Page 9 of Pride High 2: Orange

I’m in love with you.

Anthony had told him the truth. Omar felt like standing up and announcing that he had important news, because coming out seemed like an incredibly courageous thing to do. Who did that? As far as Omar knew, he’d never met someone who was openly gay before. Most people were probably too scared to admit the truth, but not his best friend. Anthony was a badass.

He focused on the conversation again. His little sister, Yasmin, was bragging about how many Girl Scout cookies she’d sold. Without giving him any credit, but that was okay. He didn’t want people to know how many cookies he’d eaten in front of potential customers, like a living commercial, while she gave them a sales pitch. He was eyeing the desserts on the table when the doorbell rang.

“Go get it,” Omar said, shoving his sister playfully.

“Um, I’m talking!” she sassed.

“So what?” When he saw his grandmother raise an eyebrow at this, he patted his sister on the head and stood. “Be right back.”

Omar walked to the door, lost in thought until he threw it open. Then he started laughing. Four of his friends were standing on the porch. They didn’t let him get a word in as they began dragging him away.

“Jail break!” Ricky cried.

“Can I have that tie when you’re done with it?” Anthony asked, pushing him from behind.

“Are you going to maim it?” Omar asked.

“Yup.”

“Then maybe.” Omar dug in his heels before they reached the porch steps. “Hold up! Where are we going? I was having dinner with my family!”

“So was I,” Mindy said, opening the back door of the station wagon. “Live a little.”

“Yeah, but—” Omar tried.

“We’re going to pick up your girlfriend next,” Anthony said.

Well in that case… But no. “Seriously, guys, hold up!”

His friends finally stopped jostling him.

“We’re dyeing our hair blond and moving to Sweden,” Ricky said.

“And before that,” Cameron interjected, “we thought it would be fun to grab a burger and hang out.”

“That does sound cool,” Omar said, glancing toward the house. “But my entire family is in town.”

“That’s exactly what we’re each trying to escape,” Anthony replied.

“Don’t tell us you actuallylikeyour family,” Mindy said accusingly. “What kind of a teenager are you?”

“Leave him alone, everyone,” Anthony said. “He does have nice relatives. We’ll tell Silvia that he couldn’t make it.”

Goddamn it.

“I just need to let them know where I’m going,” Omar said. “I’ll be right back."

When he returned indoors, he was relieved to see everyone getting up from the table. That should make this easier. He approached his mother, since she was more lenient about such things.

“Who was at the door?” she asked.

“My friends came to surprise me. They want to know if I can hang out.”

His mother’s forehead creased. Not a good sign.

“Ricky is with them,” he added hurriedly. It was, quite frankly, an inspired tactic.