The Guy on the Right (The Underdogs 1)

“Not long now,” I say, motioning to the rock on her finger.

“Seven weeks, I’m so excited.”

“Me too,” I tell her sincerely.

Devin’s always had a mapped-out life. Her dad owns a sporting goods chain and the minute she graduated high school she assumed her position on the administrative side while taking night classes at a junior college. I could say she was born into the gravy boat, but she’s been working in her father’s stores since she was a tween. She earned her place. Even her fiancé, Chase, landed in her lap in a sense. He’s an asst. baseball coach and went in the store one day to place an order and came out with her phone number. Some days I envy her, most days I wonder if the life she’s planning will be enough to hold her. Then again, it could be my hang up. She seems happy, content, and that’s all that matters.

“You think I’ll get bored,” she says, reading the bad half of my thoughts.

I gape at her as she stares on at the game.

“No, I was just thinking about how happy you are.”

She cuts her glare my way calling bullshit.

“I have no objections. None. Chase is perfect for you.”

“You know, not all of us have ‘grass is greener’ syndrome. You’ve been dying to leave since we graduated,” she whisper yells, as the stadium rises to their feet cheering on a wide receiver who just scored, putting TGU in the lead.

“Dayum, I love my man, but he’s hot,” Devin says, looking up at the jumbotron. I glance to where she’s transfixed and see why she’s fish mouthed. There’s a picture of the player on the big screen, along with his impressive stats.

“He’s pretty,” I agree, turning my attention back to her to address her accusations. “And you know I’m happy here at home.”

“I know,” she replies, but only to be agreeable.

“Nothing wrong with wanting a little world experience. But Texas will always be home for me.”

Another nod.

“You can’t get sore about it yet, either. I’ve still got a lot of months left, and I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

“I just have this feeling that once you see what’s out there, you won’t want to come back,” she says softly. “I know that’s selfish of me. I’m sorry I said it.”

“I love you too, Devil.”

Devin and I have been attached at the hip since grade school. I think in some way we envy each other. Her life is set, and mine is the complete opposite.

“Your new guy is up,” she says as half-time commences, and the band takes the field. It’s useless to look for Theo, there are too many of them. It’s not my first game, but I must admit I’ve never paid too much attention to the band. And when it comes to school spirit these days, I often find mine at the bottom of a bottle.

“Suddenly, I feel like a sad excuse for a fellow Ranger. Maybe I should get a new T-shirt.”

“You could have, at the very least, worn your school colors,” she says all high and mighty in her Grand T-shirt, a TGU emblem on her cheek. She glances down at my flowered sundress, cardigan, and boots.

“What? I went through this ritual my first couple of years, it’s not my first rodeo. And besides, garnet and mustard dry me out,” I say in poor excuse just as the whistle is blown and the fight song begins. Glancing around, I catch the stare of the guy sitting next to me on my chest.

“Eyes up here, buddy,” I say throwing a two above my nose.

“Just admiring the flowers,” he says with a shrug, “and the display.”

“Yeah well, they aren’t paw and sniff,” I retort dryly.

“Want to test that theory?”

“Please don’t start a fight,” Devin sounds up, her snarl directed at him. “I just got my nails done.”

He looks at us like we’re insane but averts his eyes. Nothing like showing your crazy to scare a feisty penis back into its shell.

The band begins to play “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons and Devin and I watch on in mild surprise.