Dying to Breathe

6.3: totally fucked

A/N: Going back to that playlist shuffle... I will never not love this song.

Chapter 6, Part 3: Totally Fucked

"Where did you disappear to? The lunch hour is nearly over." Haley looked up from her and Chloe's conversation as Penelope sat down into an empty seat in a daze—Gabriel's touch still fresh in her mind.

A smile spread on her cheeks before she could shake her head clear; catching the girls share a suspicious glance.

Chloe tilted her head, half of her short hair tied up into two buns as she blew a bubble in her pink gum. "Curious." She quipped after the bubble popped, making Penelope jump.

Grey unnerving eyes skimmed her antsy body as Penelope blushed under the penetrating gaze. It was like she saw everything about her—even things that Penelope didn't know about herself.

"Do either of you know of a job opening?" She changed the subject, humming anxiously in thought.

Would kids in the academy even know what a 'job' meant? Even back at home, kids barely worked in the suburban, spoiled little town. Even she and Millie only took up jobs on the weekends.

Chloe looked at her like she grew three heads while Haley pursed her lips, pity in her expression.

"You realize any jobs we have are given to us by our parents to help out their businesses that will be eventually passed down to us, right?" Chloe scoffed, clearly insulted by the insinuation she'd have something to do with a lowly job like the lower class.

"Right." Penelope muttered, her cheeks warming again as she scratched her neck awkwardly.

She wondered if Nina was in the same boat. Was Gabriel? Just how out of her league, was he—was everyone?

"Try asking Coraline—her grandmother makes her do all sorts of weird things like work for small, local spots in the city." Haley interrupted her worrisome thought, "She's probably with the theatre club, right now. But she normally answers texts."

Coraline was in theatre? Penelope could see it. She wondered if she knew the girl that threw the water out the window the other day. Chuckling to herself, she pulled out her phone—finding Coraline's contact.

Crossing her fingers, she waited for a reply.

"You're too skinny." Chloe spoke up abruptly, her eyes narrowed as she glanced down Penelope's frame. She pushed her tray towards her, "Eat." She ordered.

Penelope glanced down at the barely touched lunch tray consisting of a mixed salad and fruit bowl, back to Chloe with raised eyebrows, "You're one to talk." She gestured towards her collarbones that jutted out of her pale skin against the blue collar of her dress.

Leaning back, Chloe crossed her arms against her small chest, tilting a single bleached eyebrow up in wait—the command written in her unwavering grey eyes. Penelope rolled her own eyes before exaggeratedly taking a bite of the pecan, balsamic salad.

"Happy, daddy?" She asked through a full mouth of green leaves, sarcasm dripping in the tone.

She decided the cringy line was worth it when she earned herself a tug of a smile on Chloe's stoic face and a boisterous laugh from quietly observing Haley.

It all happened in slow motion—one second she had been giggling with the girls over Chloe's new nickname, the next, she was watching in horror as the school mascot (a shark) tripped on his untied shoes and stepped on his tail. As he fell right in front of Penelope, his tray soared through the air—thankfully missing hitting her in the head by a millimeter. What she wasn't thankful for? Was how all the food managed to fall directly on top of her anyways as the tray spun dangerously from its launch.

Suddenly it was raining cold leftover spaghetti noodles with alfredo sauce and Penelope didn't have an umbrella. She didn't even have time to gasp as she found herself blinking through the disaster a moment later.

"Oh my god." Haley was the first to speak—Chloe was too busy doubling over in laughter.

"Oh my god." Penelope repeated monotonously, frozen in disbelief.

"You—" Chloe tried to speak through her tears of laughter, gasping in oxygen. "—are so totally fucked."

She agreed.

Penelope was beginning to think Karma was getting back at her for keeping all her secrets lately. Maybe her punishment for not going to the police about Millie. Maybe she kissed Gabe one too many times. Maybe the money under her bed was cursed. Maybe it was because she was too happy lately despite her sister's questionable status. Whatever it was, Penelope felt like she was attracting something that would only bring her more trouble.

If nothing else, the raised cellphones around her were speaking loud and clear: she was cursed.

A/N: Cosmic intervention or is she just extremely unlucky? Anyone have any embarrassing stories like that? I'm plagued with them ~anxiety~ 

Not many clues have been given lately, but any guesses as to what's going on? 

Ok, thank you for reading and for your continual support even when I'm in a slump. It means a lot xx