Free Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez Page A

time he’d discussed his coming out with her since he got into the fistfight with his dad.
    “I, um, came out to Coach. I told him I want to let the team know.”
    His mom stared at him a moment, then she began busily shifting and sorting bil s. “Honey, are you sure you don’t want to talk to someone about al this?”
    He knew she meant a psychologist.
    “Ma, I’m not crazy. I just told you I talked to Coach. And I talked to the teacher who’s adviser for the GSA. That’s the group for people dealing with this stuff.”
    He knew his mom was big on groups. She’d been going to Al-Anon meetings because of his dad’s alcoholism.
    “And what did Coach and this teacher say?”
    Jason nervously ran his fingers along the side of his water glass. “Different things.”
    “Like what?”
    “Like that I could lose my scholarship.”
    “Oh, honey!” his mom burst out. “You’ve worked so hard for that. It’s been your dream.” He shrank at his mom’s protest, though he couldn’t blame her for being upset. Through the years she’d always encouraged him. She’d bought him his first basketbal . She always found money for new sneakers. She cheered him on at games. She pasted news clippings into a scrapbook. Now he felt he was letting her down.
    “Wel ,” he said, “I could stay home to help you.”
    “Honey, don’t worry about me. You need to think about you. If this means losing your scholarship, then you shouldn’t do it. You can’t give up col ege!”
    She’d always wanted him to have the opportunity she’d never had.
    Jason sipped his glass of water, considering what his mom had said and comparing it to what Ms. MacTraugh had said, and what Coach had said, and Corey, and Kyle, and Nelson. . . . Trying to sort it al out was making his head ache.
    “I’m going to finish my homework,” he said, and wandered back to his room.
    On the way he stopped by the bathroom for aspirin. Glancing out the window at the driveway, he recal ed being a little kid, happily bouncing his first bal there, never imagining al his future would bring.

chapter 7
jason nelson kyle
    Nelson sat on the carpet in his bedroom, glancing out the window at the quiet suburban night, and thinking.
    Twenty-eight hours had passed since he’d gotten his negative test result, and he stil hadn’t cal ed Jeremy, even though he’d promised to—
    and even though Jeremy had phoned twice, leaving messages both times.
    But when Nelson had started to cal , he remembered his night with the Motorcycle Dude and how easily he’d let slip al caution about using a condom, and how depressed he’d been for an entire week afterward, barely able to get out of bed, certain he’d been infected. It had been a close cal —severely close.
    Did he real y want to take another risk of getting infected? Maybe Kyle was right.
    He should forget Jeremy and date some nice HIV-negative boy instead. But he hadn’t met any boy nicer than Jeremy. And Jeremy was the only guy who hadn’t tried to jump Nelson’s bones their first time together. He liked Jeremy more than he’d ever liked anyone except Kyle.
    But what would Jeremy’s reaction be to the negative news? Nelson picked at a scab on his finger and glanced at the phone. What if Jeremy didn’t want to go out anymore?
    “Dumped again,” Nelson said aloud.
    His dog Atticus, lying beside him, looked up, and Nelson patted him. “Just you and me, boy. You’l never leave me, wil you?” Atticus leaned up, slurping his tongue. As Nelson hugged him in return, a new idea dawned on him: Why not just lie to Jeremy and tell him I tested positive? That way he won’t have any reason to dump me. Total y bril iant!
    Nelson grabbed the phone and started to dial, but stopped. Wait a minute, that’s totally crag.
    He hung up. What was the matter with him? He should just tel Jeremy the truth.
    Once again he lifted the receiver. Slowly he dialed and listened. The phone rang. Once. Twice. He stil had a chance to hang up.
    Just