Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez Page A

atop his own jacket. Then glancing over his shoulder and seeing his parents weren’t looking, he quickly pecked Jason a kiss.
    “Hey, cut it out,” Jason whispered. But he was smiling and an instant later, he tapped Kyle a kiss in return.
    “Have you eaten?” Kyle asked, grinning.
    Jason gave a vague shrug that Kyle took to mean he wouldn’t mind eating again.
    “Hel o, Jason!” Kyle’s dad said, instantly on his feet as Jason came into the dining room. He shook Jason’s hand, clapped him on the shoulder, and as Kyle set an extra place, his dad and Jason began talking excitedly about assists, steals, rebounds, and turnovers.
    Although Kyle never doubted his dad loved him, he could tel Jason was the type of son he’d always wanted Kyle to be—self-confident, popular, winning.
    Kyle tried not to feel jealous, listening politely til everyone finished eating and his mom interceded.
    “Honey,” she told his dad, “the boys probably want to go study.”
    “Huh?” His dad blinked. “Oh, yeah.”
    “There’s apple pie when you boys get hungry again,” his mom said after Jason helped Kyle clear the table.
    “I hope my dad didn’t talk your ear off,” Kyle whispered to Jason as he led him upstairs.
    “I don’t mind.” Jason shrugged. “At least he takes an interest. That’s more than I could ever say for mine.” He sat down in the desk chair.
    “So, tel me everything!” Kyle said, sitting down on his bed. “What did Coach say? Why’s he want to talk to Muel er about Jason recounted the story, as if recapping a game, and even though he seemed to be cool with the whole thing, the way he bit into a fingernail every once in a while hinted he was real y kind of nervous.
    “It sounds like you did great,” Kyle said, trying to reassure him.
    Jason shrugged and gave a slight grin. “It was so weird when Coach brought up the role model thing. Almost like you’d told him to say that.”
    “I did,” Kyle teased. “I phoned him over the weekend.”
    “Want to give Muel er a cal too?” Jason kidded in return.
    Kyle laughed, then turned earnest. “I think Coach’s idea of talking to MacTraugh is great. She’s awesome.”
    “I hope so,” Jason said.
    Kyle nodded, careful y considering what he wanted to say next. “I’ve been thinking. ...” He sat forward on the bed, bracing his arms on the mattress. “About what you said—you know—about staying home and going to community col ege?”
    “Yeah?” Jason’s thick eyebrows rose with curiosity.
    “Like you said,” Kyle continued, “going to a community col ege wouldn’t be the worst thing. I mean, I guess what I’m saying is . . . if that’s what you had to do, wel , I could do it too.
    Kyle knew he was crazy to even entertain the idea, but wasn’t the alternative—being apart from Jason—even crazier?
    “I mean,” Kyle pressed on, “we’d stil transfer to Tech junior year, right?” Jason ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know about this, Kyle. You shouldn’t decide on your col ege based on me. You need to think maturely about this.”
    “I’m not,” Kyle said. “I mean, I am thinking maturely. I wouldn’t only do this because of you. I’d be doing it for me.” Jason raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
    Kyle wondered: How could he convince Jason how much he meant to him without sounding immature?
    “I want to be with you,” he said softly. “I don’t want to be apart. We’re boyfriends.” Jason gazed into his eyes. “Wel . . .” His beautiful y rounded lips quivered anxiously. “Like you said before, this is al hypothetical.” Abruptly he glanced away, grabbing his backpack, and pul ed out a book. “Can you help me with some math?” His notebook accidental y dropped to the floor. Obviously he felt too nervous to talk any more about the future.
    Kyle longed for some reassurance about his plan. But he knew from experience how skittish Jason could get, so he contented himself with Jason scooting his