Just Remember

Chapter 3 Rise of the Flag Queen

The Next Morning J.J. decided to pick Grace up on his four Wheeler and take her to school . He was leaning casually against the fender of the four wheeler keeping his distance from the house in fear of the little terrors that were Grace's brothers, and winced when Grace came walking out of the house with her heavy backpack, her team duffle bag, a small purse, and her laptop case. He smiled as he took her backpack and the duffle bag and tied them down to the back of his four wheeler. "How in the world do you carry all of this without falling over," he chuckled as he helped her onto the back seat?
"What can I say? I guess that I'm stronger than I look. Luckily I have a strong and handsome boyfriend to help me now," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek before he moved towards the school


After parking his four wheeler in his usual spot, they met with Graces team mates and his friends at the flag pole, and all jaws hit the ground as they realized that two of the most popular students in school, were now the it couple. "Holy shit, J.J., since when are you and G.G. an item," Brax asked in shock?
'Does it matter, Brax? It's meant to be, " Arial smiled at her two friends. Are you two looking forward to homecoming game," she asked?
"Oh, yeah, we're going to cream them, while my beautiful girlfriend puts ever member of their entire flag core to shame and horribly distracts the opposing team," Justin smirked as he walked into the school with Grace on his arm.


When Wendy saw Justin with the blind girl Grace on his arm, she was furious and wanted to scratch her eyes out, before hanging J.J's man bits in a sling. Her rage grew when she realized that she was pushed farther and farther into the back of every class that she shared with J.J., and that even some of her friends had traded sides. She made up her mind then and there to get revenge upon the blind girl whatever it took. It would start with getting voted Home coming queen to J.J.'s Homecoming King," she thought with a smirk as she made her plan.


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Later that week as voting went on for the spots of Home coming queen and King, the home coming game ended with the Pirates having an overwhelming lead of forty two to Chugger's ten. J.J. was drenched with a tank of gateraid just as he pulled Grace into his arms for a victory kiss, and they both screamed before shaking their heads like wet dogs and splashing the two who had drenched them while laughing hard. The next day Grace was in her bedroom wearing a sky blue formal gown that would match Justin's eyes perfectly while she pinned her hair up letting a few slightly curled tendrils of her long hair hang elegantly upon her bare shoulders. She could hear the front door close and then her father's voice called to her to inform her that her boyfriend was waiting with the rest of her friends in the living room.


Justin had just turned his back to the stairs when his friends dropped their jaws and got slapped by their respective dates for ogling Justin's girlfriend. He turned around and smiled at the vision in the sky blue strapless ball gown with a diamond horseshoe pendant around her neck. "Grace, you look amazing, here, I brought you this," Justin said as he placed a white corsage onto her slender wrist with a smile.
"Oh, you two look so charming together, Lee get the camera, we need pictures of them together," her mother gushed making Grace's face redden in embarrassment.
"Mom, don't you have enough pictures? You know that I hate camera flashes, because they hurt my eyes," Grace Grumbled as she hid her face in Justin's strong chest?
"Oh, come on, Gracey, one or two photos won't kill you," Ann Teller said as she snapped more pictures of her daughter and her boyfriend to put into a photo album.


"Mooom, we're going to be late to the dance," Grace complained.
"Oh, okay, you two kids have fun, now," her mother smiled as she stood by her husband's side and watched Justin lead her tenderly from the house with their other friends.
"Not too much fun, though," her father said with a smirk making Grace roll her eyes and flush red with embarrassment.
"Your family is, um, nice," Arial said.
"No my family is mental," Grace scoffed making everyone laugh as the stretch limo pulled away and carried them all to the dance.


By the time that they arrived at the school dance Grace had completely forgot about her parents craziness and was soon lost to the music as she danced with Justin among their friends. Wendy glared at the couple as they danced both with large dazzling smiles upon their faces, and smirked as she thought of the look on the blind girl's face when she was crowned home coming queen to stand by J.J. as he was crowned king. She was going to make everyone in that school know that J.J. Watt was her's and her's alone once and for all. As the night drew to an end the Principal silenced the music for the naming of home coming King and queen.


