Boyfriends with Girlfriends (23 page)

“Dude, she called! We’re going to hang out this weekend.” She pre-empted any of his wiseass comments by adding:
“As friends.”

“Riiight,” he replied. “And we know how well that worked last time.”

“Oh, shush!” she told him.

“So, did she mention how devastated Lance was about dumping me?” Sergio asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Kimiko joked. “I forgot to mention that.”

“Really? She
did
?”

“No, dude. She didn’t mention him.”

“Oh,” Sergio said.

“But if she had,” Kimiko said, hearing the sadness in his voice, “I’m sure she would’ve said he’s devastated and wants to get back together.”

“Thanks,” Sergio said. Even though he knew she was making it up, he hoped that maybe it was true.

A
fter hearing about Kimiko’s talk with Allie, Sergio stared at his phone, missing Lance even more than before. He moped around his bedroom, worked out on his bench press to distract himself, and then binged on chocolates till he overdosed.

Maybe I should call him,
Sergio thought.
But do I really want to be a couple? And would he be willing to take me back?

Later that night, his mom tapped on his door and asked to speak to him. She sat down in his desk chair while he took a seat on the bed.

“I talked to Padre Ralph today,” she said.

He was their nice but stodgy old parish priest who walked with a waddle and whistled to himself. Sergio’s mom sometimes sought him out to talk about her problems and ask his advice.

“Yeah, so?” Sergio asked her. He already sensed what was coming.

“I talked to him about you,” his mom continued, and he knew she meant about his bisexuality. “He says you need to pray to change.”

“Change into what?” Sergio crossed his arms. “I don’t want to change. I’m happy with who I am.”

“You don’t seem happy,” she replied.

“That’s
not
because I’m bi,” he argued. “I felt like crap when Zelda dumped me too.”

His mom was quiet a moment, her eyes fixed on the crucifix she’d hung on the wall above his headboard. She’d put a cross up over every bed in the house. “Padre Ralph said that as long as you don’t act on it, it’s not a sin.”

“Too late, Mom. I’ve already acted on it.”

Her mouth drooped into a brooding look.

“Look, Mom, I’m not going to change, okay? I like who I am, even if you don’t.”

At that, she winced a little. “Of course I like you. You’re my son. I love you.”

“Well, if you can love me,” Sergio countered, “don’t you think that God—who supposedly
is
love—can love me too?”

A tiny smile appeared on her worried face. “I want you to be happy,
mijo
.”

“That’s what I want too,” Sergio said. “And the only way I can do that is by being me—even if sometimes it sucks.”

“What about your friend?” she asked, and Sergio knew she meant Lance. “He seems like a nice boy.”

“He is.” Sergio smiled, glad she liked him.

“Then why did you two fight?” She sounded concerned, maybe even worried.

“We didn’t really fight. It’s just . . . he wants to be a couple and I don’t.”

“Why don’t you?” she asked, and her question kind of annoyed him.

“You mean besides the fact you don’t want me to date a guy?”

She folded her hands on her lap, looking kind of contrite.

“I guess,” Sergio continued, “because—”

He stopped short, suddenly unsure. Why didn’t he want to be a couple? Because Lance might dump him? Well, he’d dumped Sergio anyway. It seemed like what Kimiko had said: a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“I guess I wasn’t ready,” he told his mom.

She nodded understandingly. “I’m afraid you’re going to make your life harder for yourself.”

“I think I already have,” he admitted.

Her face creased once more with worry. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No,” he mumbled, unable to think of anything. Maybe he just needed to stop being afraid.

“Te quiero, mijo.”
She stood, wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a fierce embrace. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he replied. At least
she
hadn’t dumped him.

“So, do you think I should call him?” Sergio asked Kimiko the following day while they bought guinea pig food at the pet store. He’d related during lunch his conversation with his mom about Lance.

“Are you ready to be a couple?” Kimiko asked.

“I think so,” Sergio replied. “The entire universe appears to be conspiring for it. . . . And I’m not dating anybody else anyway . . . But most of all, I miss him. A whole lot.”

“Then it sounds like you’re ready,” Kimiko said as they went to the cash register.

“But what if he’s not interested?” Sergio asked while they drove to his house. “That would be like getting dumped twice.”

“Well,” she argued, “at least you won’t wonder the rest of your life if you could’ve gotten back together.”

Sergio pondered that as they arrived home.

“What do you think I should do, Elton?” Sergio asked after feeding him. He answered himself in a high-pitched voice, “Call him, you stupid
pendejo
! What the hell is the matter with you? You want me to poop on you again?”

