Day 4 – How to stop Pitstop? - Part 2
Velma knew she couldn´t trust Peter. Even so, she accepted his help, after all, nothing could be worse than spending hours in Principal Quinlan's room. When she took the Compact Pussycat's keys out of her purse, Peter snatched them and took the driver's seat. Velma stared at him for a moment, thinking that he would change his mind, but he just started the car and she had to take the passenger´s seat.
Peter: Don´t worry, I´ll tell her I was the one who drove the car... and since I´m being so nice with you, you´ll be nice with me by keeping your mouth shut about what you´ve seen at Judy's party...
Velma: Tell who, dear?
Peter: Penny!
Velma: WHAT?
Peter: Velma, the Pitstops have just arrived! Penny will surely notice this car is not in the garage, do you really want her to know that you´ve brought it to school?
Velma panicked when she found out the Pitstops had returned way before than expected. She was definitely in trouble: they would be angry for all the mess around the mansion, and also for the fact that she wasn't there. As a result, she wouldn't get the prize she wanted so hard. The anxiety she felt was so great that she thought the unexpected arrival was another effect caused by Thorn's curse.
Velma: B… bu… but… what do you mean, dear? No, it can't be! They would stay out of home for 10 days, Daphne said 10 days!
Peter: Oh, did you really think that Penny wouldn't fail the competition again? The Pitstops never stay away as long as they plan to, they always return way before their plans because Penelope does something stupid and ruins everything... well... you know Penny, you know how difficult she is…
While hearing such harsh words, Velma looked at Peter in shock.
Velma: No, I don´t know her, honey... I mean... I thought I knew her, in the same way I thought I knew everyone at school, but in the end I realized that I didn't even know who I really am…
Peter: Of course you don't know Penny, if you did, you wouldn't want to be like her!
Peter laughed at his own joke as if it were the funniest thing in the world, but his laughter made Velma uncomfortable.
Velma: I don´t want to be like her, honey, I just don´t have a choice, Thorn has cast a spell on me and... you know what? Whatever. A jerk like you would never understand…
Peter: Thorn has cast a spell on you… really? Now I understand why you´ve started imitating Penny… it was a punishment…
Another unpleasant laugh came to increase Velma's discomfort. But she decided to reply.
Velma: Well, punishment or not, I'm under a spell and I´m aware of it, honey! I know what's wrong with me... what about you, Peter? What makes you such a horrible person? I mean, you cheat, you defame your girlfriend, you're being nice with me just because I can help you, and in a few minutes you´ll pretend to be the best guy in the world to poor Pitstops just because they're rich...
Peter stopped laughing immediately after hearing that. He didn't have time to say anything, though. At the same moment, they arrived at Pitstop Manor and Peter had to do exactly what Velma had said: pretend to be a good person.
Mrs. Pitstop: Oh, dear Peter! Good to see you here! Penny darling, look who's here to see you!
Velma got out of the car slowly, while Mr. and Mrs. Pitstop greeted Peter enthusiastically. Penelope didn't feel the same joy when she saw her boyfriend. Instead of a positive reaction, she remained sullen, with her arms crossed, in the back seat of a luxury car. Velma could see frustration and sadness in her eyes.
Peter: What a pleasant surprise, Mr. And Mrs. Pitstop, I didn't expect to see you so soon!
Mr. Pitstop: To be honest, we didn't either, son... but, as you know, our Penny always ruins everything. This time, she got the first place at the gymnastics competition, but she literally kicked the girls out of the podium while they were taking the official photos. Obviously, she was banned from competing after that... but at least she´s in all newspapers!
Mr. Pitstop laughed at his own comment as if it were funny, and Peter did the same just to please him. Instead of laughing, Mrs. Pitstop glared at him and interrupted them sternly.
Mrs. Pitstop: Do you think it´s funny, Paul? That embarrassing bullshit is funny to you? Is it what you want her to think, that it's fun to lose? We´ve already tolerated her total failure in Professional Ballet! We´ve accepted her refusal to be a model, even though we spent a fortune to make big brands sponsor her… and what about her career as an actress? God knows how many contacts in Hollywood I had to mobilize to put her in that film, then she just decided she didn´t want to memorize the effing script because she had to watch Daytona 500, for God's sake! We are raising a monster! Can´t you see that we have no more successful options for her? She has failed in every career!
Inside the car, Penelope took a deep breath and rolled her eyes angrily, and Velma felt the discomfort increase. Even Peter lost some of his hypocritical veneer for a moment and felt embarrassed after hearing those words. The only one who didn't care at all was Mr. Pitstop, who laughed and disdained his wife.
Mr. Pitstop: Damn, Vivian, you insist on this successful-career bullshit … we didn't have a son! Our Penny doesn't need a career, and we´ve already found her a good boy, right Perfect? Soon, she will get married and she will be fine!
