TAWOG: Instinct

The Tears

The Tears

It was Saturday morning in Elmore, and most of the children in town were out enjoying the day, going to the mall, visiting the arcade, catching a movie or just hanging out, however, one young fairy girl wasn't out taking advantage of the weekend. Penny sat on her bed, hugging her pillow with her right arm and looking at her phone with her left. On it a slideshow played, displaying various pictures of her and Gumball; hanging out, acting goofy together, going out on dates and even sharing a few romantic moments between. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she observed each picture, the memory attached to them surfacing in her mind one after the other, only adding to her distress.

It was probably not doing her any good to look at these pictures under the circumstances, and in her current state, but it was the only thing that made her feel close to Gumball at the moment. Normally around this time on Saturday she would be video chatting with him on her computer, making plans for their next date, but even if she did start up her computer there would be no one on the other line. Gumball was still missing.

And to make matters worse, Tobias’s words continued to replay in Penny's mind, how he could have been eaten by that monster that had attacked her and her friends at the mall. She'd tried with all her might to believe otherwise, that Gumball couldn't have encountered that savage beast and was just out there somewhere, distraught and alone, but she just couldn't help but contemplate whether it was true or not occasionally. What if Gumball was gone? Truly, utterly gone?

As she inadvertently contemplated this possiblity again; for who knows how many times, what little composure Penny had managed to retain collapsed and she broke down on her bed, dropping her phone (which still displayed pictures of her and Gumball) and hugged her pillow with both arms and pressing her face into it, sobbing uncontrollably into the fabric of the pillowcase. How could she have been so foolish, to risk her relationship with the boy who she cared for so much and cared for her equally in return over something so stupid?

Even if it hadn't been proven that Gumball was innocent in the whole banner affair she'd blown it way out of proportion. Sure, she had every right to get angry, but sicking Tina on him and declaring they might be over because of this? And now that things had turned out the way they had, Penny truly was experiencing what it would be like to not have Gumball in her life. Sure, he came off as a bit extreme at times, and his grand gestures were somewhat annoying, but didn't that all just prove how much he loves her? Sure, the whole treasure hunt debacle wasn't all that enjoyable, in fact , it had been downright life-threateningly dangerous, but that matter aside, was that fireworks display afterwards anything but thoughtful? She might have even enjoyed that if she hadn't been so ticked off at the moment. And how often does someone go so out of their way just to show their affection like that even?

When was the last time her father had done something romantic for her mother?

These thoughts only made Penny sob harder.

And this didn't go unnoticed.

—

From out in the hallway Judith listened to her oldest daughters distressed crying with a look of deep concern. She'd been listening all morning, her ear pressed to the door (as best she could, what with her antlers), hoping Penny wouldn't break down again, but her waiting had proven to be in vain when she eventually heard the unmistakable sound of crying yet again. Judith didn't know what to do. She'd tried to be as supportive as possible when this whole thing started, but Penny just hadn't been that receptive to her. 

Probably because her support wasn't anything new. After all, it was something Penny had come to expect from her. That whole scenario regarding her shell notwithstanding, Judith had always been the supportive parent of Penny's choices, including those regarding her romantic life. She had no problems with Gumball, unlike her husband Patrick, in fact, she too could see the charm he possessed that had garnered Penny's attention in the first place. Maybe what Penny needs is support from an unlikely source? Someone who had always had problems with what Penny did, regardless of circumstances.