School was the same as usual for both Penny and Michael; just barely making it through the classes without passing out on the desk, and nearly jumping for joy at the sound of the lunch bell. Even though Michael had an awfully awkward bus ride with Penny, they have both put that passed each other. Penny just contributes Michael's behavior to being nervous for college and the future. Michael just assumes - or rather hopes - that Penny's infatuation with Luke Hemmings is a phase, and will eventually pass.
Michael smiles as he sees that Penny has saved him a seat near the corner of the lunch room, where the two normally sit. Even though Penny may never love him in the way that he loves her, Michael knows that Penny loves Michael in a way that she could never love Luke, or any other guy, for that matter. Since they were both around 9 years old, Penny and Michael have been inseparable. Although their friendship began with the two claiming to hate each other - on the playground, fighting over a swing - they secretly knew that they were bound to be friends. They were almost too alike not to be. Eventually Penny and Michael just accepted their inevitable fate of being best friends, and grew up together from there. As much as Michael annoyed the shit out of Penny, and vice versa, they could never stay mad at each other for too long.
"Hi," Michael said, sitting across from Penny. She was currently munching on an apple and scrolling on her phone.
"Hey," she said absentmindedly. Then, Penny abruptly looked up from her phone, and Michael jerked his head away, not wanting to get caught staring.
"I've been thinking..." Penny begins.
"Oh God. I hate it when you think."
"Shut up." Penny slaps Michael on the arm.
"Ouch. That hurt." Penny smirks, ignoring Michael as she finishes speaking.
"Anyways, I think that I need to find you a girlfriend." Michael nearly spits out his water as he comprehends what Penny just said.
"You're joking, right?"
"What? Michael Clifford, we are in senior year of high school and you have never had a girlfriend."
"Not true. What about Tara Milson or Kelsey Brookes?"
"Those don't count. You dumped Tara within the first week and Kelsey was a dare. Michael, you are pretty pathetic." Michael suddenly realizes how little girlfriends he's actually had within his lifetime. He's been too hung up on Penny to focus on anyone else. Meanwhile, Penny has had more boyfriends than Michael can count, many of the guys dating anyone they can get their hands on, and the relationship ending terribly messy. Michael was usually left to mend Penny's broken heart, listening to her cry over boys he knew were trouble from the start. You see, Penny and Michael weren't necessarily considered popular. That's why Penny was left with the douche bags and Michael was left with no one.
"I don't need a girlfriend to be happy," Michael responds truthfully. "I have you and pizza and video games, what more could a guy want?"
Penny rolls her eyes before responding, "Guys are so stupid sometimes."
"Why would you say that?" Michael mock-cries, wiping a pretend tear off his cheek.
"You can't just admit to the fact that you're sad and lonely!" Penny bursts out, running her hands through her wavy sea of reddish-brown locks.
"But, I'm not sad or lonely," Michael lies, wishing he could tell her the truth.
"What do you think of June? She's in my English class. You like blondes, right?" Penny asks, pointing out a girl at the other side of the cafeteria, next to where Luke Hemmings was seated. She was wearing, in Michael's opinion, too short of shorts and too revealing of a shirt. What Michael wanted to say was, No I don't like blondes. I love auburn-haired losers, like the one sitting across from me.
Instead, he replies, "She looks like a slut."
"That's offensive. She's actually really nice."
"You just like her because she's friends with Luke Hemmings."
"No," Penny replies, her cheeks turning the color of her hair.
"I think Luke saw you pointing at him."
"Really?!"
"No, I was just kidding. But he seems to be coming this way." Penny looks back, and to her horror, none other than Luke Hemmings is walking towards her, looking like a god doing so.
"Oh my God! How is my hair? How do I look," Penny begins frantically running her fingers through her hair and fixing her flannel.
Michael chuckles, amused at her reaction. "You look amazing." Before Penny can thank him, Luke and his pose come to sit at Penny and Michael's near-empty lunch table. Luke sits a little too close to Penny, and Michael really wants to slap him. His side-kicks, one who appears to be Asian, and one having dirty blonde-ish wavy hair, sit next to Michael, one on either side.
"Hello, Penny," Luke says while winking at Michael's best friend. Michael just gets increasingly pissed by the second, but just stares at the floor, trying to ignore the strong smell of cologne radiating off of the three boys sitting around him.
"Hey, Luke," Penny says, and only Michael notices that she sounds like she is going to have a panic attack. Only Michael would know how nervous she sounds, and that she has a tendency of having panic attacks.
"So, how's it like on the other side of the lunch room?"
"Its...okay," Penny says, faltering at the end. The truth of that statement hits Michael hard. It probably was only okay spending time with him. He wasn't tan, athletic, or just drop-dead hot like Luke is. He could never compare to Luke on the outside. Never.
Just before Luke was going to say something else, June, the same girl as earlier, walks over to the table.
"Luke!" she calls. "Why'd you leave me alone, baby?" Her voice is whiney, and all Michael can wonder is: How on Earth does Luke Hemmings deal with her each day? Penny's face drops as she hears the girl call Luke 'baby'. He's already playing with her emotions, and they've only just met.
"One second, June." Luke rolls his eyes without letting her see, of course. After June walks away, he cracks an award-winning smile at Penny.
"I'll see you later," he whispers in her ear, before taking out her hand and kissing it.
Penny was flattered and ecstatic.
Michael was angry and scared.
He was the only one that knew Luke meant what he said to Penny.
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thanks for being rad and getting this story more and more popular :-)
just so everyone knows this story isn't going to be like a horror story, it's going to be more of a creepy and almost tragic love story.
also, I am a michael girl, so I kinda get carried away in these #menny scenes. but, luke will become more of a main character, I promise.
anyways, I have a shitoad of homework so idek why I just wrote this chapter. bye
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stalker // luke hemmings (DISCONTINUED)
Fanfictionpopular boy by day, stalker by night.
