One For Penelope

Penelope.

"Penelope." Penelope laid in her bed, still fast asleep.

"Penelope." This time Penelope did manage to give a little "mmm".

"Penelope!" Penelope exclaimed and shot out of her bed, taking her blanket with her. "Finally." Jake, her butler, had woken her up. Jake had been hired 25 years ago when Penelope was born, she supposed her parents hired him to help with her.

"Why do you have to wake me up? It's not like I have anything important to do." Penelope mumbled sitting down on the edge of the bed, holding her blanket against her chest.

"Have you forgotten?" Jake sat down on the bed next to her, the two had gotten close through the years. Penelope would say that he was practically her second dad.

"Forgotte-oh!" Penelope shot up again leaving her blanket behind, she had fully awoken in just moments. This time she left behind her blanket to reveal her pajamas which had little cartoon pigs all across it. Jake couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "I have a date!"

"Indeed you do." Jake stood up, having his usual demeanor of elegance. "I must ask, why are you so excited this time?" She had been excited before, but over the last few months whenever a date was arranged she had seemed exasperated.

"I just thought that if I'm going to convince someone that I'm worth the while then I should do everything I can, one of those  being exuberant as possible!"

Jake reached out a hand and rubbed the cheek of Penelope with his thumb, "All you have to do is be yourself, then one day, the right man will come into your life."

Penelope rolled her eyes and walked towards her wardrobe, "I've heard that one too many times Jake."

"I know you have." Jake walked over towards the door out of her room. "Don't worry Penelope, it'll happen, I promise."

...

Penelope walked into the kitchen wearing a dark blue shirt, a black belt around the waist, a black skirt with silver streaks, and black see-through leggings underneath the skirt. Her father was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying some Jimmy-Dean's biscuits and some orange juice in a glass.

"Hey Dad." Penelope said, sitting down at the kitchen table in front of her father.

"Good morning Penelope." Her dad, Franklin, said enthusiastically. He always had more energy when her mother wasn't around. "Looking forward to the date?"

"As mu-" Penelope was interrupted by Jake setting down her breakfast tray in front of her. She was surprised to see that Jake would think of something like this when Penelope would usually sleep past 11:00am. Eggs and milk, her favorite when she actually woke up in time. 

"Sorry for the interruption." Jake smiled, knowing that neither of the two actually minded at all.

"As you were saying?" Franklin said, giving Jake the chance to leave the room.

"As much as I possibly could be!" Penelope exclaimed, beginning some work on the eggs in front of her.

"You haven't been like this in a long time." Her dad gave her an odd look.

"I know, but like I told Jake I don't think I'm going to get anywhere unless I'm willing to give it all I have."

Her father couldn't help but smile, "Penelope, being you-"

"Yes, yes, I know. Being myself is the best and only way that I'll be able to get someone to love me." Penelope rolled her eyes and continued on her eggs.

Franklin chuckled, "Jack beat me to it huh?"

Penelope had a good laugh herself, "Ye-."

"PENELOPE!" Penelope's mother, Jessica, charged into the kitchen landing at her daughter's side. Following close behind her was Wanda, Penelope's matchmaker.

"Good morning mother." Penelope kept her gaze down on her food, not truly ready for her mother's eagerness on a day like today.

"Wanda, grab that chair!" Wanda pulled a chair to sit close to Penelope as did her mother, which led to her father picking up his breakfast and moving to another room. He wouldn't be able to get a word in, neither would Penelope most likely.

"Wanda, if you would?" Jessica motioned with her hand, which led to Wanda opening up her suitcase to pull out the file of today's bachelor. Penelope much preferred Wanda's laid back approach to all of this.

"His name is Nathaniel Gore." Wanda opened the file and handed Penelope a picture which she held close to observe it.

"There's two men in this picture." Penelope was confused, this was the first time she saw a picture of one of the eligible bachelor's in a picture with another man.

"He's the one with with the red hair and 5 o'clock shadow." Her mother chimed in, Penelope nodding to show that she understood. "Isn't he a hunk?"

"I've met a lot of hunks over the years." Penelope said exasperated, for the first time today she felt like today wouldn't be any different.

Wanda and Jessica exchanged a worried glance with the other. "Now..." Wanda started, "If you classify him and every other an you meet then wouldn't that make you no better than those who have came before?"

Penelope didn't like being wrong, showing a pout. "I guess."

"Penelope!" There was her mother being over-enthusiastic again, "Is there anything you'd like to know about him?"

Penelope dropped the picture onto the table and used two fingers to point at both of the men, "How come you showed me a picture with his friend in it?" Penelope had her gaze on Wanda, who she figured had more information on the topic.

"It's one of my favorite pictures of Nathaniel. Plus, according to the reports, these two are extremely close."

Penelope snickered a little. "Doesn't every prat have another one?"

"Well that's the thing." This caught Penelope off guard, "This other man is Nathaniel's best friend, but he's just a... what you might call a average Joe you know. Someone with a status of lower class, yet Nathaniel doesn't care about any of that at all." By the end of her statement Wanda knew that she had gotten through to Penelope, with a huge smile planted across the girl's face.

"I think I'm going to go further prepare for my date." Penelope said, practically shooting from her chair to the hall that led to her room.

Jessica watched after her daughter until after she was out of sight then returned her gaze to Wanda, "Do you think this is the one?"

Wanda simply shrugged her shoulders, "Who could know. We just have to hope for the best." Wanda picked up the picture that Penelope had left behind, wondering what it was about this picture.

There we have it, chapter 2. I've decided to start an author note against my better judgement. I'm not sure whether or not this story will take off but it doesn't really bother me either way. I just came up with story in my mind and decided that it had to be written. Is it bad that I write this speaking it in my mind in a British accent when I'm American? Haha I don't know but what I do know is that this is only the beginning.