Page 76 of Pride High

Cameron laughed. “Yeah. That’s item number one for me as well. But besides that.”

“Great taste in music is an absolute must,” Anthony said pointedly, but he grinned to show it wasn’t his real answer. “A sense of humor, I guess. I can be a little uptight, so it’s nice to have someone around who reminds me not to take things too seriously.”

“Then you might not like the next question, because it’s very grounded in reality. A distant relative dies and leaves you all their pets, but you only have room to take in some of them. Is it going to be twenty dogs or thirty cats?”

Anthony thought about it carefully. “I’d ask for ten dogs and twenty cats.”

“How come?”

“I figure two cats equal a medium dog. That way it would even out.”

“Hmm. I just checked with the lawyer and I’m afraid it’s one or the other.”

“I’ll take the dogs then,” Anthony decided. “We’ll roam the neighborhood as a pack.”

“Okay. Very nice. Although I’m partial to cats. Here’s another silly one. What sort of guy do you find attractive?”

The question was kind of exciting. He never got to talk openly about such things. “Do you want me to describe my dream guy?”

“You could. Or if there’s an actor that gets us close…”

“Matt Dillon,” Anthony said instantly. “I’ve had a crush on him since I sawThe Outsiders.”

“What color hair does he have again?” Cameron asked.

“Black.”

“I see.” Cameron frowned at the paper he was holding. “Not brown then.”

“It’s probably brown,” Anthony said, shooting him a glance. “Just a little darker than yours really. Hardly any difference at all. What about you?”

“I’ve always had a thing for blonds,” Cameron said.

“Really? I’m a natural blond. When I don’t dye my hair.”

“Huh. I didn’t notice.” Cameron’s expression was mischievous. “Let’s try another question with some real gravitas.If you were stuck on a desert island and only had a single book to read, one written for little kids, which would it be?”

“Where the Wild Things Are,” Anthony said instantly. “It’s where I learned how to dress. What about you?”

“The Story of Ferdinand,” Cameron replied smoothly. “It’s where I learned how to fight.”

Damn! That was a good answer. Ferdinand was a pacifist. He only wanted to sit under the shade of his tree while enjoying the beauty of nature.

“Last one,” Cameron said, peering at his list and shaking his head. “This one is really dumb. You don’t have to answer. In fact, I might not even ask it.” He crumpled up the paper and shoved it into his front pocket.

“What is it?” Anthony asked, legitimately curious.

“Are you sure? Okay. Will you go on a date with me?”

He slowed to a standstill again, Cameron matching his pace.

“Are you serious?” Anthony asked.

“I told you it was silly,” Cameron said. “But yeah. I think you’re really cool. If you only want to be friends, I can make my peace with that. But it wouldn’t be my first choice. I’d rather we try for something more, and if that doesn’t work out…” He shrugged. “I’m really hoping it does though.”

Anthony’s chest was thudding. This was fast! Then again, he was a sophomore who had done absolutely nothing with another guy. And he also liked Cameron. What little he knew of him at least. The rest they could figure out along the way.

“Yes,” Anthony said, feeling like he was accepting a proposal of another kind. “But how? We’d be in public, right?”

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