Page 133 of Pride High 2: Orange

“He likes toilet humor?” Keisha asked, making her laugh even harder. She sure had pretty teeth. And it was nice to see her not looking worried for once. Keisha would like to become a permanent distraction in her life. “How long has the squirrel lived inside of it?” she asked, nodding at the toilet.

“What?” Silvia spun around to see.

“Didn’t you notice him duck inside as we came around the corner?”

“No,” she said. “Really?”

“I’m pretty sure, yeah.”

Keisha waited until Silvia walked over to investigate before she squatted and gathered up enough snow to form a ball. She threw it as soon as Silvia turned around again, hitting her right between the boobs. Which wasn’t her intent, but she enjoyed the reaction.

Silvia’s mouth became a shocked O as she clawed snow from her cleavage. Or tried to. “You bitch!” she cried before scooping snow off the toilet tank and throwing it at her. Keisha dodged easily.

Soon they were chasing each other all over the yard, shrieking and laughing as they pelted each other with snow. They were freezing and wet by the time they retreated inside again, and yet, Keisha had never felt happier. Silvia couldn’t stop smiling either. She led them down the hall, taking a fresh towel out of a shallow closet before handing it to her. Keisha ignored her own needs, using it instead to ruffle Silvia’s hair dry. Whatever she was, they had better figure it out soon, because Keisha didn't want to fall for someone who couldn’t love her back. And if things kept going the way they were, she wouldn’t have a choice in the matter.

CHAPTER 29

January 4th, 1993

“So you don’t celebrate Christmas? Like, at all?”

Spanish class hadn’t begun yet. Mindy was standing next to her desk in the front row, catching up with a girl who was a Jehovah’s Witness. Which she found fascinating, if not a little perplexing. Mindy only had the vaguest notion of God. She figured he was probably very nice and didn’t care which version of religion his children signed up for. And she definitely didn’t think he’d appreciate people squabbling over who was right and who was wrong. Although she did find the small details interesting. She listened intently to the girl’s explanation, glancing occasionally at the doorway each time someone arrived, in case it was their teacher.

She did a doubletake when a guy with auburn hair walked in while seeming lost. Which he probably was, because she didn’t recognize him from the previous semester. He noticed her staring, so she quickly averted her gaze. But when she couldn’t resist looking again, she saw his gray-blue eyes were still on her. He flashed a tentative smile and approached.

“Excuse me,” he said in Spanish.“Are any of these seats free?”He set his backpack on the desk next to hers.

His pronunciation was immaculate. And he was handsome. He had pale skin like hers, which was no surprise considering the red hair parted on one side. His jaw was a strong line that culminated in a chin covered with short ginger bristles. He tried a smile when she failed to answer, and in English, he said. “Maybe I got that wrong. Is anyone sitting here?”

“Yes,” Mindy replied at last. She sucked in a short breath, intending to say more, but was distracted by the strange fruity-smelling cologne he wore. Which she liked.

“Okay.” The guy glanced around the room. “Do you know if there are any empty seats?”

“Umm…” Mindy turned to consider the rows of desks. A few options were available since this was an advanced Spanish class that not many people took. She intentionally chose a pair of unclaimed desks that were next to each other. “Over here.”

She grabbed her backpack, flashed a smile at the girl she’d been talking to, and while trying to stifle her excitement, led the guy to the desks she’d singled out. Mindy placed her backpack on one of them. “Nobody sits next to me,” she said before wincing internally, because it made it sound like nobody wanted to. Mindy sat and—resisting the urge to blush—began unpacking her things.

“Thanks,” the guy said while doing the same. “I’m new here, so the whole day has been awkward and confusing.”

“That’s high school in a nutshell,” Mindy murmured.

To her surprise, he laughed. “Yeah! Heh. It definitely is. Even before my family moved here.”

“Oh you’rethatnew!” Mindy said in surprise. “I thought you meant new to this class.”

“That too.” He extended a hand. “My name is Troy, by the way.”

She placed her hand in his, noticing how warm it was without being sweaty. “I’m Mindy.”

Rather than shaking her hand, like she expected, he squeezed gently before letting go.

“Where did you move here from?” she asked.

“Wichita. Just far enough away that seeing my old friends will be a pain. Thanks, Mom and Dad! And in the middle of high school too.”

Mindy grimaced in sympathy. “How terrible!”

“It wasn’t the best Christmas present, that’s for sure.” Troy considered her, a smile tugging at his cheek. “Still, the people here seem all right.”