"Hey, sweetie, room for me over here?" Lou Ann didn't wait for an answer, just stepped into the bench seat across from where Tracy and Penny sat in the school cafeteria. "How're you doing, I'm Lou Ann."

Penny took the offered hand gingerly, a bit intimidated by the other girl and her bright lipsticked smile. "It's nice to meet you."

Tracy finished the bite in her mouth and said, "Lou Ann, this is Penny. She's my best friend, and the nicest person in the world!"

Lou Ann gasped and leaned forward, grabbing one of Tracy's hands and one of Penny's. "I got here just in time," she whispered, and Penny felt her eyes open wider as she wondered what could be wrong. Penny hadn't felt this anxious since she'd seen Tracy running down the hallway, yelling her name. Of course, that time turned into something good, because it had been to tell her about getting on the show and ask her to tell Mr. and Mrs. Turnblad. Maybe this would be something good, too.

"With the nicest person in the world here, and Tracy who has to be at least second, you two need someone with a bit of vinegar in the personality around, just to keep the sweetness from suffocating innocent bystanders." Lou Ann smiled brightly and pulled an apple out of her brown paper lunch bag. "Luckily, I fit the bill pretty well."

Penny giggled and bit into her hardboiled egg while Tracy and Lou Ann started talking. It wasn't exactly tasty on its own merits, but Penny enjoyed it. She felt connected with Mrs. Turnblad, because she'd made it and sent it in, with Tracy because they traded until they both ate the same half-peanut butter sandwich, half egg lunch, and with her own mother, because privation was good for the soul, and Mrs. Turnblad's diets were all about privation. Sometimes Penny thought her soul was probably fine without being deprived of anything else, but in this case, it was okay.

Another couple of girls came and sat down, and Penny swallowed her egg and nodded as Tracy introduced her to Noreen and Doreen from the show. Both girls were wearing Tracy wigs, and Penny smiled at them brilliantly as soon as she noticed. She had wanted to get one, but Mr. Turnblad had just given her a hug and said that she was so pretty as herself that she shouldn't cover it up with a nasty old wig. That had made her feel all warm inside, both for Mr. Turnblad being so nice and for Tracy being so great that she was willing to share her family.

The other girls had kept talking while she was wrapped up in her thoughts, but now Tracy was blushing and looking uncomfortable, and so Penny's attention sharpened on what might have caused it. "Oh, you're welcome! My mom never wants to tell me anything, and my dad just runs off into another room if it's even mentioned that I might kiss a boy someday, so it was great to finally have someone that would answer."

Penny nodded, thinking back to all that Tracy had told her about Miss Maybelle's talk that morning. She didn't know when she could ever use the new knowledge, since the only person she'd ever even kissed was Tracy when they'd thought they needed to practice to make sure they knew which way to turn so as not to bump noses. Still, it was good to know. Her thoughts turned to Seaweed, like they often did lately, but he'd never want to be with a white girl, and especially not one like her.

Tracy stood up, putting the rest of her celery back in the bag. "We've got to get to the detention room, but it was nice talking with you."

The other girls looked disappointed, and so Penny added, "You can come too, if you want. Right, Tracy?"

"Of course we can!" Lou Ann popped out of the lunch table bench as quickly as she'd gotten into it. "I can't wait to meet your friend Seaweed – he's the cute one from Negro Day, right? - and see where you learn all your great dance moves."

Penny's heart sunk as she realized that with the vivacious redhead around, she herself would be totally eclipsed. But Tracy deserved to be the most popular girl in school, and having the girls from the Council around her would help that happen.

"Seaweed's spoken for," Tracy said firmly, "but a lot of the boys are cute, and most of the girls are really friendly."

"Oh, honey, Mikey and I've practically been married since we were in diapers. I'm about as taken as taken can be – but flirting's too much fun to give up." Lou Ann grinned wickedly and Penny thought maybe she might not be that bad.

Tracy grinned back. "You should give us lessons. Penny and I don't have any idea what we'd do if a boy ever showed any interest in us."

The twins started giggling, and Lou Ann stopped dead to stare at Tracy. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Tracy asked with a frown, and Penny wished they would've waited until they were at the detention room to talk – at least she would've been able to put her books down and look at Seaweed while they were talking.

Lou Ann rolled her eyes and looked to the heavens, or at least the acoustic tile ceiling. "Three boys panting after her, and at least five waiting to try their luck if they can ever get within ten feet, and she thinks no one's interested. Lord, please help this wandering child recover from her blindness before she walks into traffic."

"Hey!" Penny glared. "Tracy's not blind! She just isn't conceited and so she doesn't know everybody who knows her is going to love her!"

"Unless their last name is Von Tussle," said one of the twins, and they both started laughing. Penny was still angry, but since Tracy was blushing she didn't say anything else, just started walking again to go to the detention room.

