Bullheaded

in the ring, but tonight he seemed to be breathing fire from the moment he was brought out from the back. Could make for a good ride, though. A little trouble before the gate opened might make the judges more generous in their scoring.
    Patiently, he began the wrap again with the bull shifting restlessly beneath him. Cody lifted his leg hastily, before the bull could pin him to the wall. Riders had gotten their legs smashed that way before, and this was no time for a dislocated knee. He had a buckle to win, not to mention the fat check that came with it.
    Usually Grizzly Rain kicked high out of the gate and then turned into your hand if you happened to ride left-handed, which Cody did. From the moment the gate opened that night, Grizzly Rain made it clear this would not be one of those usual nights. First the bull stumbled, almost going to his knees, and then hopped into the air as pertly as a pony. When the bull landed, he ran a few steps forward and then suddenly jammed on the brakes. Cody only just managed to keep from flying over the bull’s head. He also managed to avoid slapping the bull with his free arm, an automatic end to the ride. Grizzly Rain jolted to the side and kicked three times in quick succession. Then, just to keep things interesting, he stood up on his hind legs. The movement threw Cody’s weight back, but he managed to bend at the hips and stay with the bull ’til he was on all fours again. The bull never did find his rhythm, mixing giant leaps with nasty kicks, belly rolls, and sudden spurts of speed.
    Cody remembered what his dad had told him: keep your chin tucked, your hand closed, and keep trying your darnedest. It wasn’t the prettiest ride, Cody could feel that with every painful jerk of the rope, but he would earn a good score for perseverance if he could just hang on until the buzzer.
    It turned out he could.
    Eight seconds of hell on the back of a brown devil, and the bull seemed to be set on banging him into the rails, so Cody didn’t bother to try bailing. He waited ’til the bull charged close enough to the fence and then yanked the tail end of his rope, breathing a sigh of relief when it released smoothly. He didn’t want to do last night over again. Cody grabbed on to the top rail and let the bull keep on going out from under him. Instantly the bullfighters were there, chasing the bull to the exit.
    He waited ’til the gate clanged shut before dropping into the ring. He was pumped! He felt as though he could have bitten a piece out of the steel pipe he’d been clinging to. That was a ride!
    Cody clenched both fists and pounded his chest, his face contorted in a triumphant snarl as he ran madly around the ring high on a rush of adrenaline. He couldn’t even hear his own voice because the stands were going wild, confetti falling from the ceiling, the crowd on their feet.
    After he’d worked off a little steam, he looked up to catch his score. 91.5! Not a top record for him, but he would most certainly take it. The only place to go was up! And it wouldn’t matter if the next rider made his eight seconds standing up on the bull’s back while jumping through flaming hoops, with his score they wouldn’t be able to catch up to him on points.
    The night was his!
    Dub whacked him on the back, his face split by a wide grin. “Knew you had it in you, Codes.”
    “You are the wind beneath my tail,” Cody responded.
    “Go fuck yourself, you pervert,” Dub responded amiably, as only a close friend and competitor of many years could.
    “If only I could.”
    “At least you’d be fucking someone you really love.” Dub draped himself over the fence to wait with Cody. “That new fella in red, the bullfighter. He’s pretty quick on his feet.”
    Cody felt heat flood his face and ducked his head to pull off the helmet. He put on his hat before he said carefully, “Saved my bacon, all right. Heard he’s replacing Chris while he’s out healing.”
    “If you ask me, Chris is getting a bit past it.”
    “I didn’t ask you,” Cody snapped. Dammit. It was like biting down on a sore tooth. He didn’t want to hear about anyone getting past it.
    He pulled himself up on the fence to get a better view of his competitors, and also so he didn’t have to look at Dub’s ugly, smirking face.
    “You can stop glaring at those cowboys. No one but me can overtake you now,” Dub drawled.
    “You can try,” Cody said, instantly taking the challenge.
    “Oh, don’t you even dream I’m