CHAPTER 27
Ricky should have felt cool when driving his very own car.
Instead, he was kind of lonely. Diego kept insisting that he would take his motorcycle to school, even though he hadn’t shown up so far this week.
Mindy preferred to walk, now that the weather was nice again.
Cameron was back to getting a ride with Anthony, leaving Ricky without any passengers to ferry around.
All of his friends were older, or he probably would have gained status for having his own wheels.
Maybe he should find some desperate freshmen to impress, if only for the company.
Ricky forced himself to look on the bright side.
He wasn’t grounded, which certainly felt like a birthday miracle.
When he explained what had happened, how Diego discovered that his biological father had died years ago, Ricky won his mother’s sympathy.
She wasn’t pleased that he’d run off without permission, but she was trying a new tactic of trusting him to be open and honest with her.
Which only increased his guilt, because they still didn’t know about the Trans Am.
Diego had already signed it over to him.
Ricky only needed insurance to make it official.
“Just don’t get pulled over.”
That had been Diego’s advice. Ricky could already imagine the trouble he’d get into if that happened. He’d rather find a job, considering most of his friends had one. He wasn’t sure where he wanted to work, but with summer fast approaching, he’d have plenty of opportunity to figure it out.
He turned his attention to more immediate concerns as the school came into view.
Ricky scanned the parking lot, seeing no sign of a Harley-Davidson or his great big boyfriend.
He sighed when getting out of the car and waited, as he had all week, but without much hope.
He greeted a few friends, his attention remaining elsewhere, and gave up when the warning bell rang.
Diego was drinking again, like he used to.
Ricky had expressed concern the last time he was over there.
On his next visit, Diego wasn’t drunk… but he was high.
Ricky didn’t feel he had the right to insist he stop doing that as well, since Diego had indulged back when he was happy.
Or as close to that state as he ever got.
Regardless, Ricky worried he was slipping into old habits.
Then again, who could blame him for wanting to take a week off?
Especially after everything Diego had been through.
His heart was heavy as he took a seat in his first period class. The bell rang. The PA system chimed a moment later.
“Good morning, students,” Principal Preckwinkle said, her voice broadcasted through speakers mounted in the ceiling. “Prom tickets go on sale today and will be available in the school cafeteria.”
Ricky filled with longing. If only Diego could ask him to go! Despite being as old as a junior, his boyfriend had been held back before they met and was technically a sophomore like him. Maybe next year.
“There have been some last-minute changes,” the announcement continued, “so please give your full attention to Troy Mitchell, your student representative, as he explains.”
“Thank you, Principal Preckwinkle,” Troy said ingratiatingly.
“Hey, everyone. We have got an amazing prom lined up for you this year. My girlfriend, Faith Song, came up with a super cool Garden of Eden theme. But unlike the real garden, you’ve gotta wear clothes.
A giant leaf and a piece of string won’t cut it, guys. ”
The students around Ricky laughed. Troy certainly could be charming, when he wanted.
“Now on to those changes. To make sure everyone has a good time and the venue doesn’t get too crowded, the dance is couples only.
I mean, that’s what prom is all about, right?
To make sure none of you wily devils try sneaking into the garden, you’ve gotta be together when you buy your tickets.
You can only do so in pairs of guys and girls.
That way we know you’re an actual couple, and not just buddies who are hoping to meet someone special at the dance.
So when you come up to the table in the cafeteria, make sure your date is with you.
If you’ve got separate lunch breaks, we’ll also be set up there half an hour each day after school. Can’t wait to see you at the dance!”
Preckwinkle came back on to fill in a few more details, such as price and payment methods, before reminding everyone that prom was only accessible to juniors and seniors.
And apparently straight couples. Ricky looked around the room.
Nobody seemed particularly upset by this announcement.
Had he misunderstood? Maybe they had meant to say that it was couples only, but hadn’t taken into consideration those weren’t always pairs of guys and girls.
He wasn’t entirely sure until he reported to his computer science class. Cameron was waiting for him with a grim expression.
“Did you hear?” his friend demanded. “This feels personal. Who else does it affect besides Anthony and me?”
“Keisha, if she’s planning on going,” Ricky said. “Diego and I can’t so… Maybe you’re right.”
“I know I am!” Cameron growled.
“What about the anti-discrimination policy?” Ricky asked.
