Chapter Seven

August 24th, 1927

I'd been able to sneak in and out of the Aickman backyard for a while now, we'd talked about a lot. He talking in riddles I'd never really understand, and I making joke he would never get, but it was nice and so far I haven't been caught. I like watching him from my window, I know he sees me but we both pretend we don't notice each other. School starts today and that is what I am nervous about. My time won't be dedicated to Jonah anymore, and it may just be me, but I think he stopped coming out as often as he used to. I can't really get mad over that, I mean I can't be all like, hey I've noticed you haven't really been coming outside to read and its a real inconvenience when I am trying to stalk you. How do you make it out of a conversation like that?

Mary and I haven't had much interaction lately, she's always there ready to listen, but I have nothing to say. I think she knows that I've been talking to Jonah and I think she expect me to come to her room one day and let a rush of emotions pour out. I am not, I don't want to talk to anyone about Jonah, or to anyone for that matter but Jonah. I am pretty sure she wouldn't be too surprised if one day I begged for her to smuggle me over to the next state so Jonah and I can get married or something. Which won't happen, but I don't really have to worry about that.

"Come on, I don't want to be late, Penelope!" Mary chastised as she flung open the door, her face softened slightly as she caught sight of me rushing away from the window that I had been previously sitting at in hopes Jonah would come out. As I sat there, I knew he wasn't going to come out but I waited, however as much as Mary supported my relationship with Jonah she was not going to be late for the first day of school.

"Alright, alright I am sorry." I put my hands up in surrender and followed her out the door, she started off towards the general direction of the school. I stalled a little, taking in as much of the Aickman house as I could, hoping that he might come out and wave me off or I'd see him through the window. I just wanted a little reminder that he was still there and he wasn't going anywhere.

I think I liked him, I am not sure what I feel. Like sometimes I like Mary but other time I found her annoying, it's kind of like the same thing with Jonah. Not that I find him annoying or anything, sometimes I really like him and other times I am still petrified of what people think. I want to give in to the side of me that has no doubts, I want to be confident with my decision but as it stands I am just bidding my time until I run away again.

When we reached school I desperately wanted this day to be over, to run away and hide but to be honest I was getting sick and tired of running. Avoiding people was a lot harder than you might think at Goatswood High School, we were a small town with an obviously small population and news got around fast. Florence and Elliot were in almost all of my classes, which was painfully cringe worthy. Get this, they tried talking to me, they legitimately tried acting as if they haven't been avoiding me for the past couple of days. I know what you might be thinking, oh hey maybe it was an accident but let me assure you, it was no accident. They saw me, I was basically screaming their names and what'd they do? Just kept on walking, like I wasn't even there.

I think the worst part of the day was lunch, I had nowhere to sit. I would usually sit with Florence and Elliot but they were sitting with a bunch of boys, including the two that had beat Jonah up. I wasn't in the mood to go anywhere near them. I had decided to sit by myself at any empty table, I could hear the whispers, and the rumors formulating. I could hear what they were saying but I pretended not to acknowledge it, when I caught someone staring I sent them a smile, one they almost always returned. I was surrounded by people, but in a sense I was completely alone. They didn't see things the way I did, they were just fine with sitting back and letting some stupid high school boys - that would never go on to do anything remotely beneficial to the world – but up a helpless boy who just trying to be nice. It was sick and I no longer wanted to associate myself with any of these people.

The idea of having to be near any of the narrow minded hypocrites made me sick and I was off before I could stop myself. I didn't go back to lunch, even though my stuff was there. I stayed in the bathroom for the next two periods and it wasn't until a teacher came to find me was I reprimanded. Since this was a 'first time offence' they wouldn't notify my parents, but I am sure at this point they wouldn't be too surprised if they got a call from the principal telling them their daughter had been skipping her classes because she hated every living creature in her school. To be honest it really wasn't a very good reason. They didn't understand and she couldn't make them.

