Page 162 of Pride High 2: Orange

Anthony made a face. “In the morning? I’d rather sleep in.”

“Please?” Ricky stressed.

“I’m cool with it if you are,” Omar said, turning to his best friend.

“Fine,” Anthony said, pushing on Ricky playfully. “Now get out of here. I feel like a sardine.”

“Okay.” Ricky smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

He hopped out of the truck and, to her relief, didn’t do any doubletakes at it when walking across his lawn. She was already driving away when he reached the door, not wanting to give him the extra opportunity. He was a nice kid, but she wished he had gotten a ride home with Cameron and Mindy.

“Which home movies?” Anthony asked.

“From back in the day,” Omar said vaguely. “He wants to see some of the BFFF stuff.”

“Ah,” Anthony said. “Because of Diego, most likely. He keeps asking about him.”

“Yup. Same here.”

Anthony sighed. “If he wants proof, he’s welcome to it.”

“How old are you in these home movies?” Silvia asked.

She felt Omar shrug from next to her. He hadn’t scooted over, even though there was plenty of room now. “I must’ve been twelve or thirteen. How come?”

She fought down a smile. “I’d love to see you at that age.”

“No way!” Omar cried. “I’ll die before I let that happen!”

“He had a mullet,” Anthony explained.

She glanced over in time to see Omar grimace.

“I was a work in progress, babe,” he said. “Youdon’twant to see my early edits.”

“I thought he was cute,” Anthony said. “Even though he hadn’t grown into his nose yet.”

That sounded way too good to miss. “I’m coming over tomorrow,” Silvia teased.

It didn’t take long to reach his house, where she dropped off the last of her passengers. She kissed Omar goodbye and got another whiff of pizza. If she wasn’t careful, she’d develop a Pavlovian response. He stood outside her truck and grinned at her, even as she drove away. In her rearview mirror, she saw Anthony grab his arm and drag him toward the house, which made her laugh.

Silvia felt another pang of guilt when driving south to the edge of town. If she kept going, she would end up on a enchanting farm where a kindhearted girl had probably sat around bored and lonely all night. Then again, Keisha was undeniably cool. She must have other friends. And if not, she could weep bitter tears directly into Chestnut’s gorgeous mane.

The thought took her back to the warm tranquility of the barn. A transformative moment for her. Not because of the horse, although Chestnut’s presence had certainly contributed to the magic. What made it special was the feelings that had stirred inside of her. Silvia almost feared their potential. Enough that she was avoiding Keisha. Her words always cut so deep. What if she challenged her feelings for Omar? Which were real. Silvia had no doubt of that, because they were too similar to what she felt for Keisha. One love was newer, more of an excited crush than anything, but in essence…

Silvia nearly missed her turn. She slammed on the brakes and had to reverse before she could pull into the trailer park. As she reached her home, the front door flew open. Her mother was standing there, dressed in a winter jacket while clutching something small in both her hands.

Silvia’s mouth went dry. She put the truck in park and hopped out, meeting her mother in the twin beams of the headlights, which were more than enough to illuminate the black wallet that she held. The one that belonged to Silvia’s father.

“Your dad— He is…” A sob interrupted Elena before she continued in Spanish.“He had an accident.”

“What?”Silvia got so lightheaded that the world around her blurred.“Is he okay?”

“Yes,”her mother said despite shaking her head.“But he’s in the hospital. We have to go to him. Get in the truck. Please! I need to see him!”

Silvia started to comply until a lifetime of training kicked in. If her father was in the hospital, her mother was at risk.“Wait,”she said.

“No!”Elena snapped.“I’ve been waiting all night! Let’s go.”