Free Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Bren-Bren, so it’s not that bad.
    â€œI’m so proud of you for getting this internship, and with Monroe Industries too! The company does so well, nationally and overseas. It’s a great start to be around all those amazing and talented people. The experimental division checks out, definitely. They’ve had a few projects in Crystal Springs and apparently now they’re here.” Li Hua smiles, her eyes alight.
    â€œThanks, Mom. I really appreciate it.”
    â€œDo you want me to take you shopping for work clothes?”
    â€œAh, they want me to start on Monday? And I have some clothes from debate team last year that still fit. I’ll just wear one of those outfits.” Jess smiles at her mother, who nods back and ducks out of her room, closing the door behind her.
    The weekend is slow; her parents are called away to Las Vegas for an Associated League of Heroes meeting Saturday, and they expect it will run late. Jess is supposed to be watching Brendan; she wastes time flicking through the Net and idling through her homework, listening for any explosions from his room.
    It’s not until Jess looks up and notices that the sky outside her window is dark that everything seems to catch up to her, especially that sharp, aching hunger that comes from forgetting to eat. Brendan must hungry too; lunch was so long ago. Ugh, it’s almost eight o’clock.
    She sighs and goes to Brendan’s room. “Hey, what do you want to do for food? There’s some frozen dumplings I can make. Or some leftover rice from lunch that I can fry with eggs.”
    Wearing a pair of safety goggles on his head, Brendan opens the door. He scrunches his face. “Mom and Dad leave you any credits?”
    â€œFor an emergency,” Jess says, rolling her eyes. There’s plenty of food in the house.
    Brendan raises his eyebrows. “What about Bells’ restaurant? I like the food there.”
    Jess’ stomach grumbles; Creole food does sound amazing right now. She hasn’t eaten since lunch and was too focused on her research to snack. It’s a great idea, and wouldn’t cost too much. Bells is on shift today, and the Broussards love her. And seeing Brendan flail over Bells is always entertaining.
    Jess conjures up that image and snickers. “Okay. Do you need like, an hour to change?”
    Two spots of color appear high on Brendan’s cheeks. “What? No. I’m ready, just—”
    Grumbling, he closes the door, and Jess laughs to herself. She flicks through her notifications on her DED until the door opens again. Brendan has changed into a clean T-shirt and jeans, and there’s some gunk in his hair. It takes a moment for Jess to realize it’s a temporary hair product, and there are clunky red streaks in his hair.
    She grins but doesn’t say anything.
    The minivan takes forever to boot up as usual, and it also tells them, “You have arrived at your destination,” when they’re still two blocks away from the Broussard family restaurant. Jess and Brendan get out of the car and walk; it’s not as bad as the time the car almost took them to Las Vegas when they just wanted to go to the Andover Mall.
    The Broussard’s restaurant, Home Away from Home, is in an historical building, Art Deco reminiscent of twenty-first century roadside-diner architecture. The inside, however, is a riot of warm, friendly color, lush oranges and reds, a nod to the Broussard family’s roots in Louisiana before they moved west after the Disasters.
    Jess’ stomach grumbles as a waitress passes by carrying a steaming plate of jambalaya; the rich aroma of the spices wafts decadently.
    Brendan pulls her to a table in Bells’ section, and it isn’t long before Bells appears, with his bright hair—blue and orange today—tied neatly in a little ponytail at the back, and wearing an apron over his tank top and jeans.
    â€œHey,” Jess says.