It wasn't until after school that had Florence and Elliot tried speaking to me, the conversation wasn't short and to the point, it was loud and people had gathered around to watch the weird girl teetering on the edge of sanity fall of the straight and narrow as she snapped at her friends. In reality I was just trying to get them to understand that what had happened was wrong and they were just as sick as everyone else here.

"Have you been like, ignoring us or something? Are we like, still friends?" Elliot asked curiously, backed up with a nod from Florence as if agreeing with Elliot's statement. At this point they were acting like the most shallow and selfish people here. I had never hated two people so much, it was much different from the time I had declared my hatred for Jonah, which wasn't actually hatred. No this was completely different, every time they spoke they were just feeding the fire in my chest and it was consuming me until I was nothing but an epitome of rage.

"Oh so it doesn't feel good to be ignored does it, it doesn't feel good to question somebodies loyalty? No it sucks." My voice cracked, I was on the edge of tears and I was sure I was going to start crying in front of them but I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. My tone was clipped and I was angry, that much was clear. By now people had stopped and began looking in our general direction.

"No it like totally doesn't, what's going on with you, Penelope?" Florence question, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you are being really weird and we are like totally worried." Elliot back her up, and oh my dear lord did these two people sound so ignorant. I was refraining from unleashing the fire that was slowly building up inside of me.

"I was calling for you guys that one day and you just kept on walking." I stated crossing my arms over my chest, Florence put a hand on her hip, rolling her eyes. Whereas Elliot was quick to defend herself.

"You're mad because we ignored you, that's all this is. Whoa you are really like childish." Elliot hissed, and that was all it took.

"No genius, it's not. It's because all of you people are sick. You two especially, you just sat there why they beat him. You didn't even care, you watched and you held me back. What'd he do? Keep me from falling, really that's a crime. Being nice to somebody is a crime? If it is I don't want to live in this world anymore, I don't want to live in a place where if the wrong person looks at you they get a broken nose and black eye. Like what kind of world is that? You judge people by who you think they are, not who they are. You've never even met him, you'll never understand. None of you and I can't make you understand so I am not going to try. I am going to say goodbye, instead." I'd finished my rant with people slowly starting to crowd around us, just as I was getting ready to leave Florence and Elliot had regained what little composure they had left and stopped me right in my tracks.

"It was like only once, besides I didn't see you jumping up and helping him? You totally ignored him, you're no better than the rest of us." Florence had thrown in a few yeahs, but it was mainly Elliot. They did not just say that.

"It was more than once, oh my goodness you know it was more than once. While he was here you taunted him, all of you did and I didn't stop it. I'll never forgive myself for that, but I was scared and I am not scared anymore. He can't even show his face around town, without people pointing or spreading ridiculous rumors. He's no different from us, he doesn't study witch craft, or worship the devil. He's not evil, but none of you care about that! You don't know anything, he can't even leave his home anymore. He doesn't go to school, he's stuck inside what kind of life is that? I know what I've done, I know I am not a saint, but I've moved on. It's time for you to as well. I am not saying you have to like him but don't calling him names when he enters a room. He's an amazing person, with more heart than any of you." With that I was going, I didn't care who saw the tears because I was done. I was burnt out and I was tired of making them understand.

"Oooh, Penelope has a crush on freak boy!" Everyone let out a laugh and a chorus of aaah's, I just ignored them. I kept walking. I wasn't going to say anything, I had to keep telling myself that. Instead I laughed to myself, because out of everything they've said that had to be the truest, I laughed because 'Freak Boy' isn't even a good insult, and I laughed because I had said what I'd needed to and I was done. Just like that.


Yo so I uppppdated, sorry if like Florence and Elliot seem like modern blonde chicks, (which no offence to blonde girls, I am totally stereotyping aaagh. *Cringes*) Aaah so anyways, I finally updated and all that jazz. I hope you like this. I wrote this in study hall and I didn't have time to edit it, I am pretty sure I might start writing another Jonah Aickman fanfiction and scrap the other one I have but I am just going to work stuff, and it won't take place until after this one because I really want to finish this story, because I have a history of not finishing my stories so hopefully I can finish this one. Anyways have a great day and bye!