Page 147 of Pride High 3: Yellow

Ricky stopped again and turned to face him. “If you do see something happening between them, will you tell me please?”

He looked into dark eyes that usually shone with joy, but not today. Ricky was such a happy spirit, and seeing him so vulnerable tugged at Cameron’s heart. “Listen,” he said. “There’s this guy in my English class that I find incredibly attractive. I try not to look at him, but even staring at the back of his head is enough to give me a boner. We’ve talked a little and he seems nice. I’m guessing he’s probably straight, like so many of them are, but if not, I think we’d have potential. But that doesn’t mean I feel like cheating on Anthony or ever intend to. There’s always going to be someone else I’m attracted to. The same is true for Diego. And for you, right?”

“Definitely,” Ricky said, his gaze flicking to Cameron and away again. “So you think that’s all it is?”

“If I had to guess, yeah. Mindy wouldn’t do that to herself, and it sure seems like Diego cares too much to cheat, considering how often he talks about you.”

“Does he really?” Ricky asked, already brimming with hope.

“Yes,” Cameron assured him. “So here’s what we’ll do: I’m going to take you downtown to this amazing ice cream place that I discovered recently. I'll buy you a great big sundae. By the time you’re done eating it, rehearsals will be over, and we’ll go back to the school so you can give Diego the sweetest kiss of his life.”

“He likes chocolate,” Ricky said before batting his eyelashes demurely. “What about you?”

“I like Anthony,” Cameron told him, “but I’m flattered.”

Ricky grinned. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.” He looked around again and shrugged. “How do we get out of here? I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Cameron chuckled and offered his arm, “Stick with me, kid. I won’t steer you wrong.”

— — —

Mindy took a deep shuddering breath, read the final line of the novel, and closed it, overcome with emotion. She looked at her audience of one, expecting to see Diego attempting to hide his tears. Instead he was scowling.

“What a dumb book,” he said.

“No!” Mindy cried, pressing it to her chest. “How could you say that?”

“Easily.” He gave an upward nod to a pair of dancers who greeted him as they walked toward the stage. The energy around them crackled, since it was opening night. “First of all, they didn’t really know each other.”

“Does that really matter?” Mindy challenged. “Sometimes you just fall in love with someone, even if it doesn’t make sense.”

Diego frowned in thought before shrugging. “You’d think someone killing your brother would be a dealbreaker. I dunno. I’ve never had one before.”

“That’s the most tragic part,” Mindy said with a dreamy sigh. “They were about to begin a new life together before a cruel twist of fate shattered their dreams.”

“That’s myleastfavorite part. They both thought all the fighting was dumb so they decided to get in the middle of it? Screw that! Let people kill each other if they’re so determined. I’d get the hell out of there. All they had to do was pick a direction and start walking, the idiots.”

Mindy smiled. “So youdidlike it!”

Diego made a face. “No I didn’t!”

She nodded emphatically. “Yes you did! Enough to become emotionally invested. If you didn’t care about the characters, it wouldn’t matter to you that they didn’t get away.”

“I guess,” Diego grumbled. “I like our version of the story better.”

She did too. The play felt fresher with Whitney chasing after Diego instead of the other way around. And it was more relatable. For her, anyway. She was about to comment on some of the differences between the movie and play when she noticed Troy and Faith nearing and clamped her mouth shut. Diego tracked them with a cold gaze until they passed by.

“By the way,” he murmured when they were alone again. “I got you a present. Don’t expect anything fancy this time but…” He hopped off the table. “Come see.”

She followed him to the nearest exit before hesitating. “We can’t go far!” she said, glancing around for a clock.

“We’ll be all right.”

He held open the door for her. She blinked against the light, happy that the days had grown so long. She walked with Diego to his car and watched him unlock the trunk. Once it was open, he stepped aside.

“There ya go,” he declared.

She peered inside. Then she started laughing, because all she saw was roll after roll of toilet paper. “Just what I’ve always wanted!” she joked.