chocolate 21. luck + butterscotch & caramel!
Author: hi_falootin
Story: Second Chances
Prompt: Chocolate 21. luck + Butterscotch + Caramel
Rating: PG
Word count: ~1000
Notes: Silver medal for the Rainbow Brains! Man, I was not going to do this challenge, but I got the idea for the prompt and it was all "write me! write me!" Light spoilers in the last (caramel) bit. Don't want to say too much about this up front, so I will shut up now ;)
He watches as she extends her leg to inspect the bandanna. "Well, okay" she says finally. "Did this thing work for you?" There's this thing about a lucky bandanna.
He watches Carol as she swings her legs over the folded tail-gate of her pick-up, smoke clouding from her lips.
Out in the parking lot, they can still hear the announcer's crow-call, the fast-paced snaps of country western, and subsequent cheers from the stands. Jim counts the seconds before the announcer's Oh!, the gasp of the crowd. The rider didn't make it to eight. No one had yet. It hangs in the air like a bad omen.
Carol's hand brushes his thigh.
"You nervous?" she asks.
"No," Jim says.
"I almost missed you on the roster," Carol says. "You're riding under 'Eff" now?"
He takes a final drag off his cigarette and flicks it away. "Yeah."
"Your folks okay with that?" Her shoulder presses against his, but he watches the cigarette butt, still smoldering on the blacktop.
"I'm not riding on their dollar anymore."
"Oh. I didn't know that."
"Yeah." He doesn't say, if I don't win this one, I'll have lenders crawling up my ass. "Anyway, I better...get back over there."
"Hang on a second!" Tossing her cigarette, she leaps from the tailgate to run around to open the cab. Jim watches her crawl into the passenger seat, open the glove box.
"What?"
She emerges with a red bandanna in her fist, steps forward and presses it to his chest. "Here," she says. "It's my dad's lucky bandanna. Take it out with you today."
Surprised, Jim lets her tie it around his wrist. "Um...thanks," he says.
Carol nods, cinching the knot. "Figured you could use a little luck today. I was wearing it when I won my first barrel race. "
"Thanks," Jim says again. He reaches out to grip her hands.
The moment's ruined by Pete who, looking frazzled, appears from between two horse trailers.
"Jim? Christ almighty, I've been looking for you everywhere! Get your ass to the chute already!" He pauses to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Oh. Hey, Carol."
Jim looks back to Carol and she shrugs, smiling her pleasant, wide smile.
"Go get 'em, Eff," she says.
* * *
There's a knock on the door frame.
"Yeah, Darcy," Mike calls, tugging on the laces of his sneaker. "I'm coming alread-" The last word trails off as he looks up at the half open-door and sees his father.
"Hi," his father says. He steps through the doorway. "Didn't mean to surprise you."
"That's okay. I just thought Darcy..."
"I'll be quick. I don't want to keep you from the party-"
Mike laughs. "No, it's fine. What's up?"
The bed shifts as his father takes a seat beside him. "Just wanted to say... you did good."
Mike feels his face go warm and looks away quickly, finishing the knot in his shoelace. "Dad. You already said that."
"I'll admit, I spent a good ten minutes fighting the urge to yell at you to get out of there."
"If you had," Mike says, "I could have avoided that whole thing with Jerry's bull."
"You did fine," his father repeats. He reaches into his pocket. "I meant to give you this, but I hadn't though about it in a long time..."
"Give me what?"
His father pulls something out in his fist. When he shakes it out by a corner, Mike can see it's a bandanna. "It's our lucky bandanna," his father says.
Mike lets it fall into his hand. "We have a lucky...bandanna?"
"It was your mother's-well, grandfather's, actually." His father smiles. "It was about time I gave it to you."
Mike stared down at the faded bandanna. "Dad you know I'm...probably never going to do this again, right?"
His father, looking almost relieved, reaches out to slap his shoulder. "For all your endeavors," he says.
* * *
Mike looks up at the sound of a bag slamming against the kitchen table and sees Zee collapsed into one of the chairs, fists tangled in her hair. He finishes drying his hands and steps around the counter.
"Zee?" (No response.) "What's wrong?"
She makes a tiny sound of frustration, pulls up her knees to her chest. "Nothing. Go away." Both her knees are streaked from dirt and grass, but as Mike gets closer, he sees that one is scraped and bleeding.
"You're hurt," Mike says, crouching down in front of the chair.