Wendy crossed her fingers behind her back and smiled when J.J. was called for the place of King. She was about too step to the stage when the Principal called for their home coming queen and then her heart plummeted like a stone into a deep lake when instead of calling out her name the principal called out the name that she never wanted to hear that night or ever.
"Our Home coming Queen this year will be, Grace Gwenivere Teller," announced the principal to rowdy cheers as Justin knelt on the stage with his hand outstretched and pulled his girlfriend up by his side with a large smile on his face.
"NOOOOOO," Wendy screamed as she ripped her mum off of her dress and stomped on it until it was demolished with rage!


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Months passed and summer was filled with football in the park or whichever back yard Justin and his friends happened to be in at that moment, swimming, horseback riding with Grace, and various movies, and parties with all of their friends. It was now time for the Annual Fourth of July county fair and Rodeo. Everyone was excited and somewhat saddened because Grace had been away for the entire week leading up to the day, and she had told them all that she couldn't attend the fair with any of them because she had plans for the entire weekend. This news made Justin very glum and grumpy. He hated the rare times when he was unable to have Grace by his side, though he completely understood her dedication to her favorite sport.


He dressed for the day in a comfortable set of jeans, a dark blue western styled shirt, Black Justin Roper boots, and a straw Resist all hat with a hat band made from the skin of a diamond back rattler snake. He sighed as he looked at the picture of himself sitting on the back of Grace's Thoroughbred Gelding General, as Grace stood on the horses rump with her hands on his shoulders with her hair flying in the wind. It was one of his favorite pictures of the two of them so far, though there were many others that came in a close second to that one at the moment. He exited his room and sat out on the front porch gazing across the street to the stables where she kept her horse and frowned upon not seeing the luxury silver show trailer that Grace used to haul her horse from place to place in.


Fifteen minutes later he sat with his friends and their families excitedly awaiting the start of the final day of the county fair that had been going on for the past week, and everyone grew silently as the town's mayor stepped out into the center of the arena and made his announcement. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the one hundredth and fifty-first annual County fair and Rodeo finals. Before we get today's festivities off to a start, we will first need to pay our proper respect for our country and the freedom that we enjoy with the singing of our national anthem. Oh Flag queen will you grace us with the presence of our state and country flags please," he called as he moved to the announcer's box just as a shrill neigh was heard and the local high school marching band started to play in the center of the arena in two large groups.


Suddenly everyone gasped in shock as a familiar black horse with white tack galloped hard around the arena with none other than Grace vaulting on and off of his back preforming dangerous and daring stunts that made people gasp with horror one minute and applause excitedly the next. She was wearing white jeans with a shirt that looked like the u.S. flag while she rode around the arena a second time grabbing the state and U.S. flag from the hands of attendants who stood within the arena, and stood on the back of her running horse spinning and twirling the flags before slamming them down into specially designed holsters as her horse came to a sliding halt in the center of the arena where she saluted and then removed her white Stetson, before she started to sing the national anthem instantly bringing everyone to their feet with their hats off and held over their hearts with respect.


"Oh, say can you see, by the dawns early light? What so proudly we hailed, at the twilight's last gleaming.
Who's brought stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight? o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting, in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave? O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave," she sang out bringing tears to the eyes of everyone in attendance before they applauded as she rode out with both flags in hand still standing in the saddle.


"So that's why she couldn't come to the fair with us, and why we haven't seen her all week. She's been here the entire time," brax smirked as Justin leapt from his seat and ran for the area where he now knew Grace to be, feeling as if he could fly. They all arrived in the back area where rodeo competitors prepped their horses to find Grace inside of a large stall humming as she removed the trick riding gear from her horse while he stood completely still not even touching the hay in the net looking like a statue instead of an actual breathing horse.
"Damned Grace, that was amazing," Arial said as she leaned against the aluminum railing of the portable stall with a smile on her face.


