WildHearts11

That was how it went for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon. Chris would blow the whistle, Joey opened the gate, Toby came running out, and Lance would fall off. Josh cringed every time it happened, and soon he found that he couldn't look anymore. He closed his eyes as he heard Lance hit the ground again. He heard soft cussing floating towards him, and the voice of his brother, nagging at Lance to "get your ass up and be a man." He prayed every time that Lance would just quit, but it never happened.

Lance stood up slowly, his back, legs and arms all throbbing with pain. He felt a wetness on his hand, and looked down at the stain of red on his skin. His hand went up to pinch his nose, and he tilted his head back to stop the bleeding.

"What's the matter kid?" came Chris's taunting voice. "Got a bloody nose? Wanna quit?"

Lance took the towel that Britney had rushed to give him, and shook his head. After a minute, the bleeding stopped and he was climbing the gate again. He sighed as he sat down on Toby's back. His pants and shirt were torn, his knees and elbows were skinned, his nose was bloody, and he was covered in dirt. Still, he refused to give up. He gripped the saddle and waited for Chris to blow the whistle. When he did, Joey opened the gate, and Toby came rushing out. Lance leaned forward slightly, hugging his legs tightly around the horse's waist and holding onto the saddle for dear life.

He waited and waited to fall off the horse, but it wasn't happening. He grinned as Toby galloped around the ring. He was a real rider now. Suddenly though, Toby kicked his hind legs up into the air, a move that Lance hadn't been anticipating, and propelled him into the air. Lanced landed hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Josh sighed, waiting for Lance to get up and try again. He watched as his boyfriend's body didn't move at all. His eyes widened and suddenly he was running towards the ring, hopping over the gate, and falling to Lance's side.

"Lance. Lance!" he said, shaking Lance's shoulders. "Lance, please! Please wake up!"

Britney, Bobbie, Chris and Joey waited silently, all of them letting out a large breath when Lance began to stir. Josh sighed and said a thanks to God as he watched Lance's eyes flutter open.

"Lance," he whispered, "please quit. I am begging you now. *Please* don't do this."

Lance smiled slightly, but said nothing. He was looking over his shoulder, and Josh turned to see Chris hovering behind him.

"I guess that's it, right?" he asked. "No more riding? Gonna let your boy talk you out of your dream?" He watched Lance's eyes lower in shame, and he shook his head, pausing for a second before driving the last nail in. "You are such a girl."

Josh watched Lance's eyes fill with hurt and embarrassed tears, and he had never hated his brother so much in his entire life. He stood up, fists clenched at his sides and face red with rage. He swung his fist, but a hand stopped him. Lance was latched onto his arm, begging him to stop.

"Come on!" yelled Chris, holding out his fists in fight mode. "Take a swing at me! I *dare* you to hit me you fucking pansy!"

Josh was shaking with rage, and he shook Lance off of him. He pulled his arm way back, but didn't swing. They all stood frozen in place, the only audible sounds being their breathing. Josh's arm fell to his side, and he turned away form Chris, stalking back towards the house. Chris let his arms fall when he heard the front door slam, and he turned to Lance.

"Are you quitting or not?" he asked, leaving no room for ifs, ands or buts.

Lance stared at the door that Josh had ran through for the longest time, before looking slowly up at Chris.

"No," he whispered.

Chris nodded and went back to stand by the side of the ring. Lance trudged over to the gate, walking at a snail's pace, and painfully climbed back onto Toby's back. He gripped the saddle, glued his legs down, and closed his eyes. He heard the whistle blow, and suddenly he was moving. He leaned forward, opening his eyes and watching Toby run. This time, when Toby bucked and thrashed around the arena, Lance didn't fall off. He held on tighter, and leaned back at an angle so that he wouldn't fall. No one was timing him, so he wasn't sure how long he rode for, but it was at least twice as long as anything he'd done before. Finally, Toby was getting tired of the weight on his back, and reared up. Lance caught onto his plan and easily slid off.

Lance brushed himself off, and turned when he heard catcalls and whistles. Joey and Britney were jumping up and down and cheering, Chris was grinning widely, and Bobbie was up on the porch sulking. Lance grinned and ran over to them. Joey immediately swept him up in a big bear hug, lifting him off the ground and spinning them around. Lance laughed and patted Joey's back. Britney kissed him on the cheek.

"Congrats sweetie!" she grinned. "You're well on your way to being one helluva rider now!"

Lance smiled and hugged her. Turning to Chris, he grinned. "I guess I did it," he said proudly, waiting for a biting remark about it all being luck.

To his surprise though, Chris grinned and pulled him into a hug.

"Yes, you did," he said, squeezing Lance's shoulder. "I knew you had it in ya kid."

Lance's mouth fell open. "Then what was all of that-"

Chris grinned. "Motivation," he said, tapping Lance's temples. "Always remember, bronco riding is 60% mental, and 40% physical."

Lance shook his head. "You are one crazy ass teacher Chris," he laughed. "But thanks."

Lance heard the front door open, and he ran over to tell Josh what had happened.

"Josh! Josh!" he yelled excitedly. "You'll never guess what-"

Lance's words cut off and his face fell as he looked at Josh. He had his coat on, a hat on his head, and a suitcase in his hand.