Wild Horses

Welcome to Taft

So it took about twenty minutes for them to get to the school. There was another thirty minutes that they had to sit in a taxi on the way from the train station to the school. Not to mention the five that they had to try to hail the taxi. Needless to say, both Randi and Charlie were more than a little out of their element in Connecticut. It didn't help that they seemed to argue through most of their adventure.

When they finally got to the school, they had to separate for the first time since they met. They'd only known each other for a little over ten hours, but strangers that saw them would have thought they knew each other forever. In fact, to Randi, it felt like they had. Charlie'd even almost gotten her to open up. Randi felt it, and that freaked her out, more than being so far from home even.

Their new "mentors," as the administration lady called them, pulled Randi and Charlie their separate ways to see the campus, both of the tours ended in their dorm rooms. They found out they would be living in the same building; of course, neither of them was upset so much by the fact that they'd be living co-ed.

In fact, the first thing they'd found in common was their...rebellious tendancies, shall we say? Not that their backgrounds gave them the same bragging rights as the rich, hoity-toity preps they'd be sharing campus with this year. They'd both gone to their fair share of field and barn parties, and they could shoot Jack with the best of 'em. Both Charlie and Randi had lost their virginity in a hay-loft (not the same one obviously). So the co-ed living quarters didn't bother either of them; they'd just been shocked that these yankees allowed it.

Honestly, Randi was pretty excited about it all. She'd always gotten along with guys better than girls. Females just brought so much drama along with them. Guys were simpler creatures. Give them some good, home-cooked food and listen to em, and they're happy.

Randi laughed to herself as she put down her bags at the end of the empty bed in her room. She looked over to the other side of the room and saw a bunk bed. Both bunks were already covered in clothes, cowboy boots...and wait....was that a lariat she saw? Randi looked around. "This must be some kind of a joke," just as the mumbled words escaped her lips, two boys walked in. Her jaw dropped. They were both tall, decked out in pearl-snaps, and wranglers. These boys were country from the top of their Stetson hats, all the way down to their muddy Tony Lama boots.

"Well hey there roomie," exclaimed one of them. He had shaggy brown hair that almost covered his sky-blue eyes. He tipped his hat to her, as any southern gentleman would. Randi couldn't help but giggle at the gesture. He told her that his name was Jackson. The quieter one behind him was Dakota.

"I'm Randi," she told them, shocking them with a thick Texas accent. She could see both their eyes light up; Dakota's entire vibe changed. Guess they were expecting some prep too Randi thought to herself. "Who's the roper?" She asked before the awkward silence could sneak up on them.

"Born and raised," Dakota said cockily. "I was the best in my county," he continued, "guess that's why I got sent up here for some higher learning," he laughed. Randi laughed, not so much at the whole "higher education" comment, but more at the fact that he's gloating about his talents.

"Best in the county, huh?" He just nodded at her. "Small world," she smirked, "I was the best in mine." The look of disbelief that crossed his face was priceless! Randi quickly realizes he's from one of those towns that makes housewives and cheerleaders out of their girls.She would break that idea really quick while they were living together, she laughed to herself.

"Well, sweetheart," Jackson started this time, "I think there might be a little difference between the best male in the county," he puts his arm around her, and gestures to Dakota, "and the best female," he gestures to her. Whoa whoa whoa, she thinks to herself, how are they gonna tell me I'm not as good as a guy???

"First of all 'sweetheart,'" she says in a mocking tone, "I'm the best all-gender roper in my county," she informs them, pushing his arm off her shoulder. "And second of all, I could out rope either one of you any day," she finishes, "make no doubt about that." The boys can't help but stare at her. Neither of them is really used to assertive girls like Randi. She finishes with a hmph and puts her hands on her hips. The boys just stand there with their jaws dropped as Randi turns to finish unpacking, but she doesn't forget to make one suggestion. "Close y'alls mouths; you look like a couple of bull frogs." She turns to see them just looking back at her, "I mean, unless the point was to catch flies; in that case, please, continue, but you still look down-right foolish." She tends to unpack her biggest bag first, a bunch of boots, and her three ropes.

Jackson and Dakota both sit on the bottom bunk across the room, watching her unpack. "Looks like someone's getting ready for rodeo school," Jackson tries to whisper. Randi hears it, but she decides against retaliation, instead, she just smirks. The very last thing she pulls out is her favorite picture, one of her standing on top of Malibu, the only horse she could ever get away with standing on. The others would throw her in a second.

A knock on the door frame alerts the roommates to an intruder. Charlie is standing in the opening, smiling straight at Randi. "We'll ain't that the luck of the draw," he laughs, scanning over the room. Dakota just smirks.

"There's more of us here than you'd think," he explains. A sudden lightbulb goes off, and Dakota sizes up Charlie from a distance. "So you must be the boyfriend," he chuckles. Charlie almost falls over laughing, and explains at the two of them just bonded on their way to the school.

"I just came to see what poor saps have to endure this little spit-fire," he smirks at her. "Anyways," he turns away from the confused boys, "Randi, wanna go grab some lunch? Figured we might go explore a little." She nods, and the two go on their way. Dakota and Jackson watch in awe as she saunters out.