The next day, to Josie's relief, no one spoke a word to her about her mishap. She went about her motions of the day without any obstacles, and the calmness of the day after the turmoil of the former left Josie waiting to see when the other shoe would drop. The only reason Josie could find in her mind for why everyone in the school was suddenly neutral towards her was that they were planning something to make her look more stupid than she had the previous day. When the end of the day had come, and Josie had survived it without any mishaps, however, she was left feeling pleasantly surprised. That was until she ran smack dab into Penelope Park's coven, coming in the classroom just as she was going back to her dorm. They were surprisingly unaccompanied by their leader, but even without her presence, Josie felt small under the gaze of six of the most powerful witches the Salvatore school hosted.
"Move out of our way, Saltzman.", Rose, the witch known to be Penelope's second in command, sneered. "Just because Penelope suddenly has a soft spot for you doesn't mean we do." Josie looked at the scornful girl in confusion, unable to decipher the words she was hearing. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly, causing the girl to laugh at her. "Wow, you are an oblivious dumbass." Rose shook her head at Josie, pushing her aside so she could enter the classroom. The other witches followed behind her, giggling under their breaths at Josie's expense. Typically, it would bother Josie that they were blatantly taking pleasure at her discomfort, but her focus was on Rose's words instead of her actions. 'Just because Penelope suddenly has a soft spot for you doesn't mean we do.' Why would they possibly think that Penelope had anything other than hatred towards her? She had always made it very clear where she stood, and where Josie stood below her. Josie mulled over Rose's words, replaying them over in her head before a realization made her stop in her tracks. Suddenly, everything made sense- Penelope's surprise visit to her dorm, the calm day Josie had been having, and the absence of the raven-haired girl in her vicinity. Penelope had made sure that no one messed with Josie throughout the day; She had protected her from the scrutiny of the student body.
The question was...why?
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"I need to speak to Penelope.", Josie stated firmly, keeping her eyes locked on the girl sitting across from her. When the other witches didn't make a move to leave, she said it once more, adding an 'alone' to the end of it. Penelope sighed in frustration, waving her hand in a manner that let her followers know that their presence was no longer needed. The witches, including a very annoyed looking Rose, dispersed from Josie and Penelope's vicinity, leaving the table empty. Penelope gestured to the seat in front of her, grinning a grin that reminded Josie of the Cheshire cat. "Please, have a seat, Josette; Now that you've commanded my full, undivided attention, why don't you tell me what's on your mind?" Josie huffed in annoyance, irritated by Penelope's demeanor. "Do you find some kind of twisted pleasure in this?" Josie growled, earning an amused chuckle from Penelope. "Cause I can't think of any other reason why you're constantly playing mind games with everyone at this school." Penelope rolled her eyes, leaning back and placing her arms across her chest. "What are you even talking about, Saltzman?" she asked in a tone edging on boredom. "I did what you indirectly begged me to- I made sure no one mentioned your little spell mishap again." Penelope scoffed, shaking her head at the girl. "If anything, you should be thanking me." Josie glared at the girl suspiciously. "And what's in it for you?" she asked, causing Penelope to prompt her to explain further with the flick of her hand. "There's only a handful of people in this school that have received a favor from you, Penelope; And each one of them lived to regret it. You never do anything unless there's something in it for you. So, what are you getting out of helping me?"
Penelope stood abruptly from her seat, looking down at Josie with an unreadable expression. "Is it that unbelievable that I would do something just to be nice?" Penelope asked, not waiting for Josie's answer. "Maybe I just wanted to give you exactly what you wanted- a chance for people to see the real you; Because underneath all that "goody-two-shoes, would never hurt a fly" act is an actual person." Josie stood back, her mouth drawn into a tight line as she listened to Penelope speak. "I saw a glimpse of that person last night; I wanted to give her some time to shine. But you're so used to living in someone else's shadow- judging everyone else for their mistakes, and their lives- that you don't even know who you are, do you, Josie?" When Josie didn't answer, Penelope sighed, picking up her things. "That's what I thought.", she murmured coldly, her hazel eyes holding Josie's. "Make some damn room for yourself, Josie. Before you drown in what everyone else wants you to be." With that, Penelope walked away, leaving Josie to deal with the heavy aftermath of her words.
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...