The discomfort got so great that Velma couldn't hide it anymore. Peter gave an awkward smile, agreeing with Paul Pitstop, and the couple started discussing their daughter's future while they walked into the mansion. Peter remained in the same place – probably waiting for Penelope to get out of the car – and Velma stayed with him.
Peter: I just want to remind you that I´ve helped you to solve your problem with Quinlan… now, you owe me a favor…
Velma: You didn't solve my problem, honey, you just helped me escape! When I get out of here, I'll still be in trouble, and I'll still have to face the consequences of everything I've done... and that's exactly what I'm doing now... I´ll pretend you're not a terrible person, but be sure that one day you will have to endure the effects of it!
Peter rolled his eyes impatiently, to show contempt for what he had heard, then he walked towards the car, to convince Penelope to get out. Velma just watched him act like a good boyfriend. At the moment the happy couple headed to the mansion, she joined them in silence. She was only noticed by Pitstop couple when their group of ̶t̶o̶a̶d̶i̶e̶s̶ advisers introduced her as "the housekeeper hired by Daphne". To Velma's surprise, the couple gave her 3 thousand dollars with the same naturalness as someone giving a salesperson 1 dollar to buy an ice cream, and they didn't even care if she had correctly done the job or not. Velma was grateful for the money and she felt a great relief for finally fullfilling her duty – so great that she didn´t feel like asking for a meeting with Elon Musk anymore. The only thing she wanted at that moment was the end of that spell. However, while saying goodbye, Penelope held her hand and looked into her eyes.
Penelope: Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you…
Velma felt her heart race, and her hands started shaking. Apparently, Peter felt the same thing, since he let go of Velma's hand and stuttered some lame excuses to make Penelope change her mind.
Penelope: I´ll see you later, Peter... now, I need some time... can you come with me, Velma?
Peter's eyes widened when he was easily dismissed, then he looked straight into Velma's eyes, demanding her to do what she had promised. Velma just ignored him and followed Penelope upstairs. There, she got embarrassed to see the mess she had made in Penelope´s room, and she got apprehensive to imagine how angry Penny would be when she discovered the other things Velma had done.
Velma: OH!… uhhh… Penny, honey, it's not what you´re thinking... Daphne told me you´re jealous of your things, and I swear that on the first day this door was locked and…
Penelope: Really? Seems like Daphne knows nothing about me.
Velma took advantage of the interruption to sigh, but she couldn't decide if that sigh brought her relief or if it increased her anxiety. However, the disdain that Penelope showed while kicking the dirty clothes away and throwing herself on the unmade bed dissipated some of Velma's tension.
Velma: …as I was saying, darling, your bedroom´s door was locked, but I had a big problem on the first day and… and… uhh… then, on the following day, mysteriously, all the doors were unlocked! So, I don't know how I got into your room and… I took your clothes...and…
Velma felt too stupid to continue. After all, it was very stupid to say that she didn't know how she got into Penelope's clothes by mistake.
Penelope: And you don´t know how you´ve dyed your hair either?
Velma: P…Penny, listen! I… I know it seems stupid, but I swear that…
Penelope: Velma, don´t worry, I´m not here to talk about my clothes or my room… Anette will clean everything up tomorrow, whatever! About the doors, my parents have locked everything because they are controlling bastards! As for the clothes, you can take whatever you want, I don't care, I have three closets full of them, and my mother insists on buying more and more...
Penelope's answer definitely ended all the apprehension Velma was feeling.
Velma: So… you´ve brought me here because you want to talk about…?
Penelope: About… about… uhhh… do you want to know how I unlock the doors without letting my parents know?
The question was followed by a real smile. Although it wasn't a rhetorical question, Velma didn't have the option to say no, since Penelope jumped out of bed, picked up one of her books with a fake cover and spent the next forty minutes talking about electromagnetism. After explaining the complex door opening system she had built – so complex that even Velma had trouble understanding it – Penelope smiled proudly and hoped to receive some kind of praise from the president of Smart Girls technology club. Velma started laughing uncontrollably, due to the huge relief she felt, and that made Penelope lose her smile. When Velma realized that her laughter had offended the girl, she quickly explained herself.
Velma: I'm sorry, Penny dear, don't get me wrong, but I´ve never expected to hear this from you!
The offended look remained on Penelope's face, and she suddenly got angry.
Penelope: I think no one expects me to be able to do this, right?
Velma: NO, DEAR! That's not what I meant! I… I… well, to be honest, I thought it was a ghost that was opening the doors…
Penelope laughed when she heard that, and it was Velma's turn to get offended.
Penelope: Now it's my turn to say that I´ve never expected to hear this from you... Velma Dinkley believing in ghosts!
Velma's hurt ego made her continue.
