-Chapter Three-

"Heart to Heart"

Back at Jeanette's room, Simon knocked on her door, "Come in," she quietly answered while quickly wiping away tears from her eyes. Simon quietly entered her room and sat on the edge of her bed. "So I guess I really put my foot in my mouth this time huh," he said to her as all she could do was look out the window and sigh.

"Simon…are you really that interested in the science bowl or are you using that to hide something from me," she asked as she pulled a blanket up to her. "I'm not hiding anything Jeanette…I don't have anything to hide," he replied as he tried to look in the direction of her.

"Then why do you keep avoiding my questions about the Valentine's Ball then…when ever I ask you, it's like you try to change the subject," she calmly asked him. "I-I don't Jenny…it's just I have a lot at stake, I mean look at you, you're basically all set for college and we haven't even graduated yet," he replied as he glanced over at his physics book.

"Yes Simon I am, but you're doing great too…you're putting too much pressure on yourself and it's affecting the one's you love… and vice versa," she said looking down at the floor.

Simon sat and looked confused as it finally hit him that she was having the same feelings that he was having, but he didn't want to admit it. "I-I guess I never took the time to notice…and I'm sorry that I made you feel that way," he apologized at they looked each other in the eyes.

"So…do you have something you wanna ask me Simon," Jeanette asked with anticipation. "Well…," he thought as he looked down at his Physics book then back up to her as he pushed up his glasses and took a deep breath. "Do you wanna…," he started to say until he felt an anxiety attack coming on. "I'm sorry I gotta go…I'll call ya," he said frantically as he left running down the stairs and out of the door back to his house.

"I think I'm going to see what's bothering Simon," Theodore said as Eleanor agreed and kissed his cheek before Theodore left to go back to the Seville's.

Jeanette just sat there and sighed while looking out of the window at the moonlit sky shining through. "Jenny…are you okay," Eleanor asked as she came upstairs to see what happened.

"Yeah I'm okay…I think I'm starting to figure out what's going on with Simon," she said as she turned to face her. "And what would that be," Eleanor asked she sat on her bed with her.

"I think he's afraid to ask me to the ball…unless he asked someone else and he just doesn't want to tell me…but I just have this inkling that he's afraid…he has to be," she said as she pondered over and over at the feelings she picked up from Simon before he left running out the door.

"That's what I'm thinking too…it's not like him to hide his feelings like that, I mean he has a lot to worry about anyway, like keeping Alvin in line and not to mention keeping up with everyone else, I'm sure it's just nerves about the dance because he cares too much about you to just push you aside like that," she explained to her as they shared a hug.

Meanwhile back at the Seville's, Simon came bursting through the door to have just enough time to see Dave as he didn't stop to say anything and ran downstairs to his laboratory in the basement. This struck Dave as strange because it's very rare to see Simon is a traumatized and nervous state.

In the basement, Simon is found laying across his sofa where he always lays to study but this time he's just laying there looking up at the ceiling. Dave knocked on the door to check and see what's wrong with him.

"Come in," Simon answered without even bothering to look over to see who it was coming in. "Simon…is there something wrong…you seem very upset," he asked as he made his way to the bottom of the steps of his laboratory.

"I'm fine…I'm just thinking a little bit," he answered while still looking up at the ceiling. "Well…do you want to talk about it," Dave asked concerned as he moved a stool from the corner over to Simon's sofa and sat on it."Well it's kind of hard to explain…I think Jeanette wants me to ask her to the ball…but I have the science bowl semi-finals coming up," Simon said as he sat up on the sofa.

"But isn't the science bowl in a couple weeks," Dave asked while trying to figure out his problem. "I understand that, but I need to make sure I'm ready mentally for it…it's pretty hard to study for and I guess I need all the time I can get my hands on to prepare for it," he explained as he opened his book to begin reading again.

"Simon…I don't think that's why you're not going to the ball," he spoke up while reaching over to take his book away and put it on the table. "W-What do you mean Dave," he asked looking at him.

"Well…do you like her," Dave asked as he looked at a picture of Simon and Jeanette on the wall. "Yes…of course, she's amazing and definitely smart," Simon admitted. "Well do you love her," Dave followed up. "Um…in a finicky kind of way…yes, I'll admit she's done a lot for me over the years and vice versa," he added as he looked up at the picture as well.

