A/N- This chapter moves a bit quickly. I decided to make this another twoshot. Tell me what you think!
The next day, Amber finds Penny standing at her locker. She feels a sudden rush of adrenaline, and smiles at Penny without thinking. Penny smiles back.
"Are you…um…still interested in…?" Penny begins awkwardly. "I mean, if you're not, its okay."
Amber can feel a blush rising on her cheeks. Suddenly, she is at a loss for a venomous comeback, and can only manage to nod her head. "But it's not like I want to hang out with you or anything." Amber's eyes are narrowed defensively. "I just can't afford to fail another test."
"I understand," Penny says. And she does.
"I'll meet you after school, by the big oak tree." Amber doesn't want to be seen with Penny. It's not because Penny isn't perfect, because Amber isn't, either. Amber doesn't know what it's like to have a friend who doesn't pretend like you just because you're on the Corny Collins show, or because you lost your virginity before everyone else.
Penny chews her bottom lip, nods, and darts off as the bell rings.
Amber discovers Penny sitting under that large oak, blowing a bubble with her gum. When Amber comes near, Penny stands up.
"Where do you want to study?" Penny asks.
Amber shrugs. "My house, I guess."
Penny smiles and starts walking next to Amber
Amber knows that her mother will hate Penny. Penny's clothes look like hand-me-downs from the 1940's. Penny hangs around with the coloreds. Penny's knees are knobbly and her elbows stick out. Amber wonders for a split second if all Penny eats are those lollipops.
Amber needs to break the silence. "Have you ever actually seen the Corny Collins Show?" Amber asks uncomfortably.
Penny nods. "Once. At Tracy's house. My mother doesn't like me watching it though." Penny pauses. "You're really good. At dancing, I mean."
Amber feels a prickly sensation in her stomach. "Thanks. I-I mean, of course I am. I'm not the star for nothing."
Penny stops walking and looks at Amber—really looks at her. All of a sudden Amber feels naked, and Penny's piercing blue eyes and curious expression are making her squirm.
"What?" Amber finally snaps.
"Nothing." Penny mumbles. "It's just…well, I bet lots of people have told you you're pretty before."
Amber is silent. Yes, other people have told her this, but she's never felt this way when they said it. Boys told her she was beautiful to get her into bed, and girls complimented her so they could say they were friends with somebody famous. Penny tells her she's pretty because she really thinks so, and Amber doesn't know what to say.
"It's okay. I know I'm not pretty." Penny says, not waiting for Amber to respond. "My mother says it's a good thing, otherwise I'd have boys after me all the time."
"Penny, you're…" Amber can't hear herself talk because her heart is thundering in her ears. She wipes the sweat off her palms. "Your mother wouldn't know pretty if it bit her on the nose."
"So you think I'm…" Penny's eyes are wide. She craves Amber's approval for a different reason than the other girls do. It's unclear to Penny why she cares what the blonde thinks of her, but she does.
Amber finds herself relaxing. Insulting Penny was ultimately a lost cause; the girl obviously still wanted to be Amber's friend after everything the blonde had done.
Amber's voice is soft when she speaks next. She stares into Penny's eyes. "Penny, I think you're beautiful."
Amber's eyes widen when she realizes what she has said. Penny looks confused, but flattered nonetheless. Amber is shocked, scared, and embarrassed all at once. Red faced, she says, "I didn't mean…the way it sounded."
Penny looks disappointed for a moment. "Oh. So you don't think I'm pretty?"
Amber's emotions are going haywire. Penny was too plain, she was too tall, she was too skinny, and she dressed like a 9-year-old. But she was more than pretty.
"That's not what I meant." Amber is surprised that Penny isn't disgusted by her apparent show of affection. Maybe Penny didn't like boys just because her mother was crazy and tried to keep them away. Maybe…
Amber becomes lost in her own thoughts. The next thing she knows, they are at the front door of her house. Most people expect Velma Von Tussle and her daughter to live in a large, expensive house; no one could imagine that a television producer and her star would reside in a third-floor walkup in one of the worst parts of the city.
When the two girls enter the flat, they find Velma in the kitchen, drinking cognac directly from the bottle and flipping through an old album filled with newspaper clippings. Amber is horrified. She knows her mother smokes and drinks too much, but she always does these things in secret. Velma almost never drinks around Amber, much less strangers; however, she makes no effort to put away the bottle or to greet Amber and Penny.
After a few moments of shocked silence, Velma finally speaks. Her eyes are red, and she is wearing far too much makeup. "Who's your friend?" She slurs, trying to stand up but falling back onto her chair.
Amber wants to cry. She grabs Penny's hand and runs down the hall to her room.
Amber's room is small, yet impeccably clean and filled with frilly pink things- the curtains, the duvet, and even the carpet are all the same shade of powdery rose. There are pictures on the dresser: a younger Velma holding a baby Amber; Amber and Link's prom photo; a promotional picture of the cast of the Corny Collins Show.
Penny starts to unpack her books. Amber remains silent. It is only after Penny explains the plot of The Great Gatsby for what seems like the eleventh time that Amber begins to cry.
It is sudden, and forceful, and Penny has no idea what to do except hold Amber close to her and stroke her brittle, chemically enhanced hair. Amber doesn't lash out this time, but seems to melt into Penny, wanting and needing comfort and love.
"Penny." Amber looks up into the eyes of the other girl, and sees herself reflected in them. Penny has a light smile on her lips.
They stay that way for a while, until the clock shows 4:00 and Penny has to leave. When they walk downstairs, Velma is on the couch, fast asleep, an empty bottle still clutched in her hand.
"I'll tell my mother that I was in detention again." Penny lowers her eyes until she is staring at her own shoes. Amber sniffles in response. Penny is the only one who knows how she feels. Penny is the only one who loves her.
Amber feels a spark deep within her, something she's never felt before. She knows what she has to do, before it's too late.
"Penny, y-you forgot something." Amber's hair is a mess, her makeup is smeared, and her voice is hoarse. Her self-built walls of beauty, meanness, and imaginary strength have all been knocked down. Penny, however, is still Penny, and always will be.
Amber, mustering up all her courage, leans up and kisses Penny on the lips.
After Amber pulls away, Penny's eyes are still closed. She licks her lips lightly.
"Perfect," Penny says with a smile.
The End