Chapter 21

Penny remained where she was in the bathroom for the next fifteen minutes, a bad headache, a bad stomach and a bad case of extreme guilt being her only companions. She was really hungover, it really was only the adrenalin currently in her system, from the shock of what she had saw that morning, that was temporarily keeping her from just succumbing to the hangover. So, she just continued to whimper in pain, a hopeless feeling completely engulfing her mind, partly because she was so helpless in her hungover state and partly because her seriously muddled mind couldn't understand the situation, she now found herself in. However, that adrenalin started to wear off and as it did the effects of her hangover started to take charge again, as she began to feel sicker and her body kept screaming for her to just sleep, so after again dry heaving into the toilet, Penny basically surrendered to her body's needs, laying down on the bathroom floor and immediately falling to sleep.

It was about an hour and a half later that two sets of hands reached out to pick Penny up then lead/carry her barely responsive body back to the bed, where aspirin and water were given to her before she resumed her unconsciousness in sleep. She would never remember either being picked off the bathroom floor or returned to the bed, her mind not able to come back awake during the whole ordeal, her completely falling back into a deep sleep state as soon as her head and body both touched the bed. Even the moderate snoring that almost immediately started as her body drifted into total sleep had no impact on her mind as it shut down in its need to recover from the stress Penny had put it through by her night of drinking. Penny was now mercifully dead to the world around her, the mental anguish from the earlier situation she found herself, now put aside as her body and mind began to heal.

"How long do you think she was sleeping on the bathroom floor?" Bernadette asked her friend standing next to her.

"I don't know, I woke up about six and saw she was still in bed and still out from when she was put there last night." Amy answered

Bernadette nodded and quickly looked at the bedside clock, "Well I guess that it was less than three hours then since it already nine in the morning." Amy only nodding to her friend's remark

They both stood there for several minutes to watch their friend sleep, the now steady snoring telling them she was going to be okay, though currently she would be sleeping for a long time to recover. They had actually gone through something similar with her when Leonard was dating Priya, when she would get all melancholy during a girl's night out and ending up drinking herself stupid before they finally got her home to sleep it off. The main difference this time being her drinking had nothing to do with Priya and Leonard, this time they reasoned it was about Las Vegas, gambling and Zack.

After several minutes passed, Amy let out a very audible sigh, "Do you think she knows about Zack and her?"

"I don't really know, but it seems to me something like that would not go unnoticed by her." Bernadette responded.

Amy nodded in thought, "I know, but don't you think Penny would have least told us something about it, after all she is not exactly great about keeping secrets."

Bernadette shrugged, "I guess I would agree with you, however the events of the last 12-hours do make me wonder if Zack being in Las Vegas was planned."

Amy turned to her friend wide-eyed, "You really think that Penny has been leading Leonard on!"

Bernadette now sighed, "I love Penny as a friend and I will continue to believe she has not done anything intentionally wrong until proven differently. But...it is hard to understand everything we have learned about Penny and Zack since we have been here and then him being with her by coincidence last night."

Amy sadly nodded, "Yeah, it does raise some doubt. I hate to say it but there is also Penny's own admission to cheating on boyfriends many times before."

It was now Bernadette's turn to sadly nod, "Yeah, that is hard to overlook, too, especially with everything Penny and Zack have now been shown to be involved in." she then let out a small sigh. "Amy, I know we got to sleep late last night and it is pretty early now, but I don't think I can sleep anymore with all that has happened with Penny. So, do you just want to get something to eat, then maybe hit the pool?"

Amy nodded, "I don't think I can sleep either, I can't get out of my mind how my bestie has really made a mess of things." then like the sudden realization came to her, Amy covered mouth as her eyes got wide, "Oh My God! Poor Leonard."

Bernadette nodded, "Yeah, I don't think he is going to take this too well, when he finds about Penny and Zack, it will probably crush him."

Amy nodded again, then sighed, "Do you think she will be okay if we go get something to eat?"

"Yeah, she will be fine, she has already thrown up everything in her stomach, so we don't have to worry about her choking on her own vomit, we have gotten aspirin and water down her, and by the way she is snoring right now, she will be probably sleeping for hours. Honestly, we have left her in worse shape before, so I think we are good." Bernadette responded.

