Disclaimer: I don't own Big Bang Theory.

Guest: I'm sorry, I have a hard time taking you seriously. A 'lousey sheeeny' story? And fans of the pairing are sheenies? Your spelling and grammar skills are rather impressive; I'm a little intimidated. I wonder, would you categorize this story as 'lousey' and sucky if I hadn't already said that it would eventually become a Shenny (see, this is the proper spelling) story? He isn't even in the story yet. And I wouldn't really consider Penny out of character either, at this point. Canon Penny is a few years older, had been living in California and been cheated on by a deadbeat boyfriend who she'd been with for at least three years, was working at a dead end job she hated, and had three years of failing at her dream under her belt. Circumstances tend to change people. How do you know that my version of Penny is OOC if no one really knows very much about how she was when she was younger other than that she was a daddy's girl at one point, was popular, and unknowingly bullied a few people, which she was later mature enough to recognize and regret?

Also, if you hate the pairing and story so much, why say 'Ta Ta for now?' Do you have nothing better to do than flame a story that you hate the mere idea of? What, are you insecure that the Shenny fans will overtake the Lenny ones, if they haven't already? Or are you compensating for something?

Either way, feel free to continue, though I'd recommend signing in so that we can do this over private messaging. Please note that I could delete your comments any time I want. I just haven't bothered, because I'm hardly going to be hurt or offended because of reviews that only insult my story because of the pairing involved.

Anyway, to everybody else, enjoy!

A few shorts months before graduation, before the big move to California she had been planning for years, Penny found herself sitting at her dining room table trying to get through her taxes for the year.

It hadn't been all that bad her first year filing, but then it got more complicated…

Not only had she needed to figure out how to account for the few voice acting jobs she'd gotten (for the local radio station) and the short modeling job that she'd had, but she also had to file taxes for Penny Blossoms, the business she'd started up.

She hadn't realized that a small business like hers would count until one of her friends, who was going to school to become an accountant, had told her that it did.

Ugh.

She should've asked for her help.

As it was, she was going over her paperwork, and was utterly shocked to see how much money she had actually made from the hobby she had apparently made into a successful business venture.

Well. Apparently she had been smart to choose business as one of her majors.

See, the whole thing had started out like this…

Penny had found herself without a job during the summer semester, even though she was still taking a few classes then in order to graduate on time, because her financial aid for the new year wouldn't go through until later, so they couldn't pay her.

So Penny was looking for a new job, since she still needed to pay her bills, until one day when she had worn an old flower barrette of hers to her acting class, and then out at the grocery store when she was picking up food for the week.

She had received quite a few compliments throughout the day, and when she explained that she had made it a few years prior, one of her friends had mentioned that she could probably make some money from it, considering how many people had asked her where she had gotten it.

Of course, the young blonde didn't really pay attention at first, thinking that her friend's musings were a little unrealistic (it was just a fabric flower glued to a bobby pin,) but after being asked to make some for both her friends and other women in her class, and even a few males hoping to give them to someone as a gift, she wasn't so sure.

And so, in the end, she did start making them.

She decided to buy the materials in bulk, which made them cheaper, and quietly asked one of her other friends what she thought would be a reasonable price to charge people for them.

(He was male, and not one of the guys asking after them for their girlfriends, so she trusted him not to lead her astray and be unbiased about it.)

He had also helped her set up a website for her business, which of course she named Penny Blossoms.

So Penny used her own newly acquired knowledge in business in order to work out how much money she would need, how much she would profit (which of course depended on what she charged…), and give out handwritten receipts because it seemed like a good idea.

And by the end of the month she found herself making dozens a week, because of course some of the women needed more than one so they would match their clothing.

She also expanded into making hair bows, bow ties, and headbands.

When the fall semester started up again, she was still making them, now accepting requests for specific color schemes and designs with things like glitter, lace, and rhinestones.

And then there were the holidays.

Halloween. Christmas. Valentine's Day. St. Patrick's Day. Mardi Gras. Fourth of July.

Students from the nearby high schools actually came to her and asked her if she could make corsages for the girls to wear on their wrists for dances, or lapels for the boys to wear on their suits or tuxedos.

One of her classmates even asked her for her input on the design of her bouquet, and bought a few things from Penny as favors for her bridal shower and bachelorette party, and the wedding party all wore either a lapel or one of her more elegant hair accessories.

It had blown up so suddenly that Penny was quickly overwhelmed, since she still had classes both at the college and the recreation center, but she managed to fill the orders by asking her friends and even a few neighbors to help her make them, which she of course paid them for.

*sigh*

At least her website didn't have something stupid like an option for a rush order.

She couldn't even imagine.

So she ended up making more money from her Penny Blossoms business than she had for her part-time job at the college, which paid her $9/hour.

Penny bit her lip as she looked over the numbers.

Don't get her wrong, she was thrilled. She had more money saved up than she had thought, and she was therefore more prepared to move to California, with its higher cost of living, than she would have been otherwise.

But what was she going to do with the business when she moved?

Abandon the thing she'd been pouring her heart and soul (and blood and sweat and tears) into for over a year now, one which had turned out to be well worth her time?

Continue doing it in California? But she was only able to make it work because she had her friends helping her.

She let out a slight whine, head falling onto the table.

Great.

More decisions.

Still, she didn't regret staying in Omaha. At all.

She had friends, real, honest to god friends for the first time in far too long, ones that cared about her, Penny, not the cheerleader and popular girl from high school.

They didn't care that she was less than perfect.

Not that she didn't try to be, but she knew that it was just not possible.

Still, wasn't there an old saying about that?

Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

She'd programmed her cell phone to make so that every morning when the alarm in it woke her up, the first thing she saw would be that saying.

It hardly ever failed to put a smile on her face.

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