Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez Page A

his best friend, Corey. He’d be relieved that Jason had put off coming out. He’d told Jason he thought this whole thing was a big career mistake.
    Not his ex-girlfriend, Debra. She was stil PO ’d at him for not having told her about Kyle.
    Not his mom. She had enough to worry about. Besides, she was stil in denial about his being gay.
    The obvious choice was Kyle. But would he be disappointed in Jason for bagging out?
    After the last bel , Jason meandered to Kyle’s locker. “Wha’s up?”
    “Um, hi,” Kyle mumbled.
    “You okay?” Jason asked.
    “Yeah . . .” Kyle muttered, not very convincingly. “I was going to cal you tonight. It’s about . . . Tech.”
    “What happened?” Jason asked impatiently, casting aside his own problems.
    “Um, remember back in the fal ,” Kyle said, fidgeting with his backpack zipper. “I told you I’d applied to Princeton?” Jason vaguely recal ed the mention of it.
    Kyle reached into his backpack, pul ed out an envelope, and handed it to Jason. The return address was Princeton. A knot formed in Jason’s stomach as he unfolded the letter.
    Halfway down the page, he stopped reading, too stunned to continue. What about their plans to go to Tech together? What about Kyle’s wil ingness to stay and go to community col ege so they wouldn’t be separated? What about their being “boyfriends”? Had Kyle forgotten al that?
    “Congratulations.” Jason shoved the letter back. “That’s great.”
    “Is it?” Kyle said, his hazel eyes gazing up.
    Jason wasn’t certain what he meant.
    “Can I come over later?” Kyle asked. “So we can talk about it?”
    “Yeah.” Jason nodded. “Sure.”
    At practice Jason had trouble getting into stride. With his thoughts bouncing between Kyle one instant and Muel er the next, he could hardly score a basket.
    But then Corey positioned him for a layup and Jason made a hook shot he’d long been practicing.
    “Good one,” said Andre, clapping him on the shoulder.
    Jason was in sync again, his mind focused on the one thing in his world that always made sense.
    It turned out to be one of their best practices ever. At least it seemed that way, with each teammate knowing the others’ moves, as if playing in perfect harmony. And afterward, in the locker room, everyone laughed together—even Dwayne.
    Mueller’s right, Jason thought. How could he let the team down now, before the state finals?
    That evening, as Jason was finishing dinner, Kyle arrived. Melissa ran to greet him at the door.
    “Just in time for dessert,” said Jason’s mom. When Kyle sat down at the table, she served him a dish of flan.
    “It’s like custard,” Jason said, in response to Kyle’s crinkled expression. “Try it. It’s real y good.” Kyle tasted a spoonful. “It’s great,” he told Jason’s mom.
    “How do you make it?”
    She explained how she’d learned to make it from Jason’s grand mom on his dad’s side.
    As she spoke Jason wondered if she understood that he and Kyle were not just friends. He’d told her Kyle was gay, but that was al .
    “We’re going to study awhile,” Jason said when they finished their desserts.
    Melissa clung to Kyle’s hand. “I want to go too!”
    “Let them study,” Jason’s mom said, holding her back.
    “She’s real y gotten insecure since my dad left,” Jason told Kyle on the way back to his room.
    From atop the bed, Jason’s cat glanced up sleepily as Kyle sat down beside it and began scratching its chin. “Hey, Rex. How’s it going?” Jason closed the door and sat on the desk chair across from Kyle. He crossed his arms, eager to talk out everything going on.
    Kyle glanced up from petting the cat. “I don’t know what to do about Princeton. How can I accept it?”
    “Is it expensive?” Jason asked.
    “Yeah, but it’s not that. It’s because . . .” Kyle’s hazel eyes peered up at Jason. “It’s because of us. It’s because of you.” Jason’s leg started jiggling. Would Kyle seriously