Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Chapter Five- Barrel Racing Angels

Broken Hearts and Rodeo Dreams

Barrel Racin' Angel


Bella

Going to bed the last thing to run threw my head was; Sorry Reba, I just found my cowboy!

Practice, practice, practice. It seems like that's all Jake and I have been doing. If I wasn't hanging out with Jake, I was riding and vice versa. I was really starting to hate that I had moved. All this practicing just so I could make it to the top again. Before I knew it the weeks had gone by as we were packing for our first rodeo this season. For everyone else, this was just another rodeo season, for me, it was my first rodeo in the state of Washington. To say I was nervous was an understatement.

"Bella, I think you should take your roping saddle with." Alice was dancing around the trailer. Yes dancing, I really don't know how else to explain it. She was so smooth with the way she moved, and if I had tried to move like that, well lets just say I'd probably be on my was to the ER right now.

"Why would I want to take my roping saddle?" I whined.

"Because we will ride around the rodeo grounds when were not in the rodeo. And you just spent how long cleaning up your barrel saddle?" Alice had a point on that. I had just spend two hours with a damn toothbrush cleaning my saddle. What can I say, I'm in a new state trying to make my name known. I just nodded at Alice and grabbed my roping saddle and put it in the trailer.

With everyones tack and horses loaded we were on our way to the rodeo. Alice and Rose talked about clothes, shopping and about an upcoming rodeo queen pageant. I didn't give to much input because for one I hate shopping and for two I didn't know shit about rodeo pageants. Those where way to girly for me, and I'm to much of a tom boy to really care about how I look. Granted I had nice clothes, but when it came to shopping for me, I'll pass. But if you put me in a tack store, I became a different person! I loved to get new tack.

"So Bella, what's going on with you and Jake?" Rose asked.

"I'm not sure. I mean I like him, and were dating. But I mean, I really can't see myself with him in the future. Is that bad of me to think like that?" I couldn't help the blush that was working it's way up my face.

"Of course not Bella, have fun. Once you meet who you are suppose to be with you'll know." Alice chirped.

"This coming from the pixie that believes in love at first touch!" Rose laughed. They started talking about shopping again, so I ignored them. I started wondering what Alice meant by when you meet that one person you'll know. I didn't have much time to think about it because we pulled into the rodeo grounds. Once the truck was stopped Emmett, Jasper and Jake all came and helped us out of the truck and we started unloaded horses and got them settled in for the night.

The next morning I wanted to relax, being as the only way I really relax is on the back of a horse, I talked everyone into a short ride. It was really relaxing and it helped Sunny get to know the rodeo grounds a little better. I decided to do a ten minute ride in the arena to get a feel for the ground. Sunny would have no problem with his footing tonight.

The rodeo had just started, so I took Sunny off by himself to try and calm him down. It's funny how a horse can just read you. They can always tell if your pissed off and having a bad day, or if it's the best day of your life. I can feel Sunny get excited when the rodeo starts. His muscles get tensed up, and you can feel his power. I was listening to my one of my favorite songs that got me in the mood to run while warming him. I'm not sure onto why I like this song so much, but in a way I feel like it really fits me.

In the Arizona sunlight

In the Colorado moonlight

When she gets there she'll feel alright

Now she's feelin' so tired

She's got her big bay horse

The one they call the Dancin' Sun

The hard-runnin' faithful one

Out in front of all the rest

I pulled on my right rein making Sunny do sharp right handed turns.

She's a Barrel Racin' Angel

Out there somewhere in the west

She's a Barrel Racin' Angel

Out there somewhere in the west

I wish you coulda seen them

At the short-go in Cheyenne

Sundance rolled like a thunderstorm

Fast as lightnin' on the plains

Now they're tired and sore

Still they gotta go some more

'Cause on the road to Las Vegas

There's no place to rest

Making Sunny stop and I pulled on his left rein.

Cowgirls are special when they follow their dreams

Every race is a brand new start

Some are runnin' for the sake of runnin'

Some are runnin' from a broken heart

One thing you gotta know

You can't hold her you gotta let her go

You can't catch a silhouette

She's like ice and she's like fire

They're gonna fly as one

She and Dancin' Sun

Out among the stars

Ahead of all the rest

I get lost in my own world when I'm getting ready, so when Jake came riding up to me, he scared me. "Bella! Edward and I are going into the arena, you going to come watch?"

"No, I'm first up to run, I really need to go all out," I explained. Jake nodded and came up and kissed me. To say I was shocked, yeah that don't even cover it. That was the first time he kissed me since we started dating. Jake nodded and went back to Edward, who looked like he was pissed, but there was some other emotion... jealousy maybe? No, that couldn't be it. Let it go Bella, you have to get your mind set on barrels, not guys!

