“Relationship counseling, but for teenagers.”
“Yes! Or just dating advice, because nobody in their right mind is going to ask a teacher.”
“Or their own parents,” she said, nodding her agreement.
“So the people giving the advice would have to be teenagers?” Omar asked. “Would there be any point then? Because we could ask our friends instead, and they’re just as clueless as we are.”
“College kids!” Silvia said, struck by inspiration. “They’re cool!”
“Super cool! And they would actually remember what it was like to be us.” Omar grinned victoriously. “That junk food is basically ours! We make a good team, huh?”
“We definitely have potential,” she said, leaving the statement open to interpretation.
“Who wants to go first?” their teacher asked.
Silvia smiled at her former boyfriend, whose eyes shined back at her in response. Then they walked together toward the front of class.
— — —
Ricky’s every waking moment was filled with regret. And it all came from inside. His parents were being ridiculously kind. He was grounded to the house, and being dropped off and picked up from school like before, but they didn’t lecture him about how foolish his behavior had been. They seemed too happy to have him back. He’d only been gone a little over twenty-four hours. Now he could imagine just how distraught his parents would have been had he gone to El Paso and never come back. Which made him feel like he’d done the right thing, and yet…
He had lost so much. Ricky couldn’t stop thinking of Diego, yearning and aching for him in equal measure. The knowledge that he’d hurt his boyfriend in the worst way possible, by abandoning him like so many others had—whether intentionally or not—was unceasing torture. Ricky agonized over what he’d done, which made focusing on anything else impossible. Even his own fate.
His parents kept sitting down with him to talk strategy. In just a few days, Ricky would report to the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center, the name alone enough to make him shiver. He had thought of another option since Diego dropped him off. They could have done time together. A frightening prospect, but with Diego at his side… Maybe they would have shared a cell, instead of never seeing each other again. Diego must be in El Paso by now. Ricky didn’t think he'd ever return. What did he have to come back to? A bunch of people who had hurt him over and over again?
Ricky stared unseeing at the kitchen table where he sat with his parents. He had cleared away the dishes after the meal was over, wanting to show his gratitude toward them. That was one silver lining of running away. He appreciated his parents more now, especially since not everyone was so lucky. He had a good family. Currently they were poring over paperwork and booklets they had picked up from the courthouse, trying to prepare for what was to come. He was watching his mother take notes on a yellow legal pad when the doorbell rang.
They all tensed. Detective Truman had been by a few times now, always with the same question and thinly veiled threat. He wanted to know where Diego was, and if they couldn’t produce him, promised that it would make matters worse. Ricky didn’t buckle. Even his parents didn’t know where they had planned to go. It was a final gift, a last sacrifice, in the hopes that Diego would be left alone and happy in his new life.
“I’ll get it,” Ken said with a worried expression.
“Thanks, Dad.”
When they were alone, his mother placed her hand over his. “Please tell the detective what you know.”
“I can’t, Mom,” he said, his voice shaking. “I won’t do that to him.”
“I wish you would think of yourself,” Ami said. “But if you won’t, then do it for me. I can’t stand the thought of you being locked up somewhere.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just can’t.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but paused, because they both heard arguing. They got to their feet simultaneously and went to investigate. As soon as Ricky saw scowling cinnamon eyes, he broke into a run.
“Diego!” Ricky cried, quite literally, because a few tears of relief broke free before cold fear put a stop to them. He shouldn’t be here!
“I’ll take care of this, son,” Ken turned around to say.
“I only want to talk to him,” Diego growled.
Ricky felt his mother pulling on him and shook her off. “I won’t go anywhere,” he promised. “I’ll be on the front porch the whole time, I swear!”
He slipped past his father and closed the door behind him.
“Hey,” Diego said with an upward nod, as if it was a casual visit.
“You have to get out of here!” Ricky said. “My parents will call the police!”
“I know,” Diego rumbled in response. “But I promised to protect you.”
“Not like this,” Ricky said, pushing on his chest. “Get out of here!”
Diego wasn’t the sort of person who was easy to move against his will. Ricky tried anyway, with little result, before looking up at him with open concern. “Please!” he pleaded.
“I’m not letting you take the blame for this,” Diego said. “I want you to have a nice life.”
“I just want you,” Ricky croaked.
He gave up on trying to move him and clung to Diego’s torso instead. He was surprised when he felt strong arms wrap around him in response, pulling him even closer.
“I’m sorry!” Ricky sobbed. “I should have run away with you.”
“There’s still time,” Diego said, sounding wistful. Then he released Ricky and sat down on the front step, to await his fate.
“Why?” Ricky asked, his voice cracking as he sat down next to him. “You’re going to get in trouble. Don’t do this to yourself!”
“I won’t bail on you,” Diego said, jutting out his chin. “So anyway… When do you have to see the judge?”
“On Friday.”
“I have a feeling I’ll get there first. Just tell them the truth. You’ll be all right.”
“Do you hate me?” Ricky asked.
“Nah,” Diego said. “I get it. If I could go back to how things used to be, I wouldn’t give it up again so easily. Not for someone like me.”
“Don’t say that,” Ricky pleaded. “You’re everything I ever wanted! You’re smart, funny, handsome… You’ve changed the way I look at the world. In a good way. I’ve never met anyone like you before. You’re special. And I love you.”
Diego didn’t say it back. Ricky realized that he might not ever hear him speak those words again. But it wouldn’t change how he felt.
They could hear police sirens in the distance, and noises from behind as his parents cracked the door to watch them or peeked through the blinds. He wasn’t sure and didn’t care, because this was the last moment they would have together for quite some time. Ricky wrapped himself around Diego’s arm, leaned his head against his strong shoulder, and told him again, so he would know and hopefully always remember, no matter what the future held.
“I love you.”
— — —