Strong Safety Ch. 01

There were plenty of posters for all the typical events, organizations, and public service announcements but one caught my eye. The rodeo team was putting on an exhibition this evening in the school arena. I didn't even know that there was a rodeo team at West Alabama. I took out my phone and checked them out. Not only did we have a team but apparently they were pretty good. I hadn't been to a rodeo since... ever. What the hell? I came looking for something to do so why not try a new experience?

It was still hot as hell but I didn't think that my shorts and tank top were appropriate for a rodeo exhibition. I headed back to my dorm room to grab a pair of jeans and my work boots. They weren't Western but I figured Red Wings and jeans would fit in better than cargo shorts and flip flops. I threw on a polo shirt and a ball cap. I figured that I would at least blend in with half the male attendees.

Sometimes you see a guy and you just know that he's a jock. Maybe he's way taller or way more built. I'm thankful that I'm not that guy. Even with my 15 minutes of fame on the highlight shows, I don't think anyone will recognize me.

I had to look up the arena. It was a little too far to walk and I don't have my horse. On second thought, I don't own a horse. I decided to take my truck which would have to be cowboy enough.

The exhibition was mainly a skills demonstration. Roping was the primary focus of the evening with both the men's and women's teams participating. First up was the women's breakaway roping team. First time at the rodeo so this was the first time I was seeing this event I had to admit it was pretty cool. They release a steer calf and then a rider chases it down and throws a rope around its neck. That's it. The rope comes off the saddle and follows the animal. The instant the rope leaves the saddle determines the time for the rider. And they were fast! Some of them were under 10 seconds. I couldn't believe anyone could chase down something so fast and throw a rope around it so quickly. I had a newfound respect for our rodeo team. I don't know what I was expecting but some of the ladies looked incredible in their jeans, wrangler shirts, and hats.

Next up were the men's team ropers. I would try to explain it but the truth is I wasn't paying attention. The ladies from the breakaway team had sat down a couple of rows in front of me to watch the men's team. They cheered and whooped as the boys chased down their targets and through their ropes. The girl second from the end stood up and yelled after a particularly fast time "Way to go, Ty!" In her enthusiasm, her hat was jostled and rolled off the back of her head. She kept cheering so I reached down and picked up her hat.

She turned to look for her hat and I extended it to her, "Here you go."

She smiled at me, meeting my eyes, and said simply, "Thanks!" and turned back around holding her hat.

She was incredibly pretty. Ash blond hair, blue eyes with a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks, and an incredible set of dimples. I am a sucker for dimples. They're so girl next door and gorgeous.

"Sure" I responded much too slowly. I really wanted to talk to her but I figured now wasn't the time and place. Technically, this could be considered a practice for them and I didn't want to interfere.

The other events went by quickly while I attempted to subtly watch the cowgirls. There wasn't going to be any bull riding during tonight's show. The announcer came on "We invite you to join us September 22^nd for the West Alabama rodeo. Thank you for coming out and we invite you to stick around and meet our team."

Well, that makes things easier. The girls filed back into the arena to greet those interested. Both the men's and women's roping teams posed for pictures, let kids play with ropes, and talked about their goals for the year. The ladies had no shortage of admirers that wanted to take pictures with them.

The bull riders stood around laughing among themselves while pointing and laughing about whatever caught their attention. I'm sure they are tough as anyone but they weren't impressively built guys. Most of them appeared to be a couple of inches shorter than me probably 25 pounds lighter. I was surprised that there weren't a bunch of ladies angling to get pictures with them but most of the people just ignored them.

I saw the crowd start to thin around the ladies' roping team and decided to take my shot. "Hi, I'm Liam," I said.

"Hi Liam, I'm Lauren," she offered her hand. "Nice to meet you and thanks again for rescuing my hat" she smiled. Damn, there are those dimples again.

"You're welcome, didn't think you would recognize me."

"That Cardinals hat is kinda hard to miss. Most folks around here are Braves fans. You grow up in Missouri?"

"No, just a few hours south of here. I'm a Bama guy. Picked up the Cardinals through family tradition. What about you?"

"Georgia girl. So, I'm a Braves fan when I watch baseball but to be honest it's not all that often."

"Lauren, I'm new here and haven't made a lot of connections. Could I get your Snap or Instagram, maybe your phone number?"

She giggled, "Are you a buckle buck, Liam?"

"Huh?"

"You know, a guy that chases rodeo girls."

"No, this is the first rodeo I've ever been to; I just thought it wouldn't hurt to make friends with a beautiful woman. But..."

"Sorry, for my implied slight," she interrupted, "I just wanted to make sure I know who I'm getting to know. Here let me see your phone."

I took it from my pocket and handed it to her. She grabbed it and said, "You're a cute guy, Liam but I kinda have my eye on someone right now. I'm willing to be a friend but I'm not looking for anything else right now."