The announcer called for barrel racing to start. Sunny started to buck a little bit on his way in the arena, sure sign he was ready. Walking into the arena, I blocked everyone out. The only thing that was going threw my mind, was Sunny and I doing this clover leaf pattern.

"You ready boy?" I asked and Sunny gave me a little rear and we were heading towards the first barrel. One of the things I love about my horse is he is so smooth going around the barrels. When your on him, he turns so smoothly you just move with him. Looking at the second barrel, we started to head that way. Once we were around the second and third, I let Sunny run all out towards the finish line, it felt like we were flying. Leaving the arena, I had a time that I'm pretty sure would make me place. After calming Sunny down I headed back to the trailer, unsaddled him and got him settled in for the night.

By the time I got done taking care of Sunny, everyone was coming back to the trailer. Alice seemed really excited, which could only bring good news. The guys headed to the trailer while Alice came to stand by me, putting her horse away.

"Bella! You took first place!" Alice sounded as happy as I felt. Maybe it won't be that bad this year. So far I'm off to a good start, first rodeo and took first place. After everyone got done and we all met back up, Alice said we should go to the street dance. I'm not much of a dancer, but since I was still in a good mood from my first place, I decided to go. We were walking down to the street dance when Jake tried grabbing my hand. We were entering the dance when a new song came on. Alice and Rose drug me away from the group and onto the dance floor. I recognized the song Bounce by Timbaland from the movie Step Up 2.

We started moving to the beat of the song, Rose in front of me and Alice behind me leaving me in the middle. We started grinding on each other and I noticed we got a couple of guys watching us. Alice put her hands on my thighs and started moving slowly started to bring her hands up my body stopping right below my breasts, then she started working her way to the ground while Rose straddled one of my legs and started to grind on me. I started to feel bold around these girls, so I grabbed the hem of Rose's shirt and pulled her towards me. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, since I had never done anything like that before.

By the time a new song had started, we had people gathered around us. We kept dancing until I felt a guys hands on me, which I didn't recognize. I turned to see a guy who I had no clue onto who in the hell he was. I shoved him away from me and started to dance with Alice again. The same guy started to dance right behind me and I was starting to get pissed. He just wouldn't get the fucking hint I didn't want to dance with him, so I finally just punched him. I had never let my temper get to me like that before, and I shocked the hell out of myself.

When I finally calmed down, I noticed Jake walking towards me with a pissed off look on his face. Really not in the mood for this shit!

"Bella, what the hell was that shit for?" Jake was pissed.

"Well, let's see, some guy I didn't know wouldn't take a hint to leave me alone, so I punched him, end of story!"

"If you weren't dancing the way you were, maybe he wouldn't have even tried!"

"Dancing like what Jake? I was dancing with my fucking friends!" I was starting to get pissed off and worked up again.

"Sure, dancing. You were acting like a stripper, just keeping your clothes on." Jake said through clenched teeth. That was it, I had enough of this bullshit.

"Jake, you have no reason to say that to me!" I couldn't help myself, once again, as I slapped him. I couldn't believe within one night, I had hit two different people, both of which were being assholes! I was half way back to the trailer when Alice and Rose caught up with me. They could tell I was pissed off and didn't say anything. Maybe they are afraid you'll go on your crazy rampage and hit them to. I had to laugh at that one making both of them look at me like I was crazy. Maybe moving up here is starting to make me loose my mind?

When we finally got back to the trailer, I had calmed down a little bit. I heard a sound coming up behind me, ready to hit someone else if need be, just to see the guys walking up to us. Jake was holding his hand and just glared at me. He turned towards the EMT's that were still on the rodeo grounds.

"After you slapped Jake and walked off, he hit a wall and I'm pretty sure he broke his hand." Alice whispered beside me. As the guys got closer, I could tell Edward was pissed about something.

"Edward, what are you going to do now? You can't rope with Jasper or Emmett." Alice sounded whiney and sad. I was once again pissed off thinking that this was my fault. If I hadn't gone to the dance, then Jake and I wouldn't have gotten into a fight, then he wouldn't have hit something probably braking his hand, and Edward would have a roping partner for tomorrow. Ahh, see that's where your wrong Bella. You can rope with him, swallow your pride.

"Since this is kind of my fault, Edward if you would like, I'll rope with you." I was surprised I got that out through clenched teeth. Edward agreed to me roping with him tomorrow along with using Twister, his back up roping horse. We all decided that it was time to go to bed. Sleep didn't come easy that night. I was up before everyone else, which lead me to thinking. I didn't know how I was gonna deal with the whole Jake thing. I don't know what I could have done for him to talk to me that way. I did decide that no matter what, I wasn't going to date him anymore. I couldn't let a guy talk to me that way and just stand by and act like nothing happened.

