By the time Josie returned from visiting her mother for the holiday break, she had almost forgotten the events that had happened the night of the party. That was until she caught sight of the young witch walking through the halls. It was one of the rare times that Penelope wasn't dressed to the nines, instead sporting a worn sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. She must have been coming back from showering because she was holding a bag of toiletries, her face bare of any makeup. Josie only caught Penelope's eyes for a minute, but in the few seconds their eyes locked, Josie could see the exhaustion in them. The ordinarily confident girl had lost her intimidating spark, and instead of trying to scare Josie into looking away from her vulnerability, she simply ignored her existence altogether. Penelope passed Josie, entering her room before slamming the door shut behind her. Josie should have been relieved that she dodged the bullet of Penelope's torment, but instead, she was left feeling unsettled. If Penelope had just offended her, riled her up with that annoying smirk on her face, Josie would have been able to easily brush off her concern for the state of Penelope's mental health. Instead, when Penelope disappeared through the doorway without a single snarky comment in Josie's direction, she was only left more worried than before.
The feeling followed Josie around throughout the day. She couldn't distract herself from it; Not even when she was with Lizzie and their friends, catching up with each other after being separated for three weeks. She scanned the cafeteria, unsettled when she couldn't find the person she was looking for. "Earth to Josie!" Hope exclaimed, waving her hand in front of Josie's face. "Are you okay? You've been spacing out on us." Josie's attention snapped back to her friends, who were all watching her expectantly. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, guys. Must just still be jet-lagged." She absentmindedly picked apart the salad in front of her, aware that she wasn't going to be eating it anyway. "How did your aunt's Christmas party go?" Josie half-listened as Hope exploded into a rant about her family, her focus inevitably falling back on the empty spot at the table where Penelope would typically sit. In her absence, the other witches in Penelope's coven looked out of place, lost without her direction. The whole atmosphere of the room felt off- unnaturally quiet without the constant chatter coming from them. Josie stabbed another piece of lettuce with her fork, frowning to herself. What had possibly happened to make Penelope Park isolate herself entirely away from the student body she usually held complete command over?
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Josie must have had a death wish.
That's what it felt like standing in front of the door to Penelope's dorm, trying to work up enough courage to knock; she felt incredibly stupid, risking her wellbeing at the hands of the person she had come to make sure was okay. If anyone saw her now, they would think she was insane; Luckily for her, the other students had retreated to their rooms after dinner, most likely struggling to finish the homework they had neglected to complete over the break. If she left now, no one would know; No one would hold it against her for ignoring the feeling in her gut and walking away. No one, Josie realized, but herself; Because deep down Josie knew that something was bothering Penelope, even if no one else seemed to notice it. Josie knew what it was like to be ignored, and if Penelope slammed the door in her face? Well, at least she would know that one person inside the Salvatore school cared enough to check in and make sure she was okay. So, Josie took a deep breath before raising her hand to the door and knocking before she could have a better mind to stop herself.
After twenty-two seconds of intense anticipation, the door to Penelope's dorm opened, revealing the shorter witch to Josie. The look of confusion on Penelope's face morphed into surprise, then one of annoyance. "What the hell do you want, Saltzman?" she grumbled, folding her arms in front of her chest, covering the emblem of some rock band Josie didn't recognize on her shirt. Josie stepped back, fighting the urge to run far, far away from Penelope's cold gaze. "You didn't show up to dinner.", Josie explained, willing her hands to stop shaking in Penelope's presence. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." Penelope didn't react, instead just staring Josie down with an unreadable expression. Josie held up the plastic bag in her hands, offering it to Penelope. "I brought you and sandwich and some water; Y'know, in case you get hungry." Penelope took the bag from her hands, eyeing Josie suspiciously. The brunette swallowed hard, shuffling awkwardly in front of the door. "So, uh, I'll just leave you to do...whatever it was you were doing.", Josie mumbled, stumbling over her words under the intensity of Penelope's stare. "Have a good night, Penelope." Josie spun on her heels, walking in the other direction towards her dorm. She was halfway down the hall before Penelope called out her name, causing her to turn back.
She didn't hear the words, but from Penelope's uneasy expression, she could almost imagine the words of gratitude falling from her lips.
YOU ARE READING
This Love (Calling My Name)
Fanfic"My, my, my Josie; Don't you know that it is rude not to acknowledge someone when they are talking to you?", Penelope scolded in a brash tone that succeeded in capturing Josie's full attention. "There- that's much better. Wouldn't want anyone thinki...
