by Yazz Ustaris
Nodding my head in understanding, I replied, “It’s alright. Obviously I needed the rest if I was able to sleep like a rock for that long.” Smiling brightly, I added, “I feel awesome this morning!”
The next 15 minutes were spent explaining the events of my day yesterday and my so-called “punishment”. Sam and Gideon both laughed in disbelief when they heard I spent the whole day washing cars. In the end, there were hugs all around the room once everyone was satisfied that I hadn’t been harmed or abused in any way.
Out in the hallway, I was met with another surprise when I saw Gabe, Logan, and Cassidy leaning against the opposite wall. They jerked to attention when they saw us exiting the room. By way of explanation, Logan said, “There was no more room in there for us, but we were worried about you too. We’re glad to see you’re okay!”
Feeling the love, I smiled my thanks and reassured them that everything was copacetic. Hustling everyone into the Mess Hall for breakfast, we all had to eat hurriedly or else risk exercising on an empty stomach since we only had 10 minutes left to eat.
Once we finally made it into the Gym, there was a definite air of excitement buzzing throughout the crowd. Sergeant Ramsey started off with a small meeting and talked a little bit about the upcoming test. Today was the last full day of training before we would break off in groups for the test tomorrow. I’m sure the primary purpose of the meeting was to get us all fired up, and I’d have to say it was definitely working because we could clearly see that Sergeant Ramsey was excited for tomorrow and his enthusiasm was contagious.
None of us knew what to expect the next day so the suspense was killing us. Breaking off in our little group, Sam, Gideon, and I exerted 150% effort into that day’s training. Sergeant Ramsey made us do all the exercises I hated, including burpees. But he claimed it was for my own good because it would help us for the test the following day, so I kept my mouth shut, dug in my heels, and just did it.
I was shocked when he finally called a halt to our training. Six hours had sped by at lightning speed, but every single one of us had the sweat stains to show for our efforts. When we all broke off and separated to our own rooms to shower before eating a late lunch/early dinner, Kyrie was once again glued to my side. We walked into the Mess Hall with our arms linked, and she chatted a mile a minute as she described how her day went yesterday. After lunch, I was disappointed when Sergeant Ramsey denied us any free time. He wanted everybody to get plenty of rest for the big day ahead. His last enigmatic instruction before all of us retired early to our own rooms, was, “Don’t dress in your normal workout clothes tomorrow. I want y’all to wear blue jeans and sneakers! See you in the mornin’!”
Jeans, huh? Well, that’s just weird! During our Ladies Night pool party, Jamie had said that our test was for strength and endurance. It just doesn’t make sense wearing jeans if we’d all be more comfortable in workout clothes, especially if we were just going to be getting sweaty anyways. Catching Allegra’s eye, I could tell she was just as confused and we both laughed when we shrugged at each other. Oh well. Tomorrow would arrive before we all knew it. Then, the mystery would be solved.
It was far too early to attempt sleep though, so Kyrie and I changed into our pajamas, and settled on my bed to watch a movie. While the movie was playing, I decided to give myself a manicure. I was just applying the top coat over my black polish when there was a light tap on our door.
“I’ll get it!” Kyrie was halfway across the room before I could even respond. The door swung open to admit Jamie, and she gave both of us a chastising look as she saw we were obviously both still awake.
“Come on!” I argued. “It’s not even 6:00 yet! We’ll be going to sleep soon, but for now we were just trying to unwind so that we could fall asleep.”
“I was just checking on you girls. I know it’s still early, so I’m here to offer a natural sleep aide if you’d like it.” I shook my head to decline since I had unknowingly taken a sleep aide the night before. Kyrie declined when I did, so Jamie just grinned and ordered us to turn off the TV and get beneath the sheets. “You both need a good nights’ rest for tomorrow. Sleep well, and good luck!” We heard the soft click of the door closing, and then she was gone.
I worried that I wouldn’t be able to sleep since I had gotten a ton of it the night before. But to my surprise, due to the vigorous exercises from earlier in the day, I was able to close my eyes and drift off into a light slumber. Before we knew it, the day of the test had arrived!
