Page 98 of Pride High 3: Yellow

Thinking about the devil was all it took to summon her, apparently, because she grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

“I have thegreatestidea,” Keisha said with a vicious smile. “Why don’t you put on a costume too? That will make today so much more special.”

“I wouldn’t be able to see well enough,” he said. He had gotten to try on the Archie head recently, which had been a magical (and somewhat musty) experience.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Keisha said with a disapproving frown.

“This is harder than it looks,” he promised her.

“Maybe, but isn’t the customer always right? I want you to dress up as the other one, Carla the Camel. Right now.”

“First of all,” Omar said, lowering the camera with a scowl. “Her name is Llama Lovelace. Secondly, I amnotputting on a costume!”

He didn’t mean to say it as loud as he did. And he sure didn’t realize that Mr. Dandy was in the room.

“Is everything okay here?” his boss asked with a concerned expression as he walked over.

“Yeah,” Omar said.

“We’ll see,” Keisha added. “I just want my little sister to have the best birthday possible.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Mr. Dandy said, clearly taken aback by her tone. “If there’s anything you need or want, simply let us know, and we’ll make it right.”

“I’ll do that,” Keisha said, looking at Omar with an air of superiority.

He waited until Mr. Dandy had walked away. Omar’s face burned while watching him go. “Did I do something to offend you?” he said, turning on her, “because you’re being a bitch!”

Keisha recoiled at his words. “Oh my god!” she gasped. He should have kept his stupid mouth shut. Although what she said next really threw him for a loop. “I’m so pathetic.”

“I didn’t mean what I said,” he stammered. “I’m sorry! This is just a big day for me. I know it is for your sister too, but I really can’t film stuff in a costume. Or I would, because I love all the characters, and I want your family to have an amazing time here like I always did.”

Keisha barely seemed to hear him. “You’re good,” she said before walking away.

Most of her family was filing out to visit the game room. Omar stuck around to interview some of the older folks who stayed behind. He asked them their favorite thing about Little Bee, funny memories about her, and cutesy stuff that would make great bumpers between all the other footage. If he made the video an absolute masterpiece, maybe he wouldn’t be in as much trouble for pissing off the customer.

Even this hope faded when at the end of the party, while everyone was slowly leaving, he saw Keisha talking to Mr. Dandy. She looked around and pointed at him, his stomach sinking, because he was as good as fired. He might not even get the chance to edit the footage. Or use all that awesome equipment.

He decided to go to the security room so he could at least push a few buttons before everything was ripped away from him. He was turning the jog wheel back and forth longingly when he heard a knock on the door. Mr. Dandy was standing in the threshold.

“Did you get it all filmed?” his boss asked.

“Yeah,” Omar replied, ejecting the tape and holding it out.

“I wouldn’t know what to do with that!” Mr. Dandy said with a titter. “But I just finished talking to the Hart family and they are already thrilled with the experience.”

“They are?”

Mr. Dandy nodded. Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “The girl who is close to your age. Is she your friend? You two aren’t dating, are you?”

“No!” Omar said with a little too much emphasis. “We don’t really know each other.”

“Well she had nothing but praise for you.”

Omar waited for the other shoe to drop, but it never did. “For real?”

Mr. Dandy nodded happily. “She mentioned that you are working on a video yearbook at school, and that after seeing you in action, she can’t wait to get hers. She said you’re a born cinematographer.”

Omar blinked. “Wow. Cool!”