Amy stared at Bernadette for a second, at times her matter-of-fact responses, sometimes even bordering on callous, surprised her and made her wonder. "Okay, as long as she is going to be okay, I guess getting something to eat will be okay, and maybe even visiting the pool." It was after that remark, both girls finally turned away from the bed and got ready to go out and eat.

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Leonard was sitting at the kitchen island, of his and Penny's apartment, drinking some morning coffee, his phone out in front of him, as he was trying to decide if he should send Penny a text or not. She had told him last night, by text during the girls and her dinner, that she expected to stay out late that night and that she was having fun, so he was pretty sure she was probably sleeping late that morning and might be a little hungover, too. That alone was a good reason not to text her, if she was asleep, she didn't need to be woken up by a text message from him, he could wait.

It was with those thoughts he continued to drink his coffee while resisting the urge to pick up his phone to contact her, it actually made him feel bad that the more he looked at the phone the more he wanted to text her, his insecurities again trying to get the best of him. Leonard hated that he was so insecure, especially when it came to Penny, she was truly the first girlfriend he had that he could actually trust and that ability to trust her made him love her even more, which made him afraid to lose her and therefore, only made his insecurity worse. He did realize that Penny was helping him with that though, she did things to make him feel more confident, made sure other guys knew she was his, and even had his back when he needed her, she really was a wonderful girl and he was convinced he was so lucky to have her in his life, so was it any wonder he kept feeling so insecure he reasoned.

However, he told himself not today, forcing himself not to pick up his phone, just get up from his stool and get ready for his day, after all it was Saturday and he knew the guys would all want to meet at the comic book store this morning, especially Sheldon. He began to concentrate on getting ready, and after about a half hour of doing his morning bathroom routine, showering and dressing, he found himself standing in front of apartment 4A, earlier than he normally would be for a typical Saturday morning, since he had moved in with Penny. It was no surprise to him then that his being early was frowned upon by his once roommate, "Leonard, you are early. Why are you early?'

"I was just ready early today, so I thought I'd come down." he responded to Sheldon

"Why?" was Sheldon's only response while still standing in the doorway, blocking him from entering 4A,

Leonard was now becoming frustrated, "Crap Sheldon, can't a person show up early once in a while?"

"Yes, but not you, especially since you have been living with Penny, you seem to never be on time."

Leonard knew he was right; Penny was always running late and he would never leave without her so he was usually always late. However, he knew that was not the problem with Sheldon, his ex-roommate was still pissed at him moving out of 4A and moving in with Penny, so he was going to make him suffer as much as he could. "Well, Penny is Las Vegas with the girls, so now I'm early."

Sheldon nodded in satisfaction that Leonard had just admitted Penny was the problem, then stepped aside to let Leonard enter his apartment. He was not done with his ex-roommate, his admission that Penny was the one that made them always late was just the beginning for him to continue his berating of Leonard for ever leaving. So, no sooner as Leonard walked pass him, while he closed the door, he continued, "I told you that woman would only cause problems the first day she moved in."

Leonard sighed internally and turned to face Sheldon, "Really, do I have to go through this again with you, Penny and I love each other and live together, why can't you accept that?"

Sheldon seemed to just dismiss what Leonard just said and continued with his point, "I'm just pointing out that you were much more punctual before Penny, plus more dedicated to your work and your hobbies. I also think your career would have been much better if she had never moved in across the hall, when your mind changed its focus on coitus instead of science."

Leonard looked at him like he was crazy and then very sarcastically responded, "So you're saying that I could have had my Nobel Prize by now if Penny wasn't around."

Sheldon made one of his very weird and scary chuckles, "Of course not, a mediocre physicist like yourself would never win a Nobel."

Leonard pinched the bridge of his nose, this conversation was already giving him a headache, "If that is the case, I think I'll take Penny over any chance of winning a Nobel."

Sheldon shook his head, "And that is why you will never win a Nobel."

Leonard stared at Sheldon for a second before turning to walk the remaining steps to the couch and sitting on the opposite side of Sheldon's spot, he suddenly felt very tired. He mentally told himself it was his fault, he knew better than to get into conversations with Sheldon about these things, Sheldon was completely unreasonable and only saw his side of things, so the only thing Leonard got out of these conversations was a headache like he was getting now. He decided he needed to end his conversation quickly so without a second thought he just said, "You're probably right, Sheldon."

Leonard's capitulation to him, just didn't seem as enough, so Sheldon decided to continue his attack on Leonard and Penny's situation. "Even now I understand she is running amuck in Las Vegas."

