But it’s not like reporters were still searching for her. She could’ve told Ricky the truth by now. He’d be thrilled to learn that one of his friends had saved him. Especially considering that Ricky had stuck his neck out to help rescue her dad from the hospital. And she sure as hell could have told Omar the truth ages ago. What the fuck was wrong with her? And him, for that matter, because he’d never sworn to keep quiet. Not about that.
“I have another present for you,” Omar said. “Remember the mystery woman that drove you to the urgent care center? I know who she is.”
He expected Ricky to toss the controller aside and demand answers. Instead he went still for a moment and said, “Oh.”
“I thought you’d be more excited.”
Ricky swallowed. Then he paused the game. “I already know.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. It was Silvia.”
“Dude! Why haven’t we talked about this? How long have you known?”
Ricky shrugged. “I guess it just never came up.”
“That my girlfriend was the mystery woman? How could it not?”
Ricky licked his lips nervously. “I don’t think she wants me to talk to anyone about it.”
“It’s cool,” Omar assured him. “She told me everything.”
Ricky’s head whipped toward him. “All of it?”
“Yup.”
“Even about Keisha?”
“Yeah,” Omar said after skipping a beat, because… “How do you know about that?”
“About what?” Ricky said, his eyes widening in panic.
Omar studied him a moment. “About the kiss,” he said.
Ricky’s shoulders slumped. “I hate that I couldn’t tell you myself. I really wanted to! We argued about it even, because I thought you had a right to know, but then Silvia told me that she was the mystery woman, and that I owed her. But I still regret it because you’re my friend, not her. I’m really sorry!”
Omar’s head was spinning. “Wait, wait, wait,” he said. “How did you know about Keisha?”
“Because I saw them,” Ricky said. “I was there when it happened.”
Omar’s stomach sank. “Where?”
Ricky’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I thought you knew.”
“So did I! All she told me is that she kissed Keisha. Silvia didn’t say anything about you being involved.”
The crinkles on Ricky’s forehead became a determined scowl. “I’ll tell you everything. If you want. That’s what I should have done already.”
His mom walked into the room. “Do you boys want any more cake or ice cream?” she asked.
“No,” Ricky replied. “But is it okay if Omar spends the night?”
“Of course!” she replied. “Have fun!”
They waited until she was gone again before Ricky asked, “Do you still want to? Stay, I mean.”
“Yeah!” Omar said. “For sure. But I really need to know what happened.”
Ricky nodded. He stood and gestured for Omar to follow him. They went out back and sat in deck chairs on the patio, the evening air calm and cool.
“This is where I planned to die,” Ricky said, his voice wavering. “I was sitting out here when the pills kicked in. It’s also where I decided that I didn’t really want to commit suicide. So I really am grateful to her. She was my hero until…” He sighed and shook his head. “I figured it out on my own. Who she was. Riding in her truck after we got her dad out of the hospital, the way she looked and talked then, made it click. So I went to the record store to ask her about it, and when I walked in, that’s when I saw them.
“Silvia and Keisha?” he asked with a dry mouth.
Ricky nodded. “They were behind the counter and kissing.”
Omar’s gut twisted up. He had pictured them having a slumber party and deciding to get experimental. Like he had with Ricky. The truth was so much worse, because the record store was their place. How many times had he snuck behind the counter to kiss her when customers weren’t around? “Was it like, I dunno, a lot of kissing?”
“I’m not sure,” Ricky replied. “Silvia noticed me, and I panicked. She chased me down the street and made me swear not to tell you. I said I was going to anyway, if she wouldn’t. That’s when she admitted that she was the mystery woman and said I owed her for saving my life.”
“That’s so messed up,” Omar said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I know,” Ricky said with a guilty expression. “I should have told you anyway.”
“You did fine,” Omar assured him. “I’m the one who screwed up.”
“What? How?”
“By being dumb enough to fall in love with someone I don’t actually know.” The words came out of his subconscious and hit him hard, giving voice to the unease he’d been feeling all week. “Fuck!”
“Do you think Silvia is a lesbian?” Ricky asked. “I keep wondering if she’s still in the closet.”
“She likes guys,” Omar said. “But I don’t know if she really likes me.”
“She should,” Ricky said. “I would have dated you. And I never would have cheated.”
“Thanks,” Omar said, appreciating the sentiment, even though it didn’t make him feel better. “You know what?” he said suddenly. “Let’s forget about her and everything else. It’s your birthday, man! We’ve gotta keep partying!”
Ricky’s expression was uncertain. “Does playing video games count?”
“Yup! Absolutely. Let’s kick Ganon’s ass!”
Omar put on a carefree grin as they went inside, but it didn’t reflect how he actually felt. Not at all. But he couldn’t dwell on the confusing mix of anger and sorrow. Not now, and not on his own. He thought of Anthony, felt a longing for him, and swallowed against the pain. Then he sat next to his friend and lost himself in the simplicity of a sixteen-bit world.
CHAPTER 19
April 14th, 1993
Anthony decided, if he had the power to stop time, that he would do so now, because spring break was the bomb. He had spent most of it with his boyfriend, who was currently bowing with a flourish after opening the door to a restaurant. Which was a real treat, considering that Anthony didn’t have a penny to his name, but each meal that Cameron paid for increased his motivation to find a job over the summer. Especially since everyone else seemed so busy with their own. He had barely seen Omar, and Silvia was putting in full-time hours over the break.
“After you,” Cameron said.
Anthony didn’t know much about Indian food, but he’d heard it had good vegetarian options. The restaurant’s dimly lit interior sure smelled delectable. He tried not to laugh—and failed—when his boyfriend sauntered up to the greeter’s podium and said, “Reservation for Mr. Cameron Huxley and his very special guest.”
The greeter took two menus and led them through the restaurant, which was doing good business for a weekday lunch. Most of the other patrons were adults, who didn’t get spring break off. That seemed weird to Anthony, considering that adults made the rules. He was pondering this when a pair of pale blue eyes caught his attention. He almost didn’t recognize his journalism teacher, who wore a T-shirt and shorts instead of his usual slacks and dress shirt. He even had a pair of shades parked in his silver hair.