Sam's incessant screaming and crazy dance stop Noah enough in his advance to give me some time to think. Sometimes, not often, two bulls get into the same paddock. It's not good, older ones like Frank don't tolerate another's presence at all. It can end in death or some pretty full on wounds.
I remember when I was younger there was a bull that blundered into our property after a chopper muster on the neighbour's property, it found it's way over to our Brangus bull's territory and it was only luck that Dad and I were there checking out the cattle.
Dad commanded that we move the cattle ASAP, get them really moving so that the two bulls forgot each other and focused only on their attempt to move off. We made them have a common goal until we could cut out the intruder safely.
Noah moves beside me and stows me deftly behind my back as Sam recovers from his OCD wipe down, both of them eye each other, the rest move back except for Nathan, Pop, Harry and Flea. The girls ogle Sam and Noah in equal measures.
Sam's eyes betray his body and I see the flicker of fear there. Nathan merely looks to make sure I'm out of the way of danger, outwardly he seems bored.
I'm not down with this, Nathan's glance at me tells me he feels it. I don't want to have to worry about who I'm with or what I'm doing... or Noah to worry about it either. I'd love Sam and Noah to discover that that maybe they could actually like each other.
I deftly step around Noah whose arm tries to catch me but misses... just. His skin tickles my arm and causes a nice shiver to course down the length of my limb. He smells like the ocean.
"You guys want blood for this stupid feud but we," I gesture to everybody, "want entertainment. And we are more important. Numbers." I add with a superior smile at Sam's scowl.
"And we want that entertainment in the form of blood," Nat interjects dryly.
"Not exactly," I wink at Noah, an idea forming in my mind. "We want it in the form of My stairway to heaven test. "
Quiet reigns, Nathan's eyebrows draw closer, we play this at home, not quite this exact version as I have to make this tough for these boofheads.
Nathan steps in between, "It's stairway to glory... not heaven." He stares at the two boys. "Get that straight right now."
I scoff and wave the distinction off, "No difference."
Sam waggles his eyebrows. "Oh there's a difference, sweetcheeks," he winks at me and while I know he's thinking of Frank's tongue , Noah doesn't.
His muscles stand out.
"Are you in for this fruity game of final, one and for all, glory?" I ask them seriously.
Noah obviously wants the blood, I kick him in the shins as he seriously is about to shake his head.
He bats my foot away, as he continues to stare at Sam. "Fine," I huff, "for your impertinence, I will call on my unbiased persuader... Siiiirrrrr Frank Colossus ... In three... two...o-"
He sighs loudly and nods.
"Sam?" I turn to him. " Will you be joining us or do you need to be.... gently... persuaded?"
"Fruit has bad connotations between two men," he scrunches the hat slightly against his lower part. "Especially between us. Don't think that shit will ever work, in any scenario or situation."
"What?" I screw up my face not knowing what he is talking about. "You count yourself as a man?"
He just stares at me. I shrug.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the two latest contestants vying for one free get out of being opened up by Frank and Avalon card. Noah and Sam! These two amazing social butterflies of contestants will battle it out to reach the top of our course and hold up the golden ...?" I turn to Nathan who is grinning now too.
