Her Cowboy

Chapter 17

"Ooh! We're halfway the-ere, oh OH! Livin' on a prayer! Take my—"

"Percy, shut up!" Jason roared, clapping his hands over his ears. "I can't hear myself think!"

Percy raised an eyebrow, leaning against the fence pole he had just secured into the ground. "Wow, I didn't even know you could think."

Jason shot him a glare while I just chuckled, petting Porkpie's neck.

A section of the paddock had come loose in the rain earlier this week, the rotten wood finally caving to the harsh demands of nature. Not wanting to do it alone, Percy called Jason over to help him. I watched them as I groomed Porkpie. I wasn't going to ride the horse today, but every horse needs a little extra loving, even for no reason.

So as I was brushing a knot out of Porkpie's mane, Percy was belting out the lyrics for "Livin' On A Prayer," and poor Jason was rethinking his life choices, like the one when he decided to become Percy's friend.

"You know, I have every right to just leave and you can do this all yourself," Jason threatened.

Percy grinned, pinching Jason's cheek like an old grandma. "Oh, don't worry, my sweet lumps. You won't do that."

I bust out laughing, more at Jason's death glare than anything. Then he turned that on me, and I sobered up, stifling my giggles behind Porkpie's neck.

"I hate you," he said to Percy. "And you." That was directed at me.

"Dude, you need a girlfriend," Percy muttered. "It's time for you to loosen up."

"You're mom needs a girlfriend," Jason grumbled.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's mature. You know, that joke doesn't even make sense. And it's so overused."

"It's the human society, Perce," I told him. "Can't expect too much."

"Ouch, girl," Percy said in a sassy way. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he returned it.

Before anybody could say something else, we heard a voice call to us.

"Kids!" Poseidon yelled to us. A draft of wind came at his next words, so I only caught "Come and meet..."

"What did he say?" I asked.

Jason shrugged. "Come and meet something that starts with a 'P'."

"Gods, I hope it's pizza," Percy said, dragging himself off the post. "I'm so hungry."

As we started walking to the house, I said to him, "Yeah, we're going to go meet Pizza. Pizza's the person my mom sent to watch my progress."

He sent his eyes skyward.

That's who this person was, though. My mom had texted yesterday, saying in as few a words as possible that the person coming to oversee me for a day or two was going to need to be picked today at four. So while we did some last few chores outside, Poseidon went to pick the person up. He just got back from the airport, and curiosity was filling every inch of me. I honestly had no clue who my mom would send. I was hoping someone I knew and liked, but my mom was probably going to do the exact opposite.

"Tonight, the foxes hunt the hounds, and it's all over now. Before it has begun, and we've already wo-oon!" Percy sang.

"Why are you so singy today?" Jason demanded.

Percy shrugged. "Don't hate, bro."

Jason gave him a warning glower. "If you start singing Taylor—"

"'CAUSE!" Percy screamed. "The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate . . ."