His mom fetched them both cookies, then asked about their days.
Simon loved his mom more than anyone in the world. She always looked out for him, and though she bossed him occasionally, she treated him like a real person. She never played off the fact that she looked too young to have a teenager, which he’d heard often enough from older guys into his mom and even his own friends, who thought her a MILF—so gross.She also didn’t want anyone’s sympathy for being a single mom.
Rebecca Bragg was his biggest champion. He thought maybe it was time he could be hers. She’d been going it alone for way too long.
When his mom and Jenna paused in conversation, he slipped in, “So, Mom. What did Mrs. Madison want?”
A terrible liar, his mom gave him some BS excuse about contract stuff. “I just have to resign the papers. No worries. We’re good. So, what about you two? What are you up to?”
Jenna answered, “We’re going to see a movie when Simon’s done working. I’m helping too, if that’s okay. For free,” she tacked on. “The hours go toward my National Honor Society service.”
Another liar, Jenna, unlike his mom, did it well. She’d obviously heard what he had and wanted to help. Man, Jenna was the best. No way some idiot at school could appreciate her the way Simon could. But how to tell her that crushing on someone else was a mistake?
As his mom and Jenna talked, Simon realized he’d made a blunder in not telling Jenna how he felt. After all the crap he’d given Mitch about not telling Simon’s mom the deal, Simon had done the same withhisgirl. Or more to the point, the girl he wanted to be his.
Seeing his mom off her game didn’t help him feel any better. But when it came to money, there was nothing he could do.
After a while, he and Jenna went back out front to help and left his mom to brood. Two hours after that, they left for the movie, walking down the block to catch a rerun ofWonder Woman. He and Jenna had already seen it twice, but at the dollar theater, they planned to see it again, because, hey, it wasWonder Woman. Gal Gadot really knew how to wear the uniform—not that Simon would ever admit that’s why he liked the movie so much.
“Your mom is tough. She’ll figure it out,” Jenna was saying as they took their seats in the small theater. A few others sat near them, the scent of buttery popcorn overwhelming.
“Yeah, sure. But the money part could be a problem. I can’t help her with that.”
“You helped her with Flash.” Jenna kept her voice low. “You said she’s all in love and stuff, right?”
“I don’t know about that, but she’s weird around him.” He paused, then dived in. “Kind of like you’re weird about this guy at school. Come on, Jenna. What’s his name? Why won’t you tell me?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because you’re my best friend, and I care about you.” He remembered his conversation with Mitch. “You can do so much better than some guy you need to impress. Like a guy who sees you for you.”
“Yeah, and who would that be?”
“Me,” he blurted just as the room grew dim.
“What?”
Several people tried to shush her.
“Explain ‘me,’” she said in a harsh whisper.
Flushing and glad the darkness masked his embarrassment, Simon continued in a low voice, “Geez, Jenna. You’re cute and smart and everyone likes you. Why settle for some guy who doesn’t know how great you are?”
“Maybe because no one else acts like I’m great. Just you, and you don’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re friends. I don’t know.”
“Friends can become lovers.” Or so he’d heard his mom and Aunt Nora say when talking about their favorite “book tropes.” Meh. He preferred YouTube over books.
In a strangled voice, Jenna said, “Lovers?”
“Not like, literal lovers.” Man, he felt stupid. “I meant, like, more than friends.”
“So, you want to be more than friends with me.”
He nodded.
