What defines a relationship?

Still don't own any of these characters except mention of Penny's family

The very next day, Leonard made sure he was up bright and early. He made his way down the stairs and planned to quietly make his way outside and wait for Penny behind the Elementary School once again. He knew it was early, but he didn't want to chance that he would miss her if she left because he wasn't waiting for her on their table. Just as Leonard passed the kitchen, he was interrupted by a voice calling out to him.

Uncle Floyd was sitting at the kitchen table reading the local paper while sipping on a cup of coffee. Leonard could hear the pages turned down as he was called. "Leonard… my boy… where are you off to so early this morning?"

Leonard entered the kitchen at the sound of being caught. "Morning Uncle Floyd…" In an attempt to take the focus off his try to get out of the house, Leonard decided to try to change the topic. "The paper must have been delivered early today… I thought Father liked the afternoon edition."

Floyd chuckled at the attempt at misdirection. "The paper has been consolidated into one edition. There is really no use for two editions these days when you can get all the information from cable television news outlets as it is relevant rather than a day late."

Leonard could see that he was going to get stuck in this conversation… at least for a little while. "So why get the paper at all then?" He poured a bowl of cereal and sat… digging in as to not have to engage in the conversation fully.

Floyd neatly folded the paper and placed it by his coffee as he pulled out his pipe and tobacco pouch. "There's just something comforting and familiar about reading the printed word… the nuances of the authors… each having their own style… biases apparent only to those that are regular readers…"

Leonard nodded as he finished his cereal. "It should hardly be considered news if the events you are reading might have been replaced by update upon update by now."

Floyd smiled as he took a puff on his pipe. "The world is moving too fast these days… it would do us all good to take a step back and rest… enjoy the moment for what it is… smell the roses… so to speak."

Leonard smiled. "Father says that change is necessary… that without evolution, we would still be hanging out in the trees in the savannah trying our hardest NOT to get eaten for dinner…"

Floyd sighed. "Everyone is always trying to do one thing more… one thing different… faster…bigger… We really need to set aside time to reflect on life … look at things as they once were… a simpler time."

Leonard smiled as he put his dish in the sink. "That sounds like a nice thing to do…" Leonard then eased out of the kitchen and out the front door and on his way to the Elementary School. Looking at things as they used to be was just what Leonard wanted to do. He wanted things to go back to when he was friends with Penny… when they used to do things together just because they wanted to… together… just the two of them…

Floyd took a long puff on his pipe looking at the door that Leonard had just left from thinking to himself. "Hmmm the boy never actually let on just where he was off to…." Floyd shrugged, scratched the side of his neck and turned back to the kitchen table, picking up the paper and unfolding it to the article he was reading before Leonard happened to pass by.

Penny opened her eyes as soon as Denise flopped down on her bed. "SOOooo… who was that you were makin out with back behind the school when I found you yesterday? I had to get to work and you weren't awake when I got home last night sooo... SPILL!"

Penny turned over and faced away from her sister. "I wasn't making out with anybody.."

Denise poked Penny in the side. "Well you looked all chummy out by the swings… I mean… who hangs out behind an old Elementary School if you weren't makin out?"

Penny pulled the covers over her head. "Nothing was happening… He's just a friend".

Denise chuckled. "Well he looked like more than a friend to me…, bending down to put slippers on his Princesses feet and all".

Penny threw back the covers and jumped out of the bed glaring at her sister. "He's a friend OKAY? Just a friend… He was just giving me back my flip flops that flew off because… Ugh… like I would do something like that again… after Brad… look at where it got me with Brad… Everyone thinks that I'm some kinda slut… Just like….. ugh… never mind… nothing happened."

Denise crossed her arms and watched Penny walk over the window and start playing with the curtains. "Just like who…. ME? Is that it? Everybody has been telling you that you're a SLUT… just like your big sister?"

Penny kept looking away. "You're not a slut Deni".

Denise softened her tone a bit. "Then what is it then? What's so special about this kid that has you defending him so quick? And who cares what everybody thinks anyway…"

Penny dropped the curtain and t her arms around herself. "It was Leonard".

Denise sat straight up. "Leonard…. Leonard who?" Denise thought as Penny did not answer her right away. "Not that kid I used to babysit for… the one with all the video games… the one that you always came with me for… the one who fell through the ice in the pond?"

Penny nodded. "Yeah… that Leonard… so nothing happened okay? He's my friend… he was my best friend and he wouldn't be saying all those things behind my back or anything…"

Denise put up her hands… "Okay…okay… nothing happened…, but you shouldn't NOT be makin out with guys just because Brad is some kind of idiot… or because of what all those other low life's say"

Penny turned to her sister. "You don't get it… Leonard was my friend… IS my friend… he's different… he would never treat me like they all do… he's different… better than them… He was my best friend and I don't want to lose that again… What time is it anyway?"

Denise looked at her watch. "Just about 10:00… I have to get going… I have the lunch shift at the Diner and I gotta get there by 11:00."