"So…what is making you nervous about asking her to the dance this time," Dave wondered. "I think…I've fallen for her…every time I see her either in the hallway, the school lab, or even when we're hanging out…I get this tingly…thrilling sensation that takes over me and it's the best feeling ever I tell you…I know I don't show my feelings often but…this is the start of something new I think," Simon confessed as he took a deep breath and leaned his back against the sofa cushion.

"So I understand now…well…as good as you may feel, you're gonna have to share this feeling with her before it's too late…you might be scared of telling her your true feelings…but she might be taking it as you're trying to push her away," Dave explained as he got off the stool to stand up.

"That's very true…but how would I tell her that without getting nervous…I tried to ask her to the ball but I started having a panic attack," he said as he started getting nervous again.

"It's alright…from the way I've seen you two together, I'm sure everything will be fine…you kinda worry too much Simon…maybe the dance is just what you need to relax your mind," Dave suggested. "I hope you're right," Simon replied.

Back at the Miller's, Jeanette sat in her room and re-thought over and over about how Simon ran out of her room. "Gosh I wonder why he's avoiding me…I'm sure I'm not doing anything wrong…at least I don't think," she said to herself as she looked at a picture of him on her desk.

"Maybe you should call him and have a heart to heart Jenny…when in doubt, you ask how he feels since he's technically not looking face to face with you…maybe that'll open him up a little more," Eleanor advised her as she stood in the doorway.

"Hey…you're right Ellie…if anyone can save us from disaster it should be me at least…I'm going to call him right now and let him officially know how I feel," Jeanette replied as she picked up her cell phone to call up Simon.

In the meantime, Simon was still down in his lab working on a new positive potion for plants to help with the growing and sprouting process without using sunlight. "Alright just a little organic fertilizer and a cubic centimeter of liquid helium and there we go…I hope this stuff works," he said out loud to himself as he put a cork in the beaker of his pinkly colored "positive potion".

As he sat the beaker on the counter, he was on his way towards the hidden back door in the basement to bring in an experimental plant to test the solution until his cell phone rang as he took it out of the pocket of his lab coat and answered it."Hi Jeanette…what's up," he answered as he looked at the caller ID. "Hey Simon…oh nothing just sitting around…thinking," she replied as thoughts ran through her mind about how she was going to ask him about where they stand. "How about you," she added with concern.

"Oh just the same old same old…studying and working on this potion," he answered back with a chuckle as he went upstairs to put his pink liquid solution in the refrigerator. "You seem…uncomfortable…is anything wrong," he asked with a little frown on his face as he pushed up his glasses.

"Not really…well…I was going to ask you the same thing…from the way you left running out of my room…something has to be bothering you for you to leave like that," she stated.

"Well…I just had sort of a…anxiety attack…and I didn't know how to react…so that's why I left like I did…I'm sorry about that," he apologized.

"But Simon…I'm starting to see the fact that you're pushing me away…you're best friend…those friends don't do that…it broke my heart to see you running out of my room like I scared you or something…it's not right Simon," she explained to him.

"I completely understand Jeanette…I didn't mean to offend you…but I've just been under enough stress lately…I'm sorry Jenny I didn't mean anything by it…I promise I'll be better by tomorrow…let's hangout after school, just me and you," he asked as he tried to ask her out but his nerves got to him again.

"I don't know Simon…I'm little hurt from this evening and I'm also trying to calm down Brittany from Alvin…she's more of upset than hurt…she's thinking about asking someone else to the ball," she explained as she sat at her desk.

"S-Someone else…that'll…well I understand where she's coming from…I hate all this happened this evening, maybe something good will come out of this," Simon replied as he walked into the living room to sit on the couch.

"I sure hope so…for all of us Simon…I really care about you and want to see you happy…well…I'm gonna go check on Britt I guess I'll see ya tomorrow at the bus stop," she concluded. "Okay…thanks for the talk Jenny and see you tomorrow also…bye," he said as he gave his salutations and hung up.

"Gosh I really need to fix this pronto…I need to get this nagging nervousness out of my stomach," he sighed as he got up to go up to his room to study and think about what Jeanette said.

-End of Chapter-