“Who’s Ross?”
“My replacement.”
She made a face. “Sorry. Let me see the poodle one more time, so we can get this just right.” I showed Bella the photo again, and she adjusted the barrette in her hair to make it poof up like the dog’s. “Let ‘er rip,” Bella said, smiling.
I switched my phone to the camera setting and framed the shot. “Hang on.” I reached up to gently tilt her chin to the side, like the poodle’s. “Okay. Can you make your smile a little… doggier?” But that made Bella laugh, which made me laugh, so we had to take a minute to calm down.
“What eez so amusing?” asked Frenchie from across the aisle.
“Nothing,” Bella giggled, and I lost it again. Several people were turning to stare, now. We were like the loud, raucous table at a restaurant — annoying, unless it’s you. “Okay,” I took a deep breath. “We can do this. Let’s see your pose again.” She made her doggiest smile yet, and I clicked the shutter button.
For a caption, I wrote:Dear Skippy, your new dog and my new friend…separated at birth?
“Hit send!” Bella giggled.
I did, and it only took about sixty seconds to get the first response.OH MY GOD. Of course, that made us howl. Then he wrote:I can’t even… What is her name?
Bella, I replied, and my phone rang almost immediately. “Hello?” I chuckled into the receiver.
“Rikky! Let me talk to Bella.”
Figures.
I passed her the phone. She took it with laughing eyes. “This is Bella. Nice to meet you, Skippy.” There was a pause. “I’d be honored if you named her Bella. Seriously. You’re welcome.” She handed the phone back. “He wants to talk to you.”
“What’s up, Skipster?” I asked, dropping my voice.
“I’m glad you made a friend, Rikky.”
Just what I needed — a little patronizing from the ex. The ex who seemed to be doing so much better than I was. “Um, thanks?”
“Can’t be easy being the new guy for three years in a row.”
I sighed, because it was true. “I’ll live. Always do.”
“Of course you will. Where are you, anyway?”
“On a bus to Boston for a tournament.”
“That doesn’t sound bad. A bus full of big, muscular athletes.”
“It has its moments.”
“Glad to hear it. Take care, Rikky. Ross sends his love.”
Seriously?“Uh, thanks. Bye, Skip.”
I hung up with him, to catch Bella watching me. “He seems fun. Do you miss him?”
“Sometimes.” That was the truth. And Skippywasfun. Yet I’d somehow decided about a year ago that he and I had outgrown each other. I even told him so, which he did not appreciate. Then, when he made it official by dumping me, I was less sure.
Ugh. Next topic, please.
I stashed my phone and took out the book that I was supposed to be reading for English class. After Bella returned Trevi’s glasses to him, she pulled a folder out of her backpack. “Now that you’ve been with us for two months,” she said, setting her backpack at her feet, “you’ve had time to decide who’s the most attractive man on the team.”
“Nice try, babe,” I said, looking out at highway 95, which was currently flying by the window of our bus.
“Seriously, Rikker. How can you be my gay BFF if we can’t dish about guys?” She clicked a ball-point pen and began to write numbers down the left side of a legal pad. From one to twelve.
