Page 75 of Pride High

“Everyone’s a critic,” Cameron sighed. “And no, I’m not really into his music.”

“You sure seem to know all the words!”

“Because my mom listens to him. Which makes his songs better somehow.”

“I get that,” Anthony admitted as they resumed walking. “My mom is into country music, and some of it is actually good. That’s what I hear first thing in the morning. She’s always singing along while getting ready. So I guess that kind of music feels like home to me. Because it reminds me of her.”

Cameron was smiling at him.

“What?” Anthony asked.

“I can see why you’re a writer.”

“I’m a boy reporter,” Anthony corrected. “And I still want to know what kind of music you really like.”

“No way,” Cameron said with a shake of his head.

“Why not?”

“Because I can already tell that you’re the kind of guy who will judge me for it. Right?”

“One hundred percent,” Anthony confirmed.

“Which is why I refuse to name a single band. You’ll have to get to know me for who I really am. On that note…” Cameron reached into his back pocket. “I have some questions I want to ask you.”

Anthony watched him unfold a piece of notebook paper. “And you wrote them down?”

“Yup!” he said shamelessly. “I mostly just sat around for two hours at the end of school while everyone else rehearsed, so I came up with fifty-eight things I want to ask you. But we can narrow it down to the most important questions.”

Anthony laughed. “Is this going to be in the school paper?”

“No. Thankfully not. Here’s the first one. Have you ever been in love before?”

Anthony had the same sensation he got whenever Omar and Silvia became affectionate, like the world had tilted suddenly and thrown him off. “Not with anyone who could love me back.”

“A straight guy?” Cameron asked.

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing. He never found out.” Anthony glanced over at him as they passed beneath a streetlight. Cameron’s blue eyes were sympathetic. Just being able to tell someone, even without going into detail, was a huge relief. “He has a girlfriend now, which is torture, but also good.”

“Why’s that?”

Anthony’s throat felt tight. “Because he’s happy.”

Cameron’s expression was somber as he looked back down at his list. “The next question is much more serious. Maybe we should take a break.”

“It’s fine,” Anthony assured him.

“Okay. Well, if you had to eat so much ice cream that you choked to death, which flavor would it be?”

“Mint chocolate chip,” Anthony answered after laughing. “It’s delicious and I’d have fresh breath for the undertaker.”

“Very practical. I’m a cookies and cream kind of guy personally. Okay, here’s another silly one. What are you looking for in a boyfriend?”

“Wow.” His heart was already starting to race. “It would be nice if he was gay.”

---