The Party

Monday!

"Meg, I'm going to a birthday party tonight. Would you be my date?"

Simon, arriving at school, asked as soon as he saw Meg.

"Of course!" Meg responded with a bright smile.

"Then it's settled. I'll pick you up tonight," Simon said.

"Sounds good!"

The two shared a moment of warmth before the bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Reluctantly, they headed to their respective classrooms.

By lunchtime, Simon and Meg found Veronica and Wallace.

"I heard you've been working on quite a few cases recently, congrats," Simon said, greeting Veronica.

Thanks to Veronica's efforts, she had begun to earn a bit of fame as the campus detective. Though she had faced some mild bullying due to her position, it didn't seem to bother her much since she was already somewhat isolated.

"Thanks!" Veronica said quietly.

"If you run into any trouble, let me know. I'll help out," Simon offered.

"No need," Veronica replied. "Wallace and I can handle it."

Simon shrugged, deciding not to push the issue. Fortunately, Wallace changed the subject just then.

"By the way, have you heard about the robbery a couple of days ago?" Wallace asked.

"Of course! With all the commotion, it was hard to miss," Simon replied.

Veronica, who seemed particularly interested in crime, added, "That driver was incredible—he managed to escape the police pursuit."

Looking at Simon, she asked, "Do you know who the driver is?"

Simon shook his head. "Not a clue."

"But I think it's definitely not someone local," he continued, playing the part of a casual observer.

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"In Los Angeles, there aren't many people with those kinds of skills," Simon explained, making a casual gesture with his hand. "And the ones who do, none of them seem like the type to pull off something like that."

"Are you sure about that?" Veronica frowned, clearly unconvinced.

Simon nodded confidently. "The people I know who have those skills are Dom, Robert, Johnny, and me. As for the others? They're close, but not quite there. And none of us would have any reason to get involved in a robbery like that."

"You? Dude, are you joking?" Wallace asked, clearly skeptical.

Simon looked at him without a hint of humor. "When have you ever known me to joke?"

"What? Is this for real?" Wallace asked, his surprise growing as neither Meg nor Veronica contradicted Simon.

Veronica, who had been quiet up until now, spoke up. "Simon's been street racing since he was fifteen. He's never lost a race since he started."

"Cool! Didn't know you were that good," Wallace said, impressed.

"So if it wasn't you guys, then who do you think it was?" Wallace asked.

"Maybe an outsider," Simon said casually.

"Heh," Veronica muttered, still skeptical. "Really?"

"Of course!" Simon said with confidence.

Veronica shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not a cop, and I'm not gonna argue with you about this."

With that, she packed up and left without another word.

Once Veronica was gone, Wallace gave Simon a shrug and followed her out.

When they were gone, Meg turned to Simon, her brow furrowed. "Simon, it really wasn't you, was it?"

Simon didn't directly answer. Instead, he smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Actually... never mind," Meg said, her tone softening as she seemed to let it go.

Seeing her concern, Simon pulled her into a gentle hug, patting her shoulder to silently comfort her.

After school, Simon headed to BuyMore Supermarket as usual, working his four-hour shift.

By seven o'clock, he finished work and rushed home to change into a suit.

He picked Meg up, and they hurried over to Chuck's house for the party.

By the time they arrived, the party was just getting started.

After passing through a small public garden, they found Ally, who was busy greeting guests.

"Ally, remember me?" Simon called out as he approached.

"Simon? Is that really you?" Ally looked at him in surprise.

"Yep, it's me," Simon smiled.

"What are you doing here? Did Chuck invite you?" Ally asked, her curiosity piqued.

Simon nodded. "I'm working part-time at BuyMore now, so I'm colleagues with Chuck. He invited me to come."

"Ah, got it! Welcome!" Ally smiled warmly, glad to know that Simon was invited by her brother.

"By the way, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Devin." Ally gestured toward a tall, muscular man standing beside her.

"Hey, man," Devin said, extending a hand.

"Hey!" Simon shook his hand firmly.

"Oh, and I almost forgot—this is my girlfriend, Meg," Simon said, after separating from Devin and introducing Meg.

"Welcome, dear," Ally said warmly.

"Thanks!" Meg smiled.

"Feel free to enjoy yourselves. We'll be over there greeting the other guests," Ally said, with a wave before walking off with Devin.

As the couple left, Meg leaned in and whispered, "Ally seems kind of conflicted about you."

Simon shrugged. "Ally's not a fan of Mia, so whenever she sees me, she can't help but think of Mia. But I haven't done anything wrong, so that's why she's conflicted."

"I see," Meg said, understanding.

"Never mind. Let's forget about it. Let's go grab some food," Simon suggested.

After all, Simon hadn't eaten much during the day, and with food now in front of him, he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.

"Okay!"

As they were enjoying themselves, Chuck, the host, finally appeared.

"Simon, your friend doesn't seem to be doing too well," Meg said, nudging Simon with her elbow.

Following her gaze, Simon saw Chuck muttering to himself in a corner.

Simon sighed deeply. "Looks like the events from the past really hit him hard."

"What are you going to do about it?" Meg asked.

Simon shrugged again. "There's not much I can do. It's up to him. Time's the only thing that can heal that kind of pain."

"Yeah, you're right," Meg agreed.

Simon wasn't great at comforting people, so he wasn't planning on stepping in to help Chuck. Besides, if he tried, it would probably make things worse.

Since he had decided to be a passive observer, Simon and Meg continued to chat and enjoy the party like everyone else.

The night passed with plenty of food, cake, and socializing, and eventually, when the party wound down, Simon and Meg said their goodbyes to Chuck and Ally before heading home.