Page 160 of Pride High 2: Orange

* * January 23rd, 1993 * *

Cameron shook his shoulders to the rhythm, his hands on the steering wheel as he mouthed along with the lyrics. Mindy did the same from the passenger seat. He noticed the way she focused intently on his lips, making him wonder if she was still interested. Although he soon found out the truth when the song came to an end.

“You know all the words!” she said, sounding surprised. “You really do like Annie Lennox!”

“It’s true,” Cameron admitted. “Just don’t tell Anthony.”

“Why not?”

“He’ll judge me for it. And then I really will be walking on broken glass.”

Mindy laughed. “Annie Lennox is cool. And it’ll take more than that to scare Anthony off. I can tell how much he loves you. He lights up whenever you’re around.”

The evening had been especially nice in that regard. They had gone out as a group, meeting at Archie’s Pizza Pi where Omar worked. He seemed proud when Silvia showed up, which was kind of cute considering the goofy striped shirt and visor he wore as part of his uniform. They played games with the free tokens he filled their pockets with, Mindy and Ricky entering into a friendly competition that ended in a draw. As soon as Omar was off work, they all went to a diner, sipping drinks while talking for hours on end. Anthony’s eyes kept meeting Cameron’s over the table, but he never tried to hide the affection contained there. They didn’t need to anymore. Not around their friends.

“You guys give me hope,” Mindy said with a sigh.

Cameron could guess what she meant. “That you’ll find someone special too?”

“Yes. And that not all guys are jerks.”

Cameron felt a surge of sympathy for her. “How’s that going?”

“You mean Troy?” she asked. “Fine. He leaves me alone now. You don’t have to walk me to class anymore. Although you don’t have to stop either, because I like it.”

“So do I,” Cameron assured her. “Are you okay though?” He kept thinking about what it would have been like to meet Anthony—to be just as excited and nervous about their first date—only for him to force himself on Cameron in the most disgusting way possible. That wouldn’t be an easy thing to bounce back from.

“I’m fine,” Mindy said. “Really,” she added when he continued to watch her with concern. “My dad always tells me to make lemonade out of lemons. So I have. I’m stronger and smarter now. I’d still like to find what you and Anthony have together. Maybe it won’t happen in high school. I hope it doesn’t take longer than college. But if it does, so what? Being with someone yucky isn’t any better, so I don’t feel the same pressure as before. If the next guy isn’t willing to wait, then he’s not the one for me.”

Cameron nodded encouragingly. “I’m glad that Anthony and I waited.”

“Not very long!” Mindy said in teasing tones.

“I guess not,” Cameron admitted with a chuckle. “But we still waited until we were both ready and the time was right.”

“Did that make it romantic?” Mindy asked.

“Yeah,” Cameron said. His voice was hoarse when he added, “I was surprised by how emotional an experience it was.”

“Aww! I wish I could have been there.”

Cameron raised an eyebrow at this. “What?”

Mindy covered her mouth and laughed. “Oh my god, that came out wrong. I don’t wish I could havewatchedyou guys actually doing it. But I could have brought you donuts the next morning and seen you being all adorable in the afterglow.”

Cameron laughed. “Next time we’ll invite you over for the pillow talk.”

“I’d show up,” Mindy said shamelessly.

The station wagon slowed and pulled into her driveway.

“Want me to walk you to the door?” Cameron asked. “We can make kissing noises until your parents turn on the porch light.”

“It’s already on because my dad is a worry wart,” Mindy pointed out. Then she shook her head. “I hate to do this, but I’m breaking up with my pretend boyfriend.”

Cameron put a hand over his heart as if wounded. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said. “You’re absolutely wonderful. I simply realized that my self-worth shouldn’t be wrapped up in my relationship status.”