"Fair enough, I..." I started to say only to be interrupted again.

"Why don't you get outta here you stupid fuck" said one of the bull riders that had appeared beside Lauren. "Lauren doesn't need some weak ass city boy tryin' to get in her jeans."

"Whoa dude, we were just talking. I'm not trying to get into anyone's jeans."

"Zack, get outta here. No one was talking to you and I have already said everything I wanted to say" Lauren said sternly.

"Come on, baby. You know I'm just tryin' to help."

"I don't need or want your help. I want you to leave me alone." She said the heat starting to rise.

I was trying to stay out of it and was about to walk away when Zack did something I can't tolerate; he grabbed her violently.

"Back off!" I warned him.

"Or what? Mind your own business frat boy or I'll kick your ass." He was taunting me while still gripping her arm. She was struggling but couldn't get away which isn't surprising considering he could hold himself on the back of a bull with one hand.

As our voices rose in volume so did the attention being paid to us. Everyone started looking our way, which turned out to be a good thing.

"I said let her go!" I shouted.

"Sure," he said, releasing her and throwing a haymaker all in one motion.

Ow! I don't recommend getting released from concussion protocol on Wednesday and getting punched in the head on Saturday. To my credit he didn't drop me, I staggered backward a step but remained upright. I think it pissed him off even more.

I didn't take karate lessons or Krav Maga. I've never been in the military or police academy but I was taught the "Old Men Rules for Fighting" 1. There's no such thing as a fair fight so don't bother trying to fight fair 2. The longer the fight goes on the more likely you are to get seriously hurt. 3. Old men get tired before young men do so end it as quickly as you possibly can. 4. Don't stop until they can't take any more or don't want any more. All of which is solid advice and would have been handy except there was a campus police officer acting as security on the premises and she tased his stupid ass as he took a step forward to hit me again.

I was still shaking away the cobwebs when he quit vibrating in the dirt. Lauren stepped over and gingerly held my face, inspecting the damage. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am, I think I will be."

"This is going to bruise pretty good. You need to get some ice on it."

"I can help with that," said a paramedic that had walked over during the commotion. His partner was checking on Zack. I hope it hurt like hell when they pulled the leads out of his back.

More campus police officers arrived followed by the local police department. I learned that Lauren is Lauren Sanders and she is a sophomore at West Alabama. Zack is Zack Taylor another sophomore. Obviously, Zack had a crush on Lauren but those feelings weren't mutual. Seeing me as a potential rival, Zack had decided that I was a threat to Lauren and wanted to demonstrate his toughness and chivalry. He was taken off in handcuffs and I sat with a chemical ice pack held against the left side of my face.

"Thanks for stepping up for me Liam. I'm sorry you got punched in the face. Do you need a ride home?"

"No, thank you, Lauren. I have my truck outside and I don't want to have to get it tomorrow."

"Do you think you'll be here for the rodeo on the 22^nd? I would love for you to be my guest."

"I appreciate the offer, Lauren. I'll have to check my schedule; I may have a game that day. But if nothing is going on, I'd be happy to be your guest."

"Game?"

"Football, I'm part of the football team here at school."

"Really? Why aren't you with the team today?"

"I got a concussion last Saturday and couldn't practice for half of this week. I couldn't play so I couldn't travel."

"That sucks. I hope that Zack didn't aggravate your concussion. I would hate for you to miss next week because of all of this.

"I'll have to get checked out again but I think I'm okay. Well mostly okay, I'm kinda hungry. Want to grab something to eat?"

She gave me a curious look "If some of my teammates want to join us then I'll go with you as a friend but nothing more."

"The more the merrier but I'm not buying for everyone" I responded with a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes and said, "I'll be right back."

Three other ladies from the roping team and Ty the guy she was cheering for all joined me at Jack's. It was clear that Ty was the one that Lauren had her eye on. They sat together and chatted happily sharing flirty touches. Lauren had gone out of her way to introduce me to Alicia. She was a nice girl but I didn't feel any sparks when I looked at her. She kept trying to engage me and I was polite but couldn't even hold up my end of the conversation. We just didn't have anything in common. Oh well, it wasn't what I had expected but the evening certainly hadn't been dull. I made my excuse and slipped out while they were chatting about the upcoming rodeo season.

I had almost made it to my truck when I heard Lauren call out, "Liam!"

"Hey Lauren, thank you y'all, for hanging with me. Hope y'all have a great night."

"You haven't said 10 words to me since we got here. I didn't offend you by introducing you to Alicia, did I?"

"Oh no of course not. I didn't want to intrude on what you have with Ty. It's pretty obvious that he's the one you have your eye on. Didn't want it to be weird by butting into y'all's conversation. I think he likes you back."

"Thanks, for that and for what you did earlier tonight. I appreciate you standing up for me."

"You're welcome. Have a great night." I ducked into my truck and headed back to my room.