Edward woke up shortly after I did. I asked him if I could ride Twister and get a feel of how he moves, which Edward thought was a good idea. I was a little nervous when Edward wanted to go for a ride with just the two of us. I figured he was going to be a jackass and was really surprised when he wasn't. At first it was a little weird riding with just the two of us. He asked what got me into roping and that was an easy subject.

I told him that one of my friends back in Arizona was pretty high up in rankings for team roping when his parter got thrown and broke his arm. I started roping with him and by the end of the season we had become top money earner and that I won the saddle I was riding in at this exact moment. The ride ended back at the trailer and what seemed like a five minute ride was really an hour ride. I was actually kind of sad when I was unsaddling Twister. Besides the point he was an easy going horse, I found out that when Edward wasn't being an ass, I really did enjoy talking to him.

When it was just Edward and I, I saw who he used to be. A nice guy that could open up, and who I felt safe to be around. I started to think back to the first time I rode a horse and sharing that moment with Edward. The cute little boy that I had a crush on, had grown into a God like man with bronze sex hair and the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen. But it was more then that, when he actually let someone in and took down the arrogant ass wall, he was nice, caring, took passion in what he did in rodeo and his horses. Edward was everything I was looking for in a guy.

By the time I figured out that my little crush from when I was five had grown into more then a crush, it was time for the rodeo. I saddled both horses, Sunny with my barrel racing saddle, and Twister with my roping saddle. I warmed Sunny up and when they started calf roping, I started warming Twister up. Since Alice wasn't riding to night I asked her to hang on to Sunny while I was riding Twister.

When Edward and I entered the arena, a lot of guys where looking at me weird and Edward noticed this. I thought he was going to change his mind about roping with me, until I saw him looking at the guys with a smug look on his face. Since we were roping last, we knew we had to beat the time of 8.3 seconds. I backed Twister into the box until his butt hit the corner, and looked at Edward to let him know I was ready. Edward winked at me and nodded for the steer to be let out. Edward made a quick catch with me following right behind him leaving us with a time of 7.5 seconds placing us with first place.

Leaving the arena, all the guys where looking at me like I had two frickin' heads. Edward looked at me behind him and winked at me again, and with that one wink, I became proud that I was able to beat the guys and Edward had faith that we could. I quickly changed horses, handing Twister to Alice and taking Sunny to warm him up a little bit more. My run wasn't as good at it was yesterday and I ended up placing second. Alice and I where heading back to the trailer, when I noticed a girl at the trailer talking to Edward.

"Alice, who is that?" I whispered.

"That would be Kate Danali. She's been trying to get Edward to go out with her for like two years now. She wont take the hint." I could hear the disgust in her voice. I just nodded as we kept walking. As we got closer to the trailer, I really tried to block their conversation out, I really did, but my ears had a mind of their own.

"Come on Edward, it would be really fun." Kate was begging. Wow begging, really?

"I'll think about it Kate. But I'm going to be really busy." I heard Edward say as I walked to the other side of the trailer. I wonder what she was begging Edward to do. I was brought out of my thinking when Jake walked up to me. Damn, I've been doing a good job ignoring him, o well guess it had to happen at some point.

"Look Bella, I'm really sorry about last night. I shouldn't have said what I said to you." I nodded but decided to just keep my mouth shut as the anger from last night came back. Jake must figured I wasn't going to say anything so he continued, "I got really jealous when I saw how everyone was looking at you. And then I saw Edward looking at you, and I just lost it, and I took it out on you. I'm really sorry."

I took my time to calm down before answering because I didn't want another show like last night. "Jake, I'm still pissed at what you said to me. I really don't think we should date anymore." Jake nodded and turned to leave. I finished getting Sunny ready and we all loaded horses up and got onto the road. Alice and Rose where talking again so I went off into my own little world, letting my conversation with Jake sink in. I had never had a boyfriend before Jake, but this didn't hurt like I thought a brake up would. It was like we were never really suppose to be together.

Then part of that conversation hit me a million pounds, Edward. "And then I saw Edward looking at you, and I just lost it, and I took it out on you. I'm really sorry." The way Edward was looking at me? Edward couldn't have looked at me any special way, could he?

"Bella! Damn it Bella answer me or were going to go shopping!" Alice yelled. Whoa! The word shopping brought me out of my own world. "What is going on with you! What the hell are you thinking about?"

I was shocked with the words that tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Alice, I think I have feelings for Edward."

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