making a cowboy

Branded.

  We all woke up and got ready. I was in the same tennis shoes jeans and shirt I was yesterday. Walking down, Mr Dutton was on a horse that was bucking he got off and was talking to rip. Rip yelled for me and I jogged over. They threw me up om the horse and told me to hold on the horse started to buck and I feel off.
   "Jesus." I say covered in dirt.
    "Get back on." Rip said. I hoped back up and it started to buck again. I fell again.
   "Shit."
    "Hell rip I think we might have a cowboy." Mr Dutton said.
   "Keep going." Rip says.
   "We are branding her tonight right sir?" Rip asked.
   "Yes you are." Beth walks up and say something to rip.
   "I am taking her to get clothes tomorrow if she is still here." She says. I got bucked off again.
   "Fuck that hurts."
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   It was later at night and Lloyd and me went out to meet rip.
   "What's happening?" I ask.
    "This is gonna either make you stay or make you leave immediately." Lloyd says. We hiked out for a while and rip started a fire.
   "So you can leave. But your young and really have nothing gonna for you honestly your probably gonna end up dead or in prison. Or we make you a cowboy. Give you a life a job a family and a home forever, it just costs a little pain." Rip says. "But if we brand you, you never leave this place, you already fight for it and you will always have a home." He says.
    "Do you two have it?" I asked. They both pull down there shirts.
    "We've both been here for years, and we ain't ever leaveing." Lloyd said. I thought about this. I was either gonna have to learn how to be a cowboy or there right probably prison.
     "I will always have a family?" I ask.
     "We will be your family. And that won't ever change, but if you hurt the ranch your gonna leave in a bodybag." Rip says. "This is giving to the criminals, to prove there trust and loyalty." I was a criminal I have stolen but to try to feed me and Carter.
   "Fuck it, I don't have anything." I say grabbing a stick to bite on and pulling down my shirt. Rip pressed the hot brand on my skin, it hurt like hell.  It was gonna hurt even more in the morning.

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The morning Lloyd gave me some burn cream. I was going shopping with Beth today. I got in her fancy car.
   "Uh I don't have money yet I get paid on Friday." I say.
   "I know, when the workers on the ranch I have lived at my whole life get paid."
   "So how am I gonna buy stuff?"
   "I will pay, get you two pairs of jeans two shirts a pair of boots and a hat."
   "You really don't have to you have already done so much."
    "I am doing it for your brother, might as well get you started to."
    "Thank so much." We get to the store and walk in.
    "Do you have a like preference."
    "If I have clothes on my back I will be good." I say and Beth laughed. We got my jeans and two shirts I got a light cowboy hat and a pair of boots." We got in the car and drove back.
   "I will pay you back." I say.
    "No need kid, they branded you right?"
   "Umm yes."
    "Well then your aren't leaving anytime soon."
    "Yeah that's right." There was a silence for a while.
    "Which one of the guys do you find attractive?" Beth asked.
    "Huh?" I said back.
     "Which one of the guys."
    "Um, I am 18."
     "So your in the west your gonna see 60 year Olds with girls that are 21, also you probably have daddy issues let's be real."
      "Jesus." I say back. "I mean, fuck I do but."
     "So which one. I mean unless you don't wanna tell me I just figured you would wanna talk to someone."
     "I mean I don't really know any of them yet."
     "You don't have to know them to find em attractive."
     "Ah your talking about hot, I um well." I said "Rip is pretty good looking."
    "Careful with that one."
     "What rip , yeah I know my first interaction with him he pretty much yelled at me rightfully so I guess." I say.
    "Rip is a, well it's hard to explain he's one of those guys that's super tucked away and aggressive but if your the right performer he is just a teddy bear. " Beth said.
    "Were you to together?" I asked.
     "No but I have known him since he was 15." She said.
     "Wow he has been here for that long?"
     "Yeah after he killed his father."
      "What?"
       "Yeah he had a really bad past."
     "Hmm, well he is my boss and he is older like way older so I don't think you have to worry beth."
     "Well you never know." We got back to the ranch and I went in the the bunkhouse. Lloyd asked me who I was doing and told me that we were gonna learn how to rope tomorrow.