Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez Page B

consider passing up Princeton because of him?
    “Kyle, you’re crazy. You can’t pass this up. No one passes up Princeton. Have you told your mom and dad?”
    “Not yet. I know they’l tel me Princeton’s a better school. But Tech’s a good school. And it’s closer to home and cheaper, too.” Jason listened skeptical y. He wanted Kyle to go to col ege with him. But . . .
    “Kyle, you know Princeton’s better. If you don’t go there, your mom and dad wil hate me.”
    “No, they won’t.”
    “Oh, yes, they wil . And what if I lose the scholarship? You’d be passing up Princeton for a community col ege?” Kyle shrugged silently, his eyes fil ed with trust, making Jason no longer want to sit apart from him. He moved over to the bed, beside Kyle.
    Kyle turned to him, his mouth open. In an instant the two of them fel back on the bed, their arms encircling, as the cat sprang away meowing.
    “Oops.” Kyle laughed and Jason kissed him more deeply, then said, “I like your chlorine smel .”
    “I’m sorry,” Kyle told him. “Some jerk on the team told Coach Sweeney he doesn’t feel safe showering with me.” Jason pul ed away. “Are you serious?”
    “I’m so ticked,” Kyle said. “But I don’t know what to do about it. And Sweeney’s no help.” Jason’s anxiety about his own team came flooding back. Would they react like that? How would Coach Cameron handle it, if they did?
    He sat up. “Muel er cal ed me down to his office today.”
    Kyle sat up beside Jason, listening as Jason told him what Muel er had said.
    “Do you want to put off coming out?” Kyle asked.
    “No. But I don’t want to screw up our chances for the championship.”
    Kyle hung his head, staring down at the carpet.
    “Are you disappointed in me?” Jason asked.

    “Of course not!” Kyle looked up. “In fact, I was thinking. If you win the state championship, they’re less likely to take your scholarship away, don’t you think?”
    Jason guessed where Kyle was going with this. “Kyle, you can’t count on that. I don’t want you to do something that you’l end up resenting me for.”
    “I won’t,” Kyle said, and leaned forward, pressing his lips onto Jason’s.
    Jason kissed him back, wanting more than anything for them to go to Tech together—except if that meant Kyle had to pass up Princeton.
    His turmoil wasn’t helped much after Kyle left, when his mom asked, “Does Kyle have a girlfriend?”
    “Ma!” Jason shouted. “I’ve told you Kyle’s gay. When are you going to stop being in denial?” He stormed back to his room and cranked his stereo, trying to stop the doubts pummeling his head.

chapter 10
jason nelson kyle
    Nelson dodged Kyle at lunch, stil furious at him for getting accepted to Princeton. But Kyle nabbed him in the hal .
    “Nelson! I haven’t even decided if I’m going!”
    “You’re going to reject Princeton? I don’t think so,” Nelson scoffed, though secretly he hoped Kyle would.
    After school Nelson sat at his computer, ignoring Kyle’s instant messages. Across the desk lay his own acceptance letter to Tech—the only school to which he’d applied. His mom and counselors had told him he should target at least three universities, blah, blah, blah. . . . But what for? He wanted to go to col ege with Kyle. And Tech was the only one of Kyle’s choices he’d stood a chance of getting into.
    But if Kyle isn’t going there, Nelson thought, why should I?
    Besides, going to Tech would mean leaving Jeremy . . .
    Suddenly a new idea popped into Nelson’s brain. Why not go to community col ege with Jeremy?
    Of course, he’d have to convince his mom. She was so pukingly proud of him getting into Tech. But she also real y liked Jeremy. Except, Nelson stil hadn’t confided the teeny little HIV detail.
    That evening was the weekly supermarket night. Out of boredom Nelson accompanied his mom. While waiting for her to select between sour or sweet pickles, he combed through the greeting cards.