Page 79 of Pride High 2: Orange

“I do love bossing people around,” Keisha said with a playful smile. “And yes, I think it would be satisfying to be in full charge of a production. Seniors usually get that privilege, so it’s a waiting game for now. What about you? What’s your dream?”

For things to remain the same until she had the power to change them. Silvia couldn’t share the details of what that truly meant without putting her family at risk, so she stripped the truth down to its essence. “As long as I keep surviving each day, I’ll be happy.”

Keisha raised an eyebrow. “What exactly do you hope to survive?”

“High school,” Silvia said, beginning to count a list on her fingers. “Career. Relationship. Family.” She had dreams and aspirations for each, but they all came with risks. Shaking the boat increased the likelihood of attracting sharks.

Keisha eyed her for a moment. “Most people live for those things. You only want to survive them?”

“Preferably,” Silvia said with a straight face.

“Okay,” Keisha said with a nod. “Let’s say you do just that and survive long enough to become a little old lady in a rocking chair. Granny Silvia has a high school diploma on the wall, the kids have flown the nest, she’s a widow, and there’s money in the bank. What’s left after you subtract all that?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

“Better to find out now,” Keisha advised, “when it’s not too late.”

Silvia could only stare in response. She blinked when the house lights flashed, and turned her attention dutifully to the stage as a hush came over the audience. But even once the play began, her thoughts remained on Keisha and everything she had just said. What exactly did Silvia want? And from whom?

CHAPTER 18

December 22nd, 1992

Diego wasn’t afraid of anything, and he sure as hell didn’t care what anyone thought. So why the hell was he so nervous? He couldn’t stop pacing, even though Mindy kept grabbing his arm to stop him so she could make adjustments to his makeup.

“Enough!” he snarled at her before storming away. He found himself heading instinctually for the nearest exit.

“Wait, wait, wait!” an annoying little mosquito said while following along behind him.

Diego turned around to swat it, his anger ebbing when he saw Ricky’s big eyes staring up at him with watery concern.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m leaving,” Diego snapped. “What’s the point in going out there? Our plan didn’t work. My mom is still dating that loser, and I’ll be working through the whole damn holiday to catch up.”

“But you’re good,” Ricky stressed. “Really! Nobody else can play the role like you can.”

“Bullshit! You know the lines. Why don’t you go out there, huh?”

“Maybe I will.”

Diego raised an eyebrow at this. “Really?”

Ricky shrugged. “I’m not scared.”

“Neither am I,” Diego shot back. “I just don’t care about any of those idiots sitting out there.”

“Then prove it.”

“Huh?”

Ricky crossed his arms over his chest. “If you don’t care about them, then it shouldn’t matter that they’re here at all. But if you care about me, it sure would be nice if all the time we spent rehearsing didn’t go to waste.”

Diego felt guilt tugging at him, but he’d been shoving it aside for years, so he shrugged and began turning away. “Yeah yeah. I’m a waste of time. Most people figure that out quicker than you did.”

“You’re not a waste,” Ricky said, grabbing his hand to stop him. “I really like you. A lot.”

Diego looked down at that hand until it released him.