Page 102 of Lance

“What did he do to you?” Jamessnaps.

I roll my eyes. “He didn’tdoanything to me. We argued about Simon.” He just looks at me, brow furrowed. “Because of Angie’s mom…do you not know aboutthis?”

“Whathappened?”

I fill him in about Simon’s grandmother’s reappearance and the decision that Lance needs to make. When I finish, James swears, looking uncomfortable. “He didn’t tellme.”

“He was pretty messed up about it.” My headache is starting to come back. “He just doesn’t have any confidence in himself when it comes to Simon,” I say. “But I’m afraid if he does this it will be the biggest mistake of hislife.”

James opens his mouth to respond just as the buzzer goes on my front door. He looks over at me, eyebrow raised. “Expectingsomeone?”

“Nope. My one and only friend is at school and my kind-sorta-boyfriend and I aren’tspeaking.”

He scowls at me and gets up to press the call button. “Hi!” a familiar voice chirps over the intercom. “It’s Simon! I have a present forWilla.”

James looks back atme.

“What are you waiting for? Buzz himup!”

“You think he’s alone?” James asks and I throw a pillow athim.

“Just let himin!”

A moment later the front door flies open, revealing Simon. He’s dragging a paper shopping bag that’s nearly as tall as him. “Hey,Willa!”

“Hi, buddy. How areyou?”

“Great,” he says, but I don’t really hear him. Because Lance has appeared in the doorway behind him. And he takes my breathaway.

Maybe it’s the effect of not seeing him for a few days. Or maybe it’s my concussion. Or maybe it’s just the way that he seems so much happier, so much lighter than the last time I saw him. Whatever the reason, I’m so struck by the beauty of this man that I can’tspeak.

“Hey, James,” Lance says cheerfully, patting my brother on the chest as he passes. James gapes at him, speechless. “We won’t bother you guys, we just have some things to drop off forWilla.”

“They’re presents,” Simon says, pointing at the bag. “To ’pologize.”

“That’s right,” Lance says, kneeling down next to him. “Layla told me that I needed to grovel.” He winks at me. “She suggested flowers and jewelry, but Simon and I figured we could do better thanthat.”

“What are you doing?” Iwhisper.

“You want to explain,Simon?”

Simon looks up at me seriously. “My dad was a big huge jerk-face,” he says and I feel a giggle rise in my throat. “And we need to make it up to you because…” He looks up at Lance. “I forgot the nextpart.”

“Because we need her,” Lance says, his gaze on my face. “Can’t get by withouther.”

“Yeah, that’s it.” Simon smiles again. “So we broughtpresents.”

“To help us grovel,” Lanceadds.

I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. “Wait a second. If Lance was the jerk-face, why is Simon helping yougrovel?”

“Because we’re a team,” Lance says, holding out his hand for Simon to give him a high five. “Okay, buddy. Let’s get to thegroveling.”

Simon starts pulling things from the bag. “It’s a lightsaber!” he says, handing me a silver handle. “I got one too. And here’s a pair of TARDIS socks. Oh, and here’s a new sketchpad. And somemarkers—”

“The girl at the art shop said they were very good,” Lanceadds.

“And here’s a Wonder Woman crown. And some ranch dressing because you always say it makes all the food taste better. Ooh, a Flash Funko! I wanted that one but Lance said we weren’t groveling for me—” He looks up at me when I make a strangled noise. “Willa? Are youokay?”