Bullheaded

Bobby Blue’s hand and started for the locker room.
    Johnny enjoyed the startled, almost scared look on Bobby Blue’s face as he herded him against the wall. “You’re an asshole,” he said quietly. “Cody teaches you how to ride and you disrespect him like that?”
    If anything, the soft tone of his voice seemed to scare Bobby Blue more than yelling would have. “What am I supposed to say? I gotta make a name for myself. No one knows me from shit.”
    “You could say Cody helped improve your riding. You could thank him. You could give one of those sports speeches about how you depend on support from the fans and how grateful you are to be here before you badmouth a man whose boots you’re not fit to spit on before you polish them with your tongue!” Johnny realized his voice was getting louder and took a breath. “But I guess you’re too stupid to think that up.”
    “All right, all right. Give me a break. I just wasn’t expecting that guy to come up and stick a mic in my face!”
    “Remember Cody telling you that being ready is half the battle? That’s good advice for riding or for life.” Johnny became aware several people had stopped to watch. He took his hands off the wall and stepped away, even though he still wanted to reinforce his opinion physically. “Keep it in mind for next time. If you’re lucky enough to have a next time.”
    “Listen, man, I owe you. You saved my life. I’ll make it up to you.”
    Now that the first heat of his anger was cooling, Johnny thought maybe he’d made as big a fool of himself as Bobby Blue. “Just don’t badmouth Cody. You don’t owe me anything. I was just doing my job.”
    “Whew! For a minute there I thought you might hang me out to dry in the ring if I got in trouble.”
    Johnny started getting steamed again. “Listen, dickhead, in the ring I’m a professional bullfighter and I wouldn’t let my worst enemy get hurt, but I won’t mind punching your lights out outside the ring if you keep this shit up.”
    “Cody Grainger is the best rider I ever saw, probably the best ever. I just thought talking large was part of the game. I won’t take his name in vain again. We good?”
    “We’re good.” Johnny wanted to laugh at Bobby Blue’s anxious penitence but didn’t want to ruin the good effect he was having. “Good luck out there. Don’t break a leg.”
    “Thanks, Johnny. I won’t forget.” Bobby Blue slid away quick as if he were making a getaway.
    It cracked Johnny up because he wasn’t used to thinking of himself as particularly scary. It was kind of fun throwing his weight around.
    “Johnny Arrow!”
    He froze, hearing that voice call his name. He’d hoped to sneak into the stands without anyone catching him. Avoid any awkward moments.
    “Johnny, over here!”
    Slowly, he turned to face them. Of course they had a perfect right to be backstage. “Hi,” he said weakly.
    Davis looked as uncomfortable as he felt, but Val looked amused, as if she’d heard everything between him and Bobby Blue and wanted to applaud. She grabbed Johnny and hugged him hard. “I’m so glad we ran into you. You’re looking well, but aren’t you running late? You need to get into your safety gear. We can talk after the event. Maybe go out for a bite later.”
    “No, I’m not working today.”
    Instantly, Val looked concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
    “No, nothing like that. Chris Bellow came off sick leave and he wanted back in the ring….” Johnny shrugged to show he wasn’t upset, although he had a feeling he wasn’t fooling her.
    “Then come along and sit with us. We have a box. Travis and RJ are here too.” Val took a firm grip on his arm. “We’ve missed you.”
    Johnny could tell she was dying to find out what was going on between him and Cody without coming right out and asking. She must be pushing Cody into making an effort, but even she couldn’t improve his execution. Maybe he’d be hearing from Cody before the weekend was over. Even though he kind of wanted to ask her advice, it felt unfair to take advantage of her kindness. Maybe he ought to stay away from Cody’s parents, but he missed them. All of them, not just Cody; his parents, the ranch, and RJ and Travis too. “Missed you too,” he mumbled.
    “Come on, I don’t want to miss anything,” Val said. Her voice was excited and her eyes bright, making Johnny remember she used to do this herself.
    “You two can tell me later if Cody falls off,” Davis