Status: Finished
Bent
Peck
Pennylee was waiting for me, long legs thumping against the stage. She looked totally relaxed, hunched over reading a book, but she kept glancing up and searching the room for me. "Pennylee." She grinned. "Willa! Hey." I hopped up next to her.
"So, uh, what do you wanna talk about?" she asked. "I have a lot of questions." Pennylee smirked. "So do I." "I'll start." I took a deep breath and began. "Why did you contact me after all this time? Why did you make a fake account? Is everything on there true? Who's this sister you were born for? Are we really friends?"
She was frowning slightly by the time I finished, and I worried that my questions were too intrusive. She answered me, though. "I guess I finally got brave enough to restart our friendship. I always missed you, but I wasn't strong...." She trailed off sadly.
"I made the fake account cause at the time I wasn't brave enough to talk to you for real. I thought maybe I could start off slow, learn if you were still someone I wanted to befriend. My sister..." Pennylee sighed, sniffing a little.
"It's just what I told you. She died, and I was born to replace her. But I'm not good enough. And of course we're really friends, Will." She smiled softly at me, but I wasn't done with the questions. "Pennylee. I asked if everything on that fake account was true."
She tilted her head. "I don't know what you mean." "It lists you as bisexual." Pennylee flushed and inched away from me. "Are you?" She nodded quickly. "Okay." It made me happy to feel that I wasn't alone. Although I still felt awkward about the lesbian thing, I had stopped insulting myself in the mirror.
"So, uh, what questions do you have for me?" I asked. She glanced down at my wrists and then up again, blushing. I sighed. "Yeah. That part’s true." Gently, giving me plenty of time to pull away, Pennylee reached for my shirt sleeve.
Her fingers seemed very pale against the dark fabric. I looked away as she lifted the cuff up, so I could only hear her horror. "Willa!" "S'not that bad." I mumbled, edging away from her as I tugged my sleeve down. At least she wasn't crying. Crying annoys me.
Instead, she looked frustrated, sad, and maybe just a tad angry. "It's very bad." I turned away from her and changed the subject. "I thought you had more questions." Pennylee huffed and frowned at me. "Yeah. I do. But we'll talk more later."
I suddenly felt angry with her, the way she intruded and wanted to know things. "Pennylee, I told you I cut a long time ago. Now suddenly you're all up in arms about it? You could've done something earlier." She bit her lip, a nervous habit she'd had since childhood.
"I didn't think it was that bad. I wasn't even sure....if you were telling the truth. I didn't want you to be." Her voice was so desperate I took pity on her and moved on. "It's okay, Penn." She glanced up at me and grinned. "I haven't heard that one in a long time."
We were getting off track, so I snapped my fingers. "Pennylee. Questions." "Are the bullies really as bad as you say?" I rubbed my neck and shrugged. "Worse, if I'm honest." She patted my knee. "I'm sorry." "Doesn't matter."
Pennylee stared at me but continued. "Are you really a lesbian?" "Yeah." "Okay." She swallowed again, like she was gathering up courage. "Do....Do you blame me?" I gave her a confused look. "Blame you for what?"
"For that kiss. The one that started all this." I laughed, maybe a little too hysterically, cause Pennylee gave me a weird look. "The only thing I can blame you for is being so pretty I couldn't resist." She gaped at me, and I worried I'd gone too far.
"You don't remember, do you?" She whispered. "Remember what? I kissed you. People didn't like that. Isn't much to remember." She sat up straight with an intense look. "Willa, I kissed you." "What?" Pennylee gulped and nodded.
"We were in the bounce house, and you had just told me I was pretty. So I gave you a quick peck on the lips. No one saw that one. But then you pulled me closer and kissed me again, and my mom saw..." She looked at my shocked face.
"I thought that was why Davey blamed me. I figured you remembered." "No. Uh....I didn't remember." "Are you mad?" I felt a giant smile spread across my face. All these years, the one thing that had really bothered me about that day was it seemed so unlike me.
I'm not one to try something first. It seemed weird that I would kiss Penny out of the blue. Now I remembered. "No. I'm not mad." I hugged her quickly.
