“Yeah, but I want to.”
That seemed to make her happy. Which was great, because for a while there, his feelings had seemed a little one-sided. She had broken up with him briefly, which had sucked. They were on the right track now though. She even wrapped her arm around his. Omar felt a million miles tall as they left the building together.
“Hey, check it out,” he said, nodding across the parking lot. Diego was standing next to his Trans Am. Ricky was with him, reminding Omar of his advice this morning. Maybe he simply had to keep trying. “Wanna go talk to them?”
“No!” Silvia said with surprising intensity. She flashed a panicked smile. “I don’t want to be late.”
“It’ll only take a second,” Omar said, thinking her presence might reduce the likelihood that Diego would punch him. He raised a hand to get their attention, but Silvia pulled it back down before he could call out.
“No thanks,” she said, releasing him. “I really need to go.”
“Okay.”
Omar smooched her and said goodbye. When he turned around again, Diego and Ricky were already in the car and driving away. He still thought it was weird that she didn’t even want to say hello. They had helped rescue her father from the hospital, for crying out loud. That was worth a quick wave at the very least.
“You’re a mysterious woman,” Omar said under his breath. “And I freaking love it!”
He grinned to himself before going back inside the school. When he reached the gymnasium, the cheerleaders had already dragged out padded mats and were running routines. Instead of sleeveless shirts and skimpy skirts, they were dressed casually in T-shirts and shorts, although plenty of leg was on display. He tried to keep Mr. Finnegan’s instructions in mind as he began filming and paid more attention to what they were doing. The cheerleaders tossed each other into the air, did handsprings across the floor, and created different geometric shapes by piling up. He watched them fail over and over, only to keep trying until they got it right. Omar was almost disappointed when they stopped to take a break.
He was checking his footage when two girls detached themselves from the squad and bounded over to him. Their skin was a warm ivory hue and they shared the same lean build. One of them had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, the other had a short bob. As they neared, their dark eyes glittered at him in curiosity.
“Were you filming?” asked the girl with the shorter hair.
“Obviously,” the other replied. “Either that, or he was pretending to so he could watch us.”
“I’m not sure which would be worse,” the first responded.
“I’m supposed to be here,” Omar said. “I have permission.” He looked back and forth between them. “Are you twins?”
“Oh, I see,” said the girl with a ponytail. “You think all Chinese people look alike.”
“Huh? No!”
“We’re twins,” said the girl with the bob.
“What are you?” her sister asked.
“Me?” Omar replied, trying to keep up. “I’m just a single guy. I mean, I have a sister. But she’s younger than me.”
“So?” said the girl with the ponytail, tilting her head toward her sister. “She’s younger than me. Besides, that’s not what I meant. Are you an Arab?”
“Nah,” Omar said, relieved they were entering more familiar territory. He put on his best smile. “I’m Persian.”
The sisters laughed, but in a way that sounded amused rather than mocking. “So who’s the perv that asked you to film us?”
“A teacher,” he explained. “I’m in journalism. Wait… I’ve got a press pass.” He dug around in his backpack and pulled out a laminated card on a lanyard that Mr. Finnegan had given him, which had both their names on it and his teacher’s phone number in case anyone needed to reach him. The press pass was too dorky to wear, but he did like having it.
“Omar Jafari,” one of the sisters read aloud before giggling.
“Reporter for The Lion’s Pride Post,” the other said, handing it back to him. “Very impressive.”
“You really think so?” he asked.
The sisters looked at each other and laughed, but that was okay. He figured it was better than telling him to go away or ignoring him completely.
“Are we going to be famous?” asked the girl with the ponytail. “You better get our names. I’m Faith Song. Write it down.”
“I’ve got a good memory,” he said, his eyes darting to the girl with a bob, who seemed a little nicer. “What about you?”
“I have a perfect memory,” she teased before answering his question. “I’m Hope.”
“Faith and Hope,” he repeated with a nod. “Nice!”
For whatever reason, this made them both giggle again.
“Aren’t you going to interview us?” Faith asked.
“Nope. This is for the video yearbook, not the newspaper.”
“A video yearbook?” Faith asked with a snort. “How does that work? Will we get a VHS tape instead of a book?”
“Yeah, exactly!” Omar said. “This’ll basically be my first major motion picture. I’m going to be a director someday.”
“Then you should get better shots,” Hope said, “instead of standing over here.”
“I was staying out of the way. What you guys do is really impressive. You’re practically gymnasts!”
Faith crinkled her nose. “We are gymnasts.”
“Or were,” Hope said. “We got tired of focusing on technique, so we thought we’d try cheerleading instead.”
“Either way,” Omar said, “I’d love to get some dynamic shots. I could put my camera on the mat and—”
A shrill whistle interrupted him, blown by a gorgeous woman with auburn hair who was walking toward them. Jessica Beaumont, the captain of the cheerleaders.
“Get your asses back on the mat,” she said to the girls. “If you want to make the team, you need to focus.” Jessica sized him up next. “What are you doing here?”
“He’s a journalist,” Faith said with a giggle.
“It’s for the yearbook,” Hope clarified.
Omar nodded at her. “What she said.”
Jessica sized him up. “Wait a minute… Aren’t you one of Mindy’s little friends?”
“Yeah,” Omar said. “You’re her sister, right?”
“That’s right.” When her eyes narrowed critically, she looked a little too much like Mindy. “You aren’t the one who squirted ketchup all over her homecoming dress, are you?”
“Er…” Omar replied with a flush, causing the twins to laugh.
Jessica nodded at his camera. “Have you got what you need?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Thanks. I need to get to work anyway.”
“Bye, Omar!” Faith said as he walked away, drawing out each syllable in a way that sounded teasing.
“See ya,” he said, raising a hand in parting.
Jessica continued to watch him disapprovingly as he left. He’d seen that look often enough from her sister. They were definitely cut from the same cloth! When he reached the door and risked another glance, she had turned her back to him. The twins hadn’t though. Faith stuck out her tongue playfully. Was she flirting with him? He almost grinned before he thought about how it would make Silvia feel. He managed to keep a straight face as he left, wondering if he was marked somehow. Like they could sense that he’d had sex and wanted a piece of the action.