WildHearts12

Lance swallowed thickly, not wanting to jump to any conclusions.

"Josh?" he asked, unable to control the waver in his voice. "What are you doing?"

Josh sighed, setting down his suitcase and hugging Lance tightly. Lance wrapped his arms around Josh's back, burying his face into the crook of his neck.

"I have to leave Lance," whispered Josh, rocking Lance back and forth. "I can't stay here and watch *him* do that to you. I just can't."

Lance pulled back, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand.

"But you don't have to go now," he said, begging with his eyes. "I rode Toby! I did it Josh! I rode him like you did! And Chris, he was just trying to motivate me. So you can stay."

Josh shook his head, wiping away a tear with his finger as it rolled down Lance's cheek.

"I can't stay," said Josh. "Chris and I... we just don't work well together. I can't work with him anymore and not get so angry that I feel like I'm going to explode." He ran his thumb over Lance's trembling lips. "I will miss you *so* much Lance."

Lance shut his eyes, the tears around his lashes falling down his face as he hugged Josh tightly. He pulled back, and kissed Josh with everything he had, tasting salty tears on both of their lips. Lance's kisses and touches were breaking Josh's resolve, and he knew he had to leave before he changed his mind. Pulling back, he kissed Lance quickly and sweetly, never breaking eye contact as he walked down the porch steps backwards.

"Write me?" asked Lance, his voice wavering.

Josh smiled softly. "Everyday," he promised.

With one last wave to Joey, Britney and Bobbie, an unreadable look to Chris, and a kiss to Lance, Josh turned and walked out of the yard, out the fence, and down the road. Lance was crushed, and suddenly his legs weren't strong enough to support his weight. His knees buckled, and Joey caught him right before he hit the ground. Joey lifted Lance up easily, and carried the sobbing boy into the house. Britney sighed sadly, looking over at Chris. He was still frozen in place, staring at where Josh had just left. When she made eye contact with him, Chris looked away, grabbing Toby's reigns and walking him back towards the stables.

~*~
Lance remained miserable for three days straight. He locked himself in his room, only allowing Joey in but still not talking much. Britney always gathered his breakfast, lunch and dinner on a tray for him, and set it down outside his room. Everyone knew he missed Josh terribly, so they did their best not to bring up the subject. On the fourth day, just when Chris was about to call around town for a new bronco rider, Lance emerged from his room, dressed and ready to ride.

They practiced all day, and Lance was getting a lot better. He was learning how to hold the saddle so he wouldn't loose his grip, he was able to ride Toby and the other horses longer, and when he fell off, he was taught how to run for the sidelines to avoid being trampled by the bronco. By the time they finished, it was starting to get late. The sun was a mere sliver above the horizon, and everyone was dead tired from the day's events. Chris patted Lance on the back.

"You're doing great kid," he said.

Lance smiled. "Really?" he asked.

Chris nodded. "Really. In fact, I wanted to let you know that we have a fair in two days, and *you'll* be our star bronco rider."

Lance's mouth fell open in shock. "Me?" he squeaked. "Do you really think I'm ready?"

"I know it," said Chris confidently. "So come on. Help me and Joey load up the trucks. We leave in the morning."

Lance nodded, his head spinning as he followed Chris's retreating back.

'I can't believe it,' he thought. 'I'm going to be a real rider.'

~*~
Lance peaked his head out of the brown tent, watching as all of the people and families wandered by and towards the arena. He swallowed nervously, and ducked back inside.

'Sure is a lot of people,' he thought, chuckling nervously. 'What if I screw up? What if I fall off the horse right away? What if I get booed? What if-'

"Hey," said Joey, walking into the tent. "Just came by to wish you luck!"

"Thanks," squeaked Lance.

Joey grinned, throwing an arm over Lance's tense shoulders.

"Hey man, don't worry so much," he said. "Everything will be fine, you'll do great, and everyone's gonna love you."

Lance smiled weakly, not really believing Joey, but appreciating the effort. A few minutes later, when Lance had calmed down some and was joking with Joey, Chris popped his head into the tent.

"Come on Lance," he said, "it's show time!"

Lance immediately tensed up again.

"What if-"

"No time for that," said Chris, hoping to avoid any nervous talk from Lance, "we've got to go now!"

Joey had to practically drag Lance out of the tent, but they made it in time to hear Chris introduce Britney to the crowd. She did her tricks, as did the horses, and the crowd ate it all up. Waving to them as she dismounted the horse, Britney made her way over to Lance.

"Good luck sweetie," she said, rubbing his arm, "not that you're going to need it."

Lance smiled. "Thanks Brit."

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," came Chris's booming voice over the speakers, "I have the pleasure of introducing our newest bronco rider. This kid is amazing, and is the *true* star of the show. It's rare to find raw talent like he has, so we plan on holding on to him for a while. Here he is, Lance Bass!"

Lance let out a breath, and started climbing the gate. He grinned at crowd, remembering Chris's tips on how to interact with the people, and waved his hat. They cheered and screamed loudly, and Lance chuckled. Climbing onto Toby's back, he gripped the saddle with one hand, wrapped his legs around Toby's sides, and held onto his hat with the other hand. His senses were on full alert now. He could hear the chanting and clapping from the crowd, and it sent a rush of electricity through his body. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He saw Chris raise the whistle to his lips and blow, a shrill noise piercing his ears. He saw Joey open the gate, and then he was moving.

Toby rushed through the open gate doors, feeding off of the energy from the crowd like a parasite. He ran around the ring once, Lance still grasping onto his back, before he started bucking wildly. He kicked with his hind legs twice, and then his front ones. Still, Lance held on. The crowd cheered louder, and Lance found himself pushing to put on a show. He grabbed the saddle, and with the other hand, grabbed his hat and started waving it around. He lasted about another minute before falling off. He rolled over onto his side, and bolted for the gate. He waited until Toby was pulled out of the arena, before going out and bowing to the audience. He grinned at the people, and waved to all of the girls who were batting their eyes at him. He walked back out of the gate, immediately being greeted by Joey, Britney, and Chris.

"Good going kid," grinned Chris.

"You did awesome!" said Joey.

"Amazing Lance!" gushed Britney. "You really were."

Lance smiled and thanked them, his only thought being that he wished Josh had seen him too.