Page 57 of Pride High 2: Orange

Diego seemed somewhat appeased by this assessment.

“You’ll look more like a werewolf soon,” Mindy said, walking over to take the Halloween mask off a table covered with cosmetics and pieces of costumes. Nervousness filled her tummy when she returned with the mask. “You um… don’t ever wear glasses, do you?”

Diego cocked an incredulous eyebrow at the mere suggestion.

“Okay, good.” She exhaled in relief and held out the mask. “Put this on. Let’s see how it all looks together.”

Diego took the werewolf mask and turned it over to examine the long snout and fangs. Then he flung it away. “I’m not wearing that.”

Mindy stared in shock for a moment. “I know it’s not ideal—” she spluttered.

“I can’t breathe in those things,” Diego interrupted. “I’m not wearing it.”

“Are you sure?” Ricky asked, scurrying to pick up the mask. “Look at the teeth. There’s blood on them!”

Diego was already shaking his head. “That shit makes me feel claustrophobic. No fuckin’ way!”

Charming. Mindy shouldn’t worry about any of the costumes. Principal Preckwinkle was bound to shut down the production during the first act, or however long it took Diego to drop the F-bomb. Regardless, she did take pride in her work and wanted everyone to look good, no matter how briefly they were seen. “We can try makeup instead,” she said, walking over to the table and pulling out a chair. “Sit down.”

Diego complied while eyeing her with suspicion.

Mindy did her best to ignore his distrust when studying the features of his face, which were thick in a way that she found appealing. He was handsome enough to play a prince, but she could easily imagine him as the Beast too. Especially with a few adjustments. “Do you mind?” she asked when reaching for his hair, which was slick and swept back with some sort of styling product.

Diego shrugged in response, so she dug her fingers into his hair and mussed it up. The styling product was closer to wax than gel, but that worked, since it made his hair stick out in thick clumps. And it looked good! He wouldn’t want to wear it that way normally, but Diego already appeared more feral.

“That feels nice,” he murmured as she dug into his hair again. “I like your nails.”

“Oh!” She laughed. “We used to have a dog who liked it too.”

Diego began to growl under his breath, which sounded so sinister that a shiver raced across her skin. He was going to be a great Beast! If she managed to figure out the rest of his costume.

“Let’s try some makeup,” she said, reaching for her supplies.

“No girly stuff,” Diego huffed.

“God forbid,” Mindy murmured with an eyeroll, but only because her back was to him. “Let’s start with black,” she said when turning around. “Is that okay?”

“You can trust her,” Ricky said as he pulled the werewolf mask over his head. His voice was muffled when he added, “Mindy is the coolest.”

That was flattering! She liked Ricky too. Although that’s where it ended. Not only was he too young, but she had noticed the way he looked at other guys. Her attention kept returning to him as she worked. Mindy watched Ricky roar and leap around the stage while clawing at the air. He ran right into Cameron, who was coming over with the tape measure. Ricky stumbled backward, his arms pinwheeling, but Cameron caught him by the shoulders and gently pulled the werewolf mask off his head. Ricky grinned up at him affectionately, his glasses askew. Yes, he was definitely more into guys than girls. Either that, or she had some sort of Midas touch that could turn men gay, because they sure seemed to congregate around her.

Although it was hard to imagine Diego kissing another guy. Not that she would mind seeing such a thing. He was still staring at her with the same intensity. Their faces were close now. By necessity.

“You’re really pretty,” Diego murmured.

Mindy tensed, waiting for him to temper this statement with“except for your body,”or maybe,“besides the braces.”He didn’t though. Diego simply continued to stare.

“Thanks,” she managed.

“Why aren’t you playing Belle?” he asked.

Mindy laughed without humor. “Because I freeze up whenever I get on stage. Besides, you’ve met Whitney, right? She actuallylookslike a princess.”

“You’re prettier than her.”

Mindy scoffed. “Maybe you do need glasses.” She didn’t mean to sound quite so sarcastic, but it was a ridiculous statement.

Diego’s eyes never left hers as he leaned forward. “I can see you just fine.”