Cameron shook his head. “Doesn’t go into effect until next year. Preckwinkle is aware of that. She has to be behind this. Along with her little lapdog. Did you hear how happy Troy sounded?”
“Yeah,” Ricky said. “What are we gonna do?”
Cameron crossed his arms over his chest and slumped down in his seat. “I don’t know. I’ll figure something out. I never should have given up my position on the student council.”
Silvia was still involved. She would have the inside scoop. When lunch break came, he went to their usual table, the mood there dour.
“It’s complete bullshit!” Omar was saying.
Silvia nodded. “I don’t understand what happened. None of this came up in the student government meetings.”
“Then it can’t be legitimate,” David said.
“Preckwinkle clearly supports the decision,” Anthony murmured. “I’m not sure anything else matters.”
“Have you tried buying a ticket yet?” Ricky asked. “Maybe they didn’t think through the definition of a couple.”
Anthony shrugged. “I’d have to wait until after school, since Cameron and I have separate lunch breaks. Frankly, I’m not sure I want to give Troy the satisfaction.”
“I wish I could try for you,” Ricky said.
“Good idea.” Silvia nudged her boyfriend. “Go with him.”
“What?” Omar cried. “They’ll think we’re a couple!”
“Exactly,” she replied. “If you’re successful, Ricky will give me his ticket.”
“Oh. Right!”
Omar stood. Together they headed to a table that had been set up in one corner and got into line.
“I just want you to know,” Ricky said, leaning against him, “that I always put out.”
“I remember,” Omar said with a toothy grin. “Uh… Troy doesn’t usually have the same lunch break as us, does he?”
“No,” Ricky said, following his gaze. Troy was seated at the table. So was his girlfriend. “I guess they get time off from class to sell tickets.”
“I feel like our chances just went way down,” Omar grumbled.
“This will be a good test. Better us than Anthony.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Soon enough, it was their turn. Troy saw them and immediately began shaking his head. “Didn’t you guys listen to the rules this morning?”
“I’m dating Omar now,” Ricky said, wrapping himself around his arm.
Troy snorted. “Doesn’t matter. A couple is defined as being a guy and a girl. Nothing personal. If we changed the definition, a bunch of wallflowers would pair up and ruin the whole vibe.”
Ricky dropped the act. “Okay, fine. I’m not really dating Omar. I just thought it would be fun to go to prom. But what about real same-sex couples?”
“Yeah!” Omar chimed in. “Anthony and Cameron have been together for more than a year now!”
Faith sighed in irritation. “We don’t have time to verify every single claim. The answer is no.”
“How many gay couples can there be?” Ricky demanded.
“No idea,” Troy said. “You heard the lady. No means no.”
“That’s rich coming from you!” Ricky spat.
Troy narrowed his eyes. “I’m going out of my way to be nice. Don’t push your luck. Now get out of the way so actual couples can buy tickets.”
“Can you believe him?” Ricky grumbled as they walked away.
“The guy who sucker-punched me when my grandma was dying in the hospital? Yeah. I can believe it. You better let me break the news to Anthony.”
Omar took the lead.
“What happened?” Anthony asked him.
“Troy is a royal asshole,” Omar reported.
His best friend sighed. “Thanks for trying. Cameron probably would have strangled him.”
“There’s gotta be a way!” Whitney said. “What if we buy tickets and give them to you?”
David tensed. “You don’t want to go?”
“I do love to dance,” Whitney said wistfully.
“Then we’ll find people who aren’t going and have them buy tickets,” Silvia suggested. “How hard can it be?”
“What if they won’t let us through the door?” Anthony asked. “Even if we do have tickets.”
“We’ll have our own prom!” Whitney declared. “At my house.”
“That’s sweet of you,” Anthony replied, “but it would make me feel like I was going back in the closet. Dances are supposed to be public.”
“He makes a good point,” David said, sounding a little manic.
“We’ll get you guys into that dance,” Omar said. “Somehow.”
They exchanged ideas while eating, although the shine had been taken off what should have been the pinnacle of Anthony and Cameron’s relationship.
Ricky felt increasingly grumpy as the day wore on.
He didn’t stay for the theater group after school.
He wasn’t really needed there at the moment, which normally wouldn’t have dissuaded him, but with Cameron in detention and Diego absent, he saw no point in sticking around.
