Eight Seconds of Glory

The vitamin D gummies sat in Maya's palm, fluorescent orange promises of energy she desperately needed. Three hours of sleep, two AP classes, and now this—her first bull riding lesson.

"You nervous?" Cody asked, leaning against the fence. His cowboy hat was perfectly crooked, the kind of effortless style Maya spent mornings trying to replicate with zero success.

"Nah," she lied, popping the gummies. "Just ready to not get humiliated."

"That's bull," Cody grinned, catching her fake bravery. "Everyone's scared their first time. Even me."

The walking dead—that's what they all looked like in the hallway at school. A sea of zombies shuffling to first period, barely alive, running on caffeine and autopilot. Maya included. But here? The dusty arena with its harsh fluorescent lights and smell of manure and possibility felt different. Real.

Her grandfather had been a rider. The stories were legend: eight seconds on a monster named Diablo, a broken collarbone, and a reputation that still echoed in their small town. Maya wanted that. Not the broken bone part, but the *being remembered* part.

"Your bull's ready," the instructor called out. The creature snorted behind the metal chute, a thousand pounds of pure muscle and bad attitude. Maya's stomach flipped.

"Remember what I said," Cody's voice dropped, serious now. "Stay centered. Don't fight the motion—ride it. You've got this."

The vitamin gummies were supposed to kick in by now. Maybe they were just placebos. Maybe everything was.

She climbed aboard, heart hammering against her ribs. The gate swung open.

Eight seconds of chaos. The world blurred into dust and motion and pure terror. She wasn't thinking about AP Chemistry or college applications or how she never quite fit in anywhere. She was just hanging on, completely alive.

When she hit the dirt, dazed but intact, Cody was there extending a hand. His face broke into a grin.

"Told you," he said, pulling her up. "Not bull. You're a natural."

For the first time in forever, Maya didn't feel like a zombie going through the motions. She felt real. And those fluorescent orange vitamins? Probably just sugar. But she'd take the win anyway.