This statement from Sheldon made Leonard immediately perk up and worry. "Why, what did you hear?"

Sheldon was very pleased with himself at Leonard's sudden concern, Leonard now having full attention on him and what he was saying was just want he wanted. "Amy said her and Bernadette were at the pool, while Penny is sleeping off a bad hangover back in the room." he stated.

With Sheldon's information, Leonard was really glad he hadn't sent a text to Penny that morning, he knew her very well and knew that she used sleep to help her get over hangovers, so he didn't want to do anything that would prevent her from sleeping it off, like her phone pinging regularly from a waiting text message. He was also happy that he knew where she was and that she was okay, he knew his insecurities would have gotten the best of him at some point and he would have sent her a text, knowing full well that it would have been sent to check up on her and satisfy his fears. He didn't want to be that guy anymore, the one so insecure that he didn't trust his girlfriend, he reminded himself that she had never given him any cause to not trust her when she was dating him before or now and he knew his showing her a lack of trust bothered her, their fight years before about her musician friend cemented that in his mind. Even now he felt ashamed of himself for asking Sheldon about her, he knew he had done wrong by doing it purposely to check up on her and he promised himself he would change, even though he knew it would take him some time.

"Oh, I hope her hangover isn't too bad." Leonard responded, more to himself, feeling empathy for his girlfriend

Sheldon made snort of derision, one of his many annoying sounds he made whenever he thought someone had said something stupid. "Leonard, as many times as you have seen Penny drunk and hungover, do you really think this is any different. I'm just glad Amy took my advice and didn't follow Penny's lead into a night of drinking."

Leonard just looked at Sheldon, he was ready to start defending Penny but then again, he realized that talking to Sheldon about her would do absolutely no good at all, just like their earlier conversation, his mind was already made up about her. So, in about as sarcastic tone he could muster he just responded, "Yeah, right."

Sheldon looked at him, "Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in your agreement to my reference about Penny."

"Yeah, Sheldon, you do. I want to stop judging Penny about her drinking, especially to her face!" Leonard told him, slightly raising his voice.

"Leonard, I am just stating facts, judging is done by the people who hear those facts, I can't help that." Sheldon just told him.

Again, Leonard looked at him, "Yeah, right."

"Leonard if it will make you feel any better, Amy said Bernadette ignored Howard's advice about the sun in Las Vegas and is exposing her body fully in her bikini, which seems to be getting them free drinks, though I don't understand why."

Leonard was still aggravated at Sheldon, but his information about Bernadette not listening to Howard was a little funny and did reduce his anger some. Leonard understood what Howard was worried about, he didn't like the idea of men hitting on his wife, especially in Las Vegas, where there seems to be a feeling that anything goes, but him telling her to wear a bathrobe at the pool was a little over the top, even to Leonard. Though Bernadette's handling of Howard's suggestion was funny, it still didn't completely remove the angry feeling he had towards Sheldon right now so without a second thought he looked at him and said, "I'm going back to my apartment, bye." he then quickly made his way to the door of 4A.

"Wait, you can't go!" Sheldon suddenly blurted out upon seeing him leaving.

"Why, Sheldon, why can't I go?" Leonard said with disgust

"You are my ride to the comic book store." Sheldon told him in a tone that made it obvious he thought Leonard should know that already.

"Well, you know, I don't feel like going to the comic book store today, anymore." Leonard bluntly responded

"Your feelings have nothing to do with it, according to the roommate agreement, Saturday morning is reserved for going to the comic book store, unless previously agreed that paintball or other event will supersede, and that has not been done." Sheldon said with authority

"Roommate Agreement! Sheldon, I haven't been your roommate for months, it doesn't apply anymore."

"Yes, it does." Sheldon now said with less conviction

"Really, and how do you justify that." Leonard sarcastically responded

"You and Penny refused to sign a Neighbor Agreement so the last valid contract between us is the Roommate Agreement, which you must obey." he feebly explained.

Leonard shook his head and then a wicked smile formed on his face. "Well, I guess I'll see you in court."

"Leonard!" Sheldon then pleaded

Leonard stopped with his hand on the doorknob of the door to 4A, "What?"

"Do you really want to throw out a roommate agreement you have lived under for years and that you have come to accept?" Sheldon started to explain

Leonard just stared at him for a second before responding, "YES!"

