Chapter Text
Penny Proud was a basketball sensation. Everyone on the team adored her kindness and respect for others– she was honestly grateful that her first day as a sophomore wasn't as shitty as she thought it was, and she couldn't ask for a better girlfriend either.
Christina Josiah was the head captain of the cheerleaders. She was obviously rich and she was the most popular girl in Pickett High School, of course she was.
But they would often have an off/on relationship lately, Penny's been nothing but pouring her heart to her while she got scrubbed under the dirt like she wasn't worth a fucking diamond, but she knows she's worth something; people tell her that all the time.
And today's June 4th, the day she turned seventeen, and every last one of her friends took her out to eat to celebrate with her while her girlfriend didn't bother to send her a “happy birthday!” text or anything. Penny didn't feel bad, she felt weirdly happier than she's ever been before.
Dijonay made sure to post her on her Instagram story, they flashed the V-sign and did the duck lips, Penny's happy for the final and last time.
When she arrived back at school, something was off, almost out of balance. Everyone was gushing over some new transferred girl from Chicago, Illinois–does Penny get involved and dig herself a bigger grave? She did it for obvious reasons, not from jealousy, envy, and especially not toxic privilege… but she doesn't know what's wrong with her now since this new girl transferred.
LaCienega Sienna Boulevardez was her full name, she heard someone whispering to their friend like it's a threat to society and herself, although it technically is. She was a cheerleader at her old school, a professional dancer, and she was super pretty… but mostly attractive to the boys. Hell, Penny found her attractive even though she's not a boy, does this girl even like girls to begin with?
And to make things more worse to Penny's internalized feelings – she cheered for the same team Penny's playing for along with Michael Collins, her male best friend who's literally the coolest boy you'll ever meet, and that definitely wasn't a Mean Girls reference, he is cool.
One day when they were freshening themselves up, Penny was mindlessly tying up her Pink Air Forces, Christina came up to her with LaCienega in tow, they had to be buddy-buddy now, congratulations.
“Pen, you've met LaCienega, right?”
Penny looked up at those brown coconut eyes that were innocent at first glance but they got subtly darker during arguments, she just gave off that impression.
Her voice came off rough. “Everybody knows her, I don't.”
Christina rolled her eyes. “Well, she wanted to get to know you, personally, since she knows everyone else!” Penny knew the difference in her girlfriend's tone by now, if it's chirpy and tranquil–she's actually happy for once, and if it's dark and slowly pronouncing words, that means she's pissed off for no explainable reason.
“Aight, you can go now.” Penny waved her off dismissively, rolling her eyes as Christina shook her head, and the locker room went eerily quietly as LaCienega sat down afoot away from Penny, and she really wanted to say that she looks intimidating and hostile judging by the way she talked to her “girlfriend” but she wouldn't do that.
Penny stole the first glance at her eyes. “You've been real buddy-buddy with my–” Fuck. She's not together with Christina anymore, but she'll be going back to her predictably after the game, but what the fuck does she say now to this girl who's breathtaking?
“Friend?” LaCienega asked her in the gentlest tone a human being hasn't even heard before, not even Penny… it made her feel less suppressed from her walking red flag of a girlfriend– friend.
“If you wanna put it like that,” she shrugged nonchalantly, looking at the well-defined uniform LaCienega had on, the shorts were too above her thighs but she ignored that detail and looked at her eyes once again, God they're particularly burned into her damn skull if she can memorize color. “Anyways, what brought you here to Emilyville?”
“I begged my mom to let me move here since an old-time friend was here.” LaCienega said tersely, and Penny nodded solemnly.
“That explained sort of yourself, but on a serious, personal note– why'd you really transfer here? I mean, I get the “old-time friend” part, but like… it's kind of strange a girl like you would transfer in the middle of the semester.”
“Quieres la verdad, joder.” You want the truth, fuck. LaCienega said before a huge sigh escaped past her lips.
“To be honest with you, Penny– It's been a rough couple of years since I was little, I was in multiple mental institutions for my fucked up mental health physically, so-called friends I leaned on would pick on me restlessly, the shit got so bad I had to come here to escape from the ropes of brutality that Chicago had… and that made me vulnerable to this town I'm currently living in.”
Penny tilted her head subtly. “Got any friends to depend on?”
LaCienega hunched over, shaking her head while tears fell down her cheeks. “Most of the people here are bad, bullies, and fucking monstruos.” Monsters, and Penny had her mouth open before closing it, then she shifted closer to her, but her hands stayed in her lap balled up.
“Well, you don't have to worry about that now… I'll be your– well, I don't know if I wanna call you my friend.”
LaCienega's voice sharpened. “So I'm your rival now? You barely know me to fucking judge me at that, didn't know you were judging a book by its cover first impression wise.”
Penny crossed her arms defiantly. “You might wanna pipe down on that attitude, Boulevardez, you could get dragged into somewhere you don't wanna be.”