“See?” Kimiko giggled. “You’d better do what he says!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll call. But you can’t listen.” He whisked his hand for her to leave the room. But as she started to go, he changed his mind, afraid he’d lose his resolve. “Wait! Don’t go till he answers! I’ll give you the signal, okay?” He took a deep breath, lifted his cell, and dialed. . . .

Lance was in the family room asking his dad a question for chemistry homework when
South Pacific
’s
“Some Enchanted Evening,” abruptly began to play in his pocket. It was Sergio’s ring tone.

Lance pulled out the phone and stared at the screen, feeling both thrilled and startled. Had Sergio changed his mind?

“Um . . . would you mind if I answer?” he asked his dad.

“Go ahead.” His dad gave him a goofy smile.

“Thanks,” Lance said. He bolted upstairs to his room as he answered the phone. “Um, hello?”

“What up?” Sergio said, his voice quivering a little. He signaled Kimiko and she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“I was just talking with my dad,” Lance said, letting Rufus into the bedroom before closing his door. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing.” Sergio nervously slid down to the carpet beside his bed. “Kimiko came over . . . And . . . Now I’m calling you. . . . I guess you already know that. . . .” He banged
the phone against his forehead, certain he was sounding like a doofus. “So . . . like . . . how have you been?”

“Um, okay . . .” Lance sat down on his bed and Rufus climbed up beside him. “Good, I guess. And you?”

“Good too, I guess.”

“Um, that’s good,” Lance said, both relieved and excited to be talking with him.

Sergio leaned back against his bed and scanned his room, trying to decide what else to say. “. . . And kind of sad,” he admitted, “because of . . . you know . . . I miss you, man.”

Lance heard the sadness in his voice and felt his own gloominess. “I miss you, too.”

“You do?” Sergio’s pulse sped up; maybe Lance
wouldn’t
dump him a second time.

“Um, yeah, I do.”

Sergio sat up straighter, working up his nerve for what he wanted to say.

“So . . . I’ve been kind of thinking . . . about the stuff we talked about . . . you know . . . about being a couple?”

“You have?” Lance replied, his heart beating faster.

“Yeah.” Sergio swallowed the knot in his throat. “I’ve been thinking maybe we could try it . . . and see if we can make it work together. . . . That’s if you still want to.”

Lance thought for a moment, wondering if Sergio really meant it. “Is that what
you
want?”

“Yeah.” Sergio’s legs jiggled anxiously. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what I want.”

“But what about whoever else you’re seeing?” Lance asked, curious as to what had changed.

“I’m not seeing anybody else,” Sergio replied.

Then why were you so opposed to being a couple before?
Lance wondered. And to be sure, he asked, “No friends with benefits or anything?”

“No, man. No one.”

Lance tried to keep a grip on the excitement building inside him. “So, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yeah,” Sergio said. “Nervous . . . but . . . I’m sure if you’re sure.”

“Well, I’m nervous too,” Lance admitted. “But I’m sure.”

“You are?” Sergio hadn’t expected this to go so smoothly. “You seem so determined.”

“Yeah,” Lance agreed. “Because I like you.”

“I like you, too,” Sergio said, sliding back against his bed. “I’ve missed you a lot.”

“So, um, when can we go out again?” Lance asked, letting go of all his restraint.

Sergio wished they could go out tonight—like
right now
, even if it was a school night. But it was kind of late and he still had homework to do and he didn’t want to seem totally gaga. Instead they agreed to get together on Saturday. It was only a day away anyway.

They stayed talking for a while more. Sergio told Lance about the conversation with his mom about Padre Ralph. And Lance told Sergio about the school musical,
Man of La Mancha
, which he was going to audition for.

When they finally hung up, Sergio sat quietly for a moment, basking in the glow he felt. Then he leaped up and did a happy dance across the room to the door.

“Hey, where did you go?” he called out to Kimiko. He jogged to the living room and found her watching a soccer game with his dad.

“We’re going out again!” he announced, jumping onto the sofa beside her.

“Sweet!” She high-fived him.

Then he glanced over at his dad, who turned from the TV and forced a faint smile. It wasn’t exactly the seal of approval, but it was something, and Sergio took it gladly.

“G
uess who called?” Lance phoned to tell Allie as soon as he’d hung up with Sergio.

“Woo-hoo!” she exclaimed, immediately guessing he meant Sergio. “So what happened? What did I miss? Who said what to who? Tell me! Tell me!”

“He wants to try being a couple!” Lance explained while petting and playing with Rufus, unable to sit still.

“Super!” Allie cheered again, leaning forward in her desk chair.

“He said he’s not seeing anyone else,” Lance continued. “Why didn’t he just say that earlier?”

“Maybe he wasn’t ready to commit,” Allie answered. “He had to lose you to realize how much he wants you.”

“Gee, that sounds good.” Lance’s cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so widely. “He said he wants to try to make it work together.”