Page 51 of Pride High 2: Orange

Anthony blinked. “He readsThe Lion’s Pride Post? I thought only people at our school did. And maybe the parents of anyone who gets published.”

“I don’t think he normally does,” Silvia said. “But he did after I explained to him why we’re completely sold out of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s latest album. Guess who else has been selling like crazy?”

“Morrissey?” Anthony asked, grinning when she nodded in confirmation. “Seriously?”

“Yeah! I noticed a pattern and kept track. I even started asking people to be sure. That’s not the best part. Lester wants to coordinate with you on the next reviews so he can stock up enough to meet demand. To help you find more albums you want to write about, he’s willing to give you fifty dollars in store credit each month.”

Anthony snorted. “He obviously doesn’t know that you let me make copies of whatever I want for free.”

“Sure, but this way you can get the real deal with the cover art and liner notes. And you can keep it.”

Anthony’s green eyes became unfocused. “That’s over five hundred dollars of music each year. Without spending a dime!”

Silvia nodded. “It’s like the Colombia House music club, except you don’t have to pretend that you’ll buy more from them after you get the free stuff.”

Anthony laughed, giving her the opportunity to check out his pretty white teeth. “Wow. This is really exciting!”

“Hell yeah it is!” boomed a loud voice as Omar came bounding down the hall toward them. “My girl and my best friend, waiting for me before school starts.”

“We weren’t waiting for you,” Silvia said with an eyeroll.

“I kind of was,” Anthony admitted.

“I can’t decide which one of you I want to kiss first,” Omar said with a grin. “Let’s see…” He moved a finger back and forth, finally letting it settle on Silvia. “We have a winner! Prepare to accept delivery of the prize.”

Silvia received a peck on the lips while trying not laugh.

“Gross!” Mindy said, her nose crinkled up as she appeared in the hall. “I thought I heard your voice. What are you doing here?”

“I was just telling Anthony about—” Silvia began.

“Hey!” Ricky said, appearing next. “What are you guys up to?”

“I’m smoochin’ everyone,” Omar said. “Come here, big boy!”

He started chasing Ricky around, who soon took shelter behind Anthony. “You owe me one,” he murmured, reminding her of the basic facts.

Anthony was gay. He had unrequited feelings for Omar. He also had a boyfriend he loved, who loved him back. Whether she found him attractive or not was immaterial, because nothing would come of it. But she still wanted to know, so she took a step back and watched Omar plant a series of kisses on Anthony’s cheeks before turning toward Mindy, who slowly backed away.

Silvia liked Omar. A lot. But if she was honest, she also liked Anthony. They had so many interests in common. As for the physical…. Omar’s chest flexed as he fought against Ricky and Anthony, who were holding him by the arms like he was eager to get into a fight. When really they were only stopping him from reaching Mindy, who retreated to the safety of the classroom while giggling. Ricky followed her, using his body to block the door.

“I’ve got leftovers,” Omar said, whipping his head around. She liked his long black hair, and the way his dark eyes sparkled at her, as if wanting to see if he’d managed to amuse her. He was handsome.

Anthony, by contrast, was more reserved. He shook his head and adjusted the clothes on his thin frame before glancing up self-consciously. His green eyes were filled with curiosity, pink lips twitching at one corner when meeting her gaze. He was pretty. And she wouldn’t mind if he decided to look even prettier. Like when he’d worn the lip gloss.

Silvia’s pulse was racing.If you had to choose, right now,she challenged herself,who would it be? Pretend it’s a matter of life and death. You have to make a decision. So which of them do you want to be with?

The answer was immediate.

Omar.

He turned around and smiled at her, as if hearing her inner dialog. And it made her happy, because she didn’t want to hurt him. That would be like kicking a puppy. And yet, she didn’t feel much relief, because the next time Silvia looked at Anthony, she felt just as drawn to him, despite not wanting to be anything more than friends. What the hell was wrong with her?

* * * * *

Cameron was doing his best to not give in to despair. They were finishing the auditions to recast the Beast, and so far, the best candidate was a tiny freshman girl who had gotten the lines right and delivered them with impressive ferocity, and yet insisted on playing the role with her pet sheepdog at her side. “He brings the fur, I bring the attitude,” she had explained. The other options were so bad that Mindy had sounded desperately optimistic when the girl had left the stage.

“We could make it work!” she said.