Boyfriends with Girlfriends (16 page)

“Really?” Lance asked, turning into the church parking lot. “Would you actually do that?”

“I don’t know. What if I didn’t like it? Once we crossed that line, it would be hard to go back. I like her a lot, but I don’t want to screw up our friendship.”

Lance pulled into a parking space and turned the engine off, wishing he knew what to say to her. But he was having a hard enough time trying to navigate his relationship with Sergio.

Each day Lance looked forward to exchanging texts, IMs, or calls with Sergio, and he was thrilled when they
did. But if he didn’t hear from him or get a response, his insecurities crept back. Was Sergio dating somebody else? If so, who?

Then, just when Lance had become convinced that he’d been dumped for someone else, Sergio phoned.

“Hey, man,” he told Lance on Tuesday. “Do you want to go to my school’s homecoming dance with me?”

“What?” Lance fell back onto his bed, a little stunned. He’d never expected that question.

“A couple of guys went to the prom together last spring,” Sergio said, “and it was no big deal. So, do you want to go? The dance is this Saturday.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Lance said, trying to contain his excitement. Of course he wanted to go, but what did it mean?

“I’m
so
confused,” he told Allie over the phone as soon as he’d hung up with Sergio. “He won’t commit to being a couple but he invites me to homecoming? I don’t get it.”

“Well, just because you go with someone to homecoming doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a couple,” Allie argued.

“Yeah, but this will be our third date. Doesn’t that mean
something
?”

“Maybe . . . or maybe not. Why don’t you just go with the flow and have fun?”

“I would if I knew what part to play: serious or just casual date.”

All that night and into the next morning he tried to sort out his conflicting feelings.

“I’ve been thinking and thinking,” he told Allie as they walked to their school GSA meeting at lunchtime. “Maybe I should take things to the next level with him. You know: move beyond making out.”

“Why the switch?” Allie asked.

“Well . . . maybe if we went further, he’d be more willing to become a couple.”

Allie turned and stared at him, pushing a stray curl behind her ear. “And what if he isn’t more willing? Would you still want to move it to the next level?”

“I think so.” Lance gave a bashful nod and lowered his voice to a whisper. “I keep thinking about him putting my hand on his zipper and what if—you know—I hadn’t pulled away.”

“Uh-huh . . .” Allie giggled. “I figured that was part of this.”

“Maybe because he didn’t jump my bones,” Lance explained, “it makes me want to go further with him. Am I being flaky?”

“Makes sense to me,” Allie said. “He respected you, so you trust him.”

“Exactly!”

“Even if he’s not ready to become a couple?” Allie asked as they got to the GSA meeting room.

“Yeah . . .” Lance sighed wistfully. “This sucks. It’s like he wants one foot in and one foot out. Why can’t he just commit?”

“I can drive this time,” Lance offered the next time he
talked with Sergio on the phone. He was curious to meet Sergio’s family, and if he were going to take things to the next level, he’d rather do it in his own car.

“Great,” Sergio said. At dinner he told his parents he was going to the homecoming dance with Lance.

“He’s the guy I mentioned last time,” Sergio explained, figuring that if his mom and dad were going to make a stink about it, he’d rather they do it now. “You’ll meet him when he comes to pick me up.”

His mom glanced anxiously at his dad, and his dad stared back across the table at her. Neither of them protested, though his mom lit a new novena candle that night.

On Saturday afternoon, Allie went to Lance’s to help him choose what to wear to the dance. While he pulled off one shirt and put on another, she glanced at his bare chest.

“What?” he asked, noticing.

“Nothing.” She gave a little sigh and replaced his discarded shirts on hangers.

“How about this one?” He slid into a tight Lycra long-sleeve T. “Too gay?”

“Yeah.” She cracked a grin. “But the shirt is nice.”

“Ha ha.” Lance tugged the shirt off. “So, should I take his mom flowers or something? Or would that seem like sucking up?”

