Page 152 of Pride High 3: Yellow

“Not yet,” Ricky said, nodding down the block.

They watched someone walk by with their dog. That was it for witnesses, unless someone was peeking out a window. He didn’t see why they would be, since this neighborhood was quiet and safe.

“You’ll need more than one,” Diego said, loading up Ricky’s arms with as many rolls as he could carry. He brought the rest, crossed the street, and dumped them in the middle of the yard. “Ever done this before?”

“No. How hard can it be?” Ricky tossed a roll into the air. A few seconds later, it came back and bonked him on the head.

“Nice throw,” Diego teased.

“Shut up,” Ricky laughed while picking up the fallen roll. “Now it’s personal!”

He threw it again with a similar result.

“You’ve gotta do it like this,” Diego said, unspooling a length of double-ply squares before aiming for one of the trees. A trail of paper marked its trajectory, but the roll never reappeared again, having gotten stuck in one of the branches.

“Haveyouever done this before?” Ricky parroted.

Diego chuckled. “Not often enough, apparently. We’ve got plenty more chances.”

He grabbed another roll from the pile. So did Ricky. They got the hang of it soon enough, despite bumping into each other repeatedly and nearly keeling over with laughter. Diego made it a game, trying to catch each roll as it fell before chucking it into the air again until the yard was swaying with ghostly white tendrils. He grinned while watching Ricky run around the mailbox, wrapping it up like a mummy. Then they took turns shooting hoops with the last of the toilet paper, Ricky having to wipe tears from his eyes when a roll became lodged between the rim and backboard.

“Graham is going to shit himself when he sees that,” Diego murmured. “And then he’ll have to climb all the way up there to wipe.”

Ricky started laughing again. Diego saw headlights down by the intersection and grabbed his boyfriend to drag him behind one of the trees. The car drove down the street without slowing, Diego still pressing Ricky against the trunk with his body. Which felt pretty damn good.

“We should do it right here,” he said.

“You’re crazy!” Ricky laughed and pushed him away. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

“All right.”

Diego checked the surrounding houses on the way back to the car. As far as he could tell, nobody had seen them. Once they were safely inside the Trans Am, they considered their work from a distance.

“Wow,” Ricky breathed. “The trees look like giant squids now! Or maybe jellyfish. It’s almost pretty!”

It really was. Like tinsel decorating a Christmas tree. All that paper would be a pain in the ass to clean up, but it still seemed too nice a punishment. He thought of all the times Graham had picked on Ricky, mocking him for wanting to take his own life, or putting him down just because his heart was filled with so much love. And he remembered what it had been like to watch Anthony get knocked to the hallway floor, which had awakened something inside Diego. Old dormant feelings from when they used to be friends. He thought too of his mother, who had actually fucking tried for once, only for some dickwad to trip him right in front of her. Diego reached for the glovebox. Then he began digging around inside.

“What are you doing?” Ricky asked.

“Adding a finishing touch,” Diego said, pulling out a lighter.

Ricky saw it, his eyes going wide. “Wait!”

“Youwait,” Diego growled.

He was out of the car before it could become a debate. He hustled across the street, grabbed a bundle of swaying toilet paper, and lit the end. He watched the flame climb, burning like a fuse, until it was above his head. Then he sprinted for the car.

“Diego,” Ricky said, leaning over to see out the driver-side window. “I think we better get out of here.”

He glanced toward the house and saw the fire spreading, the yard dancing with light as the flames grew. Diego grinned. Then he started the car, shifted into drive, and peeled out. Ricky turned around to look out the back window.

“Oh my god!” he said.

Diego caught one last glimpse in the rearview mirror before they took the corner. His final impression was of a ball of flame, floating above the yard.

“Someone’s going to call the fire department,” Ricky said, already sounding panicked. “What if they saw us?”

Diego checked the clock on the dash. “Think there are still people hanging out at school?”