"Leonard, I'm sorry to say that the new Roommate Agreement that will be required when you come back, after Penny gets tired of you, will not be so generous." Sheldon stated bluntly

Leonard looked at him wide eyed, his anger peaking at Sheldon's statement that Penny would eventually dump him, it was actually being a fear he kept bottled up inside, but Sheldon's using it to somehow blackmail him to agreeing to adhering to the old Roommate Agreement still just made him mad. "Don't worry Sheldon, when Penny dumps me, I won't be asking to live with you again." he then opened the door to 4A and left, slamming the door behind him.

Sheldon just sat in his spot staring at the door for a few moments, in surprise, before finally calming down and picking up his phone and hitting his speed dial. It only took a couple seconds for the person on the other side to answer, and Sheldon to state, "Raj, I need a ride to the comic book store, how soon can you be here."

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Penny's eyes fluttered open, her immediate thoughts being how the room was way too bright, as she closed them again and pulled the sheet on her over her head. The intense light now subdued, she began to take stock of her condition, which she immediately knew was hungover, though she was surprised she didn't feel like throwing up, even though her head hurt, her body hurt and she felt extremely weak and sick. Her thoughts about why her stomach really didn't feel extremely bad slowly brought up memories of her waking up earlier to throw up and with that memory came another that she was not in the right room and suddenly, just like earlier that day she got scared. Penny slowly took the sheet off her head and looked at the bed she was in, realizing immediately that the bed was much bigger than one in the room her and the girls had checked into. She then started to look around the room, it not only contained the large bed she was on, it had double doors to a very large in-suite bathroom which she could see by the door to the room itself, on the other side, was a private bedroom.

Penny slowly lifted herself up slightly so she could get a better look around, even though she felt weak and the movement made her head feel worse. The room was quite large, it even had a small couch and a couple chairs, with a coffee table, in it, and it only drove home to her that this was nothing like the room she had checked into and was probably much more expensive, too. Every moment her brain processed this new information, Penny got more scared and she knew she needed to get up, a fear of not knowing where she was taking complete control of her mind at the moment. Subsequently, she slowly eased herself towards the edge of the bed, her mind now being triggered to remember more about her getting up earlier and that there had been someone in bed with her then. It was also then she remembered that she had laid on the floor of the bathroom before all her memories stopped and realized someone had to have put her back in bed afterwards, which did nothing but creep her out more as she moved closer to the side of the bed. It was when she was finally sitting on the edge of the bed, with her legs dangling down to the floor that her mind finally remembered everything that had happened earlier, her waking up in bed with someone else and the horror that she had cheated on Leonard, the very man she wished desperately was with her right now to take care of her.

Penny knew she had to get out of this room, but after looking down at herself quickly realized all she was wearing was an overly large t-shirt and panties, so she started to scan the room, looking for her purse, when she noticed her phone on the stand next to the bed. Her phone being there was a relief, and as she went to pick it up, she discovered a piece of paper was laying on the screen, that piece of paper temporarily put aside as Penny made sure her phone was powered and turned on, before she felt any relief. It was only after she was sure her phone worked that she finally looked at the small piece of paper, squinting to read it even though it seemed the back of her eyeballs hurt.

"Penny, Amy and I went to the pool and will be back later. If you are reading this there is aspirin and water on the table. Bernadette"

Again, Penny felt some relief, the writing did look like Bernadette's and the aspirin she found was engraved with the word "BAYER" and the water bottle was sealed, so she felt safe in taking them. The fear she initially felt now gone, left Penny feeling weak again, her head still aching and her body hurting, but it also left her thinking about how she got in this room and that is when again the sickening feeling came back to her that she had cheated on Leonard. That thought immediately consumed her as remembered again that she had woke up earlier in bed with someone else, so without as second thought she tried to shout out as much as her weak body could endure, "Hello! Is anyone here?"

