Page 49 of Pride High 2: Orange

“Oh.”

Ricky was mercifully silent as they began the drive, only opening his mouth when Diego asked what street he lived on and which house was his. When they pulled up, it was exactly what Diego had expected. Big and tranquil. Even the stupid bushes looked happy to be there, and he could already imagine what went on inside. “Does your mom bake a lot of cookies?” he asked sarcastically.

Ricky blinked. “No. She’s a doctor.”

Okay, so maybe he didn’t know what a normal family did anymore.

“She does sometimes though,” Ricky added. “Do you want me to ask her to make some for us?”

Diego raised an eyebrow at this and refused to dignify it with a response. Even though he did kind of want those cookies.

“One more question?” Ricky’s expression was already pleading with him. He didn’t wait for permission. “I won’t ask why you don’t want to go home after school—”

“Good.”

“—but why did you bother with the football team if you have a job?”

Diego shook his head. “You don’t get it. The auto shop and my home are the same place.” He wasn’t ashamed of that fact. Omar always said that Diego had the best house. What other kid lived above a repair shop? His dad was always cool about them hanging out to watch the mechanics work. He’d even let them sit in a car before raising it up and down on the hydraulic lifts, like the world’s worst carnival ride. “There’s an apartment on the second floor,” he added when Ricky looked confused. But of course it only sparked his curiosity more.

“So the repair shop is a family business?”

“My dad’s business. Yeah.”

“And that’s why you were on the football team? So you wouldn’t have to go home and work?”

Close enough. “Uh-huh.”

“Oh. Thanks for trusting me with everything. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing.”

Ricky reached for the door. Then he turned toward Diego again. “I know a different way. If you want to stick around longer after school. My friend Mindy does the costumes for the theater group and— Well, basically one of the lead roles has opened up. They’re holding auditions tomorrow forBeauty and the Beast.”

“I don’t look good in a dress,” Diego deadpanned.

“No! You’d play… Umm.”

“The Beast?” he growled.

“Exactly!” Ricky said, beaming at him. “You’d be amazing!”

“I’d be laughed off stage,” Diego retorted. “Get the hell out of here.”

“Okay.” Ricky put his hand on the dashboard. “See you later, Frankenstein.” Then, in a surprisingly deep and rough voice, he said, “Suicide baaaad. Frankenstein saaaad.” Ricky glanced over at him self-consciously and in his normal voice said, “Me too. Really.”

Diego stared at him. Then he started laughing. “Go home, you freakin’ weirdo.”

“Okay,” Ricky said. “See ya.”

Diego watched him run for the house. When he reached the porch, Ricky turned around and waved again. Such a dork. Diego really did like him though. He hated how vulnerable that made him feel, but it was too late now.

He shifted the car into drive and cranked up tunes loud enough to drown out his thoughts. He drove on automatic to a neighborhood on the west side of town that used to have more commercial businesses before Pride got hooked up to U.S. Route 40 back in the day.

The auto repair shop was a white two-story building placed diagonally on a corner lot. Big block letters on the façade, now fading, spelled out GOMEZ AUTO REPAIR. There used to be gas pumps out front ages ago. He only knew because of the framed sepia photo that still hung in his father’s old office. Diego wished he could slip inside and lock himself in that room without being disturbed along the way, but that’s not how it went and never did.

“Thank god,” Sharon said from behind the front desk. She was a skinny redhead who always acted like there was an emergency, but never got off her own ass unless it was time to leave. “The Millers want to pick up their Pontiac today, and the parts for the Jeep came in, which is good, because the owner won’t stop callin’. Neither will the jerk with the Dodge Charger. And you told Bruce’s wife that we’d have her Honda ready to go at noon. She was waiting here until one before she gave up. She’s coming back with her husband in…” Sharon checked her watch, “about half an hour.”

Diego opened his mouth to respond but didn’t get a word out before his mom showed up. She was already glaring at him. Marti was a tall woman with a strong build. His dad used to always tease her that she should have played professional basketball instead of marrying him. She was pretty as hell too, with long dark hair and the same brown eyes as him. Omar used to get flustered around her when they were younger.Dude, I want to marry a giant woman like your mom! Or if she ever gives your dad the boot… Hey, you know what that would make me, right?Diego had wrestled Omar and pinned him to the floor after he’d said that, even though Anthony had tried shoving him off, the dirty cheater.