Hello everyone! This is my first Hairspray fic! I've seen the movie twice and I loved it! It sort of struck me during the movie while watching it the first time that Link and Penny would be great together and thus I became a PINK fan, so here is my first Hairspray fic. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Own nothing of this expect this idea…please don't sue or shoot!!!
She leaned against the red school lockers as she watched him walk down the school corridor. His handsome face shone with happiness when he saw Tracy. Link was all for Tracy; completely Tracy's.
Penny turned away and keeping her eyes securely on the floor she moved to her History class, her curly blonde hair in her normal two ponytails and her red lollypop in her hand.
What was the matter with her?! Link was just a friend to her, nothing more. She had got to know him more since he had started at date Tracy and she was glad to find he wasn't as plastic and perfect as he seemed to be on TV. He was still flashy and a bit star striking but he was a normal teenage boy away from the camera and was actually very nice.
It had been a few weeks since that incident down at their town's local dinner, a few weeks since he had really made her heart glow gold.
Penny pushed open the windowed door of 'Sparky's Dinner' and moved inside. It was the late afternoon and the sun was at its visible lowest and brightest of orange. Sitting at the red and white checkerboard table cloths were many people; school kids, families, mothers clubs, all talking and laughing about their own business.
Penny walked towards the white gleaming bar when a voice interrupted her thoughts, "Hey Checkerboard Chick!"
She ignored the cat call and approached Sparky Spikes, the owner of the dinner, who was serving creamy sodas to two teenager boys. They both turned around and stopped moving away from the counter when they saw her. One of them smirked at her, "Where's your Nigger friend Pingelton?"
Penny went to push past them but they stopped her, the other saying, "Is he too busy cleaning toilets?"
"No," retorted Penny sharply, "why would he; considering it's your job?"
That wiped the smiles of the boys' faces. They both moved towards her and bumped her hard as they past her making her drop the school books she was carrying in her arms on the floor.
"Hey!" she looked up at the familiar voice. It was Link.
He was glaring at the two boys that had just pushed her. They turned to look at him and when they recognized who he was their expression changed to more sincerity.
"What's up Larkin?" one of them said in a nicer and causal way.
"You two, apologies to Penny," Link glared angrily at them. The two boys stared at Link for a moment before they looked at each other uneasily and both turned to Penny.
"Sorry Pingelton."
"Yeah we're sorry."
"Go on!" said Link still glaring at them, "get out of here."
The two boys moved away, moving faster then they usually would, properly afraid if they hung around Link's friends might come to his support. Penny crouched down to pick up her scattered books and Link moved down to help her saying, "you alright little darling?"
Penny looked at him as she stood up and he handled her some of her books and she gave a shrug, "yes, I'm fine. You didn't have to do that, you know. It happens all the time now. I'm used to it."
Link raised his eyebrows, "since you announced on live TV that you're a checkerboard girl?"
Penny gave him a shy grin. Link looked past her into the street and then looked back at her and eyed her for a moment.
"What?" asked Penny, a bit uncomfortable under his studying stare.
Link smiled lightly, "I think Seaweed is very lucky to have someone like you."
"Oh," Penny dropped her eyes in embarrassment at his compliment. He had never spoken to her like this, he seemed so…normal, "um, thanks Link."
"I saw just leaving," said Link casually after a moment's silence between them, "would you like a ride home?"
Penny looked at him again and noticed that his eyes watched her anxiously.
"Er, no I'm okay," said Penny, "I was suppose to meet my mum here anyway. It's one of those rare things that she does when she's, you know, nice to me and all."
Penny thought (or dared to believe) for a brief moment she saw something like disappointment cross Link's handsome face, but it was replaced by a bright smile so quickly that she was sure she imagined it. Hang on, why would she even imagine something like that? It's not like she wanted Link to feel disappointed by this.
"Oh, yeah," said Link looking down for a moment and nodding in understanding. He looked back up at her and said, "I hope you have a good time Penny, with your mum. I suppose I'll se ya around little darling."
He gave her one last smile and a quick wink before he headed towards the door. Penny leaned against the bar counter and watched his retreating back in amazement. Her heart felt light and free and she sighed feeling happier then she'd ever felt before. His smile made her a thousand times lighter of every trouble that was shading her…
"Miss Pingelton!"
"Yes?" Penny spanned out of her dream-like faze, returning to the classroom and looked at her History teacher, Mrs. Galdenra who glared at her over her square glasses.
If I have to ask you why King Charles II died one more time you will receive detention."
"Oh okay," said Penny, still too distracted by Link's face in her mind to completely comprehend what Mrs. Galdenra was saying.
"Well then?!"
"Well what Mrs. Galdenra?"
"Answer my question please Miss Pingelton."
"Er, what was the question again?"
Mrs. Galdenra picked up her stake of pink detention slips and proceeded to write Penny Pingelton's name on it.
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"Hey there babe," Seaweed came up to Penny, while moving to the sound of the music's beat, and placed a kiss on her check, "have you been a naughty girl again?"
"Yeah," said Penny, waving around her pink slip and making a face, "Mrs. Galdenra gave me detention because I couldn't answer her stupid question."
"Don't worry about it baby!" said Seaweed leading her from the door towards where the other African-Americans were dancing, "you just get to spend more time with me and get into some of that groovy rhythm."
