Page 119 of Pride High 2: Orange

“Doesn’t matter,” Diego said. “That’s the kind of person he is. Mark my words.”

“I’d rather not,” Cameron said dismissively.

“I mean it,” Diego pressed. “Remember what I said here tonight. You might not believe me now, but you’ll see.”

“Duly noted.” Cameron nodded curtly. “I’m glad we had a chance to talk things through.” And with that, he stood and returned to his boyfriend’s side.

Diego didn’t seem troubled by the exchange. He didn’t grimace like he regretted offending Cameron. It didn’t even register, as far as Ricky could tell.

“Hey,” Whitney said. She had switched places with Dave, leaving him and David looking at each other awkwardly, so she could lean close to Diego. “We should totally run some lines. Like in the actual woods over there. I’ll pretend I’m looking for somewhere to sleep…”

“And I’ll tell you togo away!” Diego said, growling the last two words.

Whitney shrieked and laughed. “Exactly! Doesn’t it seem like a waste that we learned all that for one little performance? We should take this show on the road!”

They continued joking about the idea. Ricky kept an eye on them, Anthony’s concern fresh in his mind. Whitney was pretty. It was hard to tell if she was flirting, since she was really friendly, so he watched Diego instead, dreading proof that he might be interested in her.

“Oh hey!” Omar yelled. “They’re playing your song!”

The boombox got louder. The Talking Heads were singing “Burning Down the House.” And for whatever reason, this infuriated Diego, who stood up and grabbed a flaming branch from the fire. “You wanna see me burn something, you fucking liar? Come on over!”

Ricky leapt to his feet and got in front of Diego, having to jump around just to get his attention. “Hey!” Ricky pleaded with him. “Forget about it. Hey!”

Diego growled in frustration and tossed the branch into the fire. Then he stomped off into the dark.

Ricky followed. Of course he did. Even though it meant having to cut through the woods, which he found even more terrifying at night.

“Wait,” he kept saying.

Diego ignored him until they pushed through a line of trees. Then he stopped. Ricky did too, because the view was stunning. The Kansas City skyline twinkled in the distance, as if made out of stars. Spreading out from it were orange glowing lines, tiny red and white lights moving along the streets. They could see the sprawl of the surrounding suburbs before darkness settled over the farms, fields, and forests, cold and pale beneath a crescent moon in a cloudless sky. They stood for a moment on a rocky ridge to survey this splendor until their troubles grounded them again.

“You need better friends,” Diego huffed as he settled down on a wide flat rock.

There was just enough room for Ricky to perch next to him. “They’re really good to me,” he said. “And so are you.”

Diego scoffed, although it wasn’t clear which statement he found ridiculous.

“I really missed you,” Ricky said, even though he was sure he’d be laughed at. “When I was in Seattle, you’re all I could think about.”

“Yeah,” Diego said. “I missed you too.”

Ricky looked over at him sharply. “Really?”

“Uh-huh. But then again, I was in your room, so that’s probably why I kept thinking of you.”

“And you did bake for me,” Ricky said with a smile. “You must have thought about me then too.”

Diego grunted. “Are you feeling that brownie yet?”

“A little. Maybe.”

“You should have eaten the whole thing. And I should have brought a beer with me.”

“Do you want to go back?”

Diego glanced over at him. Then he turned his attention to the skyline again. “No.”

Ricky scooted closer. “I really like you,” he said.