Page 90 of Everything's Better With You
Leslie climbed onto the bus behind Joe and waited for Joe to get settled before taking the aisle seat across from him, to give him some space. The driver asked him if they were ready and Joe told him they were clear for takeoff. Joe had his phone out and was furiously typing before he exhaled.
“What’s up?”
Joe sighed again and then he stood up to address the kids.
“Friends, Terrell is okay. I heard from Marti. He has a fracture in his thumb at the base and he sprained his right wrist. The doctors said it’s not terrible and he should be okay in four to six weeks.”
“Does that give him enough time if we make it to Nationals?”
Joe nodded. “It does. And I want to thank William for stepping up to take his place today. William, we are grateful, and Genesis, both of you, thank you for your flexibility. Let’s also thank Coach Payton for coming with us to be my assistant since Marti needs to be with Terrell today.”
“Thank you, Coach Payton,” the kids all said together, with Joe leading them like a conductor, and they all laughed.
“Now, get some rest, we’ll be there in two hours.”
He turned around and sat back down, then frowned at Leslie. “Why are you so far away?” he whispered. None of the kids had sat anywhere near them; they’d all headed to the back of the bus, leaving the front three to four rows empty.
“I don’t want to crowd you,” Leslie said.
Joe pouted, then his phone started buzzing again. He pulled it out, read the text with a frown again, then his eyebrows went way up. He tapped out a response and then turned off his phone and put it away.
“You’d never crowd me.” He scooted over to the aisle seat and leaned toward Leslie. “I’m happy you’re here.”
Leslie leaned in. “Me too.”
“That way if anything happens, we have an actual grown-up with us.”
Leslie rolled his eyes, wishing he could reach over and take Joe’s hand. Joe was fidgety and had been frowning all morning, which even at this early hour was unusual for him. Maybe it was Terrell he was worried about?
They chatted about the game and the other teams that would be at the competition. Some of the kids moved forward and asked Joe questions, then they turned their curiosity on him.
“Coach Payton? Were you nervous before football games?”
“Of course I was,” Leslie answered, turning around in his seat. “I would often have…intestinal distress, if you get what I mean.”
The girl who had asked, her eyes went huge. “You mean—”
“Yep,” Leslie said, choosing not to use more descriptive language. “I’d start feeling the rumbly tumblies, then I’d hear the telltale gurgling sounds, and if I didn’t get out of that headspace, I’d be running for the nearest facilities.”
She covered her face and squealed. “But was it ever too late?”
Leslie barked out a laugh and gestured for her to lean close. “Only once, and after that I always kept extra pairs of pants with me. Just in case.”
Joe tried to hold in his laugh and he ended up snorting.
“For real, I pooped in my dance trunks once,” one of the senior girls said. “It’s true. I had to go out in my underwear. Which were pink andgreen polka-dotted, and you can bet that wasn’t our school colors. After that, I only wore school colors on my drawers.”
The kids had a fit of the giggles and Leslie saw them loosening up, maybe getting a little pumped up for their competition.
“How about you, Coach Judd?”
He stopped laughing. “I’ve never shit myself. Ever.” His serious face had Leslie gawking.
“You lie,” he said.
“It’s true,” Joe said. Then he smacked his lips together. “I did vomit onstage before my firstDance Machineperformance, but never did I shit myself.” He smoothed a piece of hair back. “They were able to edit it out before the TV audience knew what happened.”
The group of kids at the front had grown to most of the team and they all howled at the stories Leslie and Joe told about nerves getting the best of them before performances.
