Read Online Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez - Free Book Online Page A

Kyle.
    As they carried their trays through the rowdy lunchroom, Jason confided in a low voice, “Yesterday I told the coach about . . . you know ...”
    “Whoa!” Corey stopped in his tracks. “You did what?” He glanced toward the basketbal team table. “Let’s sit somewhere else.” They found an empty table by the wal . “How did Coach take it?” Corey said.
    But before Jason could answer, Corey’s girlfriend walked up. “Hi, guys!” Cindy plopped her tray next to Corey’s.
    Beside her stood Debra, wearing a formfitting pink cashmere turtleneck. “Mind if I sit?” she asked Jason.
    Her familiar scent of rose perfume carried over. This would mark their first time lunching together since their breakup.
    “Sure.” He pul ed the chair out for her.
    “How come you’re sitting way over here?” Cindy asked. She was always to the point like that.
    Corey glanced at Jason, deferring to his response.
    Jason bit into his lip. Should he tel all of them about coming out to Coach? He hated having to make daily decisions about when to tel who how much about what. It was ridiculous.
    But since he’d already come out to Corey, Debra, and Cindy, he decided he may as wel update them.
    He took a deep breath. “I was tel ing Corey that I told Coach. You know . . . I came out to him.” He tried to gauge Debra’s reaction. He hadn’t discussed with her any more about his liking guys since he’d first come out to her and she’d responded by striking out at him, yel ing that she hated him. Even though she’d since apologized and said she wanted to be friends, the episode had left its mark.
    Now Cindy responded first. “So does that mean you’re out to the whole school?”
    “No,” Jason said, glancing over his shoulder. “Not yet.”
    Debra took a sip from her Coke. “What did Coach say?”
    Jason relaxed in his chair, relieved she wasn’t freaking out. “He wants to discuss it with some people. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I just hope Tech won’t take away my scholarship.”
    “They couldn’t do that,” Cindy said. “Could they?”
    Corey nodded. “Oh, yeah!”
    “That sucks,” Cindy said. “It seems like everyone’s coming out al of a sudden. First Kyle spray-painted his locker. Of course, I always suspected him. I saw you two talking after the game. Are you friends?”
    Jason felt a trickle of sweat start down his back. He hadn’t mentioned to Debra about his relationship with Kyle yet, in part because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings—everything with Kyle had happened so soon after she and Jason had broken up—and partly because it was stil hard to talk about being involved with a guy, especial y to an ex-girlfriend.
    “Um . . .” Jason cleared his throat. “I guess you could say Kyle and I are friends. He started helping me with math and we, um . . . hang out sometimes.”
    “I’ve always liked him,” Debra said. “I remember the day he helped me carry this huge load of field hockey equipment out to my car. And when my mom was in the hospital that time? He always asked how I was doing. He’s a sweet guy. I didn’t realize you’d become friends.” Jason nodded, hoping that would end the discussion, but Cindy gave him a mischievous grin. “So,” she whispered, “are you two dating?” Jason nearly slid off his chair. Did she real y just ask that? He’d never thought of Kyle and him as “dating,” but wasn’t that what they were doing?
    “Um ...” He sipped his Coke, trying to quench the sudden drought in his mouth. “Yeah, I mean, I guess so.” Cindy’s smile evaporated. “Oh,” she said. “I was just joking.
    Debra spun around to stare at Jason, her cheerful calm shattered. “You’re dating Kyle? Since when?”
    “Just recently,” Jason said, trying to sound like it was no big deal. “Not til you and I broke up.” His feet pressed into the floor, ready to propel his chair back if she swung out at him.
    But Debra folded her arms. “Why didn’t you