Escalante

Carlo made a slam dunk, successfully scoring a point for himself in the basketball game we were playing in my yard. I missed the ball when it landed because I was more interested in seeing my best friend's butt-sorry, pervert alert-in those shorts than the ball. What? There's no harm in looking, but touching though...

"Escalante, you are supposed to get the ball not check me out." He let out an exasperated sigh as he stood and stared at me.

Rolling my green eyes, I grinned at him before running up to get the ball. "It is not my fault you look so hot in shorts." I walked over to him and said, "You know I have a fetish for people in shorts and goddamn, it fits you so well."

Carlo frowned at me, "Your flirting annoys me."

My brows rose and I chuckled as I played with the ball between my hands, "What? You get to talk about the girls you wish you could fuck while I can't compliment you in your shorts?" I feigned a sad face, "Now that is shallow."

"Me? shallow?" His mouth fell wide open as his face scourged up in annoyance.

I shrugged, "You know you are."

"Boys! Come in for lunch!" My mum's sweet honey voice sounded scratchy because of how loud she was.

"Coming!" I said then started to pull an annoyed Carlo along with me.

My home was nothing special. It was like everyone else's on the block. It wasn't exactly spacious but it had a lot of room to move around in. It was a duplex with a back yard my mum turned into a garden and a lawn my dad hated people stepping on.

     Everyone was at the dining table and when I say everyone, I meant my dad, my mum and Carlo's mum, my big sister and Carlo's big sister. Our families have been so close because my dad, my mum and Carlo's mum had met back in college. And they have been friends since then making Carlo my childhood friend.

"We made spaghetti." My mum, Gina, said as she served the plates around the table with her smile plastered on her face.

"Good. We need to eat more Spaghetti in this house." Jacinta, my elder sister by 3 years said.

"When was the last time you ate it?" Camila, Carlo's elder sister giggled at her friend.

"I think about last year."

"Now stop exaggerating, Jac." My dad rolled his eyes at her and smiled when Carlo's mum served the food for him.

"Dad, stop calling me Jac. It is Jacinta and if you must shorten it say Cinta. Please." She groaned and Camila kept giggling.

"What? I like Jac better." He whined playfully.

"No. Please. I am adding please for you now." She gave him an irritated look and he rose his hand in surrender.

"Okay, Cinta. I hope you are satisfied, Cinta."

Jacinta gave him a blank stare, "You frustrate me."

"Now kids," My mum cleared her throat with a glance between my dad and Jacinta and added, "Let's say our grace in good health and heart, okay?"

Everyone held hands around the square dining table and she said, "Carlo, do the pleasure please?"

Carlo's rough hand tensed in mine and I shot him a quick glance. His eyes were wide open and were staring deeply at my mum. My friend was never the one to say prayers. He had what you would call a shy bone that even though he was around the people he knew, he still couldn't make an announcement or say prayers.

Being the good Christian friend I was, I said the prayers for him before he fainted from his disease, "Father, we bless and cover this food in your name."

"Amen." Chorused the rest of the table and we dug in, not even paying Carlo any mind.

He still looked a bit troubled by it when I glanced at him but he said nothing as he ate. I knew down there he was irritated by himself but he knew there was nothing he could do.

"So kids," Carlo's mum, Patricia started, "Your parents and I have been thinking of what to do for the summer."

"I don't mind hanging here." Camila said almost immediately.

"So you rather do that all summer? Won't the both of you get bored?" My mum asked.

The sisters looked between themselves then shrugged. "We will find something to do." Jacinta said.

"What about you Carlo? Escalante?"

"We're sticking with the gym." I said. After we got our gym membership card a few weeks ago, Carlo and I hit it every now and then. Of course, Carlo was the only one with actual reason. I just got it to see as many men as I could.

I mean, school was over. There were no more men to stalk.

"Okay. So you plan to swim for two months, when you are not in the gym, you are playing basketball and when you are doing neither you would waste my WiFi on stupid movies?" My dad summed up my summer in that sentence.

I sank down in my seat, "Well..."

"If we want a change of scenery, we could just watch it in the cinema." Jacinta added slightly.

"Still my money." My dad said dryly and my sister glared at him.

"Anyways," My mum continued, "We came up with something and thought it might be fun and it would benefit all of us."

Camila brightened up, "We are going to Paris?"

"You wish." Carlo scoffed and stuck his tongue out at her when their mother quickly shook her head.

"Dear no. But, the four of you are going somewhere." My mum wiggled her brows, clearly excited.

    However, no matter how the news came, I knew I wasn't going to like it because I had a very special someone here and he wasn't going to like it.

"The four of you are going to Canada for a camp I have already booked." My dad said before my mum could stall any longer.

I almost choked on my meat balls. All the way to Canada? We were Puerto Ricans living in Australia but going to Canada? That was beyond far from home.

    Clearly, I was about to protest when my sister and Carlo's squealed, "Oh my goodness. Yes!" Jacinta grinned then smiled at my dad, "This is one thing you didn't mess up at."

He smiled back, "I'm glad you liked it, Cinta."

What? I stared at all their happy and excited faces and frowned. Wait! All the way to Canada? My mum must have noticed the full on troubled face I was giving and asked, "Aren't you excited?"

"I would be if the camp was right here in Australia. Why Canada?"

"Because we wanted you to go there. Plus, it gives you the chance to check out Toronto."

I laughed in disbelief, "You cannot be serious."

"What's wrong with Canada?" Carlo asked and that was when I knew I was alone in this. It was three against one. How could I win?

"Yeah. Canada is awesome and since Homosexuality is okay there, there won't be much problem for you." Camila said finishing her food.

That definitely didn't sound bad at all because comparing it to the camps here, I would obviously not experience much bullying. I sighed and finished my food without another more response. When I was done, I got up with my plate and went to drop it in the sink, ignoring all their eyes.

I made my way from the kitchen to my room in the basement. It could be really cold down there. Getting out my video game, I sat on my bean bag and began to play until I was interrupted by my best friend when he jumped on my bed.

"Lunch got awkward after you left bro." Carlo chuckled and I paused the game.

"You really want to go?"

"Do I?" He looked me with his dark and mysterious dark eyes, "No but I might never get this chance again so I have to."

"But I know nothing about Canada. I didn't even know they legalized gay marriage."

He grinned, "Isn't that even better? Now you can freely walk around in some rainbow shit and no one would give a fuck."

"There will still be close-minded people." I retorted.

"Majority carries the vote, mate. Anyways," he waved that aside, "think of it as the one month we get to be someone we are not. You can be an active person and get a boyfriend. I can be a confident person and get a girlfriend. Just think about it."

    I fell silent to actually think about it and I realized that I can never be an active person. I don't even talk much if I don't know you and Carlo? God save us, shy is like his middle name. He couldn't even say his own name in front of the class during homeroom introduction.

But when I turned to disagree with him I saw the thrilled yet nervous look he was giving me. He wants to be a confident person and he thinks starting over could give him that chance. I sighed, I might as just go with it.

"That isn't even a bad idea. We could be our own popular duo. The gay whore and the straight cunt."

"Sometimes, I wonder if you are a Christian." Carlo frowned at me and I laughed.

"I'll go to Canada, Carlo. Only because I love you."

His eyes soften and his slender frame crawled from the bed to hug me on my beanbag. "I love you too."

Rolling my eyes at him, I smiled nonetheless because I really did love him. He was the best friend every gay dreamed of.