ALRIGHT Y'ALL HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER! REMEMBER TO PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK I LOVE HEARING THE FEEDBACK. AND THANK YOU TO THE ONES WHO ARE IT MEANS A LOT! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GIRL MEETS WORLD OR THEIR CHARACTERS!
Chapter Eleven *Here Comes the Flood*
Two weeks have passed since they all started training for the Rodeo. They only have a few days left. It seems everyone is getting the hang of their talents, some more than others. Farkle ended up with the tractor race. He seems to be the best one to drive it, besides Lucas and Zay. Zay ended up with target shooting, considering he is the best shot. Smackle outdid Maya on the roping, which surprised them all. Maya and Josh ended up being the ones to do the square dance competition. Lucas is sticking with bull riding. Riley is still doing the horse competition. This rodeo isn't like normal ones. It's a small town competition with a big sponsor that the Mayor was able to conduct.
Riley is standing on the wooden fence, watching Zay shoot a few bottles that Lucas laid out for him. The Texas sun is beating down on her. She wipes her forehead with the back of her hand to get the excess sweat off. She continues to watch her friend dominate the targets before Lucas walks his way to her.
"Do you think you could go buy more bullets for this gun? Zay and I would go but we have to go gather the cattle."
Riley jumps down from the fence and gives him a smile. "Of course I can. But it will cost you." She gives him a look and he starts laughing.
Lucas tips his hat and gives her one of his delicious smiles. "I'll owe you big time ma'am." He leans over the fence and plants a kiss on her blushed cheek. "Thank you princess."
She saunters away from him and goes to grab Lucas' keys to his truck from the hook in the living room. She spots Pappy Joe sitting in his chair, drinking his morning coffee. "Do you need anything while I'm in town, Pappy Joe?"
He slowly turns his head towards her and smiles at the girl. "I'm fine thank ya." He sips on his coffee, coughs a little afterwards, and then sets his mug on the table beside him.
She notices his color has changed since the beginning of the summer. His whole demeanor has changed. "Okay. I'll be back shortly."
Before she exits out the door, Maya appears from her bedroom. "Hey where are you going?"
"Lucas asked me to go get more bullets for the gun Zay is shooting. Do you want to go?" She hasn't got to spend a whole lot of time with Maya since they have been here. They still talk about everything, but them having boyfriends has put a snag in their time together.
Maya smiles. "Sounds good to me."
They say their goodbyes to Pappy Joe and walk to Lucas' truck.
Riley slides into the driver's seat, puts the key in the ignition, and the engine roars to life. "I love that sound." She says out loud, not even realizing she is saying it.
Maya laughs at her best friend as they start driving down the long, dirt driveway. "You like the way a truck engine sounds now? What has Lucas turned you into?"
Riley laughs too as she turns the truck onto the road. "I really don't know, but I like it." Riley knows she has changed some since they came to Texas and it isn't because she is with Lucas. Texas had been a whole new perspective of life for her. She never thought the country life would make her feel this complete.
Maya stares at her before saying, "Are you going to stay here?"
The question has been playing over and over in her head. It seems it is on repeat and she doesn't know how to stop it. The question is inevitable. "I don't know. I mean Yale is a big deal. Should I really turn that down?"
Maya ponders this question for awhile as they drive down the back road. She eyes the view around her. Barely any houses line the properties, it's mostly filled with horses and cows. The occasional house will pop up. It's beautiful, nothing like the city where it's crowded. "There is a school in Texas, you can attend with Zay. I know Yale is a big deal, but you have to do what makes you happy. Texas, Lucas, and Beauty make you happy." An idea strikes into her mind. "Lets play the radio game."
The radio game is something Maya and Riley made up awhile back. The person will ask a question and then randomly go to a station. The lyric of the song that is playing is the answer.
Riley turns on the radio and takes in a deep breath before asking, "Should I stay here in Texas?" She turns the knob a few times before deciding to stop. The song 'Stay' by Sugarland begins to play.
"Why don't you stay?
I'm down on my knees
I'm so tired of bein' lonely
Don't I give you what you need?
When she calls you to go
There is one thing you should know
We don't have to live this way
Baby, why don't you stay?"
Riley presses the off button with her finger. "That is uncanny. I can't believe how much this game actually works sometimes." The answer becomes clear just as they pull into the parking lot of the store. "I'm going to stay." A smile spreads across her face as she says this. She looks at Maya, who is smiling too.
"I think that is the best decision."
They both hug for a few minutes before climbing out of the truck. They along the parking lot and enter the store.
Riley's brown eyes search the area to try and spot the bullets when she spots something else all together. Annie.
Annie is standing in line when she notices the brunette that walked in. She straightens up her hair, throws a plastered on smile, and saunters to the two girls that just entered. "Well hi there. What are y'all doing here?"
Maya rolls her eyes at the fakeness in her voice. She throws a smile too though and uses her own bitchy voice. "Why I don't think that is any of your concern."
"How is Lucas, Riley? Is he tired of you yet?" Annie asks her, knowing she will get under her skin.
It's Riley's turn to roll her eyes and she starts to walk past the auburn haired girl, but she is stopped.
Annie steps in front of her and narrows her eyes. "I'm just asking, because he sure did get tired of you back in New York. That's why he kept telling me he couldn't wait to see me again when he visits. That was before what happened to Pappy Joe, but he was still going to come here and see me." She watches Riley's face twist into confusion.
"You are such a liar." Maya says through her teeth. She is very close to throat punching this girl.
Annie shakes her head and feigns innocence. "I'm just trying to tell you the truth. He told me you were too busy getting over Charlie and he was tired of waiting on you. He told me he really had missed me."
Riley's eyes begin to water as she hears Annie tell her all of this. There is no way Annie could have known about Charlie, unless someone had mentioned him. Lucas was going to be with Annie. Does that mean she is just a summer fling to him? He knew she would be leaving for college after the summer ended. He knew she wasn't going to stay. "Does he still want you?"
Annie hears the crack in Riley's voice. She places a hand on her small shoulder and squeezes it tight. "When we were dancing he told me he will be with me after summer ends. He said to wait until then." She looks at Maya. "And then he threw that fit to try and make y'all believe he didn't want anything with me." Annie shrugs her shoulders and heads back to the line she was in. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
Maya turns her best friend around to make her to look at her. "You don't really believe that do you?"
Riley chews on her bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears she feels are threatening to come out. "How did she know about Charlie?" She asks, and when Maya doesn't have an answer, Riley comes to her own. She doesn't mean anything to Lucas. She was just going to be a summer fling. As that conclusion hits her mind, her phone starts to ring. She looks down at the name that has popped up, Lucas, and slowly answers it. "Hello?"
Lucas is breathing heavy and freaking out on the other end. "Pappy Joe collapsed. We had to call an ambulance. We are heading to the hospital. Please hurry and meet us there!" He hangs up the phone and jumps into Pappy Joe's truck with the rest of his friends. "They are going to meet us there." He tells them.
Meanwhile, Riley puts her phone back in her pocket and grabs Maya arm to pull her out of the store. "Pappy Joe has collapsed we have to get to the hospital." She runs with Maya trailing with her and they both get into the truck.
"I hope he is okay." Maya whispers to herself.
Riley stares ahead as she speeds down the road. She doesn't know what she is going to say to Lucas, but right now her focus needs to be on Pappy Joe, on if he is going to make it or not.
