Called It

Chapter 4

Micah

"Pen, your phone is ringing," I shout.

"Who is it?" She calls from the bathroom.

"Uhh..." I look at the caller ID. "Ags? With a bunch of hearts after it."

"Say it again?" She says, turning off the hair dryer.

"Just... hold on." I clicked the green button, "Hello? This is Penny's phone."

"Who the fuck is thi- Micah?" A voice on the other side of the line shrieks.

"Uhh... Yes? Who is this?"

"It's Agatha, dimwit." Ohhhhhh.

"Oh, right. You were Simon's girlfriend, right?" Should I tell her about Baz? That would be wrong, right? It's not my place to tell? Maybe she already knows.

"Yeah. Thank Merlin Simon found Baz, it made my life a hell of a lot easier." She says, practically reading my thoughts. "Is Penny there? Or Baz?"

"Penny's getting ready, but Simon and Baz are in the living room. Let me get them."

Agatha

I guess I should have texted her first. That would have been the smart thing to do. I feel bad, I might have interrupted something. I'm not sure what, as Penny was supposedly in the bathroom, and Baz and Simon were right there, but... I don't know. Maybe it's just my anxiety getting the best of me again.

I listen to some shuffling, then some muffled talking. Finally, I hear something relevant.

"Wellbelove. How kind of you to call. You're on speaker." God, it's Basil. Of course, it is. Who else would answer the phone all posh-like?

"Baz, I think I'm going to tell Kalli, my flatmate," I say.

"Tell her what?" Baz asks. I'm not sure if he genuinely doesn't know what I'm talking about, or if he just wants to hear me say it.

I groan, "Nevermind. You're hopeless. I'm just going to hang up now."

"Agatha," Simon says, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Simon," I say, as softly as possible. "Don't worry about it."

"Love, stop making that face. You don't look attractive when you're confused," I hear Baz say.

Simon gasps. "I always look attractive!"

"Baz is right," I say, "your face gets all twisted and weird."

"Agatha, why did you call Penny? I'm sure it wasn't so you and Baz could insult me."

"Right, erm, Simon, can you go get Penny for me?" I don't know how Simon will react, so maybe I'll just tell him in person. Or at least on FaceTime.

"Yeah, sure," Simon says, no doubt bouncing off.

"Basil, you know exactly what," I say, as soon as I'm sure Simon is gone.

"That I do. Am I really the person you should discuss this with?"

"No, but you've come out to plenty of people, and Penny has a way with words, so I am requesting your guys' help." Why am I explaining myself to Baz? I think I've been gone too long.

"Okay, Ags. Shoot." Finally, Penny's here.

"I'm going to tell Kalli," I say.

"Why are you telling me? And why is Baz here?" Why am I telling her?

"I don't know, to talk me out of it? Actually, don't do that, I'm doing a well enough job of that on my own. Maybe I should start by telling Simon."

Penny

"You haven't told Simon yet?" I shout.

"Well, no."

"You didn't think that the guy who was once in love with you might want to know that?"

"Well, I ‒ I don't know..."

"Wow, Wellbelove, that's cold," Baz adds, cooly.

"Basil, I don't want to hear it. Have you told Simon that you're so far in love with him

that you're drowning?"

"As a matter of fact, Wellbelove, I have. So, ha."

I groan. "Look, you two. I only have one of my wings done, so I'm going to hang up the phone. Ags, I will text you after dinner. I don't suggest talking to Baz again," Baz rolls his eyes, "as he will probably end up driving everyone's self-esteem farther into the ground."

"Alright, Pen, I'll talk to you later." Agatha hangs up.

I'm surprised she hasn't lost her accent yet. I mean, she's been living there for almost two years now, and probably hasn't had any contact with anyone with an English accent besides me. Maybe she only watches BBC America or something. Just enough to hold onto the accent. Just enough to remind her of home.

Simon

Baz walks into the room. He looks so stunning. And he's wearing jeans. Dark jeans, that look really good on him. I grin. I can't help myself.

"What?" He asks.

"Oh, nothing. It's just I can't get over how handsome you look in jeans. I mean honestly, it's not even fair. I could have a heart attack any second, and it would be all your fault. Just because you're wearing jeans tonight," I say.

Baz rolls his eyes. "I was wearing jeans earlier today, love."

"Yeah but you're wearing different jeans now. Darker jeans. I have to admire you all over again."

Baz just stares at me.

"This is the part where you say 'Oh, I love you. How did I get so lucky? What did I do to deserve this?'."

Baz clears his throat. "Oh, I love you. How did I get so lucky? What did I do to deserve this?" He said flatly.

I shrug. "I'll take what I can get. What did Agatha call about?"

Baz looks away for a second, then makes direct eye contact. "If I told you, then I'd have to kill you." He says, very seriously. Then he grins.

I roll my eyes. "Really, though. Is she alright?"

"She's fine, love. Just needed some advice on what to wear tonight. Apparently, she's got a date." Baz takes my hand and leads me out of the bedroom.

Baz

I feel bad about lying to Simon.

I suppose it's not really my place to tell, though.

I look at my watch. 5:30 already. We should leave before we miss our reservation. I take Simon's hand and lead him into the living room. Penny still isn't ready. Micah is sitting on the couch looking horribly uncomfortable. I could smile at him, but I fear that would make him even more uncomfortable.

Before long, Simon has broken the silence. He and Micah are talking about what life in America is like.

Simon Snow is the only person I know who can be kind to anyone. And I love him for it. It makes him better than me, and he should be better than me.

I really do feel bad about lying to Simon.