My Knight in Shining Armor

Chapter I

"When's the next rodeo?" I asked my cousin, Steve. We were sitting on the bleachers at one, watching a thrilling barrel race.

"I dunno... maybe next week?"

"I think I'm gonna try for the next one. I'm pretty good at barrel racin' myself."

My cousin nodded and thought for a moment. "Yeah, you should try."

Most of the riders in the rodeo were adults, but there were a few teenagers here and there. A couple girls, a red-haired one and a brown-haired one had ridden in the barrel racing event. There were a few high school age guys in the bare-back riding event, which was about to start.

"I almost rode saddle bronc once, but it was too rough for me."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, I guess it would be. My best buddy, Soda, used to ride saddle bronc, but his dad made him stop after he tore a ligament."

"You should tell him to start it up again."

"Maybe I will."

I watched the bare-back riders speed by. One of them lost a hat, going so fast-they were required to wear them for the rodeo dress code-so he'd have to go find it later. I looked around briefly to see if I could find the hat, and I noticed it had fallen into nearby bleachers.

"Steve, I'm gonna return that hat to the main building and grab myself a drink."

"Okay. Be careful not to run into any Socs, Penny."

"Socs?"

"The rich kids. Just stay clear of those fancy men who want to take advantage of you."

"Alright. I'll be careful."

I shuffled through the bleacher and into the aisle. I didn't really have to go out of my way to grab the cowboy style hat. The walk to the main building was a little long, so I glanced over at the event whenever I could.

I was nearly at the main building when I heard an increase of footsteps behind me. I spun around to find seven boys-rich-looking ones. I laughed weakly, remembering that Steve had just mentioned them.

"I'm sorry. Was I in your way?" I asked sweetly, even though I felt extremely frustrated and anxious.

The guy in front smiled. "Your way is my way, honey."

My blood ran cold. It occurred to me that they didn't want to play nicely. "I was just leavin'." I started walking away from the boys. They seemed a little drunk and definitely dangerous. They started to follow me. "Please, leave me alone." The boys didn't seem to listen. "I said leave me alone!"

They just grinned and started to chase me. I started running as fast as I could. "Help! Please! Someone! Anyone!" I at least had to get to the stables. The main building was just past it, but if I could get to the stables, I'd find someone to help me. My legs were starting to get tired, but the boys were gaining on me.

The sound of steps increased, but my only thought was that more of them had joined. I'm not gonna make it... I'm not gonna make... please let me make it...

Suddenly, my arm was yanked hard, and someone lifted me up onto a horse in the middle of a stride. "Hold on," a gruff voice said, a faint New York accent obvious in it.

I gripped the man and tried to slow my heartbeat. He rode to the back of the stables and stopped there. He jumped off the horse and helped me down. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. Thank you."

"No problem."

I took a good look at him. He had shaggy blonde hair that was so light it was almost white. He looked tough, like he never showed feelings, but I saw a flicker of humanity behind his icy blue eyes. It finally occurred to me that he was the guy that had lost his hat during the race.

"Oh, uh, sir... you lost your hat," I stuttered, shoving it towards him.

"Thanks. You wanna Coke? It's on me."

I shrugged, concealing a smile. "Sure. Why not."

We walked down to the main building together. There was a small concession stand practically attached to it. The young man bought me a Coke. We were about to tell each other our names, maybe exchange phone numbers as well, but he was called over for another event. I didn't even get to tell him thank you one last time, for possibly saving my life.

I meandered back to where my cousin was sitting, sipping my drink as I walked. I would occasionally glance over and watch the young man ride, but it was much easier once I was in my seat.

"You alright? That took a while," Steve asked.

"I'm fine. Ran into some... Socs, was it?"

Steve cocked an eyebrow. "You ran into Socs? Did they hurt you?"

"No, I got away, but I owe it all to one of riders in the rodeo who happened to see."

"Do you know his name?"

I shook my head. "I didn't ask. He had to leave."

"That's a shame. Was he cute?"

"Yeah, I'd say so."

I watched him ride furiously. I could tell this man had a passion for rodeos. I caught him glancing at me a couple of times, his bright blue eyes visible from a distance. Every time he looked over, he would smile, and I would smile back.

After the rodeo, I found my way to the gift shop. I found a postcard to send to my mother, with a picture of a horse on it. I finally found my blue-eyed, blonde-haired knight in shining armor, who came to my rescue on his noble steed, I wrote on it. I signed my name and wrote my address on it and stuffed it in my pocket to mail later.

Steve looked up at the clock on the wall. "Well, we'd best be going if we want to catch dinner at the Curtis house tonight."

"Alright. Let's go."

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Author's note
Jumping right into the action here, aren't we...

Your friendly neighborhood greaser, signing off...
Stay gold y'all ⭐️