With Penny holed up at the library to work on a paper, Simon didn't know what he would do with himself after school and work. He wasn't a full-time student, but he had a class that morning which had already put him in a sour mood. Then he had to go to work and Baz called while Simon was on break which only made him happy for so long. Because then he had to go back to work and remind himself that Baz would be working and studying that night. He was, unfortunately, on his own.
Ever since his final year of sixth form, he found it hard to be alone. That was part of the reason he moved in with Penny (also, he couldn't afford a flat on his own). With Penny always around, he'd always been with someone. Even if she was off doing homework or something, she was still around. Now he had to go home by himself and just sit with his thoughts, which seemed extremely unappealing.
It was all because of that stupid letter. He hadn't been expecting it and he surely hadn't been expecting for it to contain what it did. He didn't even really know who it had been from. It just sort of appeared one day. He tried not to think about it too often which was why he always liked to have someone with him. If he wasn't alone, it was easier to just brush it aside. And, when alone, the temptation to reread the letter and sit and think about what it meant was too strong for him to fight. He'd grown up without parents for so long so the thought of finding them seemed like a bad idea. He'd managed well enough without them all these years. What right did his father have to try and come back into his life?
He knew that he couldn't be alone that night. And, because of that, he knew where he had to turn––Agatha.
He liked her well enough. It was still awkward to see her in person, even though they texted and called quite often. But, now that he had a boyfriend, he hoped it wouldn't be too awkward. Before Baz, seeing each other in person always lead to weird tension. He was never quite sure if Agatha wanted to start things up again (or if he did) so it was weird whenever they got too close or they accidentally brushed against each other.
But now, with Baz in his life, he figured that it was about time to hang out with her again. What's the worst that could happen?
As it turned out, seeing her was perfectly pleasant. She suggested they go to dinner at a casual spot, knowing how much Simon hated posh places.
"So you have a girlfriend now?" she asked once they had gotten their food. The evening had been perfectly pleasant up until this point. The conversation had been good but casual. It was like they hadn't spoken in months (which they hadn't, he supposed. Not really.) So her question caught him a bit off-guard. He wanted to tell her about Baz because he wasn't ashamed of him or anything, but he didn't know how she'd react. Coming out of the closet to his ex-girlfriend seemed like a bad idea, especially since he was just starting to feel comfortable with her again.
"I do, yeah," he said.
She, of course, wanted to hear more. She had that sparkle in her eyes, the one that Simon knew all too well. She was up to something, for certain. "Do you want to tell me about her?"
He shrugged. "Rather not, really. Seems a bit...awkward."
"Does Baz know about her?"
He nearly choked on his food. "Baz?"
She giggled and wrapped a lock of her hair around her finger. "I saw him the other day. We've been family friends since forever, you know. He said you two are friends now."
"I...yeah, I guess we're friends now. You saw him the other day?"
She nodded and took a bite of her salad. "Yup. He's grown up quite well, I might add. I wouldn't mind seeing more of him."
Simon felt a blush rising to his cheeks (to his bloody ears) but it wasn't the kind of blushing he did with Baz. It was jealousy, pure and strong. It was a red-hot anger coursing through his veins. "Hm."
"I've just had the best idea," she smiled, reaching out and grabbing his hand from across the table. "Since you two are mates now, would you mind putting in a good word for me? We could even go on a double date! Me, Baz, you, and that girl that you're seeing. It would be so fun. Just like old times, huh?"
Since Simon really had no idea what to say about any of this without giving himself away, he jus nodded and took another bite of his chicken sandwich. He had no idea what Agatha was playing at, but he didn't want any part of her schemes. He had no idea that Baz and Agatha even knew each other, let alone seen each other recently. The thought of Agatha holding Baz's hand like she was holding his was enough to make his blood boil.
Keep it together, Simon, he said to himself, taking a deep breath. She's not doing this to be cruel. She just wants you to do what friends do for each other. This is normal. Perfectly normal.
He spent the rest of dinner trying very hard to avoid the topic of Baz.