Snap the Moment

Jax's cowboy hat sat two fingers above his ears, just like his dad taught him. It was practically part of his skull at this point—a crown he couldn't remove without feeling naked. But today, the brim kept catching the wind, threatening to flip off his head entirely. Not great for a livestream.

His iphone buzzed in his back pocket. 47 viewers. Pathetic.

"What's up, guys," Jax said, doing his best to sound effortless. "About to attempt something kinda stupid."

Behind him, Barnaby—the meanest bull in three counties—snorted and pawed at the dirt. Jax's cousin Felipe stood by the gate, phone raised, grinning like this was the best entertainment he'd had since someone's truck got stuck in the mud last winter.

"You don't have to do this, bro," Felipe called out. "There's literally zero reason to—"

"Hold my phone," Jax said, thrusting his iphone toward Felipe. "If I eat dirt, you better get that viral."

"Jax, WAIT—"

But Jax was already running. Not away from the bull—he'd done that enough times when he was twelve and terrified—but toward the fence on the far side of the corral. Barnaby charged, his head low, horns like curved knives. Jax's plan wasn't a plan so much as a panic-fueled improvisation: leap the fence like his life depended on it, because it sort of did.

His hat flew off.

Of course it did.

Jax hit the fence, scrambled up, and vaulted over just as Barnaby slammed into the wood with enough force to rattle his teeth. He landed in a heap on the other side, chest heaving, dust coating his tongue.

Silence.

Then Felipe started laughing. Like, actually losing it.

"Your FACE," Felipe gasped, showing Jax the iphone screen. "Bro, you're not gonna believe—"

The livestream had 2,319 viewers.

Jax's hat sat in the dirt on the other side of the fence, completely ruined. But his notifications were exploding. His hands shook as he took his phone back, scrolled through comments flooding in fast.

That wasn't bravery, exactly. But it was something.

"Tomorrow," Jax said, staring at the bull on the other side of the fence, "I'm getting that hat back."

Felipe grinned. "Bet. Just maybe don't almost die next time?"

"No promises."