It hurt to do even that, but her worry seemed to overcome that hurt as she listened for a response, to which there was none. Penny then decided she needed to see for herself, so mustering all the strength she had she stood up from the bed, almost to fall back down into it as the vertigo paid havoc with her weaken body, her hands grabbing the nightstand, it being the only thing keeping her up. It took a minute for her head to adjust to her standing so she just held onto the nightstand until she felt she wouldn't fall over and was able to allow her legs to take all her weight and balance. She now felt like she needed to use the bathroom but she needed to first know if she was alone or not, so with all her effort she started to walk to the door to the room, which made her further realize how big the room really was and made her feel worse. It didn't get any better when she left the bedroom and entered the living area of the hotel room or suite, as she now obviously could see, it was both large and lavish and Penny's heart sank as she looked around. There was a beautiful sitting and dining area, a large wet bar with all the features of a kitchenette, plus an entertainment system for the sitting area, she had only ever seen hotel rooms like this in pictures and never had been in one before. She was about to start crying when she noticed another door like the door from the bedroom she just left and slowly walked towards it, walking into the room and finding it empty like the rest of the hotel room, she now knew she was alone in.

A couple tears dripped down Penny's cheeks as she made her way to the original bedroom, she came out of previously, to use the bathroom, her sitting down on the toilet before she really began to think about what she had just seen and what it meant to her situation. The first thought Penny had was that there was no-way she should be in a suite like this, it must cost a fortune, it was a place neither her or the girls could afford, but yet here she was and that thought reminded her she had woke up with a person in bed earlier. Her thoughts went back to meeting Zack at the Craps table, he always bragged he was vice-president of the company he worked for so maybe this could be his room, however then her thoughts got darker as she remembered all the men cheering her on as she threw the dice, anyone one of them could be the one to have this room and to be honest Penny had, before meeting Leonard, woke up with guys she didn't know several times. Those thoughts brought a crushing feeling to her heart, she felt like a slut, a girl you could just feed drinks to and she would be you bed buddy for the night, it even made her think back to Sheldon and Amy's first date when Sheldon stated her dating history to her and made her feel like a slut. It actually made sense, only a slut would get stinking drunk the night before and wake up in such a lavish suite as she now found herself in and what made that thought hurt the most was that she knew that Leonard was too good a man to be with a slut. Penny began to sob as she sat on the toilet, the feeling of being a huge disappointment to everyone around her filling her mind and the thought that Leonard would never want her after he found out what she had did.

Bernadette quietly entered the Hotel Suite about 5 PM, they didn't know if Penny would be awake or still asleep so they tried to make as little noise as possible. They were also feeling pretty good, Bernadette's new bikini being quite good at keeping them in free drinks and she only had to talk to a couple of guys during the whole afternoon, disappointing them when she explained she was happily married and was not looking for any male companionship. Amy very quietly peaked through the open door into the bedroom and saw Penny propped up on pillows, her head back with a washcloth over her forehead and eyes, not moving, so she slowly crept back to the couch where Bernadette was now sitting, with a big silly smile on her face.

"I think she is still asleep." Amy told her friend in a whisper.

"See I told you we could go to the pool because she would probably sleep the day away." Bernadette responded smugly and a little loudly.

Penny had cried for over an hour, until it seemed that no more tears would come out, and after that she felt even more weak and tired. The crying also seemed to nullify any form of pain relief the aspirin had offered so she had gotten a cold wet washcloth to put over her head and eyes to try and get some relief, the pain she had in her head seeming to get worse the more she contemplated her situation. Previous thoughts of getting out of the suite were now gone, she needed to know what happened to her and she needed to see who she spent the night with, actually in a way hoping it was Zack instead of some stranger, but knowing in the end it would make no difference when Leonard found out. That thought only brought more pain to Penny as she imagined how Leonard would act when he found out that his girlfriend was a real slut and had always been one, only really requiring a few drinks to get her into bed.

Those thoughts had prevented her from finding any relief in sleep, she was upset to her very core and even found herself shaking when she thought too hard of how Leonard would act when he heard the whole story. The only thing keeping her from being a complete basket case was that she still didn't know the whole story and with that unknown there was still a slight chance of hope that what she was seeing wasn't what it looked like. However, she was a big girl and she knew that hope was slim to none so her mind kept cycling through how her life would change after her night in Vegas was fully known and how it would feel to lose Leonard, someone she had realized, over the last several months, that she didn't want to lose in her life.

What was actually sadly funny was that since she was in a high-end suite, it had elaborate soundproofing installed to spare the occupants from the outside noise, which would be a huge benefit in normal situations but with Penny it only made things worse. The extreme quiet left her not even a small distraction while she laid there thinking, which made her feel only worse, and she thought she could actually hear her broken heart beating swiftly each time the thought of losing Leonard again came into her mind. The quiet of the room did provide one benefit though, she immediately heard the door to the suite open and before she could worry, she also made out the whispers of her friends, two people she really needed to talk to. So, as soon as she heard Bernadette's loud voice, she tried to compose herself and find the strength to get up, the continued sound and movement around the suite of her friends driving her to finally get out of bed.

