Pepper takes a deep breath. She takes a peek out from behind the couch. And—oh!—there she is, talking with Vinnie (probably trading dancing tips). A lump forms in Pepper's throat, but she's quick to swallow it. No joking around this time. She's really gonna do it.

Needless to say, she doesn't usually do things like this. Usually she's all smiles and laughter. Pepper is hardly one to take things seriously…

Except for today, of course.

It had taken her quite a while to come to terms with it. She had never really had a crush before, and when her first one was on a girl (and one of her best friends, no less!)… Well, she was a little confused. Lucky for her, Russell could smell when a pet was upset. Or, at least, he could smell when Pepper was upset (but then again, who couldn't?). He proved to be surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject, and at first Pepper wondered why. Since then, she's caught him sneaking looks at Vinnie one too many times.

But she'll make Russell confess his feelings another day. Today is her day to confess. So she takes one look back at Russell, and after getting a smile and a nod, she wanders out into the fray.

Ten feet away, nine feet away, eight feet, seven, six—

"Oh, hi Pepper. Do you need something?" Penny's voice—cute and sweet and perfect—makes Pepper shiver.

"Uh, yeah," she says, trying hard to keep her voice steady. She meets Penny's eyes, and something inside of her snaps. But she keeps calm, because she has to do this.

Pepper takes a deep breath.