“I think that would be sweet,” Allie said. “But not roses, a simple mixed bunch.”

“Good idea, thanks.” He gave her a peck on the
cheek, and she made herself smile, wishing he got this excited when he went to dances with
her
.

On his way to Sergio’s, he stopped at the supermarket and picked out an autumn-color bouquet of golden calendulas, sunflowers, and red daisies.

“These are for your mom,” Lance whispered, when he got to Sergio’s.

“Oh, man! She’s going to love you.” Sergio led him to the living room and introduced him to his parents.

“Nice to meet you,” Mr. Martinez said, shaking hands. He was shorter than Sergio and had to tilt his head back to look up at Lance.

“Oh, thank you!” Mrs. Martinez said when Lance gave her the flowers. “You’re very thoughtful.” She asked Sergio to put them in water and invited Lance to take a seat. “I made some hot chocolate and dessert for you boys before you go.”

While she and Sergio went to the kitchen, Lance was left alone with Mr. Martinez.

“Um, you have a nice house,” Lance said.

“Thanks. Glad you like it.” They sat silent for a moment until Mr. Martinez asked, “Do you play basketball?”

“Um, only in gym class. I’m on the swim team, though. Yeah, my school has a really good team. We always rank in the top five of the county. . . . I learned to swim when I was like three. I love it. . . . Um, what sports do you like?”

“Soccer,” Mr. Martinez answered.

“I like soccer, too,” Lance said, even though he’d hardly ever played and seldom watched it.

“Were you nice to him?” Sergio asked his dad when he and his mom returned with the hot chocolate and dessert.

“I’m always nice,” his dad answered.

“Yeah, right.” Sergio rolled his eyes.

“This is called
Tres Leches,
” Mrs. Martinez said, passing Lance a slice of the sponge cake made with “three milks”: condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cream.

“It’s so frickin’ good,” Sergio told Lance. He handed his dad a bottle of lactose enzyme tablets, explaining to Lance, “My dad’s intolerant.”

“Too much milk,” Mr. Martinez clarified, “doesn’t agree with me.”

“Doesn’t the cake taste great?” Sergio asked as Lance took a bite.

“Delicioso,”
Lance replied.
“Gracias.”

“Ah! ¿Hablas español?”
Mrs. Martinez asked.

“No, no, no.” Lance gave a nervous laugh. “That’s about all the Spanish I know.”

While they ate, Mrs. Martinez led the conversation, asking Lance questions about his family and school, and relating stories about her own growing up in Mexico. Then she told him about how, when Sergio was little, he used to wear a Spider-Man costume under his clothes at school.

“Really?” Lance grinned at him.

“Yeah, to be ready if somebody needed rescuing,” Sergio explained. Then he begged his mom, “Enough stories, okay?”

After they’d each eaten a second slice of cake, Sergio told Lance, “Come to my room. I want to give you something.”

The first thing that struck Lance about Sergio’s room was the wood shavings smell. The second thing was how messy the room was for a guy who dressed so neatly. CDs, video game cartridges, and magazines cluttered the dresser; a T-shirt hung off a bench-press set; and the teddy bear Lance had given him lay among the rumpled bedcovers. Lance almost felt like offering to straighten things for him.

“That’s Elton,” Sergio said, pointing to the guinea pig cage in the corner. “You can pet him if you want.”

“Um, okay.” While Lance stroked Elton through the wire, Sergio closed the bedroom door and brought Lance a gift-wrapped package. “Here, I got this for you.”

“What is it?” Lance asked.

“Open it, man. You got me something last time, so I wanted to get you something.”

Lance unwrapped a plush floppy-eared Irish setter. Its big brown eyes mirrored the warm fuzzy feeling that came over Lance. It was the first time a guy had ever given him something like that before. Even though Sergio said he wasn’t ready to be a couple, it sure felt like they were becoming one.

