After cutting the engine, she took a minute to check her cell. Usually her parents called while she drove and she was able to have long conversations through speakerphone, but she’d just gone six hours without a peep from them. No texts either, so she shot one off to both parents, letting them know she was stopped just outside of Texas and on her way to Alabama for her next competition. Times like these, she wished she was part of a team event. Traveling in pairs would be so much more interesting. The long, tedious drives alone with nobody to break the monotony wore on her after a while. She climbed out and received a hoot for her trouble. Glaring at the offending cowboy, she tested her stiff legs to see if they’d support her. “Fuck off, Rigby,” she called back. She caught a flash of long red hair. “A sweet talker as always, Bella.” The female drawl grated on Bella’s last nerve.