Pennylee smiled and kissed my cheek before leaping off the stage and walking away with a cheerful "See ya later!" I sat frozen, one hand touching the place where her lips had pressed.
"So, uh, what do you wanna talk about?" she asked. "I have a lot of questions." Pennylee smirked. "So do I." "I'll start." I took a deep breath and began. "Why did you contact me after all this time? Why did you make a fake account? Is everything on there true? Who's this sister you were born for? Are we really friends?"
She was frowning slightly by the time I finished, and I worried that my questions were too intrusive. She answered me, though. "I guess I finally got brave enough to restart our friendship. I always missed you, but I wasn't strong...." She trailed off sadly.
"I made the fake account cause at the time I wasn't brave enough to talk to you for real. I thought maybe I could start off slow, learn if you were still someone I wanted to befriend. My sister..." Pennylee sighed, sniffing a little.
"It's just what I told you. She died, and I was born to replace her. But I'm not good enough. And of course we're really friends, Will." She smiled softly at me, but I wasn't done with the questions. "Pennylee. I asked if everything on that fake account was true."
She tilted her head. "I don't know what you mean." "It lists you as bisexual." Pennylee flushed and inched away from me. "Are you?" She nodded quickly. "Okay." It made me happy to feel that I wasn't alone. Although I still felt awkward about the lesbian thing, I had stopped insulting myself in the mirror.
"So, uh, what questions do you have for me?" I asked. She glanced down at my wrists and then up again, blushing. I sighed. "Yeah. That part’s true." Gently, giving me plenty of time to pull away, Pennylee reached for my shirt sleeve.
Her fingers seemed very pale against the dark fabric. I looked away as she lifted the cuff up, so I could only hear her horror. "Willa!" "S'not that bad." I mumbled, edging away from her as I tugged my sleeve down. At least she wasn't crying. Crying annoys me.
Instead, she looked frustrated, sad, and maybe just a tad angry. "It's very bad." I turned away from her and changed the subject. "I thought you had more questions." Pennylee huffed and frowned at me. "Yeah. I do. But we'll talk more later."
I suddenly felt angry with her, the way she intruded and wanted to know things. "Pennylee, I told you I cut a long time ago. Now suddenly you're all up in arms about it? You could've done something earlier." She bit her lip, a nervous habit she'd had since childhood.
"I didn't think it was that bad. I wasn't even sure....if you were telling the truth. I didn't want you to be." Her voice was so desperate I took pity on her and moved on. "It's okay, Penn." She glanced up at me and grinned. "I haven't heard that one in a long time."
We were getting off track, so I snapped my fingers. "Pennylee. Questions." "Are the bullies really as bad as you say?" I rubbed my neck and shrugged. "Worse, if I'm honest." She patted my knee. "I'm sorry." "Doesn't matter."
Pennylee stared at me but continued. "Are you really a lesbian?" "Yeah." "Okay." She swallowed again, like she was gathering up courage. "Do....Do you blame me?" I gave her a confused look. "Blame you for what?"
"For that kiss. The one that started all this." I laughed, maybe a little too hysterically, cause Pennylee gave me a weird look. "The only thing I can blame you for is being so pretty I couldn't resist." She gaped at me, and I worried I'd gone too far.
"You don't remember, do you?" She whispered. "Remember what? I kissed you. People didn't like that. Isn't much to remember." She sat up straight with an intense look. "Willa, I kissed you." "What?" Pennylee gulped and nodded.
"We were in the bounce house, and you had just told me I was pretty. So I gave you a quick peck on the lips. No one saw that one. But then you pulled me closer and kissed me again, and my mom saw..." She looked at my shocked face.
"I thought that was why Davey blamed me. I figured you remembered." "No. Uh....I didn't remember." "Are you mad?" I felt a giant smile spread across my face. All these years, the one thing that had really bothered me about that day was it seemed so unlike me.
I'm not one to try something first. It seemed weird that I would kiss Penny out of the blue. Now I remembered. "No. I'm not mad." I hugged her quickly.
Pennylee smiled and kissed my cheek before leaping off the stage and walking away with a cheerful "See ya later!" I sat frozen, one hand touching the place where her lips had pressed.