"Why is your horse standing like that," Brax asked giving the horse a funny look?
"He's trained to not move until I give him the release word, Grace said as she tenderly ran a brush over the glossy black coat of her horse.
"Can we pet him," Stella asked excitedly at Tony's side?
"Sure you can, General, Fall Out," she called to her horse as she exited the stall with her equipment and shut the door securely? Her horse tossed his head and sniffed each teen leaning against the stall for hidden treats before giving Justin a hard head butt , snorting in disgust over finding no treats and turning his large backside to them all as he buried his nose into his hey net.


Everyone laughed at the way that Justin was rubbing his stomach. "He's in a bad mood today, isn't he," Justin asked as he attempted to take the very heavy looking equipment from Grace's hands?
"It's not my fault that you've spoiled him by sneaking over treats and feeding him when I'm not around," Grace laughed.
"You knew about that," he asked shocked as they all fallowed her out to where her trailer was parked ?
"Yes, I told you that he was nuts for carrots. Did you really think that I didn't keep track of how many carrots I kept in my mini fridge at the barn," Grace smirked as she held the saddle on her hip and reached into a hidden magnetic box under the bottom of the trailer and removed a key to unlock the tack compartment with?


Justin blushed and gave her a goofy smile as she slid the heavy stunt riding saddle into the rack and hang up her bridle before grabbing a single fingerless glove from a box and slipping it into her back pocket and locking the door. "So now that you've finished starting the rodeo and fair, will you watch the rest of it with us," Justin asked as everyone followed her around to the side of the trailer where she unlocked another side door with a black tinted window in it, silently?
"Humm, let's see how things turn out, and then I'll tell you. Does anyone have a rodeo schedule," Grace asked turning to the group and leaning against the trailer?


"I've got one," Tony smiled.
"Okay let me see it for a minute," she said as she held out her hand for the event schedule with a smile on her face. Tony handed over his event schedule and they followed her as she moved to the large truck that pulled her trailer and dug around in the center console before laughing and doing something that they couldn't see with her back turned to all of them. She then hopped out of the truck and placed a tender kiss on Justin's lips as she handed him the altered event schedule with a smile and walked back to the door of the living quarters of her horse trailer.


"Everything that has an X, by it is an event that I will take a breather and will sit with you guys for a while. Everything with a circle around the time is an event that I will be taking part in today," she said as she stepped into the now open door of the trailer and flicked on a light. Everyone huddled around Justin and attempted to eagerly read over his shoulder in shock.
"Saddle Bronc Riding, Barrel Racing, Bareback Bronc Riding, Pole bending, reigning, and Bull Riding," Gaped Justin as he dropped the event schedule into Brax's hand and leapt into the trailer living quarters to question his girlfriend's sanity and possible death wish! She was sitting on the sofa in the living quarters at that moment strapping a pair of spurs onto a pair of red boots and looked up as he entered closely followed by the rest of their friends who all looked equally shocked and Horrified.


"You all know that I've been riding horses since I was five years old. Why does this surprise you," Grace asked as she got to her feet and slid open her large closet and rummaged in it for her black chaps with the red fringe on it?
"Pole bending, and barrel racing, and reining are safe, but have you fucking lost your mind with the other three that you circled? You could be hurt badly or worse you could be killed," Justin raged as he grabbed her arm and pulled her from the closet giving her a fierce look as she calmly pulled from his grasp and buckled the chaps into place completely ignoring him?
"Firstly you are my boyfriend, not my father, or my husband, Justin. Secondly for your information I happen to be a champion in every event that I've signed up in in every state in the country. I have more trophy's than you do to prove how good I really am. Daddy wouldn't allow me to do it if, I wasn't good," she said as she stepped to what looked like a solid wood wall and slid open a hidden panel to reveal a hidden keypad and tapped in a quick sequence of numbers before a beep was heard and the wooden wall slid into the ceiling to reveal a large trophy case filled with trophy's ribbons, buckles, and even a few saddles.


Justin and the other's all gaped as they read what the trophies were fore and they all gave her astonished looks. "Are those all made of real gold and silver," Tony asked," gaping at some large buckles? Grace tapped in another code on the keypad and a click was heard before she slid the glass open and removed the last buckle that she had won just a few weekend's ago and handed it over to Justin with a smirk on her face.
"Why don't you tell me if it's real. Fake silver and gold is far lighter than that buckle is, I assure you," Grace smiled as they passed the heavy trophy buckle around the group.
"Trick rider, flag queen, gymnast, rodeo , and show jumping champion, is there anything that you don't do," Justin asked feeling a bit calmer now that he knew for certain that she wasn't as crazy as he had first thought?


