Shamrock Ranch

Chapter 11 First day of School

New Year's Eve Penny got to stay up late. Excited for that she was eating more and more popcorn. Drinking sprite and having a blast as the guys over 21 drank beer.

"Luke could we have a beer?" Nick asked. Sam at his side.

"You can share one. Get a glass."

"Can I have some?"

Luke let her try his and she made a face.

"That's nasty how can anyone drink that."

He chuckled as she shoved more popcorn into her mouth. As the party continued. Penny was starting to feel sick. She looked around and then ran to the closest garbage can and started throwing up. Instantly someone was there.

"Here swish and spit into the trash," Austin said.

She did and she felt the tears fall from her face. As he picked her up.

"What happened cowgirl?" Austin asked.
"My tummy hurts."
"Did you eat anything else aside from popcorn?"
She shook her head. He just held her walking up the stairs.
"I don't want to go to bed."
"I want to get something for your stomach then once the ball drops you go to bed."
"Kay."
After eating some chalky tasting things Austin gave her they went back downstairs. Luke looked over and took her from Austin.
"What happened?"
Austin explained and Luke looked at her.
"No more popcorn."
"It's good though."
"Not if it makes you throw up. Come on you can have some orange juice with sprite and water for the rest of the night."
Once it was midnight she was exhausted. Luke kissed her cheek and was walking out of the room with a sleeping Penny in his arms. The next day she was f allowed popcorn and she just rolled her eyes at that.

****

Penny slowly drank down the water, eating her toast as her snack for the day. Nick and Sam both had an arm around her as she was leaning onto Sam. They were flipping through some movies on Amazon prime, Inside and out was on amazon prime. Penny pointed.

"That one?"

Sam paused on Inside and out, looking at it, "We have to buy this one, why don't we ask, Luke first."

"Ask Luke what?" Luke asked, coming in from down the stairs. It was just after dinner, with their evening chores done and the only restriction was from their phones well all except Penny. Penny ran over wrapping her arms around him and looking up.

"Can we get this movie? Pleaseee," She asked batting her eyelashes at him and smiling sweetly. Luke paused at the expression and smiled.

He looked at the movie, agreeing to it, but wanted a bit of a family movie night tonight since everyone was done with their chores. The smell of popcorn was a great smell to Penny, she stared at it. Reaching for it, Sam watched her.

"Will she be able to keep popcorn down this time?"

After eating a tone of Popcorn on new year's, she had thrown it up, and felt sick so right now they were all so paranoid and overprotective, and a little suffocating. Penny didn't mind it too much, she actually was enjoying the attention from her brothers and the company. Sam even read to her each night before bed, so he was becoming her favorite book reader, Nick on the other hand she noticed that his personality was a little more mischievous than Sam but he read to her too.

She did like to try and get a few jokes on them, and they back at her. She in fact though could eat popcorn, getting the okay, Nick put the bowl on her lap, and she ate a large handful.
"Not a lot though. You'll throw up again," Noah said.

As the movie progressed, Penny started to think about her times in Seattle, from hanging out with Hailey at school, to the school bully Laura. To her life in foster care. There was a lot going on and her life had changed, so drastically. She started to play with Nick's hand tracing it and studying his fingers. He had a blister on the palm of his hand she noticed and stayed clear of touching it. Nick looked down at Penny, pausing. She had stopped eating her popcorn so him and Sam ate it. She leaned on his arm and continued watching the movie.
Though still tracing his hand. An act that all her brothers were noticing that she was concerned and focusing on something that was bothering her. After it was over she was already rubbing her eyes.