I actually woke up before Kyrie this time, and started quietly rummaging in my closet for something to wear. Settling on a pair of flare leg blue jeans and a black t-shirt, I showered and dressed in record time. When I emerged, Kyrie was already up, so she took her turn in the bathroom while I blow dried my hair in front of my dresser. I decided to pull my hair up into a ponytail today, and when Kyrie left the bathroom, I saw that she had her hair up in one too.
Breakfast was filled with the excited hum of voices as everyone speculated what kind of test we were going to have. When I got up to refill my coffee cup, I saw that Amos was wearing jeans too, so I stopped right in front of him and tried to wheedle more answers out of him.
“Come on, Amos! Just a tiny little clue. Please?” The suspense was killing me already!
The sudden boom of Sergeant Ramsey’s voice startled me and caused me to jump in surprise. “Teagan! Leave Amos alone and stop tryin’ to sweet-talk answers outta him!” I laughed guiltily as I stared at Amos over the rim of my mug. “Sorry Amos.”
“Psshh. As if I’d say anything to spoil the surprise,” he retorted to my amusement.
Just then Sergeant Kami entered, followed by Sergeant Flynn. Catching Harper and Allegra’s eyes, I bobbed my eyebrows at them as I made a mental note to remind them about Operation Matchmaker. We all wanted to see those two together. When I broke eye contact with the girls, I realized to my dismay that Sergeant Flynn was staring right at me and he had a smirk on his face. Uh oh. Does he suspect? Quickly, I schooled my features and threw on my poker face.
Out of the corner of my eye, I felt the weight of Gideon’s stare and turned to see his curious expression. “Later” I mouthed the word to him, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod of understanding. We both gave our full attention to Sergeant Ramsey as he broke the silence. “Outside these doors, a bus awaits to take y’all to where you’ll be takin’ yer tests. So…without any further ado…” He motioned for all of us to follow him so I whistled for Mercer who was lounging by his empty food bowl.
One by one, we boarded the bus which was exciting in itself since it felt like we were going on a field trip. The only lame part, is that the bus had deeply tinted windows so we couldn’t really see anything outside. Major bummer. On the upside, the ride was short and before we knew it, it was time to disembark.
Exiting, I saw that we were standing outside a very large tent. It reminded me of one of those circus tents from my childhood days. Everyone was gaping at it in confusion. Looking to the side, I did a double take when I realized that Leif was standing right beside me. His face looked as pasty as ever which made his deep purple bruising beneath his eyes all the more prominent. Sensing my stare he looked in my direction, and I saw the surprise in his eyes before his expression quickly changed to a deep scowl.
As he stood there glaring at me with such hatred, something inside me snapped and I couldn’t help the snarky words that tumbled out of my mouth next. “What’s up, princess? Do you wanna go another round with me or something?” I flexed my fingers and cracked my knuckles for the full effect. He suddenly gasped and stumbled backwards a few steps, in his haste to put distance between himself and me.
“Knock it off, Teagan,” Sergeant Ramsey was quick to reprimand me, but there was undisguised humor in his glance. Looking around me, I saw that Kyrie had an alarmed look on her face. “Teagan…don’t fight anymore. I don’t want you to get punished again.”
A couple of the guys snorted, and I clearly heard Logan murmur, “She�
�s so badass!” Shaking my head, I turned to follow where Sergeant Ramsey was starting to lead the congregation into the tent. The inside of the tent was reminiscent of the circus too, as I saw that there were bleachers all along the perimeter of the round tent. We were lead up a series of stairs and into a row of bleachers where we were instructed to sit.
Looking down towards the middle of the floor from our height, I saw that the floor was filled with dirt and that the entire arena was enclosed with thick metal railings. My gaze flicked to the cowboy hat and jeans that Sergeant Ramsey was wearing, and a thrill ran through me as I started to put two and two together. Could it be?? Across from where we were seated on the other side of the arena, Doc Duffy and Jamie entered with large red duffle bags that had white First Aid crosses on the side.
