Page 140 of Pride High 3: Yellow

Silvia took his hands. “I talked to my parents about the move. We’re not going to Chicago. We’re staying here!”

“Really?” Omar grinned. “That’s great news, babe! I’m so hyped!”

“Me too,” she said, her hands tightening around his fingers. “I didn’t want to lose you.”

“It would take more than moving across the country,” he said, feeling a familiar ache in his heart that he tried his best to ignore. “So what changed?”

“My dad is doing really well at his new job. He likes it better than being a roofer. I didn’t realize, but my great-grandparents were farmers.”

“That’s cool,” Omar said, his stomach clenching at the thought of Keisha. “I’m glad it all worked out.”

“Me too.”

He caught Silvia studying his face, like she was trying to read his mind.

“Just be warned,” she said with a sudden smile, “Mindy already wants to know what we’re wearing to prom.”

“I thought that was only for juniors and seniors?”

“It is. She’s talking aboutnextyear.”

“I’ll be wearing black. So you told her already?”

“About my family staying?” Silvia nodded. “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Of course.” He noticed that his heart had begun to thud again. What the hell was wrong with him?

“I refuse to pick out a dress until I’ve been formally invited.” Silvia moved closer. “No rush. We have all the time in the world.”

He embraced her, their lips touching again, which amped up his anxiety. He closed his eyes and tried to remind himself that he had the prettiest girlfriend in the world, but for whatever reason, he imagined Keisha instead, standing right where he was now while Ricky watched.

Omar pulled away.

“Are you okay?” Silvia asked, no doubt noticing his angry expression, because he wasn’t confused anymore.

“Is this where you kissed her?” he asked.

“Who?” Silvia asked before her face fell. “Oh.”

He considered her through narrowed eyes. “Or was she on the other side of the counter?”

Silvia swallowed. “Does it really matter? I thought you didn’t mind.”

“That’s before I knew the whole story,” he huffed. “This is our special place!” He rolled his eyes at himself, knowing what she would say—that this was merely where she worked. “At least it’s special to me. But I guess you don’t really care.”

“I do!” she said, trying to take his hand before he yanked it away. “I’m so sorry, Omar! It was a stupid mistake. I wish it had never happened!”

“So you kept it a secret like everything else.”

“Because I didn’t want you to get hurt!”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” he grumbled. “You literally blackmailed one of my friends sonobodycould tell me the truth!”

“Ricky,” Silvia said with a sigh. “I didn’t realize he was standing there until after it happened. I had to run down the street to catch him, which gave me abouttwo secondsto figure out what I was going to say, and all I could think about was how hurt you would be.”

“Why didn’t you think about thatbeforeyou kissed her?” he demanded.

Silvia’s expression was wounded, which made his heart ache even worse. When she tried to touch him again, he walked around the counter to get away from her. “It’s not just that,” he said, his pulse matching the pace of his thoughts, his body and mind in unison at last. “Like, I get why you’re so protective of your parents. But you’ve gotta think of other people too, you know?”