Page 108 of Jump Back On

"That?" I turned, thrusting out my arm in the direction of the leaderboard. "That's bullshit, man. Don't tell me you aren't thinking it!"

"Take the lucky break," Tim told me.

"Yeah?" I stepped into him. "And what did Cody get for sticking to Goliath? That bull's a fucking freight train, and she pulled herself back to center not just once, but multiple times. She got seventy-fucking-eight. I get a lazy fucker with no flair and pull a ninety-two and three-quarters?"

"You were spurring," Tim tried.

But other guys were pulling in, likely expecting a fight to break out. Yeah, I didn't care. I was pissed.Fuckingpissed, and wanting them all to know it.

"And it's bullshit!" I said again, raising my voice. "My ride sure as shit wasn't in the nineties. I've had enough to know. Cody's sure as fuck wasn't in the seventies! And that's not even the worst of it!"

"What is?" Liam Beaulieu, one of my fellow Canadians, asked.

I looked at the seven or so men around me. "You can't see it yet?" I asked. "The judges fucking picked me. They decided I was a good one to win this weekend to make the PBR fans happy. Why not Jake? He's been busting his ass too!"

"Hell yeah, I have," Jake agreed, pushing into our little crowd. "But what am I being praised for?"

"Ty's saying his score's shit," Liam told him.

Jake looked at me and lifted a brow. "Are you seriously fucking with me right now?"

"It sure as shit wasn't worth a ninety-anything," I told him.

"Oh." Jake nodded. "Yeah, I'll give you that. "Eighty-eight or so."

"Exactly!" I thrust an arm out at Jake while looking at the rest. "And you all know why they're doing it, eh?"

"Why?" Kaleb asked, proving he was here too.

"You can't be serious," Jake said, proving the guy might be the smartest one in this group of cowboys.

"They decided I get to win," I snarled. "They've decided Cody has to lose. I'm sure she'd be in last place if they could, but she keeps sticking to her bulls."

"He has a point," Tim told the others.

A few of them were nodding, but they weren't mad yet. They probably just thought I'd hit my head on the way off. Yeah, too bad for them, I hadn't. For once in my life, I finally had this shit on straight.

"If they can do this to Cody," I said, "and pick me to be the big winner, getting the big check, then what chance do any of you have?" I looked them over. "You boys pretty enough to make women buy tickets? You man enough to make the men want to watch you start shit like J.D. does?"

"Fuck that," Kaleb grumbled. "J.D.'s crazy."

"And the crowd loves it," I pointed out. "Is that why he's winning? Since he's out, did I get pushed up next because the women think I'm hot enough?"

"Well, I'm fucked," Jake said. "But wait, why am I in second place? I mean, if your little theory's correct, then why amIgetting good scores?"

"Shit," Kaleb said, "because you're the stable one. No, what Ty's saying makes sense. J.D. is crazy. Ty's a slut. You're consistent. The proof that if someone tries hard enough, ya know?"

"Like prototypes," Liam said.

I turned to look at him like he'd just spoken Portuguese. "What?"

"You know, the types. Like, um, racism."

"Stereotypes," Jake translated for me. "That's what he's talking about.

I just nodded, convinced now that Liam had a concussion or something. Maybe some inbreeding. No clue, but he was from Manitoba.

"Now, I don't know if I'm right," I told the guys, "but if I'm getting overly good scores and Cody's getting shitty ones..."

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