Page 213 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
Given I was an EBUG, it had 00. On the back wasDi Rossi.My name.
My name was on a fucking Knights’ jersey.
I got tokeepit.
Shit. Myname.Usually it just saidEBUG.
I finished getting dressed, keeping to my usual dressing order. It was almost the end of intermission, so I had to be fast. I sent some quick texts. One to my team’s group chat, one to Lenny, one to my host mom, and one to Matty, all saying, "Going to warm the Knights’ bench. Can you spot the Ladybug?”
Best Host Mom
I’m so excited for you.
I made an insta-chat and sent it to Cooter. “Going in. Got your necklace to bring me luck.”
Several MASOs admired my pads and skates. Verity found a hot pink headband in her purse to help keep the hair out of my eyes fashionably.
The NYIT group chat was already popping off, because most of us knew Ty. It was filled with good luck wishes and that warmed me.
Lenny
Win and you get a pastrami sandwich.
Me
Bring me my painting?
Why won’t Matty mail it to me?
I got my water bottle out of my bag and frowned. “Hold on. Fucking shit.”
No. No. No. No.
Usually, I had the right colored things in my bag when I was on duty. All I had was the correct color of hydrogel. I hadn’t been planning on going in tonight.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I didn’t have what I needed.
Atty gave me a look. “Ladybug, there are kids here.”
“They don’t have the right colors. I know I won’t go in, but I’m going on the bench and I have to be prepared and they don’t have the right colors.” I looked at AJ, my eyes tearing. There was no time.
AJ was at my side. “Hey. It’s okay. What colors do you need?”
“I need a pink energy drink and a purple vitamin water. It doesn’t matter if the water is caffeinated or not. Brand and flavor don’t matter either, only the color.” I frantically pulled bottles out as if that would make it appear.
While I found a pink energy drink, there was no purple vitamin water, not that there’d been any earlier.
Why was there never any purple?
“Ladybug, are you ready?” Silas called from the doorway.
“Give us a second,” AJ called back.
My hand shook. “What do I do?”
It wasn’t right. Nothing was right. If I went in, I’d fail, because it wasn’t right.
“Hey, we have choices,” AJ soothed. “We could do a purple energy drink and a pink vitamin water? Or we can do the pink energy drink in your hand and make purple from a pink and blue vitamin water.”
