Page 40 of Ace of Spades
“What the hell is your sister doing here?” Chance asks. I look up at him to find his line of sight, following it until sure enough, I find my sister sitting in the stands, right alongside the last person I expected to see her with.
I could make out Hailey sitting at her side in the dim lighting, the colored lights flashing across their faces as Dakota appeared to be talking her ear off.
I move to take out my mouthguard but Chance grabs me by the vest, bringing my attention to him.
“Now’s not the time, focus. We’ll figure it out after your ride,” he tells me. I nod my head at him, re-adjusting my hat over my head and testing my hand in the rein, flexing and unflexing it.
I let everything wash over me–the music, the crowd, the hooves kicking in the chutes, and the blinding lights. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath before opening them once more, nodding to the gate man.
The chute flies open, Zipline Whiskey living up to his reputation and bolting out like a bat out of hell. I sink into the saddle, absorbing every jump and kick. I let myself become one with the horse, feeling his movements in order to predict his next moves. We move in time with each other, the seconds feeling like hours until I hear the buzzer go off.
I wait until I see the pickup man in my peripheral, making sure my hand is untangled from the rope before throwing my arm around him and letting myself slide off, landing on my feet.
The crowd goes wild, but all I care about is spotting the two girls that I’m looking for. I manage to find them in the stands, Kota jumping up and down with her arms in the air as she cheers for me. Hailey stands next to her, both of her hands covering her mouth as if in shock. Or—scared? Had Hailey been worried about me?
The thought pulls a smirk across my lips as I thrust my hat into the air, earning more cheers from the crowd. It takes everything in me not to jump over the side of the arena and run up to them, but doing so would have me disqualified.
So instead, I jog back to the chutes and make my way back to the changing rooms, hurrying to my gear bag to grab my phone. I call Kota and put it on speakerphone, placing it on my bag while I take off my chaps and vest.
It rings twice before connecting, my sister’s familiar voice filling the speakers.
“What a ride, Wes! Like, wow, that was so amazing! When the horse veered right and I thought he had you, but then you recovered so quick and—”
“Kota,” I cut her off, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, uh… I came with a friend,” she tells me.
“What friend?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“You wouldn’t know her, it’s not a big deal or anything, I’ll—”
“Kota,” I cut her off, my voice stern enough to let her know that I’m not messing around.
“Okay, fine, it’s Hailey. Happy?”
“Why on earth are you here with Hailey?”
“Because she gave me a ride, and she’s letting me sleep in her trailer with her,” she says as if it’s obvious.
“Since when are the two of you friends?”
“Since I ran into her at Sonny’s diner like a month ago.”
I rub my eyes, my head spinning.
“A month? And you didn’t think to tell me this?”
“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” she says, feigning innocence.
“What am I gonna do with you,” I shake my head, finishing up changing and throwing my gear bag against the wall where I can come back and grab it later.
“I don’t understand why you’re being all pissy, I’ve been so excited to surprise you, aren’t you even a little bit excited to see me? I only ever get to see you ride on TV, I thought you would love to have me here cheering you on in person!”
I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly and calming myself down.
“You’re right,” I tell her. “I’m sorry, Kota, I was just surprised and all jam-packed with adrenaline from the ride. I am excited to have you here, I promise. Where are you right now?”
“I’m still in the same spot we were in earlier, Hailey had to go get her horse ready since barrels are up next, but I saved you her seat,” she tells me.
