THE ALGORITHM

3.

The clock on the wall ticked repetitively, grabbing Penny's attention. She was lounging in bed with her entire body submerged under thick blankets. One was a quilt she purchased from a thrift store. She could tell it was made with love—each patchwork was sewn with different patterns. There were pink flowers, blue flowers, and green plants that meshed well. She had it for years and made sure to keep up with it. The quilt did look a little worn—judging from the frayed ends and faded color. However, it kept her warm during the winter, so she didn't complain.

She pulled the quilt close to her face and inhaled its scent. Her eyes closed briefly as she lay there in silence. The clock ticked and ticked, causing her to lose focus. She couldn't help but count the number of ticks from the timepiece.

Tick, tock

Tick, tock

Tick, tock

Penny tried to shake away the horrible incident a few days ago. She stood at an alley entrance and watched two men commit a murder. They didn't look like ordinary men. These guys were polished and looked well-off—like they were in a notorious organization. One was white, while the other was black.

She was stunned after realizing she outran them and was able to get away. Penny was thankful for her athletic build. She wasn't worried about them looking for her since she figured they didn't get a good look at her appearance.

Penny's stubborn trait made her oblivious to how serious the situation was. She was a little shaken up by the bloody scene, but it didn't scare her enough to stay hidden. She planned to go to work. She continued to go in without any issues, so she assumed they were over the situation and weren't looking for her.

The vibrating phone caught her attention. She grabbed her cell phone and noticed a missed call and text from her ex-boyfriend.

You don't want to FaceTime me? Ryan.

"Hell no." Penny cursed while swiping his message away. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Ryan. His behavior always seemed...scripted. Penny knew he did theatre in high school and partially blamed that for his dramatic behavior.

Besides, she was tired of dealing with him. A few weeks ago, she discovered he was cheating with a random girl who worked at a bar in Hell's Kitchen. Someone informed Penny and decided to send receipts to prove their claim. She knew it had to be the girl, Autumn.

Autumn.
A short and busty blonde.

Ryan cheated on Penny with a white girl. She wasn't surprised since he was a white guy and probably wanted to bring home a white girl to please his racist parents. They didn't care for Penny due to her being black. She didn't seem to care since she continued to date Ryan after they wouldn't accept her.

Penny was a little hurt because she had feelings for Ryan. They met at college and dated for almost two years. She allowed him to take her virginity—he was her first. After discovering his cheating ways, she felt sad, but she didn't cry. For some reason, Penny couldn't boohoo over Ryan and the betrayal he did to her. However, she had an attitude, and everything annoyed and aggravated her.

She took the heartbreak like a champ and moved on with her life. Ryan, of course, tried to get her back numerous times. He gifted Penny flowers—she hated them. Flowers weren't her thing. He gifted her candy—she didn't care for sweets. They were damaging to the teeth. He even tried to send her money—of course, she accepted it but continued to ignore him. He didn't like how nonchalant she was being. Penny acted as if he didn't exist anymore, which bothered Ryan.

Instead of thinking about him, she called her friend, Karina, and asked her to come over. Karina wasted no time accepting the offer. She loved sitting and chatting with her friend. Penny informed her friend of what was going on as soon as she made it.