Beep, Beep, Beep went Penelope's alarm clock at 7:30am. Penelope got lazy and slept in for 5 minutes, then she decided it was time to wake up and get herself ready for the first day of grade 8. After 40 minutes of getting ready, she prepared her own breakfast and sat down to enjoy it. Pashmina came to pick her up at 8:20am since they're walking in the same direction.
"Excited?" Pashmina asked as they walked.
"I don't know." Penelope replied uncertain and tired.
"Aw, you're going to grade 8!" Pashmina smiled, "My little Penelope is growing up."
Penelope forced a smile, "I guess."
Before they both headed their separate ways, they gave each other hugs then walked off. Penelope caught up with one of her friends as they headed in.
"You ready, Penelope?" Asked her friend.
Penelope nodded and smiled, "Yeah."
On the first week of school, Penelope always ran home after dismissal to be there by the phone just incase Cappy called, but he never did. Days became weeks and soon it was a month. Penelope gave up. Every time she was to enter her door and be home from school. She'd stare at the phone from the distance and sigh knowing Cappy wouldn't call. Then, one day when Penelope arrived home from school and decided to grab a snack, the phone rang.
"Who could that be?" Penelope wondered as she picked up the phone, "Hello? Penelope speaking."
"Hey Penelope! It's me, Cappy."
Penelope took a glance at the calendar to check how long it's been until he called and it's been a month and a half.
"What do you want?" She asked sort of pissed.
Cappy noticed Penelope's voice change on the other end, "You're mad aren't you? Because I didn't keep in contact with you."
"A month and a half, Cappy!" Penelope reminded him, "It's mid-October!"
"I'm sorry." Cappy apologized.
"Okay, whatever. Go on, what do you want to tell me?"
"It wont be good news if you're mad, Penelope." Cappy felt bad.
"I'm not mad. Go on." Penelope forced him.
"No! I know you too well." Cappy replied.
Penelope sighed secretly and acted happy, "Okay, I'm fine."
"There. You sound better."
"Yeah…so, what's up?" Penelope asked again.
Cappy sounded happy, "I met this person who was my friend since the first day of school and now…I think I like her!"
Penelope couldn't believe what she just heard.
Cappy continued, "She's so awesome and I think I really like her. I can tell her anything and she'd make me smile." Cappy, then, noticed Penelope wasn't talking much. "Penelope? You there?"
All that Cappy had said has hit Penelope hard deep in the heart. She found it hard to talk to him, but she finally responded, "I – I…. I gotta go." She held all her feelings in and hung up with Cappy. Then she picked up the phone again and dialed Pashmina's number.
"Hello?" Pashmina answered the phone.
"Pashmina?" Penelope tried to talk to her without crying.
"Penelope, is that you? What's wrong, hun?" Pashmina sensed something wrong.
Penelope couldn't hold it in any longer, tears started to form in her eyes. "It's about Cappy."
"What happened?" Pashmina asked worriedly.
"He found a new best friend and – and she's a girl that he also has a crush on too." She cried.
"Aw, Penelope –"
"—Hearing that he likes her is one thing, but finding out that she replaced me as his best friend is – " Penelope couldn't continue.
"Penelope, dear…don't cry. It hurts me knowing you're hurt." Pashmina frowned.
"I – I cant help it."
"That's it. I can't take hearing you in pain. I'm coming over right now, sweetie."
Penelope forced herself to reply, "Okay."
They both hung up and in about 5 minutes, Pashmina was at the door. Penelope went to open it then automatically hugged Pashmina, not noticing that the others; Bijou, Sandy and Pepper, were there as well. Soon after, Penelope noticed they were here and hugged them as well. Later on, they walked her to her room and sat on her bed to try and cheer her up. Once they sat down, Penelope explained to them what had happened on the phone with Cappy.
"That was so uncool of him." Sandy replied after Penelope finished.
"C'est tres mauvais!" Bijou replied after.
Pashmina had Penelope lean against her, "Penelope, don't worry. We're always here for you like we are here for you now. Don't forget."
Penelope nodded as she sobbed.
"I'll kick his butt for you, Penelope!" Pepper shouted out of nowhere.
"Pepper!" The others stared at her as if to say that wasn't appropriate, but Penelope seemed to be to laugh a little.
"I made her giggle at least." Smiled Pepper.
It turned out to be a long night as they all decided to stay with Penelope until she fell asleep.
"Thank god today's a Friday." Pepper whispered as she was staring at the clock while Pashmina tucked Penelope into bed.
"Yeah." Sandy agreed watching Penelope sleep peacefully, "It hurts to see baby Penelope so hurt though."
"Love can bring happiness or pain." Replied Bijou as she was examining the pictures on Penelope's shelf; it was a picture of Cappy and her together laughing with joy.
"Agreed." They all replied silently.
Pashmina stood up as Penelope was safely in bed and resting, "Okay, she's sleeping soundlessly. Thanks for coming girls." Pashmina turned to them all.
"Anything for our petite Penelope." Bijou smiled.