Penny jumped out of bed. "Don't leave without me… you can drop me off at the Elementary School before you go". Penny then ran to get some clean underwear before she took a quick shower.

Denise was sitting at the kitchen table with her mother as Penny rushed in and took a package of Strawberry Pop Tarts out of the box along with two juice boxes from the refrigerator and turned to Denise. "Okay… let's go!"

Their Mother sipped on her coffee. "Where are you two off to? I thought that Denise had to get going for work?"

Penny turned away looking for her flip flops. "It's nowhere… special…"

Denise smiled as she got off her chair. "Penny has a new boyfriend…"

Henrietta cocked her head questioningly… "A new boyfriend? What happened to Brad?"

Penny left the room mumbling. "Ugh… like I would ever go out with HIM again…" Then she spoke up. "He's NOT my boyfriend". Penny then turned as she found her shoes. "DENISE!... we have to GO!"

Their mother put her coffee down. "Wait… where are you going?"

Penny yelled from the front door. "Bye Mom…. DENISE!"

The two sisters got into the car and drove off down the drive, their mother just shaking her head as she poured another cup of coffee.

Leonard found his way to the school. It wasn't terribly far, but the walk still took a while. He tried to get his thoughts together. He was back in Nebraska and he had actually met Penny again. Their first visit at the swings wasn't all that long and they really didn't talk all that much except for why Leonard had to go back to New Jersey… and that he didn't say good bye. If Penny was serious, they could meet up again… but she didn't say where they should meet…

Leonard turned the corner of the building to go to the table outside the back of the building. It was the only place that he could think of that Penny would be. As he turned the corner, he saw that the table was empty and there were no other kids in the playground… Nobody on the swings, or on the monkey bars. Leonard just climbed up on the table and laid back putting his hands behind his head, and stared at the blue sky.

Denise turned to her sister. "You know that Mom is just gonna want to know what you're up to… there's no keeping secrets in our house."

Penny looked over. "It would be easier if you didn't blab about everything all the time…"

Denise chuckled. "Careful Squirt… I still know a few things about you that Mom doesn't…"

Penny looked wide eyed at her older sister. "You wouldn't!"

Denise smiled. "Relax… I wouldn't tell anything that would hurt you".

They then pulled up at the school and Penny hopped out. "Thanks Denise." She closed the door, took a deep breath and waked toward the school as Denise pulled away, smiling and shaking her head at her little sister's antics.

Penny walked around the corner of the school building to find Leonard laying back looking up into the sky with his hands behind his head. When she got closer, she could see that his eyes were closed. He looked so cute just lying there, dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with some kind of robot on it and his plain converse sneakers waving his feet side to side.

She quietly walked over and stood by his feet and called out. "Whatcha thinkin about?"

Leonard was startled and quickly sat up. Upon seeing Penny standing at the edge of the table, he smiled. "Ummm… nothing special". In reality, he had been thinking about her and what he would say to her and how he could make whatever came out of his mouth interesting enough to help keep her attention for more than something on the order of thirty seconds. He then sat up and watched as Penny climbed up on the table just like always. Except, on this day, he noticed that Penny was wearing a rather short pair of cutoff jean shorts that did nothing but show off how slim yet muscular her legs were…. Along with a floral spaghetti strap top that showed off her smooth tanned shoulders and arms. Her hair was pulled back into a neat low ponytail and she had on her typical pink flip flops. Leonard just sort of stared at her without really knowing what he was doing.

Penny sat and crossed her legs and noticed the look on Leonard's face… "What?"

Leonard immediately snapped out of his thoughts. He had been thinking that without socks or sneakers, Penny's legs looked just that much longer, and she had obviously not had anything on under her shirt that just happened to be a bit of a crop top and showed off her toned abs. Again… he was at a bit of a loss for words. Leonard was quickly approaching his sixteenth birthday and these types of observations of things were not so easily left in the background of the day's existence any longer. Penny was a very good looking girl… even if she was just over fourteen years old. "Ummm…" Leonard shook his head noticing that Penny had brought something with her. "What have you got there?"

Penny smiled and held out two objects for Leonard to see. "Pop Tarts and a juice Box".

Leonard smiled. "Pop Tarts?" He then took one of the Pop Tarts from the package and a juice box along with it.

Penny smiled wider. "Not JUST Pop Tarts…. The BEST Pop Tarts… STRAWwwwBERRY … Pop Tarts… they're the best… they're my favorite! … just like you…"

Leonard suddenly took a gulp of his juice box and almost choked. "Just like ME?!"

Penny just looked over. "Careful with the drink… Yeah… just like you… of all my friends… you're my favorite one… my best one… just like you used to be… just because you went away for a while doesn't mean we can't be best friends… Right?"

Leonard took a breath. "Yeah… sure… friends… " Somehow, that word… that had so much meaning for him in the past… seemed somewhat diminished as Penny said it just now.

Penny took a bite of her Strawberry Pop Tart. "Mmmmm … Not just friends… BEST friends…"

Leonard took a bite of his Pop Tart. "Sure… Best Friends…"