"It's fine! God!" She jerks her legs away. "Don't fuss over me, I hate that!"
Mike holds up his hands. "Fine. Tell me what's wrong, then."
Scrunching up her nose, she turns her face to the wallpaper. "I suck."
"Zee! Don't say that! You don't suck."
"I do," she says. Her eyes look watery when she turns back to him; it's obvious she's trying not to blink. "I don't want to play anymore."
"You just started-"
"I don't want to!"
Mike sighs, sitting back on his heels. Zee tries to glare at him with her angry eyes, but when it meets with no response the anger wavers and fades.
After a long stretch of silence, she asks, "Aren't you going to say I should do it anyway?" she asks finally.
"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say," he admits.
After another long pause, she adds, "Everyone's better than me."
"Everyone?"
"Well...maybe not everyone."
He shoves himself to his feet. "Hold on a sec? I want to get you something."
"Get me what?" she asks, twisting around in the chair to watch him head towards the hall.
"Just stay there!"
He comes back with a bandanna wound around his hand. It's somewhere between pink and red, fraying around the edges. "Here," he says. He pulls up a chair beside her, reaching out to loop the bandanna around her ankle.
She frowns at it as he's tying the knot. "What is it?"
"It's a lucky bandanna. It used to be mine and now I'm giving it to you."
"What the heck's a lucky bandanna?"
"Well...you wear it," he says. "And...you'll have better luck on the soccer field."
"That's silly."
"Well, just go with it. Because you're not quitting the team. Not yet anyway."
She twists her mouth around, but doesn't say anything.
"Just give it chance," he says, "Talk to D1 tonight and maybe he can give you some pointers."
She sighs, loudly and dramatically as possible. But she doesn't say no. He watches as she extends her leg to inspect the bandanna. "Well, okay" she says finally. "Did this thing work for you?"
He considers it for a second. "Yeah. I think it probably did.
"But hang on," he adds quickly. "I also brought you a Band-Aid."
SAPPY SAPPY SAPPY
This is actually the second thing I've written with Zee but the first I posted. I'm so wary of the caramel stuff because I'm not that far along in my actual plot, but I got inspired for the challenge so... eh, that bit is out there now! In some vague capacity. You'll see her again.
Story: Second Chances
Prompt: Chocolate 21. luck + Butterscotch + Caramel
Rating: PG
Word count: ~1000
Notes: Silver medal for the Rainbow Brains! Man, I was not going to do this challenge, but I got the idea for the prompt and it was all "write me! write me!" Light spoilers in the last (caramel) bit. Don't want to say too much about this up front, so I will shut up now ;)
He watches as she extends her leg to inspect the bandanna. "Well, okay" she says finally. "Did this thing work for you?" There's this thing about a lucky bandanna.
He watches Carol as she swings her legs over the folded tail-gate of her pick-up, smoke clouding from her lips.
Out in the parking lot, they can still hear the announcer's crow-call, the fast-paced snaps of country western, and subsequent cheers from the stands. Jim counts the seconds before the announcer's Oh!, the gasp of the crowd. The rider didn't make it to eight. No one had yet. It hangs in the air like a bad omen.
Carol's hand brushes his thigh.
"You nervous?" she asks.
"No," Jim says.
"I almost missed you on the roster," Carol says. "You're riding under 'Eff" now?"
He takes a final drag off his cigarette and flicks it away. "Yeah."
"Your folks okay with that?" Her shoulder presses against his, but he watches the cigarette butt, still smoldering on the blacktop.
"I'm not riding on their dollar anymore."
"Oh. I didn't know that."
"Yeah." He doesn't say, if I don't win this one, I'll have lenders crawling up my ass. "Anyway, I better...get back over there."
"Hang on a second!" Tossing her cigarette, she leaps from the tailgate to run around to open the cab. Jim watches her crawl into the passenger seat, open the glove box.
"What?"
She emerges with a red bandanna in her fist, steps forward and presses it to his chest. "Here," she says. "It's my dad's lucky bandanna. Take it out with you today."
Surprised, Jim lets her tie it around his wrist. "Um...thanks," he says.
Carol nods, cinching the knot. "Figured you could use a little luck today. I was wearing it when I won my first barrel race. "
"Thanks," Jim says again. He reaches out to grip her hands.
The moment's ruined by Pete who, looking frazzled, appears from between two horse trailers.