"Well I don't drive an M1 Abrams tank, or my daddy's Humvee on the public roads since I don't have the sight to legally become licensed to drive in any state or country and I probably never will," Grace smirked making everyone's jaws drop as she took back her last buckle and replaced it into her trophy case and locked it down completely.
"No way, your dad would ever let you drive his Humvee or a Tank! You've got to be lying," Brax said in shock .
"if you don't believe me, than you can ask my father next time that you see him," Grace said as she waited for the last of them to exit the trailer before stepping out and turning to lock the door.


"So, this is where the Whore who stole all of my friends and my boyfriend last year has been fucking everyone," Wendy snarled as she tried to reach for Justin's shoulder only to step in a very fresh pile of cow manure that everyone else had avoided making everyone laugh and cringe as they waved their hands in front of their face to free themselves from the smell. What's so funny, I'd like to know," Wendy shrieked as Justin pulled her hands free from his arm and stepped to Grace's side still laughing?
"Are you going to tell her, or should I," Justin asked just as Wendy tried to move and get into Grace's face only to slip and fall on her backside with a scream of disgust?
"I think that she's figured it out for herself," Brax sniggered.


Wendy was now screaming and sobbing and was about to place her hands into the large wet cow Pattie to get up when Grace held out her hand to her instead. "Don't do that, you'll make it worse. Take my hand, Wendy and I'll help you out of that mess," Grace said as she waited for Wendy to grip her hand.
"I hate you, and you hate, me because I've been a complete bitch to you ever since we met. Why would you of all people want to help me," Wendy asked as she gave Grace a puzzled look from her place on the ground?


"True, you've been a bitch to me, and true, you hate, me, but I don't hate you, and I would never allow anyone to remain in your situation without helping them out. Unlike some people around here, my parents didn't raise me to be a complete heartless bitch, now are you going to take my hand and let me help you, or would you rather have more than our school mates laughing their asses off at your discomfort," Grace asked still holding out her hand? Wendy wordlessly took Grace's hand and was pulled from the mess on the ground and led to the door that Grace had just locked only for Grace to unlock it once more and open the door.


"Grab ahold of that handle there, and hold up your boot. When I pull it off step onto the bottom step of the trailer and hold up the other foot. You're not tracking cow shit all over my trailer living quarters," Grace ordered in a calm tone. Wendy did as she was ordered and stood there in her socks in the door way of the trailer while Grace slapped the boots together ridding them of the manure as best as she could without a boot brush. "Get in there, I've got a shower, and a washing machine in the back. You can clean yourself up in there while I find you something else to wear. Leave your jeans and your shirt in the laundry, and I'll return them to you after their clean," Grace said as she shut the door behind them and placed Wendy's boots into her automatic boot cleaner by the door as she rummaged through her closet for something for Wendy to wear.


Wendy stepped out of the bathroom in her under clothes and socks feeling embarrassed to find a new pair of white jeans, and a pink western shirt sitting on the bed while Grace was in the living area giving her boots a good polish to make them look as good as the day that Wendy had purchased them. "You didn't have to do any of this. Why are you being so nice to me," Wendy asked as she sat on the sofa and Grace placed her boots in her hand before standing and making a few last minute adjustments to her chaps?
"I told you, I'd do the same for anyone. I never wanted to be your enemy, Wendy. We could still be friends, if you want to, but I'm not too sure if the rest of my friends and Justin will forgive how you've treated me as easily. Luke 6: 31 says,' Do to others as you would have them do to you.' That means that we should treat other people the way that we would like other people to treat us. That is a bible principal that I always attempt to live by. Perhaps you should read your bible more and attempt to live by its words," Grace said as she followed Wendy from the trailer and locked the door before putting the spare key away in its spot.