Instead he drove to Gomez Auto Repair and parked out front.
“Does it feel good to be home again?” he asked the car.
He answered for it in a monstrous voice. “Frankenstein miss Diego.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
Ricky wandered into the open repair bays, but didn’t see his boyfriend anywhere, so he approached an old black man who was sweeping up. The name “Jasper” was sewn into his coveralls, which looked just as ancient as the man himself.
“Hi!” Ricky said. “Is Diego working today?”
Jasper shook his head. “Not today and probably not tomorrow either. I sure haven’t seen him doin’ anything recently.”
Ricky worked his jaw. “But he loves working here!”
Jasper leaned against the broom, one hand over the other at the very top.
“About a month back, he went around in a mood, shouting at everybody ‘cept for me. Haven’t seen him much since. When I have, it’s like the fire’s gone out of him.
Figured he wasn’t feeling well. I’d expect you’d know more about it than I would. You’re Ricky, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Jasper,” the man said, pointing to the embroidery.
The only other coveralls with a name sewn on them that he’d noticed belonged to Lorenzo, Diego’s dad. They were kept hanging up in the office, which Ricky could see from here, the windows dark.
“You’ll likely find him upstairs.” Jasper said, noticing the direction of his gaze. “See if you can’t cheer him up. Let the boy know he’s missed.”
“I will.”
Ricky thanked him and went around the back of the garage, where stairs led up to the second-floor apartment. After knocking, he heard Diego shout from inside.
“It’s open!”
Ricky let himself in. The place reeked of marijuana. He followed the smoke to where Diego sat on the living room couch while watching TV.
“What are you doing?” Ricky asked.
“Nothin’!” Diego replied shamelessly.
Ricky sat down next to him, the screeching television drawing his attention. Two women, both pregnant, had gotten into a catfight while a buck-toothed yokel—presumably the father of their unborn children—watched with an amused grin.
“The Jerry Springer Show?” he asked incredulously.
“Hey, it’s good to know that some people’s lives are even more fucked up than my own.” Diego croaked laughter. He was baked! “How was school, son? Did you learn anything new?”
“Only that Troy is an even bigger jerk than I thought.”
Those cinnamon eyes came into sharp focus. “What do you mean?”
“He basically found a way to ruin prom for Anthony and Cameron.”
Diego turned off the TV and tossed the remote aside. “How’d he do that?”
Ricky explained what had happened, his boyfriend listening intently.
“I wish you’d been there,” he concluded.
“Neither one of us can do anything about it, but I still feel better having you around. Our friends need your support.” And he was beginning to worry Diego would be held back another year.
He’d probably drop out rather than deal with that. Ricky wanted them to graduate together.
“I’ll be there tomorrow,” Diego said.
Ricky perked up. “Really?”
“Yeah. Just try and fucking stop me.”
He hesitated, concerned by the sudden anger. “You aren’t going to do anything to Troy, are you?”
Diego seemed to think about it. Then he shook his head. “Nah. I’ll leave him alone.”
That was a relief. Ricky bit his bottom lip. “Are you in the mood?”
Diego shrugged and settled back on the couch. “Do whatever you want.”
Ricky answered the demands of his hormones.
He yearned to be close to Diego, still feeling that something intangible separated them.
Getting to touch his boyfriend, and make him feel good, seemed to banish whatever that was.
For a little while anyway. But he couldn’t help notice, once he’d had his fun, that Diego hadn’t touched him back.
Even afterwards, when he stretched out on the couch with his head on Diego’s lap, those big strong hands kept to themselves.
“I ran into Jasper,” he ventured.
“Oh yeah?” Diego asked without much interest.
Ricky pushed himself up. “He said you haven’t been working lately. Like, at all.”
“Maybe he should mind his own business.”
“He was worried about you. I am too! I thought you liked working on cars.”
“I did,” Diego huffed. “Now I don’t.”
“How come?”
“For the same reason I don’t wear that stupid leather jacket anymore. If it makes you feel better, we can hold a funeral for my old persona. We’ll bury him right next to my fake dad.” Diego rolled his eyes. “Stop looking at me like that. People change. It’s not a big deal.”
It was though. Ricky could sense it. Something was wrong. And even though he didn’t fully understand what was going on, he was determined to find a way to fix it.