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Anthony gritted his teeth and forced himself to pedal faster, despite feeling like he wanted to pull over so he could retch and puke. Even worse was that some other part of him, buried deep inside, felt a mad sort of hope. They were the same! This entire time, he and Omar could’ve been together, andshouldhave been!

Anthony swallowed against rising bile or emotion, he wasn’t sure which. All he knew was that in the deepest recesses of his heart, left there dusty and neglected, were feelings that he’d been trying not to acknowledge. He couldn’t ignore them now. They rose up and filled the entirety of his being. He loved Omar Jafari! And now they could finally be together. Couldn’t they?

Anthony slowed in front of Omar’s house. He rolled his bike into the yard and left it abandoned on the grass. His friend wouldn’t be home yet. If he’d finished helping his sister so soon, Omar would have gone to the record store, because it was clear that he really liked Silvia. Was he bisexual then? That would make sense. If it was true. Anthony needed definitive answers, not theories, so climbed the steps to the porch. Then he sat there and waited.

— — —

Anthony was shivering by the time Omar and Yasmin came walking down the sidewalk. He stood in anticipation, his heart swelling when he saw Omar toss a half-eaten cookie in the air andattempt to catch it in his mouth, only for it to bounce off his chin and land in the grass. Omar swept up the cookie and shoved it in anyway, only then noticing Anthony. He waved while chewing.

Anthony raised a hand in greeting, already able to see their future together. In many ways, little would change. Every moment spent together would still be endless fun. They would continue to goof off, tell inside jokes that left everyone else puzzled, and stay up late to play video games or just to talk. They would have each other’s backs through the rest of high school and figure out what to do with themselves afterwards, always making plans that ensured they’d be together. They would have it all, their feelings finally able to manifest physically. The world would be in awe when witnessing that kind of love. No matter what other people thought, regardless of how many religions condemned the act, nobody would be able to deny that it was right.

“We don’t have any more Tagalongs,” Omar said, “but I saved us a box of Samoas.”

They even liked the same cookies! “How’d you guys do?” Anthony asked, barely able to contain everything he felt inside.

“We sold out completely,” Omar replied, dropping an empty duffel bag on the porch as he climbed the steps. “I missed my calling. I should have been a Girl Scout.”

“I’d love to see you in the uniform,” Anthony joked.

“Hey, yeah! Let me borrow it, sis. That would make a great sketch!”

“No,” Yasmin said, shaking her head. “Just… no.”

“But it’s perfect,” Omar pleaded. “I’ll be a frustrated businessman who’s only good at selling Girl Scout cookies. Like incredibly good! So good, in fact, that the Girl Scouts need me too, because I make them millions each year. Billions! Then we’ll fast forward to the future, when I’m an old man with a long white beard who’s still selling cookies while wearing the uniform and—” The front door slammed in his face. “And she’s gone.” He turned to Anthony. “I thought it was a good idea.”

“It was,” he said, his heart pounding out of control.

“Wanna come inside and play Nintendo?” Omar asked.

Anthony swallowed and shook his head. “We need to talk.”

“We can do that at the same time.”

“No. We’ll need privacy.”

Omar looked toward the park. “Are you sure? You seem kind of cold.”

“I’m fine,” Anthony said, willing himself to stop shivering. “Let’s go.”

He practically sprinted to the park, refusing to answer Omar each time he asked what was up. Anthony waited until they were in the safety of the wooded path before he spun around. Where to begin? He didn’t want to talk about Silvia, too worried that the subject would linger on her. So he started with the key to the revelations.

“Remember when we went to the clinic?”

“Uh, yeah!” Omar said. “How come? Is it your turn? I bet it was Mindy. You guys have serious chemistry.”

“No we don’t,” Anthony said. “And this isn’t about her or any other girl. Why did you want to go there?”

“To the clinic?” Omar blanched. “You know why.”

“The real reason.”

Omar searched his eyes with an uncomfortable expression. Then he swallowed. “You already know. He must have told you.”

“Ricky?” Anthony guessed.

Omar exhaled with a groan. “Don’t read into it, okay?”

“Meaning?”