“Thank—”

Before Lance could finish, Sergio had wrapped his arms around him, standing on tiptoe, and kissed him. For a moment, Lance closed his eyes and melted into the
kiss—more ready than ever to take things to the next level—if only Sergio’s parents weren’t down the hall.

By the time they arrived at Liberty High, the homecoming dance was under way. Inside the cafeteria, the lights were turned down low, music was blaring, and about thirty couples were dancing—mostly Latino and African-American students—including one girl couple. Nobody seemed to notice the two girls, and Lance didn’t pick up any homophobic vibes from anybody.

“’Sup, dudes?” Kimiko came over and fist-bumped Sergio and Lance. She was dressed like a total guy, with a man’s suit, tie, and a fedora she’d borrowed from her dad in place of her usual baseball cap. She’d come to the dance with Serena, though only as friends.

“You remember Lance?” Sergio told Serena, while noticing that her low-cut purple dress totally embellished her boobs.

“Yeah, hi,” Serena told Lance.

“Hi.” Lance smiled cheerily, even though he felt a little awkward from knowing she wanted to make out with Sergio.

“How is Allie doing?” Kimiko asked Lance. “What’s she up to tonight?”

“She’s fine. Just hanging with friends, I think.” He resisted mentioning Allie’s sex dream about her.

“Well, let her know I said hi,” Kimiko said.

While they were talking, Sergio spotted Zelda dancing with some black guy he’d never seen before. Was he the guy she’d dumped him for? Sergio shoved his fists
into his pockets, suddenly feeling sulky and resentful. Zelda had never apologized for cheating on him. And yet he also felt a little embarrassed for her to see him at the dance with Lance, given how she’d argued that Sergio was gay, not bi.

But why should I feel embarrassed?
Sergio thought.
It’s none of her business.

“That’s Zelda.” Sergio pointed her out to Lance. “My ex I told you about.”

Lance looked over at the girl in the spaghetti-strap black dress. It felt weird to actually see a girl Sergio had had sex with. Lance still didn’t totally get the bi thing, but at least it didn’t trouble him as much as before.

“She looks nice,” he said, not knowing what else to say.

“Want to dance?” Sergio asked. A Latin set had begun and he was eager to get his mind off Zelda.

“Okay,” Lance said, “but I’m not exactly sure how to dance to this.” The only time he’d danced with a guy before was briefly when learning a new step during studio lessons his mom had paid for.

“Just follow my lead,” Sergio said, taking hold of his hand.

While Sergio led, Lance concentrated on following, ignoring a few people who stared. He wasn’t sure if they were staring because he and Sergio were a guy-couple or because Sergio was such a good dancer.

“You dance great,” Lance said as they slid into the rhythm. “Where did you learn?”

“Mostly from videos,” Sergio said, bringing Lance in close, and then swinging him out.

“Really?” Lance loved the way Sergio’s body moved.

“You’re a good dancer too,” Sergio said.

Occasionally his gaze happened across Zelda, and she smiled at him as if totally unashamed to be seen with the guy she’d ditched him for.

“How’s it going?” she shouted when she got close enough to talk over the music.

“Good,” he replied, not really wanting to talk with her.

“Glad to hear that,” she yelled, sounding as though she meant it.

And suddenly he was the one who felt ashamed for still harboring a grudge against her. Yeah, it would be nice if she’d apologize for cheating on him. But apparently she wasn’t going to, so why bother hanging on to the resentment?

“How’s it going with you?” he shouted back to her.

“Good!” she said.

“Glad to hear that, too,” he replied and meant it. When the music changed to a slow song, he nestled into Lance’s arms, no longer embarrassed at all. It excited him to feel the muscles of Lance’s back and shoulders. And he felt genuinely happy that things had ended with Zelda so that he could be with him.

When the song ended, they met up with Kimiko and Serena at the refreshment counter. The four of them talked about differences between Latino and American pop music, and commented on people dancing, comparing different steps until Serena asked Lance, “Mind if I steal your partner for a bit?”