The sky turns yellow as the sun sets. Then orange. Deep blue. I raise the rifle.
“Jade.” Mike is kneeling in front of me. What’s he doing here? He’s panting. Panting so hard he can’t catch his breath. He takes the rifle from my hands. Sets it behind him on the ground. “Oh God. Jade.”
He’s hugging me now. Breathing into my ear. Wrapping me in his arms. “Jade, I’m sorry.” He pulls back. Holds my cheeks in his sweaty hands. “Look at me,” he says.
I do. Slowly.
“I don’t care if you’re gay. Or a space alien. You’re my friend. I’m never going to stop being your friend. Okay?”
I don’t know what to say.
“Okay?” he repeats.
I nod. I think I’m crying.
He gets to his feet. Throws the rifle over his shoulder. Reaches his hand down to me. “Come on. I’m cold. And there’s no way I’m riding bareback. You know I’ll fall off.”
He will.
I untie Freddie. We walk back to my house. It’s a long walk. Mike holds me the entire way.
Chapter 19
Mike helps me put Freddie in his stall. He walks with me into the kitchen. Dad comes in from the living room.
“You found her,” Dad says.
Mike nods.
Dad glances at the rifle Mike’s carrying. Then at me. “You were out shooting?”
I don’t say anything. Fall into a chair at the table.
“Sure,” Mike says for me. “Great evening for it.”
“You missed Mom’s call,” Dad says to me. “She wanted to know how the barrel race went. I didn’t know what to say.”
I glare at him. Seth and Toby are hovering in the doorway. “If you’d been there, you’d know,” I say.
Dad inhales. I have a feeling Mom told him the same thing. “Yeah, well. You don’t have to fix dinner tonight. We already ate.”
“Hey, Jade,” Mike says. “I’ve never seen your room.” He gives me a flirty wink. Grins at Toby and Seth. Then he gently tugs my shirtsleeve. I get up. Lead him past my family. To my room. He shuts the door behind us.
“Are you okay with this?” he asks.
I nod.
I lie on my bed. Never more exhausted in my life.
“I’m going to stay with you,” he says. “Until they kick me out. Or kill me.”
I nod again. He pulls my desk chair next to the bed. Holds my hand. Then I’m asleep.
I wake up Sunday morning. My boots are off. I’m covered with a blanket.
Mike’s gone.
There’s a note next to my pillow: “Couldn’t stay. Afraid limbs would be torn out. I like my limbs. I also like you. I’ll be back in the morning.”
I lie back down. My head feels clearer. He must have skipped work. Come out to see me. Figured something was wrong when I wasn’t here. Ran to the one place he thought I might be.
Mike shows up an hour later. We walk to the stable. Take care of the horses.
And we talk. We talk about everything.
I now have one person in my life I trust. For now, that’s enough.
About the Author
M.G. Higgins writes fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults.
Her novel Bi-Normal won the 2013 Independent Publisher (IPPY) silver medal for Young Adult Fiction. Her novel Falling Out of Place was a 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist and a 2014 Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Quick Pick nominee. Her novel I’m Just Me won the 2014 IPPY silver medal for Multicultural Fiction—Juvenile/Young Adult. It was also a YALSA Quick Pick nominee.
Ms. Higgins’s nearly thirty nonfiction titles range from science and technology to history and biographies. While her wide range of topics reflects her varied interests, she especially enjoys writing about mental health issues.
Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a school counselor and had a private counseling practice.
When she’s not writing, Ms. Higgins enjoys hiking and taking photographs in the Arizona desert where she lives with her husband.
Rodeo Princess Page 7