Bren-Bren, so itâs not that bad.
âIâm so proud of you for getting this internship, and with Monroe Industries too! The company does so well, nationally and overseas. Itâs a great start to be around all those amazing and talented people. The experimental division checks out, definitely. Theyâve had a few projects in Crystal Springs and apparently now theyâre here.â Li Hua smiles, her eyes alight.
âThanks, Mom. I really appreciate it.â
âDo you want me to take you shopping for work clothes?â
âAh, they want me to start on Monday? And I have some clothes from debate team last year that still fit. Iâll just wear one of those outfits.â 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.
Itâs 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, itâs almost eight oâclock.
She sighs and goes to Brendanâs room. âHey, what do you want to do for food? Thereâs some frozen dumplings I can make. Or some leftover rice from lunch that I can fry with eggs.â
Wearing a pair of safety goggles on his head, Brendan opens the door. He scrunches his face. âMom and Dad leave you any credits?â
âFor an emergency,â Jess says, rolling her eyes. Thereâs plenty of food in the house.
Brendan raises his eyebrows. âWhat about Bellsâ restaurant? I like the food there.â
Jessâ stomach grumbles; Creole food does sound amazing right now. She hasnât eaten since lunch and was too focused on her research to snack. Itâs a great idea, and wouldnât 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. âOkay. Do you need like, an hour to change?â
Two spots of color appear high on Brendanâs cheeks. âWhat? No. Iâm ready, justââ
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 thereâs some gunk in his hair. It takes a moment for Jess to realize itâs a temporary hair product, and there are clunky red streaks in his hair.
She grins but doesnât say anything.
The minivan takes forever to boot up as usual, and it also tells them, âYou have arrived at your destination,â when theyâre still two blocks away from the Broussard family restaurant. Jess and Brendan get out of the car and walk; itâs 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 Broussardâs 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 familyâs roots in Louisiana before they moved west after the Disasters.
Jessâ 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 Bellsâ section, and it isnât long before Bells appears, with his bright hairâblue and orange todayâtied neatly in a little ponytail at the back, and wearing an apron over his tank top and jeans.
âHey,â Jess says.