Page 119 of Pride High

“He might,” Mindy said.

“That only makes it scarier. So far he hasn’t done anything crazy. But he also doesn’t know the truth about my parents yet. If he said anything to jeopardize them…”

Mindy experienced a surge of sympathy for her best friend. No matter how much she bemoaned her own family, she never had to fear losing them. “Brace yourself,” Mindy said, “because I’m actually going to say something nice about Omar. No matter how bad the breakup is, I don’t think he’d ever tell anyone about your parents. Not if you made him understand how serious the ramifications could be.”

Silvia sighed. “He might not say something intending to do them harm, but if he even mentions it to the wrong person… Or what if it’s something completely unrelated that gets around the school, and our parents are asked to meet with the principal? The smallest stupidest thing could make it all blow up in our faces.”

Mindy reached across the vanity to take her hand. “No matter what happens, I’ll be there for you. But I also don’t want you to miss out on all the good things. Including love.”

Silvia clutched her fingers in response. “I wish it could be you. We already like each other. And I trust you. We wouldn’t have to worry about figuring out boys at all. Why can’t people marry their best friend?”

“Because then they wouldn’t have someone to turn to after the divorce.”

Silvia laughed, which was a welcome sound.

“Enough about stupid boys and how annoyingly alluring they are,” Mindy said. “I rentedDon’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Deadfor us to watch, and my dad promised to order Chinese when we’re ready. You brought your pajamas, right?”

Silvia nodded.

Mindy squeezed her best friend’s hand and smiled. “Then we already have everything we need!”

The phone rang then. They stared at each other in surprise before they began giggling.

“Do you think it’s Cameron?” Mindy asked.

“I don’t know,” Silvia said, grabbing the phone, “but you’re about to find out.” She lifted the handset off the receiver and held it out. They both heard a male voice say, “Hello?”

Mindy bit her bottom lip. Then she reached for the phone, hoping against all the odds that her dreams were about to come true.

— ——

Anthony sat in an old deck chair, staring up at twinkling stars in an indigo sky while music pumped through the earbuds and straight into his heart. He felt like he was waking up for the first time, or at the very least from a recent dream, because the mixtape was a lifeline back to sanity. Thank goodness he’d started working on it before the recent mess. He’d managed to put his feelings onto the tape where they were preserved while he dealt with everything else. And now it was time to put other feelings away.

He loved Omar. Anthony didn’t know how to stop and wasn’t sure he ever wanted to. But it was clear that nothing would come of it. Silvia and Omar were talking again. They hadn’t gotten back together, but even this small amount of progress had been transformative. Omar had grinned from ear to ear after a successful visit to the record store, his giddiness reminding Anthony of where he’d been at himself before getting distracted. So he gathered up the love he felt for his best friend and returned it to that secret place in his heart, where it would be safe. Treasured, but no longer in the way.

The stars blurred as joyful tears filled his eyes. The Walkman clicked, the tape having reached the end. It was finally perfect. Anthony had listened to it each night, always returning to the record store the next day to change the order or to record over songs that didn’t fit. He needed it to be just right. And now it was! He sat up in excitement, popped the cassette out, and put it in the case that he’d already prepared. That part was kind of cheesy, since he’d written their names across the front, along with little catchphrases that referred to memories only they shared. He’d filled in the rest with colorful scribbles. That was only the cover. The reverse side included carefully written liner notes, because music was serious business. For him anyway. He didn’t know what Cameron would make of it, but he couldn’t wait to find out.

Anthony pushed himself out of the deck chair and bundled up the long black coat he wore in the winter. Then he walked away from the house as fast as his legs would carry him. When that still wasn’t enough, he began to jog, the music still echoing inside of him. He was panting by the time he reached Cameron’s house, but he didn’t let that slow him. He went to the backyard, dug around for some pebbles, and threw one at Cameron’s bedroom window. Except it was more like a rock and his aimsucked, so it hit the side of the house with a loud THUD! A light in a different room turned on. Anthony dived behind the nearest bush and was still there when someone came out to investigate.

“Wherefore art thou, Romeo?” whispered a familiar voice. “Or art thou a racoon?”

“Go away,” Anthony hissed. “I only want to dig through your garbage!”

“You could at least say hello first,” Cameron said. “It’s only polite.”

“Fine.” Anthony stood while brushing leaves off himself. As soon as Cameron was close enough, he leaned in for a kiss. And didn’t stop.

“Easy now!” Cameron said, laughing as he backed away. He glanced toward the house.

Anthony did too but couldn’t tell if anyone was watching them. “Let’s go somewhere more private,” he said.

“I can try sneaking you up to my room,” Cameron suggested.

“Not private enough. Let’s go to the willow tree.”

From the way he smiled, Cameron clearly liked the idea. “You couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” he murmured as they began walking.

“Nope,” Anthony said. “I’m looking forward to our plans, but everyone else is going to be there.”

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