The rest of that day everyone cheered, and went crazy when Grace rode first the saddle Bronc until it actually stopped bucking and galloped around the ring to applause and shock of the rodeo owner, who offered to give her the horse. She declined his offer as she took her buckle from the judges with a smile. She then took breaks in-between her other events, which she also dominated, and it was now the final event of the evening, bull riding. Justin and her friends were extremely nervous for her safety in this event since the bull had rather large horns and one rider had already been sent to the hospital that day.


Justin was yet again attempting to talk her into pulling out, when a rather rude cowboy who was older than her stepped up and called her out. "This isn't a sport for little girls, sweetie. Maybe you should go home and play with your dolly's," he sneered.
"You've apparently not seen my daughter ride all this week, otherwise you wouldn't be shooting your mouth off like an idiot," Lee said as he stepped between the offending cowboy and his daughter who was simply smiling as she watched the competition.
"My ass was sore, why would I stick around after my ride if I knew that I was the best rider," the cowboy said?


"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, partner. You're up next aren't you," Lee asked with a look in his eye that Grace knew all too well?
"Yup, why?"
"Okay then, my daughter rides right after you. I've got five hundred dollars right here in my back pocket that says that my daughter will annihilate any score that you reach," Lee said taking out his wallet with a look.
"Oh, dear lord, he's doing it again. I hate when dad gets that competitive," Grace groaned as she took a bite of the hotdog that Justin was offering to her shaking her head.
"You're on, mister, and when I win, your little princess over there has to retire from riding the circuit," the cowboy said as he leapt into the shoot onto the back of his bull with a smirk that was quickly wiped from his face as the bull flung him right outside the door of the shoot four seconds before the buzzer sounded giving him no score.


"Well, kids, that shows you all that a big mouth don't make a big man. Ride the skin off of him baby girl," Lee said as Grace leapt onto her bull as the announcer announced her and the name of her bull.
"The last rider of the night is the toughest female on the rodeo circuit, the Lone Star Lady, the Queen of the Flag Core, G.G. Teller, Riding Twisted," the announcer said as Grace took her time making certain that her grip was firm on the bull Rope before she leaned back and nodded. The bull ripped out of the gate and bucked violently turning in different directions bucking hard and high making every guy in the arena very glad that it was Grace on him and not them.


The seconds counted down as she rode the wild thrashing animal who wanted nothing more than to toss her and trample her. Then the eight second buzzer sounded and Grace ripped her gloved hand from the rigging and pushed off from the bull flipping into the air and landing on the ground five feet from the bull. The bull turned and charged at her and she smiled as she leapt and flipped across the arena with the bull on her tail each time she landed on her hands or her feet missing being attacked by the bull narrowly. The rodeo clowns were having extreme difficulty getting the bulls attention, and her friends looked like they were about to faint or lose their snacks as she flipped and grabbed the top rail of the bull shoot and flipped up onto the top rail with her booted feet pointing towards the sky.


The bull bellowed angrily and slammed his large horned head into the shoot gate making it shake beneath Grace's hands. She pushed herself off of the gate and landed on the top rail of the shoot with her hands outstretched before she turned and leapt from the top rail right into Justin's arms with a large smile while her father moved to make the stupid cowboy pay up on the bet that was made "Lord, Grace you, I , that bull, it almost," stammered Justin before his next words were cut off with her lips upon his kissing him silent. When she pulled away Justin had a goofy expression plastered onto his face and stood silently by her side as she accepted yet another championship trophy buckle.


"That was amazing young lady, where did you learn to ride like that," the Rodeo owner asked as he handed over the last of her trophies and her prize money?
"My family is originally from Texas. It's in our blood to ride and work cattle. Not to mention that my dad used to be a rodeo champion when he was younger before he joined the Army. Every thing that I learned, I learned it from him," Grace said as she turned away and walked away with Justin and her friends to put away her prizes and change out of her spurs bull glove and chaps before enjoying the rest of the night.


The rest of that first summer with Grace was full of fun love and laughter. It continued on until the Junior year when they were both in their junior year when it all would change their lives forever. Grace was now the most popular girl in the school and J.J. was the star player for the Pirates team.