Anybody

Patrick led an intoxicated Penelope up to her loft nearly five hours later.

“Can anybody find me,” Penelope was drunkenly singing a song Patrick couldn’t recognize. “Somebody to love?” She dragged out the last word.

“Key?” Patrick asked. Who was he kidding? Sure Penelope could handle her alcohol, but she wasn’t immune to getting drunk. There was no way she would be able to give him her house key.

Knocking on the door, he hoped her roommates were in.

“Pen?” the blonde friend opened the door. “Where were you?”

“Hi, Shannon,” Penelope placed a kiss on her friend’s cheek before walking into their home, still humming.

Shannon, Patrick assumed Penelope could recognize her friends, ushered him into the house.

“Talk to Marissa, will you? I’m going to get Penelope into bed,” she said before turning on her heel and walking into the bathroom Penelope had disappeared into.

“Hey, Patrick,” the darker haired dancer smiled from the kitchen. “Need something to sober you up?”

“I’m okay,” he said laughing. “Sorry I brought her back a little drunk.”

“A little?” Marissa snorted. “That’s a load of bull. But it’s okay. She had it coming.”

“Yeah,” Patrick nodded. “I guess.” Pausing, he took a look at the girl in front of him. She was one of Penelope’s best friends; surely he could ask her what was on his mind. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she nodded. “I’m going to assume it has something to do with Penelope?”

“It does,” Patrick said. “On the way back, she was singing this song. And thinking about it, it could have just been her being drunk, but I feel like it wasn’t.” Patrick shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s probably nothing and I feel kind of stupid for-,” Marissa cut him off.

“Was it Somebody to Love?”

“I-I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t recognize it.”

Marissa hummed a few notes. “Something like that maybe?”

Patrick nodded. “Yeah, exactly!”

“That was a song her dad would sing to her mom when she was growing up,” Marissa said taking a seat at the counter next to him. “They had the fairytale love story.”

Now it was Patrick’s turn to snort.

“No, really,” she insisted. “Pen grew up in L.A., but her parents met in Napa. They were high school sweethearts, totally clichéd in every way. He was a jock and she was a cheerleader. They broke up after senior year, but he chased after her all through college. He got her in the end and they had their happily ever after for a while.”

“Had?” Patrick asked.

Marissa nodded. “He cheated. Crazy right? Penelope was about 15 and she just kind of gave up on real, true love after that. Or at least, that’s what she tells people. Shannon and I know the truth, of course.”

“She won’t admit she wants her own fairytale?” he asked, although it was more of a question.

“Yeah,” Marissa nodded as Shannon’s voice called to her. “I’m gonna go see what’s up. Can you show yourself out?”

Patrick nodded. “Sure thing. Sorry for bringing her back drunk.”

“You already apologized and I said it was okay,” Marissa smiled. “Oh, but Patrick?”

He turned around. “Yeah?”

“Show her that she doesn’t need to be afraid,” she said. “She’ll be yours in no time.” And with that, Marissa winked and disappeared after her friends.

*****

Patrick lay awake in bed later on. He didn’t understand what Marissa had meant. There was a lot he obviously didn’t know about Penelope Meyers. He had learned that night that he hadn’t even scratched the surface.

Rolling over, Patrick fell asleep humming to a song about a girl and her family. Or at least, that’s what Patrick thought it was about.