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Stepping out of her dad's office, Josie was headed to her room to get a night of much needed sleep when she walked past a couple witches standing in her hallway. She was planning on just moving past them when she heard a few murmurs. She turned just in time to see Penelope, tears falling down her cheeks, headed the opposite way.
“Penelope,” she called, but to no avail.
“Don’t even,” she looked to the side to see, Hannah, one of the witches who she normally saw Penelope with talking to her.
“Excuse me?”
“Josie I know you only see Pen as someone to call up on when you’re feeling bad about yourself but what you did was low.”
“It wasn’t my fault, I didn’t know what I was doing..” she tried but the witch stopped her.
“You knew how Penelope felt about you, you know the letter she gave you? Did you even read it?
“No I...” she trailed off, where did she put it?
“I’m not gonna say I’m surprised, but I don’t care if you had some slug affecting how you acted. Just stay away from her, okay?” Josie stood there watching as the girl walked off.
She walked past her room and around the agonizingly silent halls, letting her mind wander. She made it to the common area where she couldn’t help but remember one of her best memories.
Josie was sitting in the quiet room reading a new book she found in the library. All the other students were getting ready to go to one of the wolves parties at the old mill. Lizzie and her had fought earlier on in the day about her not wanting to go and Lizzie wanting to. She wasn’t feeling well so she just wanted to stay in for a night reading alone.
About ten minutes after what she thought was the last kid left out of the door, Penelope Park came swaggering into the room.
“Hey Jojo,”
“Hi Penelope,” Josie looked up from her book for a second before looking back down. She liked the brunette witch and she was pretty sure she liked her back but they still seemed to dance around the topic. “You didn’t go to the party?”
“No, wasn’t really feeling it,” Penelope shrugged, she was leaning on the arm of the couch opposite of her as she talked. “Are you okay though?”
“Yeah I’m just feeling a little...under the weather, you could say.” Josie gave a sad smile.
“Alright well I hope you get to feeling better,” Penelope grave her a smile before walking out of the room.
Josie would be lying if she said that she didn’t want Penelope to stay and talk to her for a bit but she understood, who wants to sit around with a sick girl who’s reading on a Friday night?
Forty-Five minutes later she was just finishing up a chapter when she saw Penelope walking in with a tray. She closed her book and looked up just in time to see her set it down in front of her. On the tray was a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and then a grilled cheese and tomato soup. She looked up at a nervous looking Penelope.
“I didn’t know what you would eat so I made what I like to eat when I’m sick,” when Josie didn’t respond the still standing girl quickly reached down to grab the tray. “You know what? I’m sorry, this was weird and stupid, you’re probably not even hungry-“ Josie jumped up off the couch and pulled the slightly shorter girl in a tight hug, smiling into her shoulder.
“Thank you Penny, this is definitely not stupid, it’s the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me.” She pulled Penelope down to the couch next to her, “by the way, that chicken noodle soup smells amazing, can you pass me the bowl please?”
“What do you know, the grilled cheese and tomato soup is my favorite so I’m kind of glad you didn’t choose that one,” the girl laughed softly as she handed her the bowl. “But I’ll be honest with you, I would’ve eaten the chicken noodle soup if you wanted it.”
“You’re just saying that, I bet you say that to all the girls you make food for,” Josie rolled her eyes.
“You’re the first girl I’ve even wanted to be around while they’re sick, so no, just you.” Penelope looked up just as Josie blushed and ducked her head.
For the rest of the night, they sat and talked about anything an everything. Josie tried reading her book to Penelope but when her throat couldn’t take all the talking, Penelope ended up reading and Josie listened intently from where her head was placed in the other girl’s lap.
Josie was brought back to reality and the room went from the warm and comfy environment of her memory to the cold and lonely room she was in now. She walked back around the halls, realizing just many of her best memories were with Penelope. Like their first kiss on the front steps, their first date, hell even the not so great moments like their first argument. Her and Penelope were all over this school and Josie had used a lot of her time blocking it out, but once you let one memory out, it was like a domino affect.
~~~~
Over the next few days Josie realized what it felt like to be on the other side of things. It used to be Penelope chasing her and seeking her out but now not so much. Even before when they were broken up, Penelope would see her and smirk or do something, but now? It was radio silence. She would see her in the hall and Penelope would drop her head and turn the other way.
No matter how hard she tried to get the girl to notice her, she just continued to slip away, no matter how well she thought out her approach.
Finally she figured she would just show up at her dorm. She hesitated, shook her head, and went to walk away right as Penelope opened her door.
“Oh hey Pen,” she cursed herself inwardly at how awkward she sounded.
“What Josie?” Penelope deadpanned. The girl was clad in a pair of grey sweat pants, and a loose fitting army green tank top. Her hair was thrown up in a half up half down style and she had no makeup on. Even though she looked exhausted, Josie thought she looked beautiful.
“Nothing, just wanted to see how you were doing after the whole slug thing..” she trailed off as she continued looking at the girl.
“Alright well you saw so,” Penelope moved back into the room and went to shut the door but Josie put her hand on the door to stop her.
“Penny,” she saw how the girl visibly flinched when she said it, “can we please talk?”
“What is there to talk about? You told me all you needed to tell me that night.” Penelope closed her eyes and took a breath before looking back up at her.
“Listen,” she looked down and and got quiet as someone passed in the hall, “can I come in and we talk?”
“No, you can’t. But what, you can’t let anyone know you’re the one at my room now? Josie I-I can’t talk to you,” Josie watched helplessly as Penelope’s lip quivered and she slammed the door in her face.
Josie didn’t know how long she stood there, until she got the courage to knock again. She rapped on the door, no answer. So she knocked again, and again, until she opened it.
“Dammit Josie, can’t you tell I don’t want see you!” Penelope’s eyes were bloodshot and her face seemed a little flushed
“I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know what I want, I just know that when I’m around you I can’t think straight! I liked you so much and you broke my heart Penelope but I still couldn’t hate you!”
“I broke your heart? I broke YOUR heart? You don’t think it broke my heart every single time you chose Lizzie over me? You don’t think I remember every date that was cancelled because Lizzie needed you? You missed our six month anniversary Josie! And all you told me was that ‘something came up with Lizzie’, as if I could forget coming second even though you were always my first priority.” Penelope stepped out of her room and towards Josie as she spoke. “So yeah, I might have broke your heart when I broke up with you but you had been breaking my heart almost every single day leading up to it,” Penelope was breathing hard as Josie interrupted her.
“Penny-“
“No! Because not only did you break my heart, you continued to break it by pulling me in and pushing me away. I was so hopelessly in love with you Josette! But obviously you didn’t love me back because I would NEVER treat someone that I loved the way you have treated me and it hurts.” Penelope moved her hand and wiped a tear that had escaped.
“Penelope I did, I swear.” Josie didn’t know what to say.
“Did you?” Josie felt her breath catch in her throat and tears start to prick her eyes. Those two simple words hurt more than any argument they had in the past. If Penelope was arguing then that meant she still cared but the moment she stopped arguing was when Josie got scared.
Those words showed that she was done arguing.