Page 111 of Pride High 3: Yellow

“How’s it going, Huxley?” Diego replied.

“Good. Do you like my hat?” He was wearing a gold paper cone with an elastic string that was typical of a child’s birthday party.

“Yeah,” he replied with a snort. “You look real cool.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Cameron said, revealing another hat from behind his back, “because I brought an extra. Anthony was supposed to wear it, but he doesn’t want his hair to get messed up.”

Ricky was staring at him with shining eyes, so Diego took the hat—metallic red instead of gold—and put it on. “Hey, it matches my shirt,” he deadpanned. “I’ve never felt so pretty.”

The others laughed. He didn’t feel like smiling though, because Ricky’s parents had entered the room.

“Welcome!” Mr. Nishikawa said in greeting.

Mrs. Nishikawa wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. “We were just about to have some cake,” she explained. “You can put your present on the table with the others, if you’d like.”

Diego took it back from Ricky and walked over to the dining room table where gifts were stacked. He felt kind of dizzy when adding it to the pile. Maybe because it reminded him of the last time he’d had such a birthday, after his dad had already died. Anthony’s mom had arranged a party for him, perhaps realizing that his own mother was no longer capable. And while that had been nice of her, all he could remember is trying not to lose his fucking mind the entire time.

He looked up and saw his former friend on the opposite side of the table. Anthony smiled when their eyes met. Not the kind that revealed teeth, but the bare minimum where you raised one corner of your mouth just enough to prove you didn’t entirely hate someone’s guts. Diego didn’t bother returning the gesture. Although when Omar tried again with another upward nod, Diego rolled his eyes and did the same before looking away.

He watched as the candles were lit and felt awkward while everyone else sang, but joining in would have felt too fake. Mrs. Nishikawa noticed, of course, her forehead creasing with disapproval.

“Better make that wish count!” Omar said at the end of the song. “You only get one per year.”

Ricky looked right at Diego, his eyes filled with affection, before he bent over and blew out the candles on his first try.

“Nicely done!” Cameron said. “That means it’ll come true!”

Ricky glanced at Diego again before the demands of the day distracted him. He was given the slice of cake with his name on it. Diego stood aside as the rest was doled out on festive paper plates. Ricky seemed to delight in instructing who each piece should go to. Anthony’s had a figurine of an obese pink cat on it. “Because she matches your hair,” Ricky explained. Cameron got a purple cat who was “really nice, just like you” according to the birthday boy. The slice he sent to Diego was topped by a pissed-off dog with razor sharp teeth. He nodded in approval and began eating.

“Okay,” Mrs. Nishikawa said, glancing around. “Everyone has cake and ice cream? Great! Let’s open some presents. Which do you want to start with?”

Ricky didn’t even hesitate. He grabbed Diego’s gift. “The one from my boyfriend,” he said proudly.

All eyes turned to him, but if they were expecting him to blush, squirm, and say something cute, they were barking up the wrong damn tree. Diego continued eating, using the cake to soak up the melting ice cream.

“Oh my god,” Ricky said while tearing off the paper. “Is this what I think it is? Yes! You got me a pager!”

Diego stopped smearing the frosting around and looked up, seeking out Ricky’s parents in particular. “That way you can get a hold of him, no matter where he is.”

They probably assumed he felt bad about bringing Ricky home past his curfew, when really, he knew how much his boyfriend hated the way his parents had been calling around to check up on him lately, sometimes even showing up unexpectedly.

“I promise to always answer within ten minutes,” Ricky told them.

“That does sound much more convenient,” Mr. Nishikawa said in approval.

“It’s a very thoughtful gift,” his wife added. “My pager is paid for through my work, so I’m not sure, but don’t they require a monthly subscription?”

“Yeah,” Diego replied. “It’s already set up. I’ll take care of the bill.”

Mrs. Nishikawa didn’t rush over to pinch his cheek affectionately. Instead she looked worried before hiding the expression. He didn’t know why. Maybe having monthly bills seemed too grown up to her. He knew that she didn’t like that he was older, had a job, and drove a car, but he wasn’t going to pretend to be a little kid to make her feel better. She should stop looking at her son that way as well. Yeah, Ricky was still into dorky stuff like cartoons and comic books, but he’d also been through serious shit, like having his heart broken, starting high school in a new town, and surviving a suicide attempt. His boyfriend wasn’t a kid. He was a badass.

“Thank you,” Ricky said when their eyes met. Then he looked down and got even more excited. “Hey, this must be the phone number! Write it down, everyone!”

Diego didn’t feel like he was needed for the rest of the ceremonies, so he went and sat on the living room couch.

Cameron joined him not long after. “You know we’re the best dressed guys at the party, right?” he said, tapping the side of his hat.

Diego became aware of the elastic string beneath his chin. “I forgot I was wearing mine. Remind me to take it off before I leave.”