Find a Penny, Pick Her Up

Chapter 16

After my breathing returned to normal and my tears slowed, I pulled myself up from the sand and started on my trek home. After what seemed like multiple hours, but in reality was only one, I reached my driveway and practically limped to the door. My feet ached from trudging through the sand and sharp pebbles. By the time the sand met the road,  I'd gotten a few strange looks from drivers. They were probably deciding on whether to stop and help the poor girl with runny makeup and no shoes. I was too much in a daze to care. 

It was around twelve, so I crossed my fingers that mom and dad were in bed. The lights to the kitchen were off, so my guess was that they were. I just wanted to change into comfortable clothes and slip into bed, forgetting the night in its entirety. That's what I did best - forget. I opened the door to the kitchen quietly, shutting it as soft as I could. Sighing, I leaned back against the door. Finally home. 

I walked through the dark and silent kitchen, the smell of Dad's chicken still in the air. Turning the corner to where the living room met the stairs, I stopped. Mom sat curled in one of her favorite chairs, an overhead lamp above her as she read. 

She looked up, startled. "Penny! You're home." I nodded, feeling like I was on the brink of tears again. 

"Yeah," I said, heading to bypass her. 

"Was it fun?" She asked, closing her book and giving me a tired smile. I wondered why she was up in the first place; Mom went to bed on the earlier side almost every night. Twelve was definitely past the norm. 

I tried to not meet her eyes, because I knew I didn't look great. "Yeah, it was fun." 

"Penelope," Mom said, more stronger that time, and rose from her chair. "Look at me." I stopped, finally meeting her eyes. "Honey," she whispered, putting a hand to my face. She eyed my feet, her eyes widening. "Why are you feet so dirty?" I didn't answer. "Did you walk here?" I gave a slow nod. 

"Where was Jess?" Not responding, I looked at my Mom and something in my chest cracked open. I burst into tears, falling into her and sobbing against her chest. The exhaustion from pretending everything was okay for the past few months was too much to handle. I just wanted someone to hold me, and that's exactly what she did. She put a hand around my back, and the other holding my head. 

"Shh," she soothed. I wasn't sure how long I stood there for, crying into my mom who I'd decided was the least-capable parent, but it felt good to cry. To cry over Justin. Over Annie. Over Hampton, and the betrayal I felt. And most of all, to cry for Jack. 

~

Surprisingly, I'd slept really well. In fact, I didn't wake up until eleven. I even slept through the smell of Dad's pancakes, which were most usually my alarm clock. I laid there for a few moments, staring at the white ceiling. I knew what needed to be done. I couldn't go on without it anymore.  By the time I slipped out of bed and had thrown a different T-shirt on, I made my way downstairs to where I knew my parents would be sitting. 

"Good morning, sleepy head," Dad said as soon as I entered the living room, glancing up from his phone. I'm sure he had to have known what went down last night, but that was Dad. Pretending to act surprised when you told him something he already knew. 

"Morning," I said, glancing at mom. She gave me a smile, a warm, real one, and it was what made me sit on couch to look at them both. "I want to start seeing Dr. Yao again." My parents looked at each other, having caught them off guard. I was sure they weren't expecting that. But I knew I needed it - to grow past the accident. To drive a car again. To have a sip of alcohol and not regret it.