Page 114 of Pride High

“Me?” Anthony scoffed as if it was a joke.

Silvia kept her gaze on him, even though she already felt embarrassed by the confession. “We have more in common. It’s hard to talk to Omar about music. And like you said, we come from similar worlds.”

The color drained from Anthony’s face. “Even if… I mean, that’s flattering but—”

“He’s your best friend,” Silvia said, letting him off the hook. Especially since he seemed so eager to be released back into the wild. She didn’t take it personally, or feel too let down. “Maybe I’m not ready to date anyone at all. Is that how you feel?”

Anthony swallowed. “Not exactly.”

“So what’syourtype then? It’s obviously not me. And it wasn’t Mindy.”

“I’m still trying to figure it out,” Anthony said, his skin ruddy now.

Silvia shrugged. “I guess I am too.”

“Okay,” Anthony said. “But if you ever feel like giving him another chance… I’ve known Omar for ages. If anyone’s worth falling in love with, it’s him.”

She found it moving how deeply Anthony cared about his friend. Maybe she was wrong, but it was hard to imagine Omar making such an emotional plea on Anthony’s behalf. Then again, that they were so close implied there were just as many currents underneath those hyperactive rapids. She’d seen a hint of that from the way Omar had interacted with Hugo.

“I’ll think about it,” she promised. “Please let him know that he’s still welcome here. If he wants to hang out. I can’t promise anything will come of it…”

“He’ll be thrilled,” Anthony said, sounding genuinely relieved. “Now then, we’ve got some catching up to do! I’ve been in an industrial phase lately. Have you ever heard of a band called Recoil?”

They talked music while listening to it together. Silvia reassessed him during this, wanting to discover if she had feelings for Anthony. Ultimately, she concluded they made better friends. She hoped Omar would be willing to settle for that, because she really did miss his company. More than she missed his kisses.

— — —

Ricky’s knee bounced up and down as he waited for English class to begin. He kept looking in a direction normally considered forbidden, but he did so today without fear. Diego wasn’t at his desk. He hadn’t been all week. This was the fifth day in a row that he was absent. Which was good! Maybe he wouldn’t come back at all. He had probably dropped out. Or flunked out, considering that Diego had already been held back a year. The bell rang without him making an appearance. Ricky felt himself relax as the class began. He even took his time at the end of the hour when packing up his things. He walked down the hall at a leisurely pace, arriving at the cafeteria line so late that Omar had to let him cut instead.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Ricky asked, fishing for an invite. He was already facing another Friday night alone, and there were only so many times he could read the same comic books.

“No idea,” Omar said. “We better figure it out though. It’s Halloween! We’ve gotta do something cool.”

“Are you planning to dress up?”

Omar snorted. “Of course not!”

“Yeah, me neither,” Ricky replied, thinking of the Riddler costume he’d been piecing together. He had already ruined a green T-shirt by drawing question marks on it in permanent marker.

“Let’s figure it out with the others,” Omar said. “We have to make a decision by the end of lunch.”

“Cool,” Ricky said, loving the sound of thatwe. Making new friends was tough, and even now that he had, he still felt left out. Everyone else had an established routine. Anthony and Omar usually spent the night at each other’s houses, for instance, something he hadn’t done since moving here. That left Ricky feeling like he had to squeeze himself in wherever he saw the opportunity.

“Okay guys,” Omar declared as they sat down at the table together. Everyone else was already there. “We’ve gotta get serious about our Halloween plans.”

“I handed out candy last year,” Cameron said, “and it was the most depressing night of my life.”

“Yeah, we’re not doing that,” Anthony said with a grimace.

“You’re welcome to hang out with us,” Dave said.

“But only if you participate in the ritual,” David added.

“The what?” Omar asked.

“He means a séance,” Dave said, shooting his friend a glare. “Ritual sounds too cheesy.”

“But that’s what they call it in the Book of Shadows.”

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