“Hey, what’s your problem?” Sarah demanded, giving me the evil eye while still managing to coolly flip her hair over her shoulder.
“You. You’re my problem,” I spat.
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Take some Midol, Lottie. I don’t have time for this.”
“Ladies, please,” Ms. Gentry called from the other side of the arena.
I glanced over my shoulder at her. This would only take a few seconds, but it had to be done.
“You are the worst,” I said in a low growl, turning back to Sarah and emotion spilling into my voice. “All I wanted to do was be your friend last year. But you tortured me. You made me feel like I’d never be good enough. You abandoned me when I needed a friend the most. And you almost got me killed.”
She looked down at her nails, frowning. “Are you done yet? I have a crown to win.”
Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to spring from my saddle and pull her off her horse by her designer blouse. But I held in my frustration, lowering my voice to a deadly level. “Sarah, I get it. You have a mom that doesn’t give you the time of day. It’s horrible and sad, but that doesn’t give you the excuse to treat people the way you do.”
She blinked up in shock at me and then her lower lip began to tremble. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Yeah, well, I tried to get to know you. Remember? We could’ve been great friends, but you had to break me down. I used to hate you for it, but honestly, now I just feel sorry for you. You’ll never know what it’s like to have someone genuinely care for you. To show up for your events. To love you unconditionally. Not if you treat everyone around you like dirt.”
The tears in her eyes should’ve brought me satisfaction, but it was true what I’d said. I felt nothing but sorry for her now. It was a sort of victory for me. Even when everything felt hopeless, at least I’d found it within me to stand up to my enemy. She wasn’t going to have an effect on me anymore. That, I was sure of.
No matter what else Sarah threw my way.
And when she blinked her tears angrily away, any sign that my words had affected her was wiped from her face. “Oh, Lottie, how I love our little chats.” She urged her horse next to mine and smiled cruelly at me. “But as I said, I have a crown to win.”
I lifted my chin to meet her stare. “Not if I have anything to do with it.”
“Yeah...we’ll see about that.”
Without warning, she struck out at Carolina’s rear, giving it a hard smack. Carolina darted forward before I could adjust my seat. I tumbled out of the saddle and down to the ground, landing hard on my wrist, and getting a mouthful of dirt in the process.
“Charlotte!” I heard Geminia shout from across the arena.
I cradled my wrist as I sat up. It stung like crazy if I tried to move it. The last time I’d broken a bone was in third grade when I’d pretended to be a squirrel and climbed the tree in our backyard. I couldn’t be sure if this was broken, but it sure hurt a ton. Geminia ran to my side, sliding in the dirt on her knees as she reached for my arm.
“Are you okay?” She examined the arm as best as she could without touching it.
I nodded, although I wasn’t really sure yet. Breathing was the only thing I could do. I didn’t want to start bawling in the middle of the arena.
“I just need a minute.” I gingerly stood up, still cradling my wrist. “Take care of Carolina for me, will you? I’ll be right back.”
“Okay...” She looked about ready to object to me going off alone, but I shook my head at her.
“I’ll be okay. Just give me a second.”
With a determined frown, she nodded and went off to corner Carolina. I hurried toward the gate, my speed increasing the farther I got. And when I was finally through it, I sprinted toward the women’s room as fast as my feet could carry me, afraid that the tears I was holding back wouldn’t last until I could release them in peace.
But I made it. And all alone in an empty stall, I burst into tears. Ugly, splotchy, sobbing tears. I was crying for my wrist. For my confrontation with Sarah. And for Hunter. It all came out of me at once. And when I’d finally cried my last tear, the clicking sound of heels entering the restroom made me sit up straight.
“Miss Hale?”
Alarms sounded inside my head. Ms. Gentry was here. In this grungy bathroom. There could only be one reason for that.
She was here to kick me out of the competition.
Nothing in my life could go right.
Chapter Nineteen
It seemed that the sanctity of a woman’s bathroom was no match for the likes of Ms. Gentry.
