Back in the Saddle

There's Something About Him

Nick's POV:

I slip off the bull, reveling in the sounds of cheers from the audience, all calling my name as if I'm some kind of hero: Sapnap! Sapnap! Sapnap! It may only be the nickname I submitted when I started competing, but hearing it chanted after another victorious competition is music to my ears.

As I look over the faces of everyone in the crowd, my eye catches one person in particular. With anyone else, I would've simply moved on and carried about my day as if nothing had happened, but there's something about this particular boy that draws me in more than anyone else I've encountered. He has gorgeous icy blue eyes, light brown hair and tan skin, a skinny frame, and a couple inches on me.

I feel the smile on my face grow and the butterflies in my stomach go flying when I see him smile back. It feels like we're in our own little world, until the shorter boy next to him pulls his attention away from me. I feel a little disappointed before really looking at the boy beside him.

I recognize him from somewhere, but it's hard to tell who it is from here.

They start to head over to one of the bigger fights, where the crowd is already past the point of ecstatic. When I see him look back at me, I quickly grab my hat from the ground and jog over to the fence, hopping it gracefully and then running to see if I can catch up with the two brunets. It's pretty much pointless, however, when they disappear into the thick of the crowd, most likely trying to make their way to the front.

I'm about to give up and go back to my friends when I realize that there's a spot nearby that no one knows about. I can easily use it to scout them out. I run over to it: it's a large rock that's right next to the fence. Little children always try to climb it before being scolded by their parents, but my parents aren't here.

So, I grab the rock and put my foot into a little ledge that looks like it can support my weight and hoist myself upwards, just as I'd done many times in the past. It doesn't take long until I'm on top of the flat rock surface, and then I can see everything. The entire arena laid out before my eyes, but I'm only looking for one face. Soon, my eye is caught once more by the one face that, for whatever reason, stands out the most from the others.

He doesn't see me; he's too focused on the bull that has just been released from its pin. I automatically recognize the rider as my buddy Clay, and I laugh to myself as I see him being thrown off the bull's back. I told him he wouldn't be able to stay on the whole time with this one: it was one of the more difficult beasts to ride. He confidently said that he could, so we made a bet. He now owes me fifteen bucks. I shoulda gone for more.

But then I hear a shout and I whip my head around to see the younger boy from earlier on the ground... on the inside of the ring. The bull hears him too and immediately begins to charge, and my breath catches in my throat.

I slide off the rock onto the dusty floor inside the arena and take off running to the boy cowering on the floor, too stunned to move. I begin to worry that I won't make it in time when I notice that the other boy, the one who I can't seem to look away from, jumps in after his friend and shoves him over the railing, just in time to turn around and see the bull mere yards from him. From where I am, I can see the fear in his eyes as he crouches down and covers his head, unable to move out of pure terror.

I run faster, faster than I knew my feet could take me, and lunge for the bull. My hands manage to grasp the ropes around its torso and I heave myself upwards, gaining a firm grip with my legs. Once I'm certain that I'm stable, I pull on the ropes as hard as I can, making the bull jerk and redirect its attention so he's now entirely focused on trying to get me off.

I hold steady, muscles tensed as I remain on the creature until the rangers can get over here and take over. I manage to bring it far enough away from the boy that onlookers near him should be able to pull him from the arena, which is when I feel comfortable enough to let myself be bucked off. I land fairly smoothly on one leg, rolling on the ground a few times to soften the impact. The bull calms a little once it's gotten me off, and the rangers are able to herd it back into its pin.