Sergeant Ramsey had an expectant grin spread across his mouth as he raised his eyebrows at us and asked, “Do ya guys know what yer goin’ to be doin’ today?!” The excitement in his voice rang loud and clear, but he was met with silence as the others looked at one another in either confusion or disbelief. When another few seconds passed and still no one answered, I looked at Sergeant Ramsey and asked in a hushed voice, “Are we riding bulls?”
Gleefully, he replied, “We are!”
Jumping to my feet in excitement, I cheered, “YEAH!! Woohoooo!” As I continued to laugh and do my little happy dance, I looked down at my comrades seated along the bleachers. Harper, Allegra, and Marisol had frozen looks of horror on their faces, while Aidan, Leif, and Zima’s expressions were purposely blank. Everyone else was either staring at me incredulously, or were sporting excited grins to match mine. It was a mixed bag.
Our attentions were brought to the middle of the arena where Sergeants Kami and Flynn reappeared. Speaking into a microphone, Sergeant Flynn announced, “There are three different levels. Kyrie represents the first tier since she is the youngest of the bunch, and will be required to stay on the bull for a maximum of five seconds. The rest of you belong in the second tier where the clock will be set at the standard eight second mark. Leif – you are exempt from taking the test for another month as punishment for your insubordination.” The only reaction Leif had, was the visual clenching of his jaw in anger. Oh well. Serves him right!
Gesturing with his hands towards the end of the bleachers where I was seated with Sam and Gideon, Sergeant Flynn reiterated, “Except for you three. Teagan, Gideon, and Sam—you represent the final tier and will be required to stay on the bull for a maximum of fifteen seconds.”
Sergeant Kami took hold of the microphone and gestured to someone off to the side. Three guys dressed in full rodeo clown garb, emerged from that direction and approached the center of the arena. “This is Wyatt, Angelo, and Dee. All three have had their third shots and will be available here on the arena floor to assist those of you who might need help if you get in a bind. Their main purpose is to help prevent injury to you guys while you’re taking your tests.”
My eyes took in the three rodeo clowns. Due to their heavy clown makeup and the fact that they were all dressed similar, it was hard to differentiate who was who, but at least I’d be able to finally meet the mysterious third member of their unit, even if he did have clown makeup caked on.
Leaning forward in my seat, I caught Harper’s eye and winked at her while she bobbed her eyebrows suggestively at me. It kind of wasn’t fair for her to meet Wyatt under these circumstances, especially when she couldn’t see his real face in all his virile glory.
Sam jabbed me sharply with his elbow on my left side, and I realized that both he and Gideon were staring at me and were aware of the byplay. Gideon had a frustrated expression on his face, and I realized that once again, I managed to hurt his feelings without meaning to. We really needed to have a private chat later. But now was not the time.
My eyes drifted back to the arena floor when Sergeant Flynn cleared his throat. Guiltily, I met his gaze and he gave me a stern look before continuing with the details of our test. “We have three bulls for you to ride which you will each take turns riding.” One of the rodeo clowns ran off to the side and returned leading a massive black bull with one white hoof. “This black beauty is named Thundershanks.” The rodeo clown led Thundershanks to an enclosed pen off to the side, which I assumed was where we would be mounting the bulls before the gates opened.
The second rodeo clown ran out of view, presumably to retrieve the second bull while Sergeant Flynn continued his introductions. “This guy is named Buttcracker Sweet….or BS for short.” There were twitters all around at the goofy name the bull had been given, and the laughter helped to break the tension that was starting to mount within the arena. Buttcracker was all brown in color, and I wondered if there might’ve been a story to go along with the name this bull had been given. He was led into his own pen, while the third rodeo clown ran to fetch the last bull.
Out came a black and white spotted bull, and this bull looked the most formidable out of the three. He stomped the ground with his hoof and snorted loudly, as Sergeant Flynn announced his name. “This last bull is named Stomperosa.” Once the last bull was penned along the far arena with the other two, we saw that Sergeant Kami was holding a red plastic container which she was shaking.
“You guys will be going in random order by lottery, in groups of three. While one person is taking their test on the arena floor, the other two bulls will be mounted with a rider while they each wait their turns on the floor. Each of you will only get two tries per day, and we will be having Test Day every Friday from here on out, indefinitely. Now, it’s time to draw names for the first three riders for Round 1!” The excitement in Sergeant Flynn’s voice was obvious as Sergeant Kami opened the top of the plastic container and withdrew the first name.
