Forbidden Things || Cobra Kai

112 Tensions

Penelope was pinning her hair back, looking at herself in the mirror with a small smile. Waking up sixteen felt fresh and new, even though it wasn't unlike any other Monday morning. To her, everything felt a little bit better, a little bit brighter. Maybe it was the fact that she'd made it to sixteen, but the accident was a small thought in the back of her mind. Even the scar on her forehead didn't bother her on the sunny autumn day.

Though it was mid October, the chill in the air wasn't anything compared to the snowy foothills of Colorado. So, Penelope wore a dark jean jacket over a black dress paired with sheer stockings and black boots. The new bracelet on her wrist caught the light and shined as she did her hair, hopeful to keep it out of her face. The only pop of color she had was a red bead bracelet and the red hair pins she was slipping into her hair.

A knock came from her bedroom door.

"Hey, Penelope. You almost ready?" Robby's voice came from the other side.

She checked herself over in the mirror and smoothed out the skirt of her dress, then grabbed her bag and walked over to the door. She opened it and smiled at her friend, nodding to him.

Now more comfortable in the home, Robby grinned back. After the party, he'd loosened up a lot more, letting go of some of the guilt he'd been carrying around. He smiled a little easier; it seemed he breathed easier, too. He wasn't to blame, he wasn't in trouble. He had nothing to worry about, which was all Penelope wanted for him.

She started walking out the room, but stopped short of the hallway when she remembered something. Looking at Robby, she held up her finger and he nodded with a patient smile.

"Want me to take your backpack downstairs for you?"

She smiled appreciatively and let him take it, stepping back into her room. When he was gone, she eased the door shut and walked over to her dresser, looking at the picture from her fifteenth birthday; the smiles of her parents lit up by the birthday candles. Beside the frame sat a box and a small picture, which she picked up and looked at longingly.

The polaroid was new and shiny. It was of her and Frankie on her birthday this year, arms wrapped around each other as they posed for the picture. She was wearing a headband that stood up from her head and read Birthday Girl, while Frankie was in a tee shirt and flannel that were a little too big for her. It was a perfect photo, reminding her that her sixteenth hadn't been horrible.

She tucked the picture into the corner of the frame with the other birthday picture. She smiled at it, then moved onto the small jewelry box.

Opening it, a silver necklace shined back at her. The light twinkled off of the star inside. The pendant was as big as a quarter, but it meant so much more than its size would ever reflect.

For as long she could remember, Penelope had seen the pendant all her life. It had hung around her mother's neck for years, a piece she never liked to be without. She remembered reaching for it as a young child, some of her earliest memories including the star. It had been a gift her father gave her mother after they found out she was pregnant, a "small something" for the occasion. Her mom had always said it made her think of Penelope, especially when they weren't together.

Now she had it, a gift from her uncle for her birthday. He'd held onto it, waiting for the right moment to give it to her. He said he wanted to give it to her when it wouldn't bring her sadness, but rather happiness.

Pulling it from the velvet box, she smiled, nothing but happy memories flooding her mind. She put it on and did one more once-over in the mirror. She touched the pendant, thinking of her mom.

When she left the room, she turned off the light and shut the door, then started making her way downstairs. However, she only got to the landing before Robby's voice stopped her.