As soon as Simon opened the door, he found himself caught in an ambush of questions from one very over-excited Penny. She bounced around like a child on Christmas morning as a parade of questions flew out of her mouth. Simon, who was still all jittery from his kiss with Baz, smiled at her and sat down on the sofa, preparing himself to answer her.
"Well?" Penny asked, her eyes agleam. Simon chuckled to himself, thinking that this must be what she looked like when a professor handed out a pop quiz. Pure joy.
"It was good," he said.
She frowned. "Good? That's all I get? Simon, you've been obsessing about this date and this girl and now all I get is a 'good?' That's hardly fair!"
He shrugged, but he couldn't keep that smile from creeping back onto his face. He wondered if he should tell Penny that it was a boy––not just a boy, but Baz–– or if he should keep going with his Brianna lie. He didn't think that Penny would mind that it was a boy, but it was hard for him to find the words. He didn't want to hide Baz. He was proud of Baz.
"Look, Pen, I need to tell you something," he said.
She nodded, expecting news about the date, but then she caught on to the seriousness of his tone and that sad look in his eyes. She had seen it so many times before and she knew what it meant. She sat down next to him and faced him expectantly. He sighed and looked into her eyes, those familiar eyes, and suddenly that nervousness he had about telling her washed away.
This is Penny, he reminded himself. If she can't be chased off by the nightmares and the childhood, she's not going anywhere.
"It's about my date," he said.
"Okay."
"Well, it's not. I mean, it is. But it's also about me. About who I went on a date with. What I went on a date with. Well––"
She tentatively placed her hand on his bouncing leg. He hadn't even realized it was bouncing. "Simon, you can tell me anything. I love you no matter what."
He smiled at her. "I know, Pen. It's just hard, y'know? But I guess..." he took a deep breath. "I went on a date with a guy. His name is Baz Pitch and--"
"Baz Pitch?" she screeched. "You mean Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch?"
He wondered if she had gone off her rocker. "Did you not hear me say that I went on a date with a guy?"
"No, I did. And of course I support you, but do you know who he is?"
"Yeah. His dad is Malcolm Grimm, Simon. The CEO of––"
"Pitch Industries, yeah I know. He told me."
He scoffed. He didn't understand what had her in such a frenzy.
"Did he tell you what his dad does?"
"I applied to work there, Penny. I know what they do."
She shot him a look.
He sighed. "Okay, fine. What does his dad do?"
She readjusted her position on the couch and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She typed something in, scrolled a bit, and then did one of her "a-has!" before handing him the phone. Tentatively he took it, giving her a bit of a concerned look before reading the article.
At the top of the page was a picture of man that could only be described as terrifying––expensive suit, slicked back hair, threatening eyes, and a clenched jaw. Behind him and slightly to his right stood Baz, looking all proper in a suit and tie and with that same hateful look in his eye that his father had. The headline read "Pitch Industries Lets Hundreds of 'Homos' Go: Exclusive Interview With Malcolm Grimm." And, below that, two quotes, one from Malcolm and one from Baz.
Malcolm Grimm: "It's time the workplace took a stand to this complete mockery of the traditional workplace environment."
Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch: "Pitch Industries is the leader in business––both domestic and international––and we cannot in good faith allow people with such morally repugnant ideals to be allowed to work at this elite pillar of the business world."
Every happy thought vanished from Simon's mind. That fluttering in his stomach was replaced with complete and utter nausea as he finished reading those quotes, especially the second one. Morally repugnant ideals. He wanted to throw up. If Baz was so against it, why had he asked Simon out? Was this some sort of sick joke?
"That can't be him," he said after a moment when he finally collected himself. "That's not the guy I went out with."
Penny wrapped her arm around his shoulder and rubbed his shoulder to calm him down. She rested her head against him, curling into him to let him know that it would be okay. "You need to talk to him," she said. "Give him a chance to explain himself."
He nodded, his curls bouncing. "Tomorrow," he said.
"Tonight," she said. "You know you won't be able to sleep unless you talk to him first. Get this sorted out."
She was right, of course. "He seemed busy. He had to run off and do something."
"This is important, Simon. You're important. I would hate for your first experience with a guy to be ruined by some sort of elaborate scheme to publicly shame you."
He nodded and planted a kiss to the top of her head. He unraveled himself from her and stood, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "I'll text him. I'm just going to--"
She nodded understandingly. "Take your time."
He started to head off to his room.
"Simon?"
He turned around.
"I'm here for you, okay? Always. No matter what."