The Mechanical Bull Summer

The county fair smelled like deep-fried everything and desperation, but here I was, wearing my Chicago Bulls jersey like it made me cool. Maya stood next to me, tracing the rim of her orange soda cup with her thumb. I'd been crushing on her since sophomore English, when she'd laughed at my terrible presentation on The Great Gatsby.

"You gonna ride it or just stare at it like it's gonna bite?" she nudged my shoulder.

The mechanical bull. Because obviously, the universe wanted me to humiliate myself in front of the only person whose opinion actually mattered to me.

"I'm thinking," I lied. "Strategic approach."

Maya rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. That smile that made my stomach do things I didn't want to analyze too deeply. "Whatever you say, cowboy."

I climbed on. The operator, a guy who looked like he'd rather be literally anywhere else, gave me a thumbs-up. "Eight seconds and you win a prize."

The bull started moving. Slow at first, then faster, jerking sideways like it was personally offended by my existence. I lasted maybe three seconds before flying off, landing in a heap that was definitely not graceful. The crowd's laughter wasn't even mean—it was just... accurate.

Maya was doubled over, nearly dropping her orange soda. "That was... that was really something."

"I meant to do that," I said, dusting myself off. My face felt like it was actually on fire.

"Sure you did." She sat down next to me on the metal bench, her shoulder pressing against mine. "You know what's funny? I was scared to even try."

I looked at her. "Really? You're not scared of anything."

"I'm scared of everything." She stared at her hands. "Swimming in deep water. College applications. Talking to guys I actually like."

The fair lights flickered on around us as dusk settled. My heart was suddenly racing worse than when I'd been on that bull.

"Guys you actually like?" I repeated, probably too hopefully.

"Yeah." Maya looked at me, and for once she wasn't laughing. "Especially the ones who make complete fools of themselves on mechanical bulls."

I forgot how to breathe. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She smiled, small and real this time. "Wanna go swimming tomorrow? The quarry? I promise it's not that deep."

"Only if you promise to not let me drown."

"Deal." She finished her orange soda. "By the way? You lasted longer than my brother did."

I didn't even care if she was lying.