Page 49 of Real Sexy
“You all ready for a rodeo tonight?”
The crowd cheers in response.
“Then let’s get this show started!We’ve got a special guest here to kick us off with the national anthem.Please stand, remove your hats, and face the flag at the north end of the arena.Here’s Nashville recording artist and hometown hero, Boone Thrasher, to sing it for y’all.”
Boone walks into the arena from the direction of the chutes, microphone in hand, and that deep gravelly voice silences the crowd.
With my hand over my heart, I face the flag, but my eyes are glued to Boone.The national anthem isn’t exactly the easiest song to sing, but hekillsit.Shivers run down my spine as he belts it out.The entire crowd cheers as he reaches the end, and then start chanting his name.“Boone!Boone!Boone!”
Boone turns and waves to the crowd as the rodeo clowns come running out, ready to entertain the masses.
Then all hell breaks loose.
27
Boone
Ihearit before I see it.The clang of metal against metal as they load a bull into the chute, and the slamming of a solid ton of weight against the gate.
I whip around to see the gate fly off as the hinges fail.Then my eyes zero in on the pissed-off bull’s horns and the snot dripping from its nose as its hooves thunder toward me.
Lou is closer to the bull, his back to it as he faces me.I don’t know if he’s been momentarily struck deaf, but he doesn’t turn around.
“Lou!”When I yell his name, he looks at me instead of the bull.
Fuck.It’s gonna run him right over.
Hesitation could mean his skull being crushed in the dirt, so I don’t think.I bolt toward him, throwing myself at him like I used to in football practice.I swear I see the whites of the bull’s eyes before my body connects with Lou’s, shoving him out of the way.
The animal turns and bucks, spinning toward us.
Something hard cracks against my head before everything goes black.
28
Ripley
It’slike one of thoseCaught on Videoshows where you know something horrible is going to happen.You don’t want to watch, but you can’t take your eyes off the screen.
A bull charges from the chute as the rodeo clowns come out, and people start screaming.The guy in his hot-pink suspenders from earlier doesn’t turn.Doesn’t look.Doesn’t see the massive beast charging at him.
But Boone sees it.
“Please, God, no!”Mrs.Thrasher’s hand is over her mouth.
Everything happens so fast, I barely have time to comprehend what I’m seeing.
Boone dives at the man and the bull changes direction, its hooves flying, and one catches Boone in the head.He goes down, landing limply on top of the man who was such an asshole to him when we arrived.
I don’t even think about moving.Next thing I know, I’m out of my seat and running down the bleacher stairs, then throwing myself over the fence.I land on my hands and knees in the dirt and scramble up to take off in a sprint.The other rodeo cowboys and two men on horses are rounding up the bull and corralling it toward the pen, but all I see is Boone’s unmoving body on the ground.
People scream, sirens wail, but my mind goes blank when I see the blood dripping down the side of his face.
Red.The same color as the puddle on the bathroom floor around my mama.
No.I can’t lose him too.
“Boone!”