"Jim? Christ almighty, I've been looking for you everywhere! Get your ass to the chute already!" He pauses to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Oh. Hey, Carol."
Jim looks back to Carol and she shrugs, smiling her pleasant, wide smile.
"Go get 'em, Eff," she says.
* * *
There's a knock on the door frame.
"Yeah, Darcy," Mike calls, tugging on the laces of his sneaker. "I'm coming alread-" The last word trails off as he looks up at the half open-door and sees his father.
"Hi," his father says. He steps through the doorway. "Didn't mean to surprise you."
"That's okay. I just thought Darcy..."
"I'll be quick. I don't want to keep you from the party-"
Mike laughs. "No, it's fine. What's up?"
The bed shifts as his father takes a seat beside him. "Just wanted to say... you did good."
Mike feels his face go warm and looks away quickly, finishing the knot in his shoelace. "Dad. You already said that."
"I'll admit, I spent a good ten minutes fighting the urge to yell at you to get out of there."
"If you had," Mike says, "I could have avoided that whole thing with Jerry's bull."
"You did fine," his father repeats. He reaches into his pocket. "I meant to give you this, but I hadn't though about it in a long time..."
"Give me what?"
His father pulls something out in his fist. When he shakes it out by a corner, Mike can see it's a bandanna. "It's our lucky bandanna," his father says.
Mike lets it fall into his hand. "We have a lucky...bandanna?"
"It was your mother's-well, grandfather's, actually." His father smiles. "It was about time I gave it to you."
Mike stared down at the faded bandanna. "Dad you know I'm...probably never going to do this again, right?"
His father, looking almost relieved, reaches out to slap his shoulder. "For all your endeavors," he says.
* * *
Mike looks up at the sound of a bag slamming against the kitchen table and sees Zee collapsed into one of the chairs, fists tangled in her hair. He finishes drying his hands and steps around the counter.
"Zee?" (No response.) "What's wrong?"
She makes a tiny sound of frustration, pulls up her knees to her chest. "Nothing. Go away." Both her knees are streaked from dirt and grass, but as Mike gets closer, he sees that one is scraped and bleeding.
"You're hurt," Mike says, crouching down in front of the chair.
"It's fine! God!" She jerks her legs away. "Don't fuss over me, I hate that!"
Mike holds up his hands. "Fine. Tell me what's wrong, then."
Scrunching up her nose, she turns her face to the wallpaper. "I suck."
"Zee! Don't say that! You don't suck."
"I do," she says. Her eyes look watery when she turns back to him; it's obvious she's trying not to blink. "I don't want to play anymore."
"You just started-"
"I don't want to!"
Mike sighs, sitting back on his heels. Zee tries to glare at him with her angry eyes, but when it meets with no response the anger wavers and fades.
After a long stretch of silence, she asks, "Aren't you going to say I should do it anyway?" she asks finally.
"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say," he admits.
After another long pause, she adds, "Everyone's better than me."
"Everyone?"
"Well...maybe not everyone."
He shoves himself to his feet. "Hold on a sec? I want to get you something."
"Get me what?" she asks, twisting around in the chair to watch him head towards the hall.
"Just stay there!"
He comes back with a bandanna wound around his hand. It's somewhere between pink and red, fraying around the edges. "Here," he says. He pulls up a chair beside her, reaching out to loop the bandanna around her ankle.
She frowns at it as he's tying the knot. "What is it?"
"It's a lucky bandanna. It used to be mine and now I'm giving it to you."
"What the heck's a lucky bandanna?"
"Well...you wear it," he says. "And...you'll have better luck on the soccer field."
"That's silly."
"Well, just go with it. Because you're not quitting the team. Not yet anyway."
She twists her mouth around, but doesn't say anything.
"Just give it chance," he says, "Talk to D1 tonight and maybe he can give you some pointers."
She sighs, loudly and dramatically as possible. But she doesn't say no. He watches as she extends her leg to inspect the bandanna. "Well, okay" she says finally. "Did this thing work for you?"
He considers it for a second. "Yeah. I think it probably did.
"But hang on," he adds quickly. "I also brought you a Band-Aid."
SAPPY SAPPY SAPPY
This is actually the second thing I've written with Zee but the first I posted. I'm so wary of the caramel stuff because I'm not that far along in my actual plot, but I got inspired for the challenge so... eh, that bit is out there now! In some vague capacity. You'll see her again.