Page 148 of Pride High 3: Yellow
“Do you get it?” he asked while studying her.
“Not really,” she admitted.
“It’s your bad girl fantasy. After the play is over, let’s go to Faith’s house and TP it.”
“Oh my gosh!” she said, covering her mouth with her hands while laughing against them. “I don’tactuallywant to do that. I mean, I do… But I won’t.”
“You sure?” Diego pressed. “Wouldn’t you like to see her face when she gets home? We can hide somewhere nearby and watch.”
The idea was tempting, but… “No,” she said. “Having to actuallybea bitch like her is punishment enough. That’s a fate worse than death.”
“Good point,” Diego conceded.
“I hope you kept the gift receipt,” she teased.
“Don’t worry.” He slammed the trunk shut. “It won’t go to waste.”
She giggled and glanced around the parking lot, which was filling up again, even though most of the students and staff had gone home. Adults were drifting toward the school, mostly in pairs. “Looks like it’s going to be a full house,” she said. “We better get inside.”
They were halfway to the building when Diego wrapped one of his large hands around her arm. The gesture didn’t seem to be flirtatious. His attention was elsewhere. “Holy shit,” he murmured.
“What?” she asked.
“That’s my mom!”
She followed his gaze and saw a tall woman with long dark hair among the bottleneck of people filing through the entrance.
“That’s nice,” Mindy said, not understanding his reaction. “My parents are around here somewhere too.”
Diego was still staring, his expression confused.
“It’s a good thing,” she said. “Isn’t it?”
He finally blinked. “I guess. It just never happens. Like ever.”
That seemed a little sad, but he grinned at her, his hand sliding down her arm before letting go. He started walking faster, forcing her to sprint in tiny bursts to keep up. They had barely made it inside the door when Keisha came rushing over.
“There you are! We have a situation.”
“No problem,” Mindy said. “I’m here for any and all wardrobe malfunctions!”
“That’s not the issue,” Keisha said, gesturing for them to follow her. “Jamie got food poisoning.”
“Oh no!” Mindy cried. Jamie was supposed to play Anybodys, a tomboy who was desperate to impress the Jets so she could join their gang. “That’s terrible.”
“Yeah. I need you to take her place.”
Mindy stopped in her tracks. “What?”
Keisha glanced over her shoulder, noticed that she had fallen behind, and circled back to grab her hand. “I know what you’re going to say—”
“I can’t go on stage!” Mindy exclaimed, happy to remind her of the basic facts. “Not in front of an audience. I always freeze up!”
“Have you everbeenin front of a live audience?”
“Not really, but when I tried out for debate club, I got up there and couldn’t think of a single word to say.”
Keisha was dragging her toward the wardrobe area. “You won’t have to think. You just have to say the lines. You have everyone’s parts memorized. You always do. I’ve been asking around and nobody else does.Andyou’ve been practicing the choreography.”
