Mayfly Melodies

Six

Chapter dedicated to HarryPotter1606 for giving me the name Aaron

Noah

The eight-second ride on a bull is the biggest adrenaline rush in the world. There's no other rush like it—Sam Reeves

Night fell like a blanket, covering the sky with a weary darkness. Small pockets of light twinkled across the sky, looking like pinpoints on a disjointed map. And there, in the corner of the sky, a glowing orb. The full moon looked down on the world, an illuminated guardian protecting its people.

Noah stood outside in the dark, leaning against a paddock fence, a bottle of water swinging from his left hand. Behind him, from the community centre that was currently serving as a makeshift bar after the rodeo, came the sounds of music and dancing. Light streamed out from the open doors, providing a lit pathway towards the jovial festivities. It was warm outside, the early summer heat allowing him to stand in the night with a t-shirt and jeans comfortably.

He didn't know why he was still at the rodeo grounds. He should have left hours ago, gone to check on Caroline, but something had held him back. Ethan was inside somewhere, he'd seen him chatting to a few girls earlier in the night, and while there was a part of him that wanted to go seek out his old friend, he'd decided to hold off for a few moments longer.

A peal of laughter sounded from behind him and he turned to see a girl stumbling out of the hall. She was holding tight to some guy's hand and he was looking down at her with a cheeky grin. He tugged her away from the community centre and as he did so his eyes met Noah's. The guy nodded once, one of those standard male-acknowledgement signals that said 'Yeah, I see you,' and then the pair was gone, staggering their way towards the parking lot.

Noah hoped that neither of them was planning on driving as he turned back towards the empty paddock. He unscrewed the cap to his water bottle and sighed as he took a drink. He remembered the days where he used to revere this sort of thing. The rodeo and the dancing after the event concluded. He and Ethan had lived for this. Ethan still did. But, something had changed for Noah. The appeal that had been there once was gone. He didn't know if it would ever come back or not.

"There you are. I was looking everywhere for you." Ethan appeared, seemingly out of the darkness, to stand beside Noah. He was holding a half-empty bottle of beer. "What the hell are you doing out here? You're missing all the fun."

Noah shrugged. "Needed to get out for a bit."

Ethan shoved his friend's shoulder. "You should be celebrating. You killed it today."

"Doesn't feel that way."

"What d'you mean?"

Noah released a breath, one that he felt he'd been holding for years instead of seconds. "I don't know man... I just—I think I'm done." As he said the words, the more right they felt. "After this season. I think I'll be done."

Ethan was silent a moment. He took a long drink from his beer and then asked, "You're going to retire?"

"Maybe. Yeah." He nodded.

"This because of your parents? And Aaron? Noah, you know that wasn't—"

"My fault. Yeah, I know." But the sour taste didn't leave his mouth as he said the words. "I just need to be here for Caroline right now, Ethan. I can't afford to leave her by herself to get back onto the circuit. I don't know when, or if, she'll get better. The only rodeos I can hit are the ones within a day's drive so I can leave and get back to her within the same day. And there aren't many of those around."