LaCienega scoffed weakly. “You don't scare me–”
“–Then do somethin’ if you're not scared.” Penny cut in defensively, her voice was clipped and controlled to a bare minimum of anger, and LaCienega's façade cracked by a fraction. The latina took a step back before crossing her arms, looking down at her white cheer shoes before holes were piercing into Penny's face, and she chuckled wickedly.
“Want me to show you I'm not defenseless?”
Penny stood her ground. “Go ahead, nobody's here to see you make a fool of–” Her eyes widened when she was rapidly shoved into a locker, both of her hands were boxing her in – and Penny's hands were idle by her side, but her head was the only thing to be screwed on tightly as she angled it upwards in a menacing way.
“You made your statement.” Penny's eyes averted on her eyes aggressively. “Don't gotta make somethin’ messier than it already is.”
LaCienega had a condescending smile that was barely-contained in anger. “Don't test me.”
“I think I already passed this “test”.”
“The test of being a sore loser, yeah, you definitely passed.” LaCienega remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes and finally walking away to the door, but she gave Penny one more warning glare. “Don't try me.”
The random seeing each other outside of school and in school wasn't even accidental, it's like Cupid shot them both with a love arrow and made them be in the same orbit as their friends, Penny found it tiring and annoying, and it counterbalanced LaCienega's amusement and venomous stingray, Penny couldn't avoid the itchy stinging in her anatomy since LaCienega was reluctantly following her and pretending to be her friend when she really wanted nothing to do with her, and Penny felt the exact same way.
Since their rivalry started, LaCienega's becoming more bolder with the shots she's throwing in Penny's direction, meaning she'll get physical and hurt her in ways that were mostly out of rage and emotional hurt that crushed her youth and nowadays. Penny always had to scream at her to back off, and Zoey was always there to protect her from harm's way. Always there to be her shield when shit got rocky and knocked her best friend out of place.
Even in classes Penny would sit in the further back and examine half-skinned bruises that weren't even by her hands, she would cry for no reason at home when her parents tried to talk to her, instead she would flinch and raise her hands in surrender – that's how much LaCienega traumatized her.
One day when she was coming out of the showers with a towel around her body, she saw LaCienega walking up to her and she backed herself into a wall, luckily the towel had velcro straps so she wouldn't expose herself, LaCienega's face turned into aggression, then regret was visibly shown. She caused too much damage to the fragile girl and she regretted it on most days of the week. She walked up and apologized sincerely before giving her a soft smile, but Penny's fear was eating her alive to believe LaCienega's niceties.
She can't fall for the “hook, line, and sinker” part yet, there's too much to weigh on her shoulders.
In fact, she doesn't even know if she can trust LaCienega yet after all the shit she's done. Her mind was the fuzzy part while her body was the aching part of her.
LaCienega was still standing there as she was lost in her own battles of her mind, and she didn't dare to move a muscle because she could see the fire burning behind LaCienega's eyes subconsciously.
Practice was almost overwhelming to finish, her sweat made her lose her grip from the ball every time she thought about LaCienega's fingernails digging into her wrist rudely and then verbally assaulting her the next morning, it's like a sickening routine she has to go through, LaCienega hasn't threatened her with “you can't tell anyone” part and she doesn't think that's gonna happen; unless she changed her mind overnight or something.
The coach didn't scold her for it, she told her to sit down and rest since she was clearly tense in her shoulders and arms. Across the gymnasium, LaCienega's eyes glanced at her even more and rolled her eyes, now refocusing on her friends. Penny shook her head and placed her bag on her shoulder. She texted her mother anyway and said she wasn't feeling good and might need to stay at home for a few days.
“Sweetheart, this isn't like you, what's going on?”
Penny's eyes watered with tears as she sobbed quietly into her sleeve, she made a whiny strangled noise with her mouth as she sniffled. “Momma, high school is a disaster… this girl has been picking on me nonstop and I haven't done anything to her! It's like she's–”
“–A bully?” Her mother finished softly as she looked through the rear view mirror. “Baby, are you getting bullied at school and you're not telling me?”
“I didn't want to freak you out… nor daddy. I had to remain suppressed so she wouldn't attack me again.” Trudy's heart sank as she frowned, sighing.
“I'm going to let you stay home for the rest of the week, but Monday you have to go, okay?”
“Yes ma'am.” Penny smiled slightly as the tears slowed down a bit, she was grateful that she had parents who understood her and didn't tear her down like most parents did when their child is facing a severe issue at school.
Tuesday morning, LaCienega hadn't seen Penny in most of their shared classes. During cheer practice, she didn't see her outstanding basketball uniform either along with her signature smile on her face when she scored, but then the realization hit her like a steel hammer– she's been mean to Penny, and she's avoiding school on purpose to get away from her… and her own friends started to talk behind the girl's back, and LaCienega immediately told them to stop, she didn't know why she shouted at them in the first place, she couldn't be sticking up for Penny Proud, right?
There's no fucking way.