This was the place girls came to escape the bad. To regroup. To re-gloss her lips, fix her hair, and feel good about herself for a few minutes. Kicking me out of the contest just because I’d fallen off my horse did not qualify as bathroom etiquette. And of all people, Ms. Gentry should’ve known the rules.
“Miss Hale, please come out so that we can speak,” Ms. Gentry said on the other side of the stall door, tapping her toe impatiently.
I sighed, flushed the wad of toilet paper that I’d been sobbing into, and unlocked the door. Ms. Gentry stared at me with her arms crossed over her long, gray dress. Her thin eyebrows were arched, her gaze quick to assess every inch of me. No doubt, zeroing in on the specks of dirt still clinging to my outfit. I’d been cornered, with nowhere else to go. I guess it was time to meet my doom.
“I’m sorry for falling off my horse, Ms. Gentry,” I began, squinting at the tiny buttons on the front of her dress. “It really wasn’t my fault. You see—”
“Are you hurt?”
“Um...maybe.”
“May I see?” She reached out to gently take my arm.
Blinking back my slight shock, I tried not to wince as she palpated the skin with her fingers and then maneuvered my hand like it was a joystick. The good news was that the pain was fading.
“Doesn’t seem to be broken.” She nodded and then released me. “Maybe a slight sprain. Put some ice on it this afternoon and take some ibuprofen for any pain or swelling.”
I looked questioningly up at her. This wasn’t the boot out of the contest I’d been expecting. She seemed almost...kind. And caring. I was totally feeling tongue-tied by this interaction.
“How did you know how to do that?” I asked.
“I may have retired from the medical community five years ago,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “But a nurse never truly quits the practice.”
It had never occurred to me that Ms. Gentry might have had some career like nursing. I don’t know why. I guess I’d figured that she was some kind of elocution teacher who’d transferred here from another century. She would’ve been a tough nurse. And maybe even a good one, from the way she’d calmly assessed my arm.
“Please don’t kick me out of the competition, Ms. Gentry.” I shuffled my feet, eager to get back to the arena and my horse. It wouldn’t take long for me to prove to everyone out there that I had the goods to win this thing. “I know I can do better. I promise.”
She blinked and then something that looked like the hint of a smile played on her lips. “Child, I won’t kick you out. You’ve proven that you can take this competition seriously. Falling off your horse doesn’t negate that. I simply wanted to be sure that you were okay.”
Unbidden tears filled my eyes again. I walked past Ms. Gentry to lean over one of the ceramic sinks on the opposite side. No, I wasn’t okay. Everything felt like it was falling apart. But I didn’t want to fall apart. Not again. Not like I had a few months ago.
“I can see that there are some underlying issues with you today.” Ms. Gentry moved to stand beside me. I could feel her studying the side of my face. “The teenaged years are so difficult to traverse. When my daughter, Elizabeth, was having a particularly bad day, she used to walk out into the woods behind our home and yell until she was hoarse. Then, we would share a bowl of vanilla ice cream covered in sprinkles. It was her routine that worked for her. Maybe you mi
ght find something similar.”
The idea of screaming in an abandoned wood was sounding kind of attractive at that moment. So was the bowl of ice cream. I wiped away a stray tear from my cheek and looked over at Ms. Gentry. “You have a daughter, too? I’ve only met your son.”
She smiled sadly at me. “Yes, I do, although Elizabeth passed many years ago in a car wreck when she was only eighteen. I miss her deeply every day still.”
A fresh wound formed on my heart as I stared at the woman standing next to me. Never would I have imagined she carried such a trauma. It made me realize how incredibly focused I’d been on myself this whole time.
I really was the worst.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
She sighed and looked down at her perfectly manicured hands. “Elizabeth actually won the Junior Rodeo Queen title the summer before her death. She was so proud of her crown. They nearly ended the program ten years ago, but I took it over. I couldn’t allow it to fade away. In truth, the only reason I continue it is to keep a little part of her with me.”
