The Perfect Ride

Chapter 6

The show was at 7PM. It was currently 5:30. Fans were starting to line up outside, and people were starting to get excited. Roz told me that before every performance she liked to meditate and get in the performing headspace. I wasn't a performer in my eyes, I was a trick rider. I didn't have a ritual before I did what I had to do, I just did it. I almost felt my whole mentality shift when I was about to go out. I always told myself I was the best and I was the winner. Didn't help much in this case, but it's what I was used too. I wasn't competing against  Roz by any means, but I had never done a trick show in my whole life. Anytime I stepped on a horse infront of a crowd, it was for a trophy. 

Roz was doing her thing, so I decided to walk out to the arena. The floors were covered in dirt and the screen had photos of both Roz and I on them, showing the audience who would be out first. It was so crazy seeing myself up there, and looking around this empty stadium, knowing that it would soon be filled with people. I never thought a day like this would come in my life. It was nothing like competing at all. I took a deep breath and took it all in one last time. Just before I was about to leave, I heard a voice.

"Beautiful, isn't it?". I turn to see Jess. I felt my face get hot.

"Uh, yeah. It's..doesn't feel real" I reply.

"That's how I felt the first time I rode professionally" He says. "But, it also feels like a dream. I mean, it was my dream, so it worked out". I smiled at him.

"My dream wasn't this. I achieved the dream I had last year. I won at worlds. I  never even fathomed this happening".

"Are you glad it did" He asks. I was quiet for a second, but as soon as his eyes met mine, I smiled.

"I am" I say. He smiled harder and looked down at the ground. He walked closer to me and leaned towards my ear.

"I'm glad too" He says. I stayed quiet. He pulled back. "Kill it tonight. I'll be watching".

"I always do" I say. He chuckled.

"Who's cocky now?" He asks as we start walking back towards the dressing room. I laughed.

"Don't pull that card" I say.

"Oh, but I am! You're cocky too!" He says as we reach my dressing room door. I open it up

"Nope" I say while stepping inside. I lean my head out the door to him. "Just...honest". I shut the door before he coukd reply, but I herd him laughing as he walked away.

I turned around with a huge grin on my face. Roz was quick to notice.

"Hmm, who are you smiling because of?" She asks with a smirk.

"Oh, it's no one" I say. I didn't want her to think that there was something between Jess and I. We had only been talking for a few hours. I didn't even know if I should consider us friends or not.

"Yeah, okay. I believe you" She says sarcastically.

"You should. It's true" I say. She rolls her eyes and interlocks her arm with mine as we start out the door.

"Well, you just keep telling yourself that while we go do our very first show" She says. I stop.

"It's time?" I ask. She stops with me.

"It is 6:50. We gotta get Buck and Mingo" She says. I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Okay. I'm ready" I say. She smiles and take me by the arm again. This was it. It was about to happen.

***Jess's POV***

6:45. I didn't go on until the last portion of the show, but I wanted to watch. One reason being because this was our first night. Secondly...Sadie was absolutely incredible. We had only been talking for approximately 14 hours, but she was so cool, and deep, but could be so fun and carefree too. I didn't think that number thing at the buses would work, but I'm so glad it did, because I don't know if I would've been able to ask her in person. I know I come off as confident, but that girl made even me nervous. I remember seeing her at the party the other night. She wore a pair of white skinny jeans with a black lacey tank top. Her brown hair was down, and wavy. And her eyes, oh my. Her blue eyes sparkled like stars. I knew from the second I saw her, I had to know her. I've never been to sure of anything before, I mean, I'm a bull rider. However, I was sure of that from day one. I had to know her. And, I don't mean just know her name or be her friend. I had to know the real Sadie Rosen.