Chapter Text
PENNY
“Would you lovebirds hurry up?” This week has been tedious enough, with graduation and the visit from my parents and the plane ride to America. I feel desperate to get on the road already, onto my internship and the rest of our lives.
The road trip was Agatha’s idea. One last time for us to all be together before we go our separate ways. We spent the weekend helping her unpack at her new place. Now we’re off to New York. She’ll drop us at ours and then make her way back to California.
I was surprised when I heard she wanted to spend the extra time together. “Of course I do,” she said. “You guys are my best friends.”
It also doesn’t hurt that Minty’s waiting for her in New York. Agatha’s going to pick her up after she drops us off and then take her with her back to their new place in California.
She's the complete picture of Cali bliss, with a big pair of sunglasses resting on her head and newly manicured nails which are now messing with the dial on the radio. She looks just as ready for the future as I am. Next to her in the car, my History of Magick textbook has claimed my spot in shotgun. We’ve got all our bags put away in the trunk, and I’ve put aside some snacks in the glove box for Simon. We’re all ready to go, except…
“Simooon! Baz,” I call. “Come on.”
Finally, the two of them shuffle outside. Baz looks like death. He usually does, but it’s more pronounced this early in the morning. He sneers at the rising sun like it’s personally offended him. I lead him and Simon out to the car.
Baz pauses in front of it and looks at it with distaste. “Are we sure Wellbelove knows how to drive this thing?”
Agatha gives him the finger, never looking up from the radio.
“Come on,” Simon smiles. He takes Baz's hand and leads him to the back seats. I settle into shotgun and reach into the glove box for a bag of chips. Salt and vinegar. Simon’s favorite. I toss it to him.
He catches the bag with an appreciative sound. “Did we bring sour cherry scones?”
“What are we, strangers?” I say. I grab a bag of sour cherry scones and toss that to him, as well.
“Thanks, Penny!” He rips into the bag and shovels out a handful of chips, which he quickly washes down with a sour cherry scone. Beside him, Baz looks at him like he’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Crowley, it’s going to be hard to live with them. Since they went from enemies to boyfriends, they’ve become sickeningly cute.
“Careful with the food, Simon,” Agatha trills. “This is a new car.”
“You bought it used,” I remind her.
“It’s new to me,” she says. “Plus, it’s in good condition, and I want to keep it that way.”
She finds a song on the radio she likes and finally stops fiddling with it. Satisfied with that, she pulls out of the driveway. Once we're on the road, she turns a look at me. “Have you decided what you’re going to say to Micah yet?”
I groan. Micah. “No,” I admit. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
“I could do it,” Baz offers from the back. Simon is leaned against him now, resting his head on his shoulder. Insufferably cute.
“You are not breaking up with my boyfriend for me, Pitch.”
He shrugs. “Just offering my services, as a friend.”
We are friends now, surprisingly. We have the same ambition and the same sarcastic sense of humor. It turns out you’ll find you have a lot in common with someone, when you stop looking at them as your academic competitor. “I appreciate it,” I tell him, “and if I ever need help burying a body, you’ll be the first I call.”
He offers a small salute.
Agatha says, “Please don’t call me for that.”
“Agatha,” I say, “you’ll be the first I call if I need help robbing a bank. I’ll need a getaway driver.”
She rolls her eyes, but smiles. Agatha smiles a lot more, lately. Since she and Simon broke up, she’s been more relaxed. She’s spent more time talking to her Normal friends, planning out her future in California. And she’s completely done with doing anything she doesn’t want to do. She didn’t even go to graduation. “I don’t want to sit through all the boring speeches and ceremonies,” she said. “I can count on one hand all the people I like at this school, and I’ll be seeing you long after graduation.”
This is the most unrestrained I’ve ever seen her. It’s also the most I’ve ever liked her. Even if I don’t agree with all her choices, I’m happy she’s happy.
She looks thoughtful now. She says, “Just tell Micah he was your first love. You’ll always remember him fondly, but it’s time for you to grow up and start getting serious about what you really want in life. And even though you care about him so much, you know it’s best for both of you that you move on from each other now.” She looks back at Simon and smiles at him. He smiles back.
It’s nice not having to worry about them anymore. Since they broke up, they're closer than ever. So are Baz and Agatha, unexpectedly. Baz no longer uses her as a ploy to make Simon jealous, and Agatha no longer uses him as an escape fantasy to cope with feeling stuck and bored at Watford. I think they’ve both impressed each other, in a way: they finally broke away from their expectations and went after what they really wanted -- and they both won.
As for me, I’m getting there. Agatha’s right: it’s time for me to go after what I really want in life. This internship is just the beginning. And when I get my place in the Headmaster’s office, I’ll know that I earned it, through years of hard work and dedication.
For now, I’ll try to enjoy those years. Now that the Humdrum’s gone, and the three of them have figured out what they want, things are so much more peaceful than they were before. I want to enjoy the changes while they last.
Then Simon says, “Oops.” I think I can hear the sound of a sour cherry scone splattering on leather.
“Simon!” Agatha cries.
“It’s okay! I'll fix it.” In a low voice, he says, “Baz?”
Baz casts, “Clean as a whistle.”
“We’re good,” Simon says. “All gone.”
“Agatha,” I say, “you’re about to miss the exit.”
“Shit!” The car whines as Agatha cuts it. “That’s it,” she says, “no more food in the car! Penny, I told you that was a bad idea!”
The car erupts into chatter and chaos. I say, “It’s not my fault Simon can’t swallow his food properly,” while Baz says, “It’s not Bunce’s fault you forgot about simple cleaning spells.” Agatha says, “It’s ridiculous to use magic for something as simple as eating!”
Yeah. I like this much better than the way things were before. I think we all do.
Whatever happens in the future, I'm glad we have this: this moment when everything is perfect. We're all happy, and there are no more secrets. It feels like each one of us is set on the right path for the first time in our lives. We're all heading towards something, instead of waiting out our days at Watford. No more listening to parents and instructors and the Mage: this is our time, and we are the wielders of our own destinies.
After more yelling and some GPS rerouting, we finally get back to where we’re supposed to be. As the sky darkens above us, the car gets quiet. When it's time to switch drivers, I volunteer. It's Simon's turn, but I don't have the heart to wake him.
He and Baz are nestled together in the back, dreaming.