Suddenly, Ms. Gentry’s reason for being in this little 4H fair was becoming painfully clear. I felt in awe of her carrying on the tradition in her daughter’s name. It was no wonder she was so strict on what it meant for the women participating. This was her daughter’s legacy. It was a beautiful one.
“Thank you, Ms. Gentry.” I reached out to squeeze her hand. “You’re amazing. I’m sure your daughter would be so happy to know that you’ve kept this going.”
She gave me a sad smile. “I’m afraid nothing lasts forever. This year is my final as director of the Junior Rodeo Queen contest. I plan to fully retire and move with my son to Arizona in the fall. I’m not sure what will happen to the program when I leave.”
Bands tightened around my heart. It was sad to think of the contest without Ms. Gentry to lead it. She really knew how to whip the girls into shape. I couldn’t imagine anyone doing nearly as good of a job.
“I’m sad you have to go,” I said, squeezing her hand one more time. “But I’m sure everyone will understand. Even Elizabeth.”
“Thank you, child.” She returned a squeeze of my hand and then let her hands drop to her sides, resuming her normal, disproving frown. “And in that venue, we must return to the arena. I witnessed some sloppy figure-eights out there. They will not do for the show tonight.”
I shook my head and laughed to myself. No, they would not do. And I was going to do my very best to ride to Ms. Gentry’s satisfaction. She deserved our best. Her daughter, Elizabeth, did too.
Participating in this contest had become about so much more than just a crown.
But I was still in the running, with nothing left to lose.
And nothing was going to stop me from winning it.
Chapter Twenty
“He did what?”
Lexi’s shriek was loud enough to be heard by the entire neighborhood. Luckily, my parents were out working at the diner until the rodeo and I had the house to myself. She panned her wide eyes over to Beth, where she sat wearing a disgruntled frown.
“He decided he didn’t want to be friends anymore,” I said, as calmly as I could, considering the circumstances. Lexi had a curling iron dangerously close to my right ear, so it seemed best for my own safety to avoid getting her any more riled up. “And then he left.”
“So, let me get this straight,” Beth said, leaning toward me, her brow arching. “That boy kisses you. Passionately. In a way that friends never should. And then when you tell him that you have feelings for him, he walks away?”
I shrugged at her, no more able to make sense out of it than her.
“He’s insane.” Lexi put down the curling iron and sighed as she bounced the hot curl in the palm of her hand. “Totally and completely insane. I saw the way he danced with you the other night. He’s head over cowboy boots. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
An ugly noise left my mouth as I scowled. “I think you were dreaming. He obviously doesn’t like me like that. Kissing me was probably a reflex. Like catching a cup that slipped off the countertop or something. Nothing more.”
“But you guys definitely kissed,” Beth said pointedly.
I shook my head. “Barely two times. And then it was over.”
A thought entered my head and I gripped the table in front of me in horror.
“Wait—what if he kissed me and decided I was a terrible kisser? Can that happen? Did I totally turn him off?”
“Pssh.” Lexi waved her hand at me. “If I know anything about kissing—and believe me, I know a lot—is that if a guy looks at you like Hunter does, it isn’t possible for you to turn him off. You guys were made for each other.”
Grabbing a tube of lip gloss from Lexi’s humongous stash of makeup spread across my dining room table, I angrily pulled the applicator from the tube and swiped the cherry-scented gloss across my lips. “What does it matter? I’ve decided that tonight, I’m going to completely forget about Hunter. Wipe him from my mind. And then, win a crown. After that, everything will be better again.”
Version 2.0 of forget-about-Hunter wasn’t going to involve dating any more cowboys. That clearly wasn’t going to work. No, this time I was swearing off all guys. Period. And retargeting all my energy into winning the Junior Rodeo Queen crown.
It was hard to miss Beth’s doubtful expression as I threw the gloss back in the pile. I wasn’t even really sure why I told both of them what happened between me and Hunter. Other than my short conversation with Bree this morning, I’d kept it locked inside of me. I supposed it was going to have to come out, one way or another. Lexi would’ve freaked if I’d tried to keep her away from her hot cowboys without a perfectly good reason.
