Page 96 of Pride High

Anthony felt like an ice cream cone left out in the sun. “In that case…” He glanced around, leaned close, and gave Cameron a peck on the lips. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Let’s just have fun like we always do.”

“Count on it.” Anthony settled into his seat while inspecting the interior. “This is great! We can go anywhere we want.”

“Don’t get too used to it,” Cameron said. “Not until I save up enough to buy my own. My mom uses this car for work and on the weekends, when my dad is out of town. Which is often.”

“Really? What’s he do for a living?”

“He sells barcode scanners.”

“Oh. Like to grocery stores?”

“Sometimes. Mostly he goes to factories and warehouses to figure out how...” Cameron pretended to fall asleep at the wheel. He took his foot off the gas and let the vehicle coast. Then he snorted and shook his head. “Huh? Where are we? What’s going on?”

“We were talking about how boring our parents are.”

“What do yours do?” Cameron asked.

“My mom is a hairstylist. My dad is a firefighter.”

“Wow! That must be cool.”

“Yeah. I get my hair done for free.”

“No, I mean your dad. A real firefighter, huh?”

Anthony nodded. “When I was a kid, he seemed like a superhero. I just wish the culture wasn’t so macho. I don’t visit the station anymore. I get too many weird looks and comments from the other firefighters.”

“You shouldn’t let that stop you.” Cameron hit the turn signal and checked his blind spot. “Who cares what they think?”

“I don’t. But I do care about him, and I don’t want his coworkers giving him crap. Or for him to feel embarrassed of me.”

“I don’t see how he could,” Cameron said, taking his hand. “I bet he’s proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mr. Huxley,” Anthony teased. “I need to get to my next class now.”

“Do I really sound that old?”

“Yeah, but I’m into it.” He glanced over at Cameron and smiled. “I’mliterallydating an older guy now. How risqué!”

“Stick with me, kid. I’m going places.”

Anthony assessed their surroundings. “Where exactly? You still haven’t told me.”

“You’ll see,” Cameron replied enigmatically. “Why don’t you put on some tunes?”

“Hey, you already figured out how to keep me busy. My mom uses the same trick.”

Anthony happily poked at the radio as they turned onto State Avenue and began driving toward Kansas City. When they reached the highway, he dreamt about it taking them somewhere far away to begin a new life together. But where could they go that was gay-friendly? One of the big cities? No thanks. He liked the fantasy, but Anthony was too much of a Kansas boy to truly want to leave.

“Were you born in a hospital or a car?” he asked when turning down the radio.

Cameron made a face. “Huh?”

“You know,” he prompted. “People always joke in Pride that you’re either born in a hospital, or on the long ride to one.” Cameron continued to look blank, so he added. “Because we don’t have our own hospital?”

“Oh! I was born in Maine, actually.”

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