Page 173 of Pride High 2: Orange

Diego put the car in park and got out. “Fine. You want a ride? Admit that it was you.”

Omar shook his head. “What?”

“Who started the fire?” Diego pressed.

They didn’t have time for this! Maybe they could get a ride from someone else. Cameron could drive them. Assuming he was home. And by the phone.

“Not such an emergency after all,” Diego said, moving to get back into his car.

“Fine!” Omar said. “It was me. Okay? The napalm was still burning.” Like his face was now. “I thought I had put it out, but maybe I didn’t.”

“Maybe?” Diego repeated.

“It was definitely still on fire. I remember seeing it when we were hiding everything. I thought I’d have time to come back and put it out when my parents weren’t looking, but by then it was too late.I’mthe one who burned down the garage!”

He glanced at Anthony, who looked shocked and betrayed, but Omar couldn’t deal with that now. All that mattered was what Diego would decide to do next.

“Maybe we should get this on camera,” he said.

“There isn’t time!” Omar pleaded. “You’ve got witnesses.”

Diego smirked. “Fine. Get in.”

“Shotgun!” Omar called.

“Ricky’s gotpermanentshotgun,” Diego growled.

“Yeah, okay.” He squeezed into the backseat, relieved when Anthony was allowed to do the same without having to confess anything.

“Where are we going?” Diego asked once they were all inside.

“Saint Luke’s Hospital,” Omar told him. The Trans Am took off like a shot and rarely slowed down again, which helped put him at ease. Enough that he was able to relax. “This car is so rad,” Omar said as they left the city limits. “It’s your dad’s, right? I remember riding in it when we were little.”

“Oh yeah?” Diego asked.

“I think so.”

“We did,” Anthony said softly. “He took us out for burgers and milkshakes. I remember almost getting sick when he did donuts in a parking lot afterwards.”

“That’s right!” Omar exclaimed. “Out by that creepy abandoned factory, back before they tore the building down.”

“That’s where he taught me how to drive,” Diego said, angling the rearview mirror to see them better. “When I was like ten.”

Omar laughed. “He was crazy.”

“In a good way,” Anthony added. “He was always nice to me.”

“To everyone,” Diego said, his voice sounding strained.

Ricky sighed. “I wish I could have met him.”

“Yeah,” Diego replied. “Me too.” He cleared his throat. “Put on some tunes.”

“Are these your tapes?” Anthony asked, grabbing a cloth carrying case on the seat between them.

“Yup. Choose something good.”

“Hmm,” Anthony said, his expression increasingly strained as he ran his fingers down a row of cassettes. “Umm…”