I Was A Teenage Cowgirl...For Like A Month

He was kind of a jerk. A little full of himself actually as most cowboys are. When I say "cowboy" I mean the real thing. He was a senior and sat behind me in Environmental Science during the second semester of my junior year. I knew who he was, because he was actually a junior bullriding champ. He was even been in a pretty big accident the previous year. He had been trampled by a bull he was riding and almost died. Like I said, the real thing. I had a few friends who were "hicks" as we called them, but I never ran with that crowd. I was a rocker chick, totally different side of the cafeteria.

As the semester wore on, our constant nagging and totally dissing each other's clothes, music, and forms of tobacco intake (he chewed, I smoked), eventually turned into a minor flirtation. We rarely saw each other outside of class, so our friends never even really knew we that we knew each other. Then one day minor flirtation turned into a little something more. I had been venting to him about my not wanting to go to my junior prom. I thought I was too cool and that it was stupid (cue in Pretty in Pink flashbacks). The truth of the matter was, I just didn't have a date. Apparently he had gotten to know me well enough to see the truth. He tapped me on the shoulder & asked if he could take me.

I don't know whether I was flattered, desperate, or just being a little snotty, but my answer was maybe. He gave me his number and asked if I'd like to come hang out at his ranch after school, and see if we got along outside of class. I was intrigued and said yes. It was almost a month until prom, and I ended up spending qute a few afternoons after school at his ranch. I watched him and his buddies practice riding bulls, helped clean a few stalls, feed some chickens, and hang out and watch the sunset & listen to country music. His friends and family were always around, I even got to know his sister and grandmother pretty well. It was very different then the time I spent with my own friends.

The cowboy and I spent some really cool afternoons together. We never did anything more than a little kissing here and there, mainly we just hung out and flirted. Junior Prom came, and our friends wanted nothing to do with each other. Not too big of a surprise. After prom, we didn't really hang out anymore. Then, he graduated and we lost touch completely.

He told me once that Rodeo was a perfect explanation of why he rode bulls, and how much he loved it. So now whenever I hear Rodeo I think of him. I think of those few weeks I spent on the ranch before junior prom. And I wonder if he's out there somewhere chasing that Rodeo dream of his...