Mechanical Bull Dares

The red hat was pulled low over my eyes, concealing the haircut I'd botched myself three days before. A decision made in a 3 AM spiral after Liking Jordan's post from last summer. The one where he smiled at someone else's camera.

"You're up, Maya." Leo's voice cut through the chlorine smell. "Unless you're chicken?"

The iPhone cameras were already out, a constellation of black mirrors surrounding the mechanical bull that shouldn't exist at a sophomore pool party. But Chase's parents were "cool like that" — aka, rarely home.

"Fifty bucks says she wipes out in under four seconds," Jordan laughed. That laugh used to make my stomach do somersaults. Now it just felt like heartburn.

I adjusted my hat brim. Thought about the texts I'd drafted and deleted since March. Thought about how Liking his post was the most romantic thing I'd done all year, and he'd never even know.

Some days you're the person who takes the bull by the horns. Most days, you're just the person in the crocheted hat watching everyone else live.

"Done." I climbed onto the padded leather. "Bet you fifty I last longer than Chase did."

"What?" Chase's eyebrows shot up. "You?"

The machine lurched beneath me. I grabbed the rope, felt my body instinctively find the rhythm. My mom's rodeo phase, the one she rolled her eyes about now, suddenly felt like a blessing instead of another weird thing about our family.

Someone hooted. An iPhone tilted to capture the moment.

Eight seconds. My hair had escaped the hat completely. The hat itself tumbled off somewhere around second ten.

Fifteen seconds. The crowd was roaring now. Jordan's phone was up, but he wasn't filming. He was just watching.

At twenty seconds, I finally slid sideways, landing on the mats while the machine slowed its mocking bucking.

"Holy crap," someone said. Could've been Jordan. Could've been anyone.

I retrieved my hat from under the snack table, but I didn't pull it down low this time. Let them see the bad haircut. Let them see me.

"Transfer me that fifty," I told Chase, breathless. "And someone send me that video. My mom needs proof her teenage rebellion finally paid off."