But Simon, Sometimes Life Is Blue [A Sequel to Love Simon]

Chapter 3

After soccer practice, we head for a bad matinee horror movie. It is such a B movie. But when you have nothing better to do as a group and you all just wanna spend time together, sometimes a cheesy horror flick is just what's needed. They are always good for a few laughs. Really, it's probably just an excuse for Nick and Abby to cuddle and for Bram and I to hold hands in public without getting looks. 

When it's my turn at the concessions stand, I order the giant unlimited refills bucket just to be able to reach my hand into the same bucket as Bram, even though we would never eat even half of it. Being in love, even all the small things seemed magical. I couldn't get enough of his glances, his smiles, his touch and even just being close and sharing. I felt like a dope in love and I couldn't be happier.

Abby picks a row midway back. It wasn't quite in the make out rows in the back but it was far enough back from the middle-front family and friend rows. Nick follows her in.

With Bram right behind me, I slide in next. I inch along toward the middle, after Nick.

I turn to glance at my boyfriend but I stop, because fucking Leah has somehow slipped in after me. What? Where did she come from? How did she get in front of Bram? My inner tantrum erupts. No!!! Not a whole movie with Leah! You would think she had cooties by how much I wanted to not sit next to her. 

Leah between Bram and me? What could be worse? I had this sinking feeling, like those movies where a parent sits between the boy and girl to keep them from touching each other. This was going to be a living horror movie! Leah the parent. I was deeply bitter at her.

"Come on, Si," she says sweetly, giving me a push. "Move."

I have no choice. I glance over her shoulder to Bram, who gives me a sad shrug with his shoulders and mouths, "Sorry! She just kinda took it." 

Another shove from Leah and I'm moving again. 

I reluctantly plop down next to Nick. Leah sits next to me. Then Bram. Waaaaay over there.

Halfway through the teasers, my irritation has reached new heights, causing me to fidget in frustration. This was not how I wanted to spend the next two hours.

Nick looks at me and whispers, "You okay?"

I give him a scrunched face and only the slightest nod of my head in Leah's direction.

Nick leans forward to see, then slams himself back into his seat giving me the biggest "hell no she didn't" eyes. 

I nod and give him the "hell yes she did" eyes back.

Abby leans forward and observes us quietly, taking it all in.

Nick whispers to her and fills her in on the situation.

Her eyes fly open and her mouth drops. She was clearly on my side.

Nick silently finger signals for me to have Leah swap with me, so she's sitting between Nick and me. Good idea.

"Hey, Leah," I say in a forced fake-relaxed voice. It still sounded a bit squeaky to me. "Wanna swap seats?"

She looks at me, complete unawareness on her face, "Naw, I'm good here. Thanks, Si!" She pats her hand on the outside of my shoulder and leans into my shoulder.

This is just too much, I scream in my head. 

I look at Nick for help. 

Abby throws up her hands and mouths an angry, "Come on!" at Leah. She looks almost as pissed as I feel.

Nick signals for me to ask her again.

"You sure you don't wanna swap? You could sit between Nick and me?" I suggest, just as the movie begins.

"Yeah, come sit near me," Nick calls, trying to help.

"Shhh... guys, it's starting," Leah hushes us, her eyes now glued to the movie screen. 

I see Bram leaning forward, looking at me dejectedly, his cute eyebrows twisted unhappily.  

How did she not notice? Hello! Boyfriends want to sit next to each other.

Before I could move, Leah's hand reaches into my big perfectly peaked bucket of popcorn and she scoops off that first perfect tip and stuffs it into her mouth, as if it were the most natural thing on earth. My glorious popcorn mountain is now a stinking volcano.

Hell no! She took the top! I had been saving it for Bram. My blood was boiling. Get your hands outta my Bram Bucket! I move it away to Nick's side.

Suddenly, Bram stands up, in the middle of the movie, "Simon, get up."

"What?" I look at Nick, Leah, then back up at him.

"Get up. Something is wrong with my seat. Let's move." He reaches across Leah to grab my elbow and guide me up. Then in one swift move, he slides his leg up over the top of the seat in front and climbs into the row in front of us, sitting down in front of Leah.

I pass him my Bram Bucket and quickly follow him, plopping down beside him. 

Nick and Abby are quick to catch on and they quickly scramble over the tops of their seats into our row. 

Now Leah is by herself, sitting behind Bram. And I am terrified. What must she be thinking? How dead are we all going to be?

Bram turns around, "Leah, climb over. Come sit here. That seat was just messed up - killing my back."

I swear I hear Abby suppress a snicker. 

I smile. Yeah, after a whole five minues, Bram, I think to myself. 

I almost expect Leah to reach over and test Bram's seat, but she doesn't. She slowly gets up and walks back down the isle away from us.

Just as my mouth drops at her leaving us, she turns and comes back down the new isle. She cooly sits down next to Bram. I can feel her cold shoulder even a seat over.

I am so glad this was his idea and not mine. I would be paying for it for days. Leah could hold a really big grudge. When she was mad, she let you know it. But maybe she couldn't do much to Bram, because she didn't know him all that well. At least, that was my hope.

In the dark, my boyfriend reaches out to lace his fingers with mine and in the dim lighting, I can see him smile at me. All sparkly and magical.

Somehow he fixed it. He saved our date. My hero. This is why I fell so hard for him.

I extend my Bram Bucket to him.

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Author's note: I'm finished moving into my new place and although everything is still in boxes, I'm starting to get back into writing. Hope you enjoy this! I'm already working on Chapter 4, so that should be along soon.