The Guy on the Right (The Underdogs 1)

#chickenpoxingit #itchin #freddiekruegeraintgotshitonme #snackstax #doritosarelife #notreatsforme #thishouseisaprison #livingmyrealestlife

Grannism—They say a kiss is worth a thousand words, I say hand-holdin’ is where it’s at.

Laney

Two days later, I’m sitting in bed brushing my hair after my second shower when my phone lights up with Theo requesting FaceTime.

Screw it. He’s already seen the damage.

I swipe and answer. “Hey, how was the game?” I ask to the face of a guy I don’t know. “Oh my God,” I drop my phone in my lap and cover my face with both hands. “Who are you?”

“Rest easy, doll, we’ve been warned.”

I peek through my fingers down at the screen. “Uh huh. Hi. Who are you? And where’s Theo?”

“I’m Pete,” he grins, and I can’t help but notice he’s adorable even with a crooked front tooth, messy brown hair, and light blue eyes. He nods over his shoulder. “He’s back here. He asked me to call you.”

“Oh? What for?”

Mischief shines in his eyes. “I’m in charge of the get well card.”

Confused, I lean in. “The what?”

In the background, I hear. “Dude, get off my nuts, you’re standing too close.”

“It’s a bus, asshole, everyone’s too close.”

“Are we doing this or what?”

“You better not be recording this shit, Pete.”

Theo’s voice sounds up next. “Would you guys shut the hell up?”

“Sit down back there!” I hear, who I assume is the bus driver, call out.

“Damn, Schmitty’s already bitching. Hurry up!”

Pete smiles crookedly as D12’s “My Band” starts to play, and a huddled group of Rangers comes into view with Theo standing front and center. The only other person I recognize is Zach, and I wave to him enthusiastically as they begin their routine. I’m already laughing when they start rapping animatedly, piled on top of each other, some in the aisle of the bus and some hanging over the back of the seats.

“This is epic!” I shout, knowing they can’t hear me. The phone pans on Theo who does a sly shoulder brush, rapping along with Eminem verbatim before they all take turns with their verses, stealing the camera and pushing each other out of the way for attention. It’s hilarious and warms my heart. I’m grinning from ear to ear, watching as they clamor for the camera before Pete turns it on himself to mouth his own verse. It’s well-orchestrated, and I’m highly impressed. When the song is over, the guys pop up on screen one by one with well wishes.

“Feel better, Laney!”

“Get well, Laney!”

“She’s hot, even with the dots.”

Pete turns the phone on himself.

“So, when you’re feeling better, we can—”

Theo growls, snatching the phone away. “I’ll take it from here, asshole.”

He comes into view, rolling his eyes before delivering a megawatt smile.

“Hey you, how you feeling?”

“That was incredible!”