“Okay, I think it’s time for an emergency friend-tervention,” Lexi said, unplugging the curling iron. “Like, right now. You’re as ready as you’re going to be for tonight. This can’t wait.”
I arched an eyebrow as she used her arm to sweep her makeup and hair supplies back into her bag. She’d plucked me, powdered me, and squeezed me into a pair of ridiculously tight light-washed denim jeans and a purple rhinestone shirt. The sheer size and volume of my hair would’ve made me welcome in any Texan country bar. That, and my mom’s cowgirl boots currently pinching my slightly too-big feet. But even I had to admit, as I caught a glance of myself in the mirror above my mom’s hutch, that I looked pretty fantastic. Lexi was talented.
“What are we going to do?” I asked, as Lexi shuffled me toward Beth’s car in my driveway. Beth hopped in the driver’s seat and I slid into the back.
“I happen to have an in with one of those sexy cowboys at the fair,” Lexi said, turning around to grin at me from the front seat. “Don’t you worry. You’re going to love this. For once, our flirting skills will pay off.”
I held in a groan. If Lexi thought I was just going to fall into another guy’s arms after just being rejected by the most perfect boy in the universe, then she was sadly mistaken. No one could take Hunter’s place. He was the perfect kisser and best friend—up until the moment he walked away.
No, I couldn’t be thinking about him like that. I was sticking to the plan. If Hunter wanted to end us, that was fine with me. I’d dissolve him from my mind like cotton candy under a faucet. Poof. No trace. And no more of this aching, painful feeling in my chest.
Beth parked at the fairgrounds and we hopped out of her car to follow Lexi up to one of the metal buildings. She kept grinning at us over her shoulder, as if she were delivering me to a surprise party. I made a mental note to never trust her with the secret of that magnitude in the future. And when she led us inside, we headed straight to the back where a large pen had been set up.
“There’s Ian,” she said, pointing to a gangly boy with cut off sleeves standing next to the pen. She ran up to him, batting her eyes for a brief flirtation session which had Ian seriously falling all over himself. And then, he nodded at her and she trotted back to us.
“Come on, girls,”
she said, grabbing our arms. “Time to have a little fun. Forget about boys. This is just for us.”
We walked into the pen and Ian went to open some crates stashed in the corner. Immediately, an adorable stampede of puppies, kittens, and bunnies spilled into the wood-chip lined pen. I fell to my knees, laughing as a puppy with floppy ears began to lick my neck and a kitten started pawing at the fringes on my shirt.
This was heaven. A petting zoo all to ourselves. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect place to go when I left this earth. The puppies had a smell about them that made me want to cuddle them in close to my face and never let go. The bunnies were so soft to the touch I couldn’t stop stroking their backs. And the kittens made me laugh with their playful and jerky movement. It was at least fifteen minutes of pure play before the depression about my current situation came back.
“Feeling better?” Lexi asked, sitting cross-legged in front of me and cuddling a large black and white bunny.
I nodded, tickling a little orange tabby on its belly as it tried to nibble on my fingers. “I think so. But it still hurts.”
Beth gave me a sympathetic smile from where she sat on my left. She’d amazingly abandoned her video games for the entire time, choosing to pour her affections on a golden doodle puppy with the sweetest little face.
“That makes sense. He hurt you. Bad. But are you sure that you want to erase him from your mind? He was your best friend, Charlotte. I’m not sure you want to forget six years of good memories.”
I hugged my arms around my knees and considered her words. That was a long time to scrub from my memory. Did I want to forget about the time Hunter and I both had the flu, so we huddled in at his place watching season after season of his mom’s DVD collection of Breaking Bad? Or the time I dared him to jump in the lake in February, not thinking he’d do it, and then had to spend the next three hours pumping him full of hot chocolate to warm him back up? Or how he’d shown up at prom a couple months ago, just to surprise me? There were so many other great times. Scrubbing them from existence didn’t seem right. Not even when Hunter had completely broken my heart.
Dare You to Resist the Bull Rider (Rock Valley High Book 4) Page 15