Penny smiled in reply, guilt and sorrow filling her as Link's face flooded into her head again.
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"I think next month we should have some sort of celebration," gushed Tracy happily, "you know, for Corny's birthday. We should make up an entire new dance, just for him."
"You know I think that's a great idea," said Link, winking down at Tracy, who smiled up at him adorably. Link had his arm around her chubby shoulders and she had an arm wrapped around his thin waist.
Penny looked away from their little interaction. She felt sick from the ache that was growing in her stomach and up to her chest. Why did this have to happen to her?! She had Seaweed, what more could she want then chocolate? She knew, of course she knew.
"Hey Penny," said Tracy suddenly and Penny looked up at her and plastered a smile on her face, "want to come for some sodas with Link and me."
Penny glanced at Link who grinned and wink at her, "Come on Penny, it'll be fun."
Fun?! Watching Link and Tracy together! Ha, some fun!
"Nah sorry guys," said Penny, "but I have to get home. These days if I not home before six o'clock my mum freaks out."
"Oh," said Tracy's round face dropping a little, "well I hope you can come next time then."
Penny smiled, "yeah maybe next time. See ya guys."
"Bye Penny," called Tracy as she walked in one direction and Tracy and Link moved in another. Penny gripped her hands into fists and she wanted nothing more then to break down and cry her heart out. Her heart was bleeding, in a terrible mess.
She loved Seaweed, she really did. By Link, she loved him more and he would never return that love. Tracy had it and she wasn't going to lose it, ever. Guilt filled her again, she had to stop this! She had to! For her own good and for those that she loved.
"Hey Penny wait up!"
Penny turned and to her surprise Link was jogging down to her. When he stopped next to her Penny said, "Is everything alright?"
Link smiled, "Everything is perfect."
"Um where's Tracy?" asked Penny, looking back down in the direction Link had come from, "Isn't she coming?"
"I decided I'm not in the mood for a soda so Tracy went on her own," answered Link, "actually I'm in the mood for lollypops."
He grinned at his little joke as they began walking again and Penny said, "oh well, I've got none left today. I guess you'll have to wait for tomorrow."
"Don't worry," said Link glancing at her, "I've had good practice waiting."
Penny looked at him questionably and Link held up his hands, "Don't ask. You won't believe me even if I told you."
There was a moment's silence before Link suddenly raised an arm and let it drip across Penny's shoulders. Although she kept walking Penny's body went ridge with shock at his action. He shouldn't be doing this! What if someone saw them?! What if Tracy saw them, or Seaweed, or her mother?!
But she could hardly complain even though she was slightly scared at the moment. She fitted against the side of his body perfectly, like she was made for him.
"You've been avoiding me," he said suddenly looking worried and he gave her shoulders a little squeeze, "have I done something wrong?"
Penny gave an inward sigh of relief but also felt the extreme taste of disappointment too. The arm was just a friendly comfort gesture.
"N-no," stuttered Penny, "I didn't notice."
She glanced at him and the confused look on his face made Penny breathless, although not from any love feeling, more from terror. Did he know?! Was he confused about why she would refuse to tell him now they were alone and he was asking her to be honest? But he couldn't know, she had never let anything slip! She was too much of a chicken to risk something like that!
Link suddenly stopped walking and Penny took the opportunity to let his arm slip from her shoulders. Link observed her for a moment and his stare was suddenly so strong she turned away; it made her feel uncomfortable, like he could read her every thought.
"I didn't mean to," said Penny quickly, "to avoid you, you know, I sometimes have my head in the clouds and then I end up doing things I don't really mean to do and I don't notice them and then that sort of gets me into trouble and I know I'm blabbering again and I'm sorry."
She took a deep breathe at the end of her very long sentence and Link suddenly smiled brightly at her and gave a small chuckle. Penny guessed he was thinking along the same lines as her about the blabbing.
"My silly little Penny," he said shaking his head slowly and smiling at her
His Penny?!
"This is where I go," said Link pointing down the street towards a middle-sized snow white house with lilies planted in the front garden. It wasn't the type of house Penny had imagined a regular on the Corny Collins Show would live in, even if he was a teenager.
"The lilies are beautiful," observed Penny
Link gave her a soft but sad smile, "my mother planted them before she died. My father couldn't bear to pull them out even though they reminded him so much of her. Lilies were her favourite flowers."
"Oh," said Penny, a little embarrassed she had brought up a sensitive topic, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't scoop."
Link smiled at her again for he said, "I best be going or my dad will be wondering where I am."
"Yeah," said Penny pulling a face, "I better get home too before my mum freaks and ties me to my bed again and makes me listen to gospel music!"
Link raised his eye brows as Penny rolled her eyes and shaking her head darkly, "don't even ask."
"Well I'll see ya around hey?" said Link, the corner of his mouth moving upwards
"Yeah," said Penny as she moved to cross the road, "I'll see ya tomorrow at school."
She turned and began to head home praying to God that her mother won't punish her for being out too late.
What do you think? I'm sort of a bit iffy about how I wrote Link's character. No matter how I try I just can't seem to get it right or maybe I'm just overseeing things too much. Any suggestions???
Anyways, please, please review and tell me whatcha think!! ;) oxox
