Page 58 of The Guy on the Left (The Underdogs 2)

Biologist, Montana

Makes 10 servings

30 minutes

2 Lbs. Sausage

1 Lb. Jalapeno Velveeta

1 Lb. Velveeta

1 Envelope Garlic Dressing Mix (May use garlic powder.)

1 Can Evaporated Milk

Brown sausage until no longer pink. Drain. **Place all other ingredients in a saucepan. Heat on low until cheese melts. Stir sausage into cheese mixture.

Serve with tortilla chips.

**Time saver—Cheese and other ingredients can be combined in a microwave dish.

Clarissa

I’m two sips into my morning coffee when I see Theo angrily bound down the steps of his house before throwing an instrument case in his back seat. Seconds later, Troy is in front of him, his posture deflated.

“Jesus, man. I had no idea.”

“Of fucking course, you didn’t,” Theo says in disgust.

“I don’t know what to say. I fucked up.”

“Did you even talk to her? Do you ever really talk to any of them?” Troy hangs his head as Theo lays into him. “If you would have spent more than five fucking minutes luring her into your bed, you might have been able to connect the dots. Instead, you’ve fucked my ex!”

Eyes wide, I try to muffle the sound of my coffee going down the wrong pipe as Troy speaks up. “Tell me what to do to make this right.”

“You can’t do anything.” Theo snaps, and briefly, I fear he may take a swing at Troy, which could be disastrous.

; “That girl meant everything to me, for years, and you fuck her and treat her like she’s disposable. Can’t you see how wrong that is?”

Troy’s voice is hoarse when he speaks. “Tell me what to do.”

“How about you grow the fuck up a little?”

“It was a mistake.”

“No, hell no,” Theo corrects. “You don’t get to claim that. That was intentional. She was my mistake. To you, she was just last night.”

A beautiful blonde moves onto the porch, tears streaming down her face as Theo slams his car door and studies her briefly before tearing out of the driveway. Instantly I hate her for the rift she’s caused. I’m not allowed to be jealous, but I am, I’m swimming in it. Did she knowingly sleep with Troy to hurt Theo? If I have to judge by the devastation on her face, it seems it was a random hookup, and the realization has taken all three of them by surprise, Troy more so as he stands there staring after his roommate seeming lost. He glances toward my house and straightens when he sees me frozen on my porch watching it unfold. I have no idea what expression I’m wearing. Troy stares at me for long seconds before walking back up to the porch and ushering the blonde inside before slamming his front door.

Is he angry with me? I’m not to blame for this damned drama. Once again, his dick got him into a mess that goes beyond a casual hookup. Will he ever learn? Minutes later, I’m on my second cup of coffee when the blonde, no longer dressed in Troy’s jersey, is escorted to her car. Her face is splotchy from her tears. She didn’t mean to do it. She’s no victim, but what happened wasn’t intentional on either of their parts. Theo couldn’t see it, or maybe he could, and was too furious to care. All three of them are in this situation because of circumstance, I’m sure of it. I’m also confident that Theo and Troy’s relationship won’t ever be the same. I feel for Troy as he stands there staring after the girl who’s pulling out of his driveway with a lot more morning after baggage than she bargained for.

“Are you okay?” I ask Troy as he turns to me, his eyes cold, distant. It stings me in a way I’m not prepared for.

“Don’t you have a son to tend to? Anything else you could be doing?”

“Hey, I live here. You’re the one with your drama spilling out into the street.”