"Do you think we should wake her up, she has been asleep for a while." Amy asked Bernadette after they both had sat down on the couch.

"No, let her just sleep, besides like Sheldon once said, waking her up before she wants to wake up is like poking a stick at an angry wolverine."

Amy just nodded, "Okay."

They both sat there for several minutes saying nothing, both still in their robes and swimsuits still from being at the pool, both getting a little chilled from the premium air conditioning of the room. Bernadette actually pulled her robe a little tighter around herself, a small smile on her face as she realized Howard would at least be happy she wore a robe to and from the pool, only taking it off at the pool, after all she still was a good Catholic girl. Amy, though dressed and covered up more modestly than Bernadette, also felt a little chilled so after sitting there decided to at least try and feel a little better. "Bernadette, I'm going to make some tea, do you want some?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Bernadette quickly answered, the thought of drinking some hot tea making her immediately want the beverage.

Amy went over to the bar and began to operate a device that quickly provided boiling water to the two cups she had put tea bags into. "This is really a nice room." She casually remarked.

Bernadette responded, "Yeah, it is. It is sort of nice that the hotel gave it to Penny for the weekend after she won all that money."

"Yes, it is." Amy then walked over back to the couch and put the two steaming tea cups on the coffee table before sitting down herself. Both girls then picked up their cups and took careful sips, savoring the warmth that spread through their bodies from the hot brew. Again, it was quiet between the two girls for a minute or two as they drank their hot tea, lost in their own thoughts.

"What do you think we should tell her when she wakes up?" Amy asked breaking the silence between them.

Bernadette gave her a little shrug, "I've been trying to figure that out myself the whole afternoon." she confessed.

"It should be safe to tell her about this room and the money, don't you think?" Amy asked

Bernadette nodded, "Yeah, finding herself in a strange room will probably be the first question she will have, so we will definitely need to tell her that. Then she we can tell her about the money she won, which might be a good thing to tell her prior to discussing her and Zack. You know sort of pleasure before the pain." she then sadly chuckled.

Amy sat there quietly, like previously that morning, she was finding it difficult to discuss her friend's deceit, after all Penny was her bestie and she was supposed to support her, but after everything they now knew she found herself having to think for several seconds before she said anything, "How do you think she will act when we tell her we know about Zack?"

Bernadette shrugged, "I really don't know, she has kept her secret from us and now Zack showing up without her telling us, I'm not sure she even wants to tell us or wants us to know, so she might just tell us to forget it or even lie to us." then she sighed, "But I really hope we are all better friends than that and she will talk it out with us."

Amy sadly nodded, "I hope she will talk to us, too" Amy remained silent for a few seconds, "I guess I can understand her picking Zack over Leonard, he is much better built and attractive, and Penny probably can relate to him more, but I actually thought her and Leonard were becoming good together."

Bernadette now nodded, "Zack was the kind of guy she always chased after, when I worked with her at the Cheesecake Factory, she actually made a lot of the girls jealous because her body count with hunks was so high. I guess I'm not too surprised she is doing it with Zack, it is just I guess I never expected her to play that kind of game with Leonard."

Amy just nodded in agreement and they both went quiet again while they thought and took sips of their hot tea. Again, it was very quiet, so when the wet washcloth hit the floor, it startled both girls and when they looked in the direction of the sound both of them were surprised. Both girls were speechless for a few seconds, as they just stared at the source of the noise, Amy being the first to finally mumble something to their friend, "Penny, you're up."

Penny just stood in the bedroom doorway; her eyes wide as saucers from the last bits of the conversation she had just heard her two friends discuss, the part about Zack. It seemed her worse fears had just been confirmed and as her world seemed to crumbling around her, she held on to the door frame due the weakness in her knees and fear that they would give out. Penny was stunned, the girl's discussion about her and Zack had horrified her, and her mind just couldn't understand what had happened since just day before, when everything in her life seemed so perfect. So, with a horrible fear of what she was about to learn she asked the only question she could, as she stared at her friends, "What...what happened with Zack and me?"