Page 53 of Pride High

She laughed. “Well it paid off. I mostly just dance by myself.”

“You shouldn’t! It’s so much fun with someone else. If we all end up going to homecoming together, we’ll be dance buddies. Oh, unless Silvia—”

“I’ve begged her before,” Mindy said. “It’s hopeless.”

“There you go,” Omar said with an easy smile. “We’ll give them the slow dances, and you and me will get the rest. Hey, do you think this store takes requests?”

They never found out. The others were too hungry to continue shopping. The Westport area wasn’t huge. They walked up and down the street, debating the different choices. Anthony wanted to try the more unusual restaurants. Omar kept talking about how good Persian food was and felt the need to turn it into a dirty joke. “Just wait until you get some Persian meat in your mouth,” he said to the sound of crickets. Although she did catch Anthony making a strangled sound, like he was trying not to laugh. Boys could be so dumb!

They settled on a California-style restaurant, unsure what that really meant, but everything on the menu at least sounded familiar. The guys got burgers, Anthony opting for a black bean patty. Silvia only wanted a salad until Mindy pointed out the sweet potato fries. They decided to get both and share.

“What do you wanna do after this?” Omar asked while they waited for their food. “The Tivoli is always showing something good. We could catch a movie and then head back out again.”

They nodded their agreement and flipped throughThe Pitch Weekly—a free newspaper that was stacked by the doors of most local businesses—to see what was showing and when it started. Their orders arrived soon after. Mindy hadn’t really felt hungry until she smelled the sizzling sweet potato fries. She grabbed thebottle of ketchup, but it was the old-fashioned glass kind and nothing was coming out.

“I hate these things,” she complained while shaking it upside down.

“Allow me,” Anthony said, taking the bottle from her and spanking the bottom.

That didn’t help either.

“Try hitting it on the side instead,” Silvia suggested.

“I’ve got this,” Omar said, grabbing a butter knife. “Gimme.”

Anthony handed him the bottle. Omar leaned over the table, and with the upside-down bottle still hovering over her fries, he inserted the knife. Sure enough, the ketchup finally started to flow, glops of it striking the plate.

“Tah-dah!” Omar said, ripping the knife from the bottle in a wide arc.

Mindy felt something wet strike her cheek. The others inhaled simultaneously in one loud hiss.

“It’s fine,” she said, grabbing a napkin to wipe the ketchup off her face. She was about to laugh when she noticed that they were all staring at her chest. Mindy tilted her chin and saw a thick slash of ketchup splattered across her dress. She could even feel it seeping into her meager cleavage.

“I’m so freaking sorry!” she heard Omar say. When she looked up, he had a wad of napkins in his hand and was reaching for her boobs.

“Omar!” she snarled as she recoiled. “You…You!”

Mindy was unable to find words that were angry enough. She knocked his hand aside and stood, her face burning as she rushed to the back of the restaurant in search of the restroom. When she found it, she locked the door behind her, relieved it was only for one person. Then she looked in the mirror and a cry escaped her throat. She had ketchup on her cheek, her chest, and worse of all, across her dress.

In a panic, she began wiping off as much as she could. The paper towels were the horrible brown kind that only moved the ketchup around while chafing her skin. She gave up and began rinsing off in the sink. Even after she’d done her best, the dress was still an absolute mess.

Mindy tensed when someone knocked on the door. “I’ll be out soon!” she hollered.

“It’s me,” said Anthony’s muffled voice. “Uh… Can I come in?”

Why not? She unlocked the door and he hustled inside, a bundle draped over one arm. “What’s the damage?” he asked as he locked the door behind him.

She stood back so he could see.

“Not too bad,” he said, sounding strained.

Mindy checked the mirror again. Her chin began to tremble. She didnotwant to cry in front of him! “I can’t walk around like this,” she managed to squeak out.

“Here.” Anthony unfolded the aviator jacket from the military surplus store. “Put this on.”

She eyed his shirt, but Anthony didn’t seem to be wearing anything beneath it. Not seeing any other choice, she tried the jacket. It was too big for her, but that meant it very easily covered up the unsightly mess.

“Lookin’ good!” he said.

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