Simon Sort of Says

Simon wonders how and when he’s going to tell Agate about who he is and why he moved to the National Quiet Zone. He can’t sleep at all, and when the business phone rings in the middle of the night, Simon thinks the worst. It turns out that a herd of emus from a neighboring farm are loose on Agate’s family farm, and they need help herding them in. Simon’s mother is confused about why they chose to call her, but she and Simon get in the car and head over anyway. Simon’s mom wears a “Got Formaldehyde?” T-shirt. On the way, Simon thinks about how much his mom’s life changed by moving to GNB, and he asks her if she regrets it. Simon’s mom assures him that she was just as eager to leave their town of Eagle Crest as he was.

Simon is surprised to see that there are over a dozen emus running around and that most of Agate’s family is trying to chase them down. Agate finds Simon and explains that Todd left the neighbor’s gate open, likely while going for a walk. Agate tells Simon all sorts of emu facts that she learned from a book she has and then invites him over to the treehouse. Along the way, emus and people dash past them, and a few of the emus are successfully tackled. The neighboring farmer, Mr. Bagshott, yells at the people and tries to explain that the emus need to be lured, not chased. Simon and Agate volunteer, and Mr. Bagshott instructs them to lay on their backs and pretend to pedal a bicycle upside down. The emus slow down and become curious, and one by one, they are lured back into the barn.

It is while Simon and Agate are on their backs pedaling that Simon decides to tell Agate the truth. Talking about himself in the third person, Simon tells Agate that he survived the shooting because the other children’s bodies were piled on top of his. The police footage shows Simon as he stands and puts his arms up, and Simon feels like that moment is a part of him that is frozen in time. It is the part of him that struggles to breathe. He tells Agate that he wanted her to know before she found out from somewhere else, and he adds that she’s his best friend. Agate’s eyes fill with delight and wonder, and they both shed a tear together.

By 6:30 am, the emus are all collected, and Agate takes Simon with her to collect the morning’s duck eggs. When Agate brings up the space message and having to find a microwave, Simon becomes frustrated and overwhelmed. He admits that it’s the last thing on his mind and that he wants to remain unnoticed. Simon realizes that Agate isn’t changing her mind and decides to wait things out and see if it passes on its own.

At school, Simon looks for Kevin in science class, but Kevin is wrapped up in the upcoming science fair and hanging out with the other kids who are participating. Simon notices Kevin and his other friends talking and looking at him, and he wonders if Kevin is telling everyone his secret. Simon sits with Kevin at lunch, but it feels awkward and forced, and Simon senses that Kevin is confused and hurt by the fact that Simon kept the secret for so long. After school, Simon goes by Kevin’s dad’s coffee shop, but Kevin isn’t there. Kevin’s dad makes Simon another special ice cream dessert and insists that Simon keep visiting, even if Kevin needs time.

There are two days left before summer vacation, and Simon is in the middle of an extended gym class, running around the track with Agate. Suddenly, a loud siren starts going off, and Simon immediately hits the ground. He curls up around himself, and the world around him starts to blur. He can’t see or hear much of anything, but Agate and Hercules are both there. Agate identifies Simon’s current state as a panic attack (which is close to the truth; he is having a trauma reaction) and tries to coach him through some breathing. Agate holds onto Simon and tries to tell him that there is a tornado coming. The wind picks up and a table is overturned, but still Simon can’t move. Simon’s teacher grabs him and pulls him into the school basement with the other students. Simon can’t stand being in such a confined space with so many other kids, but he knows the alternative is worse. Agate holds onto Simon the whole time, until the sirens stop and the storm dies down. Hercules sits on Simon’s lap, and Simon holds him tightly. Agate stays with Simon until everyone is gone. Meanwhile, the town’s church, named after Saint Barbara (the patron saint of lightning strikes), is struck by lightning.

Simon and Agate wait for Simon’s parents to show up, and eventually his mother comes rushing through the crowd and tells Simon that the church was hit by lightning. She grabs Simon and they immediately leave for the church, where they find Simon’s dad. Simon’s dad is beyond relieved to see that Simon is safe, devastated by the entire day. A firefighter discovers that a squirrel (the Jesus Squirrel) chewed through the cable in the lightning rod, which caused the church to light on fire when it was struck. Simon’s parents hold him so tightly that he can barely breathe, and Simon dreads the next few days, knowing that everyone knows about his family’s history now.

Simon wakes up dreading the last day of school before summer, knowing that everyone knows who he is now. He forces himself to walk there, and as soon as he arrives, people start staring and talking about him. Simon approaches the steps and sees that there’s an entire shrine and vigil made for him, as though he died. He reacts with extreme stress and even throws up as everyone watches. Agate tries to talk to Simon about the space message, and he explodes at her, incredulous that she can’t see what state he’s in. Simon runs home and falls into his dad’s arms, telling him what happened. Simon’s mom comes home soon after and complains that her assistant lost a body on the road after forgetting to lock the doors on the truck. Simon bursts out laughing upon hearing this, and the tension is temporarily lifted. Simon’s parents hold him as he holds Hercules, and when the phone rings for the hundredth time that day, nobody answers it.