Penny: As tempting as that is, I think I owe her some girl time. We can brood in silence tonight together. Much better than a date.
Me: If I cook you dinner and kiss your pretty lips, can we call it a date then?
Penny: Stop talking.
Me: Nah, I quite like talking to your hateful ass. What about the following weekend?
Penny: Tierra will be ungrounded. We’re going to a party.
Penny at a party? She’ll hate every second of it.
Me: Want me to tag along to the party to keep you company?
Penny: Tee would kill us both. No. You can woo me another day, Smash. Gotta go.
I pocket my phone, elated over the fact Penny is coming over. I know hanging out with her is a bad idea because I fucking want her, but I can’t stop myself. She’s different than anyone I’ve ever met and I like being around her.
I’ve dated chicks who played hard to get.
Penny plays impossible to get.
I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.
After a shower and a nap, I make my way into the kitchen to start thinking about dinner. I find Charlotte already in there, pulling ingredients out.
“Whatcha cookin’, good-lookin’?” I ask, peeking over her shoulder.
“Kate gave me her King Ranch casserole recipe. I thought I’d make that. Sound good to you?” She smiles at me, knowing it’s my favorite.
“Hell yeah,” I state. “Need help?”
“Keep Cal away or it’ll never get made,” she tells me in a stern voice.
We both laugh as Cal comes staggering in, shirtless.
“How did the meeting with Samantha go?” I ask them. “Everything going as planned?”
“Yeah,” Cal grunts, his eyes sweeping over Charlotte, love shining in his stare. “Char will have to testify obviously. We’ll see both of those motherfuckers. It’s going to be hard not to fucking kill them like I should have.”
“Michael woke up?”
They both nod.
“It’s only procedural,” I tell them. “Those two are going away for fucking forever.”
“Once Charlotte tells the court her side of the story, including what happened with your accident, you’ll probably be called to the stand, too,” Cal says, frowning. “Jordy, Hollis, and Roan will have to speak too since we were all there that night.”
What a clusterfuck.
“We probably won’t get them on the arson of Mom and Dad’s since we don’t have proof,” Cal grunts. “But Charlotte will tell them about what Michael said to her regarding that too. Any ammunition we have against them, the more solid our case will be.”
For the rest of the evening, we keep shit light, avoiding the topic of the trial and the fact Samantha still hasn’t gotten anywhere on the paternity tests for Zella. Penny doesn’t show up, even when Cal and Charlotte retreat for the night. I’m about to give up when I hear a soft knock.
I make my way over to the door and open it. Penny has the hood of her hoodie pulled over her head. She reeks of cigarette smoke, which confuses me and frankly gives me an instant headache.
“Where is everyone?” she asks, pushing past me.
“They went to bed.” I close and lock the door behind her. “You hungry?”
“I already ate.” She stops to stand in the middle of the living room, body trembling. “Can I shower here?”
Her words are whispered out. Strained. It makes alarm bells ring loud inside my already throbbing head.
“Of course. I’ll grab you something to wear.” I start for my room and she stops me, her hand grabbing mine.
“I’m sorry if you thought I was being cruel.” She swallows, pain flashing in her blue eyes. “I don’t like being this way.” A small crack in her hard façade.
“It’s okay, Zero. I see you.”
She relaxes, breaking away to grab a shower. I find a T-shirt and some basketball shorts, leaving them just outside the bathroom door. I take some medicine and then lie down on my bed, willing this headache to go away. After twenty minutes or so, I feel her presence in my doorway.
“I can hear them fucking,” she groans.
“Best close the door behind you then,” I say with a chuckle. “Hit the overhead light too.”
I reach over and turn on the lamp as she closes the door. Her blond hair is down, wet and messy as though she finger combed it after her shower. My clothes swallow her but fuck if she doesn’t look cute as hell in them. I track her as she turns off the light.
She crawls onto the bed, stretching out beside me. The silence is nice. Neither of us feels the need to fill it with unnecessary chatter. Her phone lights up as she swipes it on. She starts scrolling through it, reading something. I roll onto my side so I can stare at her.
So pretty.
Always so damn pretty.
“You okay?” I whisper.
“I am now.”
Her words fill me with fierce, male pride. My girl—even if she hasn’t admitted it to herself yet—feels content with me. It’s more than general happiness, though. It’s like she’s relaxing in my presence.
“What are you reading?” I ask, letting my eyes fall closed. I settle an arm over her stomach, fully expecting to be pushed away. Surprisingly, she allows the touch.
“Researching.”
“Sex with your hot coach?”
She snorts. “Gross.”
I don’t take offense. Not this time. She’s letting me comfort her and isn’t pushing me away. Her words sometimes feel like whips, but I’m learning it’s a defense mechanism. She’s soft inside, you just have to take a verbal beating in order to get to know that part of her. I can handle a little mental whoop ass.
“Not you,” she clarifies when I don’t respond. “I’m being a bitch again.”
“Nah, Penny, you’re just being you. Don’t apologize for it.”
Her hand rests over my arm that’s cuddling her. Such a small move, but it means so much.
“I’m trying to help you find Lacey,” she says. “We have to find her. What if she’s…hurt.”
Images of Lacey hurt assault my mind. I don’t like them.
“We’ll find her,” I murmur. “I’m pissed at her, but we’ll clear the air and fix everything.”
“You’ll be her hero,” she whispers.
Her hero.
Not Penny’s.
“I’d rather be yours.” I brush my thumb over Penny’s stomach, just under her breast.
“You two have history. She’s Zella’s mother. What if…” She lets out a heavy sigh. If I’m not mistaken, she sounds upset. Jealous even.
“I don’t want to be with Lacey,” I assure Penny. “There’s only one girl I want in my bed and I have her in it.”
She sets the phone down and then cradles my head in her palm. It’s the strangest yet most affectionate thing anyone has ever done to me.
My headache starts to fade and I fall blissfully asleep with the most unusually perfect girl I’ve ever known. I have to figure out a way to keep her here and never let her go.
Penny
I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.