculations and assumptions are correct based on the averages of this season, you’ll have about a ten-point grace window, which should help you, should Titan take advantage of the rest he’s had and make things harder for you.”
“You, Faith Thompson, who hates math with her entire being, ran the numbers?”
“I’m more than just a pretty face.”
The rider who went after Lee finishes up his ride, which means it’s time for me to head to the chute. Turning toward Faith, I find her already smiling at me, and I can’t get over how perfect she looks in her overalls, boots, and brand-new hat. I’ve officially turned this city girl into my southern belle—at least into the start of one.
“Okay, Pretty Boy,” she says, interrupting the bickering that somehow broke out between Stevie and Kai over what bull is the hardest to ride. “Time to get you over there.”
“Good luck.” Addie throws her arms around me, giving me a tight squeeze before letting go and Stevie does the same. Nash pats my shoulder and my mom grabs my hands, kissing my knuckles. With a simple dip of his hat from Kai, Faith interlaces our fingers together and walks with me side by side to the chute.
Carson is climbing onto the bull when we reach chute two, Titan already securely inside. Faith and I watch in unison as the door flies open and Doze You Down starts bucking and spinning, but this time he decides to stay closer to the rails than he normally does. I can feel Faith’s sudden worry as we watch him on the big screen, the buzzer sounding just as he tumbles off and into the dirt.
And when his score comes up on the screen, all the confidence I had before vanishes.
My ten-point grace window just diminished to a one-point five.
The arena is loud, the fans cheering as he whips his hat in the air. He walks off and over to us, giving me such a cocky and demeaning smile that I find my free hand fisting tightly at my side.
“Don’t worry, Hayes,” he says, putting his hat back on his head. “There’s always next year.”
Words seem to escape me as he walks away, my jaw ticking as my mind begins to run a million miles a second. I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to pull this off. This buckle has eluded me for as long as I can remember, why would this year be any different?
But then I think of my family, who showed up for the first time ever because they have that high belief that I’ll be able to pull this off. I think of Kai, who showed up to watch me because he knows that if anyone can do it, it’s me. And then there’s Faith, who has supported me time and time again and never once doubted me.
I might not be able to get up there and win this thing for me, but I can get up there and do it for them.
I won’t—can’t—let them down.
“Hey,” Faith gives my hand a tug, pulling me out of my thoughts as she looks me in the eye. “Don’t do that. You’ve got this. Do not let him get into your head. Yes, things just got a little bit harder, but that doesn’t make them impossible. Let me hear you say it.”
“I’ve got this,” I repeat, although not as confidently.
“Jesse, again.”
“I’ve got this.”
“One more time.”
I slip my hand out of hers and grip her face between my hands. “I’ve got this. Now, give me a kiss for good luck.”