“The first rider of the day is….Kyrie!” There was complete silence as all eyes turned towards sweet, innocent little Kyrie. Oh shit! I carefully slapped on my poker face as Kyrie instinctively turned in my direction, seeking me out for guidance. Sergeant Ramsey, who was still standing beside me, nudged me gently with his knee as he commanded, “Go escort Kyrie over to where the bulls are penned. See if you can calm her fears down, okay girlie?”
“You got it, old man.” I stood and made my way halfway down the bleachers to where Kyrie was standing. The faint tinkle of Mercer’s dog tags was a relief as I realized he had followed me. His presence might also help to calm down her nerves. When I stopped directly in front of her, I looked down at her face and saw that she had a determined expression pasted on, although the full body tremble betrayed her true emotions. She was scared. I turned to face the arena and crouched down in front of her, ordering, “Hop on, Shorty!”
Standing, I made my way down to where Amos and Sergeant Honda waited with the three rodeo clowns. I figured it was their job to help the riders mount, and to give last minute words of encouragement. Whispering for Kyrie’s ears only, I said, “I believe in you, Kyrie. No matter what happens here today, remember that you are loved. I will stand by you, to cheer you on, and to remind you not to give up. No matter how many times each of us might have to take this test…we are not quitters, okay? Let’s remind each other to stay strong and persevere. Just do your best. Nothing else matters.”
Kyrie wiggled on my back, signaling that she wanted to be put down. Wrapping her arms around my waist, she buried her face in my side as she squeezed me tight. I rubbed her back for a moment, but the hug ended as quickly as it began. When next she turned her face up to meet my gaze, she had an angelic smile there. Catching hold of my left hand, she swung it back and forth as we strolled towards Amos where he waited to boost Kyrie onto BS.
Both Sergeant Honda and Amos were coaching and guiding her on how to sit, and how to grip the strap that went around the bull. “Why can’t I hold on with two hands?” Kyrie’s plaintive question caused the corners of Amos’s mouth to twitch in amusement.
Suddenly, Wyatt was there at my side. I wouldn’t have been able to tell it was him at all if it weren’t for the green
glitter of his eyes. That and the involuntary shiver of awareness that overcame my body every time I was in his presence. He held my gaze, a small smile flirting from his mouth as he leaned forward to give his own piece of advice to Kyrie. Finally transferring his attention to Kyrie, he said, “Make sure to lean back when BS jumps. The key is to maintain your balance and hang on to the strap with all your might, for as long as you can. Once you hear the buzzer sound, loosen your grip and dismount. If you start to fall, one of the clowns will catch you, so never fear little one.”
Kyrie’s mouth was hanging open as she just stared back at Wyatt, seemingly as mesmerized as I had been the first time I had met him. Wyatt’s smile grew bigger as he saw that he had rendered young Kyrie speechless.
“Nod your head if you understood my instructions.” Immediately, Kyrie’s head bobbed forward in understanding. Flicking one last caressing glance at me, Wyatt hopped over the fence and was gone. Instantly, Kyrie seemed to snap out of her trance as she leaned closer to stage-whisper to me, “Is that the guy you were talking about the other night when we had our pool party? He is hot!”
Amos and Sergeant Honda were still both right there, and I had to close my eyes momentarily as a feeling of mortification came rushing up to burn my cheeks at their quiet chuckles. There was also no doubt in my mind that Wyatt had heard Kyrie’s innocent observation.
To save face however, I retorted breezily, “I dunno… I don’t really like clowns. I find them extremely creepy.” To my satisfaction, there was a slight falter to Wyatt’s step on his path to the far pen where Thundershanks awaited.
In the background, while Wyatt had been talking to Kyrie, I had heard Sergeant Kami announce the names of the other two finalists for the Round One ride. Hearing footsteps approaching, I turned my head and saw Gabe walking towards us with Aidan trailing behind him. Making eye contact, I smiled and nodded at Gabe as I said, “Good luck Gabe!”