Is He Or Isn't He? by John Hall Page B

him? Didn’t he have a good time at his party? Didn’t he like talking with him?
    Anthony shook his head. Maybe he was deluding himself. Hoping for something that wasn’t going to be.
    But attraction was a two-way street, he reminded himself. How could someone know you were interested in them unless you let them know it? For all he knew, Max was waiting for him to make the first move. Maybe he’d never had a boyfriend before. Maybe he still hadn’t come out.
    â€œSo why haven’t you spoken to him?” Paige asked again.
    Anthony shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m having a hard time figuring him out. Maybe he’s had his heart broken and he’s afraid of falling in love again.”
    â€œIf that’s true, then you’re perfect for each other.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œWhat you said about Max could also be said about you. Are you scared of putting yourself back out there? Is that why you’re staying away from Max? You can’t be afraid. Not every guy you meet is going to be like Ian.”
    Anthony’s mouth dropped open.
    â€œHow did you know?”
    Paige gave Anthony a smile. “I’m your best friend. Give me a little credit. And I know what you’re going through, remember?”
    â€œJeremy Lacter,” Anthony said.
    â€œJeremy Lacter. You know how he broke my heart sophomore year the day before the Spring Fling when he got together with his ex-girlfriend, Sheena Wolverton, and told me he was taking her to the dance instead of me. I locked myself in my bedroom for a week, cried nonstop, and wouldn’t see or talk to anyone.”
    â€œHow could I forget? When you finally emerged from your bedroom it looked like raccoons had nested in your hair! And let’s not talk about your face!” Anthony shuddered. “I thought I was going to faint! We had to get you an emergency visit to my mother’s salon. Thank God Jorge had an opening.”
    â€œDo you remember what you said to me when my hair was being shampooed? You told me that Jeremy was a jerk.”
    â€œI also told you that looking good is the best revenge,” Anthony quipped. “You should have listened to me and gotten those blond highlights!”
    Paige ignored Anthony’s wisecrack. “You told me that Ihad to forget what had happened and move on because if I didn’t put myself back out there, if I didn’t start dating other guys and trusting them, Jeremy would be winning. You have to do the same thing.”
    â€œI know, I know. You’re right. But it’s hard.”
    Paige squeezed Anthony’s hand. “Trust me, it gets easier.”
    Anthony and Paige walked into their homeroom and took two seats at the back of the room. Hopefully they’d have a homeroom teacher cool enough to let them sit where they wanted instead of an anal-retentive one who would insist on having everyone sit in alphabetical order. The fact that their homeroom teacher hadn’t show up yet was a good sign.
    â€œGuess who’s in almost all of Max’s classes,” Anthony said.
    Paige looked up from the notebook she was writing in. “Who?”
    â€œFelix.”
    Paige bit down on the end of her pen. “It makes sense. Felix probably helped him pick his classes.”
    â€œAnd made sure he wasn’t in any of mine.”
    â€œFelix would do that?”
    â€œAll’s fair in love and war.”
    Anthony wondered what Felix had told Max about him. Felix’s style wasn’t to publicly trash someone. Oh, no, he was too smart for that. Felix liked to cover his tracks. That way he always looked innocent and nothing could be traced back to him.
    Could Felix have told Max that he was gay? Was that why Max was keeping his distance? But that theory didn’t make sense. Max was hanging out with Felix and Felix was gay.
    Plus, if Max were gay, Felix probably wouldn’t want him toknow that Anthony was gay. Why help out the