Simon vs Senior Year

Chapter 11

The school year started up again in a flurry of play rehearsals and AP classes. We practiced four days a week after school even though opening night was still two months away. Ms Albright was kind of a hardass. But I liked the play. Basically all of my friends were in it minus Bram and Leah. So I didn't really mind.

Nora decided pretty quickly that if she was going to have to wait for me to get out of practice every day before getting a ride home, she might as well help with the play. She became sort of like Cal Price's right hand woman. It was kind of weird seeing Nora hanging out with Cal Price so much. Like, it made sense—they were both sweet and artsy and kind of shy. But suddenly the boy I had spent the better part of the previous year crushing on was my little sisters new best friend.

Bram worked out with the soccer team most days after school. Sometimes if we had a break during rehearsal, Abby and I would sneak over to the other side of the school and look through the windows of the weight room. What could I say? My boyfriend looked good in a tank top and shorts doing bench presses and running on the treadmill. Most of the time we went unnoticed, but one day Garrett saw us and immediately started cracking up and poking Bram in the side, pointing at us.

Even though Leah wasn't technically in the play, she was around most days anyway. Anytime her mom worked late and she had to take the late bus home after practicing with her band for an hour she would end up in the auditorium watching us practice or hanging out with me and Nick in between out scenes.

The only problem with this was that Leah wouldn't stop being cold as fuck towards Abby. Like, we all knew she had a crush on Nick. We knew she didn't like Abby. But could she not just pretend to be pleasant towards Abby instead of throwing her signature Leah Side Eye toward her every time Abby smiled or said anything?

Sometimes Bram would follow me home after school and we would do homework in my bedroom. We had to comply with all of the ground rules my parents set up after they came home from The Varsity last year to see their son and his boyfriend alone in an empty house. So we left the door open and my mom came in a bit too often to offer us drinks and snacks. But it was okay. Because I finally understood AP Stats when I had my genius boyfriend teaching it to me (with the help of kisses promised as a reward for my every right answer).

It wasn't until March that things got really overwhelming. Because play practice was now longer, and every day. I barely had time to get my homework done, meaning I didn't have time to do it with Bram most nights, as we didn't exactly know how to stay focused. Everyone was already starting to freak out about Prom, but I didn't even have two seconds to think about whether I should be prom-posing to Bram. I mean, we were already dating. It was kind of a given, right?

The week before the play Leah showed up to practice again, finding me backstage right before we rehearsed my solo number.

"Leah!" I shouted, running over to her from the group of guys playing my brothers. "You're just in time for my song!"

"I planned that," she said with a smirk.

"You did?"

Leah was good, but I was surprised she was that good.

"No," she responded blankly.

"I hate you."

I elbowed her in the side, but then hugged her because screw it, I loved that girl.

"Just kidding, I love you."

"I don't blame you," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder like a model.

"I can't believe you're about to hear me sing," I said.

Leah and I had known each other since sixth grade, but she had never actually heard me sing alone. Only in ensembles and at Bar Mitzvahs and dances.

She grinned at me. "The hype is real."

Suddenly, Cal called out for us to get ready to go on stage. All my "brothers" got in line and I could see Leah holding back laughter.

"Don't wish me luck," I told Leah, though she hadn't. "Tell me to break a leg."

"Simon, you should probably get out there."

"Okay but listen," I told her quickly. "Don't take the bus. We're going to Waffle House after this."

"Noted."

She slapped me lightly and I ran to join the other guys as we filed out onto stage. I channeled my inner Simeon and started singing in my impecable French accent:

"Do you remember the good years in Canaan?"