Page 5 of Lost and Lassoed

We needed to get the fuck out of here. I started banging on the door again. This time Teddy joined me. I guess she was thinking the same thing.

After a minute or so, I heard Brooks’s voice—thank fucking Christ—just outside the door. “Gus? Why are you in the closet?”

I sighed. “Because Theodora wreaks havoc wherever she goes.” Teddy smacked my arm. One more touch from her and I was going to tie her hands behind her back.

No, wait, not like that. Goddammit.

“Teddy is in there with you?” Brooks asked.

“Yes,” Teddy shouted. “And she would desperately like not to be.” Brooks stayed silent.

“Let us out, man,” I said. “The stupid door is jammed.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Brooks said. I could hear the smile in his voice.Bastard.“Might win some points with Emmy if I leave you guys in there to work out your issues.”

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Teddy’s voice was venomous.

“It won’t win you any points with Emmy if we kill each other,” I said. “And I swear to god, Brooks, I will haunt the shit out of you.”

“Same,” Teddy chimed in.

“Is this the first time you guys have ever agreed on something?” Brooks asked. His tone was even more amused now. It wasn’t, though. There was one other time Teddy and I hadagreed on something, but that agreement meant keeping our fucking mouths shut. “Seems like the closet is doing its job.” The doorknob jiggled, and within a second, the door was open and light flooded into the small space. “Better quit while we’re ahead.”

Teddy and I stumbled out of the closet. It was dark enough in there that the dim light of the basement made me squint.

As my eyes adjusted, I heard Teddy say “Thank god.” I looked over at her. Her chest was heaving slightly and her skin was flushed.

The way she looked made it seem like we’d been doing a lot more than arguing while we were locked in the closet.

I gritted my teeth.

“How did that happen?” Brooks asked, gesturing toward the closet.

“Hurricane Theodora,” I remarked with an eye roll. “How else?” Teddy flipped her russet ponytail over her shoulder and smirked like I’d just given her a compliment. “You know, being compared to a hurricane isn’t a good thing,” I said to her.

“Really?” she asked sarcastically. “I don’t know. Powerful, relentless, fierce…” she counted off the adjectives on her fingers.

“Destructive, devastating—” I countered.

“—ly beautiful?” Teddy said before I could finish. I rolled my eyes so far back in my head that I thought they’d never come back around.

I opened my mouth but then closed it. I couldn’t think of anything to say back, which was the worst thing that could happen in a sparring match with Teddy.

“It’s okay, Gussy,” she whispered, “I won’t tell anyone youthink I’m beautiful. It’s this gossip you have to worry about.” She nodded toward Brooks, who looked as if he was about to deny it, but then Emmy’s voice came from the staircase.

“Ted?” Emmy called. “You okay?”

“Yeah!” Teddy yelled back. She turned to me again. I thought she was going to deliver a closing blow, but instead she walked past me. As she did, she pointed a finger at my chest and said, “What’s that?”

I looked down, and she moved her finger up to flick me in the nose.

Damn it.I fell for that every fucking time.

Her annoying laugh echoed through the basement as she made her way back up the stairs.

Chapter 3

Teddy

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