Pepper stared at everyone then at Penelope, "Crying can really get you tired." She thought.
"Totally. It drains everything out." Sandy joined Pepper and glanced at Penelope depressingly. "But, like Pashmina mentioned earlier, we're always here for her."
Pashmina caught eyesight of them all staring at Penelope worriedly, "It's time for us to go."
Bijou stared at Penelope's desk then at Pashmina, "Should we leave her a note?"
Pashmina walked over to the desk and grabbed a pen and paper, "Great idea."
Pashmina and the others gathered around the desk to write Penelope a letter that she'll read once she gets up. They all pitched in to write a sentence or two, and once they were done they put the note near her so she'll see it in the morning and walked out of her room, closing the door silently.
It was a bright, beautiful, Saturday morning as the sunlight entered through Penelope's window and shined on her bed where she laid. Penelope squinted her eyes and woke up from the light. She sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she noticed the note on her desk and grabbed it; staring at it. The note read:
Hey Penelope,
We're leaving you a note before we leave hoping you'll read it once you wake up. We hope you got some rest and prepare to have fun in the morning because we're coming over to check up on you and to also have a girl's day out! We hope you feel totally better in the morning. Don't forget you're always our petite Penelope; the one and only magnifique Penelope. Totally! Be strong city girl and don't give up so easily! We'll be here for you! Love you, signed: Pashmina, Bijou, Sandy, and Pepper.
Penelope smiled and had tears of joy, " I have the coolest friends ever."
Pashmina and the others walked into her room and noticed Penelope crying again.
"Oh no, what did Cappy do this time?" Pepper asked as she entered her room behind the others.
Pashmina stared at Penelope worriedly then went to sit next to her, "Are you okay, sweetie?"
"Yeah." Penelope smiled then gave everyone a hug.
Everyone stared at Penelope as she gave each of them a hug, they didn't know what was happening; was she happy or sad?
"I love you guys." Penelope wiped her tears away.
"Aw, that's so sweet." Sandy thought and went to hug her again.
Bijou smiled happily, "Now, what do you say we go shopping?"
They all nodded, "Yeah!"
When they all reached the mall, they were wild! They were so excited and happy that they ran to the mall like they were on an adventure. They decided to make this Penelope's special day; they were going to buy anything Penelope wanted. They shopped, laughed, fooled around, tried on funky clothes and had a laugh about it, and at the end they went to grab a snack. As they left the mall, all with handful of bags, they wanted to drop by the park; they weren't tired yet. Sandy and Pepper raced each other to the swings, but stopped on their track as they reached an opening on the field and spotted something. They both ran back and stopped everyone from walking.
"You know what guys? Maybe we should like go somewhere else." Sandy suggested nervously and pushed them.
"Why are you pushing us?" Pashmina asked as Sandy was behind her.
"Because we, uh, want to check something out somewhere else!" Pepper lied, also nervous, and helped Sandy push them towards the park exit.
"What's going on? What are you hiding?" Penelope asked curiously while being pushed.
"Um, nothing." Pepper and Sandy laughed nervously.
"Is this another surprise for me? That you don't want me to see?" Penelope smiled and thought about the possibilities it could be.
"Yeah! That's right….it's a surprise." Pepper agreed and stared at Sandy as to ask for her assistance.
"Wow, you sure got us Penelope." Sandy supported looking sort of uncertain.
"Yay! I want to see it now!" Penelope laughed with excitement and turned around to run the opposite direction, where they were trying to avoid.
"NO, Penelope!" Pepper and Sandy shouted after her.
"I'll like go stop her." Sandy ran after Penelope worriedly.
"What's going on? Would anyone care to explain this?" Pashmina asked, now, impatiently.
Pepper didn't reply, she was too concerned about what will happen and if Sandy will stop Penelope in time before she reaches the field opening.
Sandy ran as fast as she can, but it wasn't good enough. Penelope reached the field opening and stopped to look around for the surprise, but saw something else instead; a boy and a girl sitting together on a bench.
"Penelope!" Sandy shouted behind, "Don't look!"
It was too late; Penelope saw and ran back to the others heart broken. She ran past Pashmina, Bijou and Pepper, and headed out of the park.
"Penelope!" Pashmina called out, "This is getting really weird!" Pashmina decided to check this out for herself with Bijou as Pepper ran after Penelope.
They both caught up with Sandy and Sandy pointed to the two couples sitting together on the bench.
"It couldn't be!" Bijou's jaw dropped.
"It so is." Sandy replied sadly.
"My poor Penelope." Pashmina ran back after Penelope.
"Sandy, it isn't your fault." Bijou comforted her.
"But like why did Cappy and that girl have to be here today?" Sandy sighed.
Penelope ran all the way down the block with Pepper following closely behind.
"Penelope!" Pepper shouted from behind, but Penelope kept running too hurt to reply. Then she finally stopped at a small park and sat on the grass crying.
Pepper slowly stopped in front of her and sat next to her hugging her, "I'm sorry."
Soon after, the others caught up and sat next to Penelope comforting her again, all hugging her tightly as she cried.