Velma: IT SEEMED VERY REAL, OK, HONEY? I was alone, and a door at the end of the hall started moving by itself and… and… you know, the door to the room where…
Velma couldn't mention the tragedy. Even not mentioning it, she realized that Penelope understood what she was trying to say, because her eyes were filled with tears. Instead of responding, she quickly leafed through the book until she found a photo of Sylvester Sneekly. Then, Penelope let her eyes admire that photo for a moment.
Penelope: No! It was just a mistake... I still don't know how to fix it... and I don't think I ever will... after all, I never should have done it...
Penelope's sudden sadness made Velma change the subject immediately. However, when she saw that Penelope was expecting to hear some comforting words, she dared to continue.
Velma: I guess you're not just talking about your circuit of electromagnets that can open all doors, are you, sweetheart?
The question made a tear run down Penelope's face, and she hugged Velma tightly, probably to hide the tears that came in the following moment. Velma comforted her for a while, then Penelope continued.
Penelope: He would never haunt this house, nor hurt anyone... he was the best person I´ve ever met... he was an upright man and a faithful friend, but I messed that up too... nothing bad and nothing wrong happened that night, I… I just wanted to see him! I just wanted to talk with him! I should have never called him and made daddy think horrible things about him!
Penelope expected some words of comfort again. However, Velma didn't know what to say. She didn't want to let Penelope know that she had read her diaries, however, the question she had asked revealed that she knew way more than the rumors. Plus, she wanted to say something comforting, like "he's in a better place," but she didn't want to sound like a religious person. Finally, Velma sighed and, with some courage, dared to say what Penelope needed to hear.
Velma: Honey... you were just being yourself… you were trying to show your feelings... you were very young and you were in love, you could not predict that the troglodyte that you call "dad" would do such a horrible thing... it´s not your fault that his stern heart had wrong ideas about Sylvester… you´re not responsible for other people´s misjudgement!
"But you´re totally responsible for all the misjudgement you´ve made about Penelope, Velma, and now you´re paying for it", were the words that Velma´s mind told her heart, making her feel guilty. Penelope widened her eyes, impressed by what she had heard. And she remained in silence, waiting for more words of comfort.
Velma: In the same way, the consequences of what you´ve done on that podium were bad, but I know that your intention while doing that was good, right, dear? You don't want to be an actress, a gymnast, a model, or anything that your parents expect from you, do you? You just want to be yourself!
Apparently, Penelope had heard enough, and her answer was a tight hug followed by some tears. When she broke the hug, she carefully wiped her face and smiled.
Penelope: I knew you were intelligent enough to understand me and see who I really am... you know, I confess that I always wanted to be your friend, I always wanted to be like you… I mean, being super respected for being super intelligent... I think people doesn´t take me seriously due to my appearance... sometimes it's so hard to be me that I can´t even understand myself!
"Don't get me started, honey!", Velma inevitably thought, as she realized the irony of helping Penelope become who she really is, while she herself was no longer able to do the same.
Penelope: Sooo… being honest, I´ve called you here because… uhhh… I need you help… in fact, I want to ask you something… can I be a member of Smart Girls Club? Please? If I join a science and technology club, maybe my parents will get used to the idea that I want to be an automotive engineer… and, maybe, one day they will accept it…
The question shocked Velma, and for a moment, she thought about the other members of Smart Girls – and all the objections the other girls would have if she included a popular girl like Penelope in the club. Then, she remembered that 4 members of the club were going through terrible identity crises due to a spell that the 5th member casted on them, and she concluded that none of them would have morals to not accept a 6th member. So, Velma said yes. After jumping merrily like a 5 year old, Penelope took Compact Pussycat´s keys and threw it into Velma's hands.
Penelope: Can I start right now? Let's go! I'm dying to fix this circuit! The school's physics laboratory will be vacant this afternoon...
Once again, Velma found herself in an awkward situation, and she remembered what she had promised Peter. Plus, she didn't want Penelope to know that she had driven her favorite car – nor she wanted Penelope to punish her for any kind of damage in the same way she had punished Sergeant Blast. So, she returned the keys and stuttered some excuses.
Velma: Uhh… sure we can, darling, of course, but I... don't... know... I don't know how to drive!
Penelope laughed and threw the keys into Velma's hands again.
Penelope: Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe a word that a liar like Peter says? Or do you think I'm dumb enough to not see the shitty work Tinker and Jones have done to change the car´s mileage? Sweetheart, you have to know quite a little about cars and races to drive this car at 120mph! And certainly a coward like Peter hasn´t done it... now, come on, I´m dying to meet the other Smart Girls!
Thanks for reading! Thanks for your time!
I´ll be out for three weeks, around Nov 15th I´ll return and continue this story (and post the "one-shot"´s some of you asked).
Seems like FFnet stats are broken since September and I have no idea if you´re reading/enjoying the story or not. I hope so!