Mermaid

The Party

  "That's Brandon Woods", Penelope explained, leaning against the kitchen counter. Josie looked over in the direction she was gesturing to- sure enough, a teenage boy was standing around a table playing beer pong, wearing a sports jacket. "He's the captain of the water polo team at Bellmont. He's a good supplier- not for hardcore stuff; Just weed, mostly- but is otherwise pretty harmless. The girl next to him is his girlfriend Monica. She's a swimmer on my team." Josie assumed she was talking about the girl with purple hair, standing off to the side of the table with an annoyed look on her face. "Monica's best friend Avery is the girl with the piercings. She's a total gossip- which comes in handy until it's about you." Penelope took a sip of her drink, and Josie awkwardly followed suit. "The girl making out with the jock? That's Kelsey, the girl that insulted you." Josie swallowed down the liquor hard, remembering her words. "She's still upset because she got her ass handed to her after that stunt- by me, of course." "You didn't have to do that", Josie tried to say, but Penelope waved her words away. "You don't have to feel bad about that, Josie. It's about time someone put that bitch in her place." Penelope's hand flexed in anger. "I put up with too much of her shit because she was a good co-captain and a hell of a good swimmer. But she went too far, and she had to pay a price." 

  "Seems like you paid a price too", Josie commented, swirling the contents of her cup around. "You lost your co-captain, right?" Penelope just shrugged, that infamous smirk on her face. "It was worth it.", she stated matter-of-factly. "Seeing the look on her face when I demoted her? Classic." Josie was about to say something else, but Penelope's face lit up as the first verse of another song played in the living room. "This is my song!", Penelope exclaimed, grabbing Josie's hand. "C'mon; Let's dance." Josie looked down at their joined hands, feeling an unfamiliar heat journey through her body. She didn't know if it was from being so near Penelope or the alcohol she'd drunk, but she let Penelope pull her into the living room without complaint.

I'm at a party I don't wanna be at
And I don't ever wear a suit and tie
Wonderin' if I could sneak out the back
Nobody's even lookin' me in my eyes

  Penelope stopped in the middle of the room, moving to the beat in a carefree way. Josie stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Penelope laughed, and Josie's cheeks flushed red. "What's wrong?", she asked, and Josie sighed. "I don't know how to dance.", she admitted. Penelope smiled, taking her hand and putting it on her waist. "Just move; here, follow my movements." Josie did as Penelope said to, her movements awkward and shaky. Penelope brought her closer, whispering against her skin. "Relax", she said, making Josie shiver. Josie took a deep breath, relaxing against Penelope. It wasn't so bad dancing with the girl, and she ignored the rest of the eyes on them.

'Cause I don't care when I'm with my baby, yeah
All the bad things disappear
And you're making me feel like maybe I am somebody
I can deal with the bad nights
When I'm with my baby, yeah

  Josie enjoyed being so close to Penelope, smelling the girl's floral perfume and the feeling of her hands around her neck. She'd never danced with anyone like this, but the way Penelope moved so fluidly, the happy smile on her face as she danced, and the bubbly feeling in her stomach, it felt like she was free. Penelope surprised her when she twirled her around, and she laughed when she almost stumbled to the ground, but it wasn't in embarrassment. Penelope chuckled as well, pulling her back into herself. "You're getting better at this, Jo.", she commented, and Josie rolled her eyes. "Let's just finish this dance."

'Cause I don't care, as long as you just hold me near
You can take me anywhere
And you're making me feel like I'm loved by somebody
I can deal with the bad nights
When I'm with my baby, yeah

  The two girls pulled away as the song ended, both out of breath. Josie stepped back, avoiding Penelope's eyes. The girl put a shaky hand on her shoulder, steadying herself. "You're a fast learner", she said, still catching her breath. "Well, you're a good teacher.", Josie reputed, taking down the last of her drink. "How did you learn to move like that?" "Practice- practice, and a lot of bruising my dance partners' toes.", she joked, bringing a laugh from Josie. The two girls made their way back to the kitchen, where a pair of girls were waiting for them- well, waiting for Penelope. "Hey!", she exclaimed, letting go of Josie to hug the nearest person. "I didn't know if you guys would make it." "And miss a Penelope Park rager? Never", the blonde teased. "Rowan would have come, but she had a last-minute "study group", the brunette girl explained, and Josie assumed from the annoyed look that flashed over Penelope's face that this wasn't a rare thing. "So, it looks like you're stuck with me and Hailey." The group finally acknowledged Josie, the brunette waving at her warmly. "Who's this, Penny?", the blonde asked, but she spoke before she could get an answer. "I'm Hailey- this here is Nikki, and her cousin Tessa is somewhere." "Yeah, Probably making out with her girlfriend", Nikki groaned, feigning disgust. "They were all over each other in the car." "Ah, young love", Hailey said, winking at Penelope. For the first time that Josie had known her, Penelope blushed pink beside her. "Well, enjoy the party you two. You know where the guest bedrooms are if you want to sleep-over." Penelope laced her fingers with Josie's, leading her into the other room.

  By the look of things, the party had gotten to the point of chaos. Every room was full of people, and the noise was starting to get to Josie's head. She held her hand up to her forehead, leaning against the wall for support. Penelope's face fell, and she came to Josie's side. "Are you okay?", she asked, yelling over the music. Josie winced, shaking her head no. Penelope looked around, deciding what to do. She gestured to the stairs. "Let's go to my room. It'll be quieter up there." Josie nodded, letting Penelope take her up the stairs. As they ascended the stairwell, the sounds of the party diminished until it was just a light thumping of the bass. Penelope stopped at the room at the end of a long corridor, pushing the door open with her foot. She ushered Josie in before gently closing the door behind them. Josie, nearly blinded from the pain of her headache, collapsed onto the bed, breathing in the familiar scent of flowers before everything went dark.

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  When Josie woke up, she was still in the same spot she had fallen asleep in, a blanket draped over her body. She rolled over, alerting the girl sitting next to her. Penelope put down the book she had been reading, placing the bookmark between the pages. "Hey, sleepyhead.", Penelope greeted her, her hair now pulled into a messy bun. She was out of the silver dress she had been wearing for the party, exchanging it for an oversized t-shirt that came down to her thighs. "How are you feeling?" "Like shit", Josie mumbled, pushing her hair back from her face. "What time is it?" "Almost two am. I text your sister from your phone- I hope you don't mind. I just don't want you to get in trouble like last time." "No, it's okay", Josie assured her, touched by her concern. "I bet she wasn't very happy." "Oh, she wasn't", Penelope said, turning over to face Josie. "But she was relieved you were somewhere safe, even if it was with me." "She's not that bad, you know.", Josie said in her sister's defense, yawning halfway through her statement. "She's just...protective." "You don't have to defend her to me, Jo.", Penelope told her, smiling at the sleepy girl. "You're cute when you're tired." "I'm not tired", Josie lied, but another yawn proved her wrong. "It's okay- you should go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." Josie wanted to resist, but her fatigue caught up with her. She didn't respond, her eyes fluttering closed. The last thing she heard before she succumbed to the lure of sleep was Penelope's gentle voice telling her goodnight.