Since it was lunchtime, the normal crowd from outside the door was off somewhere eating. Tracy walked right in, calling out greetings and giving and getting hugs as she went. The others hesitated at the door and so Penny said, "It's okay. Everyone's friendly – well, Pearl likes to get to know you a bit first, and the boys are really protective, but as long as you're not here to be a racist, you'll be fine."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." She jumped as Seaweed's voice came from behind her. "Come on in and dance, ladies."

"Hi!" Lou Ann smiled broadly and held a hand out to him. "I'm a big fan, Mr. Stubbs, and may I say you look even more handsome in person than you do on television?"

Seaweed's eyebrows shot up, but he smiled warmly and said, "Why thank you, miss. You look lovely, and please call me Seaweed. Mr. Stubbs usually means I'm in trouble."

Penny was ready to declare eternal hatred for Lou Ann whatever her last name was, but then the redhead turned slightly to include them all in the conversation. "Now, do you know, these poor deprived girls don't know how to flirt? Would you be able to spare some time to help tutor them on how to react to a handsome man, even though you're spoken for?"

He looked right at Penny and said, "Well, my girl hasn't spoken up yet, but I can't think of anything I'd like to do better than flirt with her." The room seemed to spin a little, and Penny had to close her eyes to fight the dizzy feeling that made her feel like she might faint.

"Excellent!" Lou Ann clapped her hands together and said, "Noreen! Doreen!"

The two looked back at her from where they were already dancing, and Lou Ann sighed. "Never mind, we can handle this ourselves. All right, we'll start with Penny, and then work on Tracy later. Stand here, hon. Yes, right next to Seaweed."

Penny's face was burning, but since she was exactly where she wanted to be she stayed still, twirling her lollipop nervously. Tracy perched herself on a desk nearby, and Lou Ann leaned against her. "Pretend the two of you just met. What do you say?"

"Hi," Penny said nervously, shuffling her feet and looking down. She peeked up to see Seaweed smiling at her gently, and her heart fluttered just like it did the first time they met, when she couldn't even say that.

"The batted lashes are good, but you need to say a bit more – and maybe tilt your head a bit, so he thinks about kissing you." Penny whipped around to look at her with wide eyes, but then turned back and obediently tilted her head. "Exactly! Now, say you've been introduced – how do you start a conversation?"

Penny just stared mutely at Seaweed, captivated by how his sweater fit so snugly around his shoulders. Thankfully, Tracy piped up with, "Say something nice about him?"

"Always a good thing," Lou Ann said approvingly. "Penny, say something nice about Seaweed."

There were a million things she could have said, but she thought of what the nicest thing about him was and said, "You're so gentle and kind, I know you're a really good person all the way through and you'd never hurt anybody if you could help it."

His smile turned a little bit sad, and he said, "I don't know if I'm that good, but for you I'll try to be."

"Oh, no! It's not like that. You're perfect like you are!" Penny said in a rush, horrified that she might have implied otherwise. Pulling the lollipop out of her mouth so she could speak more clearly, she said, "You're already everything you need to be, you shouldn't change for anyone, least of all me."

The bell rang, ending lunch period, and Penny looked down, feeling a bit ashamed and not even remembering to tilt her head. He'd think she was just some silly girl now. And she was, but she'd wanted him to think of her better than that. This flirting thing was the pits.

"Nice to have met you, Seaweed," Lou Ann said, shaking his hand before she turned to glance between Penny and Tracy and the door.

The two said their goodbyes to Seaweed, and Penny thought that they'd have a minute to talk while Lou Ann waited for the twins to finish talking to Hoo Hoo, but she followed them out. "Little Miss Penny, are you a checkerboard chick? How brave! But I can't blame you, he's really handsome. And a nice boy is a treasure worth guarding."

"What's a--"

"Black and white together," Lou Ann said with a mischievous smile. "And if you two aren't together or about to be, I'll eat my hat."

Penny frowned. "You're not wearing a hat."

"I'd buy one especially for the occasion." Lou Ann laughed. "It was nice meeting you, Penny. See you later, Tracy."

She walked away and Tracy and Penny ducked into the ladies room, nodding politely to the gang of Bad Girls (Penny wasn't sure why they were bad, exactly, but that's what everyone called them, so she guessed maybe it was just a name, or because they smoked in school). Tracy was grinning and she said, "I think Lou Ann's right – he really likes you!"

Penny ignored both the statement, which she didn't dare hope was true, and the tiny pang of sadness that she was losing her friend and said happily, "You're so popular! I always knew you would be!"

"You mean we," said Tracy firmly. "Remember the oath!"

One of the Bad Girls snorted, but Penny held out her pinky and Tracy linked her pinky with it, so the jagged scars matched up from when they'd used a table knife to become blood sisters after seeing it in a western movie. Mrs. Turnblad had almost fainted at seeing all the blood, and Penny's mom had tied her to a chair for four whole hours as punishment, but it had been worth it.

"Off to class, kemo sabes," said the tallest of the Bad Girls, and Tracy and Penny nodded before hurrying off in opposite directions. Penny was almost at her class when she turned around, taking herself off to detention again. Maybe Seaweed could really like her, and maybe if she was around him more, she might get up the nerve to tell him how much she liked him.