Page 33 of Pride High 3: Yellow

Omar stared a second longer before looking genuinely relieved. “You’re the best, babe! Don’t worry, I would never cheat on you. And I know you would never cheat on me.”

Silvia tasted guilt. She had already broken that trust, despite it being with a girl instead of another guy. Oh sure, she had only been experimenting, but the results were just as damning because she’d felt a deeply emotional response. And then blackmailed Ricky into remaining silent about what he’d seen.

Silvia couldn’t justify her actions, even to herself. The kiss had been a terrible mistake, but she couldn’t do anything about the past. Especially when she was so concerned about the future, and how fleeting her present life might be.

“I love you too,” Silvia said, kissing Omar right there in front of everyone. She knew it would boost his ego. And if she was completely honest, she didn’t mind if other girls—Faith included—happened to see. “Now please walk me to my bike.”

Omar offered his arm. She took it, clinging tighter than she usually did, because losing him would be one of the very worst parts of moving.

CHAPTER 6

February 18th, 1993

Diego tromped up the stairs to the apartment above the auto shop and tensed like he always did when opening the door. He heard the television before he saw the back of his mother’s head. She didn’t say anything as he walked behind her to the open kitchen. Diego rinsed his hands and face in the sink, his stomach growling when he noticed the baking sheet on the stove that was half-covered with pizza rolls. That was about as close to a home-cooked meal as he ever got. Diego loaded up a plate, and grabbed two beers from the fridge. He set one on the coffee table in front of his mom before plonking down in an old recliner.

“Did you get it done?” Marti asked. She was referring to a minivan with a bad alternator and a dead battery that had been sitting on their lot for more than a week, even though the fix wasn’t difficult. They just didn’t have enough labor to get it repaired quickly.

“Yeah,” he said. “You’ve really gotta hire someone.”

She didn’t respond, her eyes still on the television. He took the opportunity to look her over. Marti had dark wavy hair that spilled over her shoulders. Whenever he looked in the mirror, he saw her eyes. Diego had also inherited her strong build and height. And her temper. Sometimes he wondered what he had gotten from his father, if anything. Not the winning personality, or his gift for making friends, that was for sure. His love for cars and his work ethic maybe. Which was going to kill him.

“I’m tired,” Diego said.

Marti finally glanced at him, but only briefly. “I already put an ad in the paper. I’ll pick someone tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but don’t…” He trailed off when she raised an eyebrow. Diego shoved some pizza rolls in his mouth and washed them down with a swig of beer. He knew what was going to happen. His mom would choose whoever caught her eye the most, they would get involved, and before long the jerk-wad would feel too entitled to work. It always ended in disaster. They might get a couple months labor out of the guy at most. He finished eating as a new episode ofSeinfeldbegan. He wasn’t sure why his mom watched sitcoms. She hardly ever laughed. Then again, neither did he. Not while watching TV. Ricky cracked him up all the time.

Diego wished they were together now. Maybe they would’ve been, if he hadn’t needed to work. He pictured them at Sonic, sitting in Frankenstein and sipping cherry lemonade slushes while Ricky made big eyes at him like he always did. Diego could use a little of that now. Ricky made him feel like a fucking stud instead of a goddamn mess. Although lately, even that was falling apart. He still kicked himself for passing out on their date when they could have been doing everything else. So he waited until a commercial break before trying again with his mom.

“Hire two mechanics this time,” he said.

Marti shook her head. “Too expensive.”

“Jasper isn’t going to be around forever. And we’re going to keep losing customers if they have to wait so long.”

“We manage just fine,” his mother said dismissively.

“Says who? I’m freaking tired! And I already flunked out of freshman year once. Maybe I should just drop out and get it over with.”

“Up to you.”

He stared, but not in disbelief. Of course she didn’t care. Ricky’s mom was probably bossing him around about doing his homework while shoving cookies in his mouth and using her thumb to lick smudges off his cheeks. His own was absentmindedly scratching her manicured nails along the couch fabric while staring unseeing at the television.

“I quit,” Diego said. “You’ll have to hire two mechanics, because I won’t do it anymore.”

That got her attention. Her eyes filled with fire before they narrowed. “Fine. Then from now on, stay out of the garage. Including your father’s office.”

Diego’s stomach sank. The auto repair shop was all he had left of his dad, and the old office was like his heart, or a time capsule, or something soft and lame like that. But he needed it.

“About time we got his name off the building anyway,” she muttered.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Diego said, his voice cracking. “I won’t let you erase him like that!”

“He erased himself,” Marti said, her face contorting with emotion until it settled on bitterness. “This is what he wanted.”

“Is it?” Diego snarled. “Because I never saw the note.”

“Don’t start,” she growled.