Victor brings out some chips and salsa to give everyone something to do with their hands, but everything Benji says to Isabel lands with a thud, despite everyone’s best efforts to endear him to Victor’s mom. Victor, seeing through his mom’s lie, counters that they’ll stay in and order delivery, setting the stage for an incredibly awkward conversation around the living room coffee table as they wait for the pizza to arrive. that the meal somehow got burned beyond edibility and suggests the kids just go out for pizza instead. Then, she unconvincingly lies to Victor & Co. But when Isabel looks out the kitchen window and sees Victor and Benji chatting and kissing outside, she turns the homophobia up a notch, opening the trash can and dumping her entire home-cooked meal into it. Thus, Victor tells Isabel that he’s inviting Felix, Lake and Benji over for dinner (“Oh!… Great,” Isabel replies, selling absolutely no one on her enthusiasm), and Isabel prepares her famous chicken ahead of everyone’s arrival that evening. Victor claims he’s ready to tell people at school that he’s gay and dating Benji, then worries that’s a ridiculous milestone to achieve when Benji has still never come over to Victor’s apartment.
(She also has a habit of pointedly asking, “Did you have fun with your friends?” anytime Victor hangs out with a group that includes Benji, very much more than a friend.) And yet, despite that bizarre dynamic, and the fact that Victor hasn’t spoken to Mia since the night of the dance, Victor’s actually thrilled with how this summer has panned out, as he, Benji, Felix and Lake have enjoyed some serious bonding time for the past two months. She knows that Benji is Victor’s boyfriend, but they have yet to really talk about Victor’s big news.
But then, it’s 10 weeks later, summer is coming to a close, and things are still weird between Victor and Isabel.