I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain

Josie was tired. Lizzie was ranting about something, probably Rafael or whatever obsession she chose for the week and Josie was tired of it. She was always the listener, Lizzie was always the talker--it was just how it was and how it has been since forever.

"You're the giver, Josie; you've always been a giver." Lizzie had said once.

Then that makes you a taker, Josie thought. You see, Lizzie takes and takes with no remorse. She stole all of Josie's crushes from her with a twirl of her hair and the batting of her eyelashes, she stole all the credit for things Josie had helped with, Lizzie stole everything from Josie. And Josie? Well, according to Lizzie, Josie Saltzman was a giver. She gives, and she gives, and she gives-- she doesn't understand why she can't take for once in her life. So, when Penelope Park challenges her, Josie did what she'd always wanted to. She takes.

It started before Landon discovered the school, before Josie had to keep up her charade of happiness constantly. Penelope had simply been at a party in the woods that Lizzie dragged her to, and as soon as Josie locked eyes with Penelope she grabbed a cup of spiked punch and stalked off into the woods. Lizzie was too distracted to care, flirting with a vampire, and Josie downed her cup as soon as she was out of sight from the party. It burned going down her throat, but it felt good to do something wrong for once.

"You seem tense." Josie sighed and turned around, meeting Penelope's ever watchful eyes.

"What do you care?" Penelope's gaze softened and her smirk turned into a frown. She moved a bit closer and maintained her gaze on Josie.

"Just because we broke up doesn't mean I don't care about you, Josie." Josie snorted and started laughing.

"Oh--that's rich coming from you," Penelope took a step forward, reaching out a hand that Josie slapped away. "You broke up with me, Penelope. Just because you feel sorry for me doesn't mean you have to try and comfort me or whatever. I'm not a baby!" Josie tripped over a tree root behind her. Her face was beginning to turn red and she scoffed because of course this would happen to her.

"You know, Josie, I do feel sorry for you. I feel sorry that you can't seem to step out of Lizzie's shadow, how she has this--this hold on you that you don't even try to break out of! It's almost like you feel you deserve it for some reason! Do you want to spend your entire life struggling to stand up for yourself, having to be a servant for your sister?"

"I'm not Lizzie's servant." Josie's voice was hoarse and she glared at Penelope in such a way that she might as well have been boring holes into her eye sockets. I'm not going to cry I'm not going to cry I'm not going to cry--

"Then prove it, Jo. Do something you want for once instead of going along with whatever Lizzie wants." Penelope said. They were standing close together and Josie was breathing in that stupid perfume the other girl wore wherever she went, the same scent that was imprinted on one of her hoodies she hid away in a box under her bed. Penelope was beginning to walk away when Josie grabbed her arm, causing them to come nearly face to face. Josie could hear her heart beating a little faster in her chest and wondered if Penelope could hear her's, too.

"What are you doing?" Penelope asked, voice barely above a whisper. Josie put one hand on the back of her neck and the other settled on Penelope's cheek, sweeping her thumb just below her lip.

"Taking." Josie stated, pulling her down into a kiss. It wasn't slow or passionate like how it used to be, when they were still happy together and could talk for hours. Instead it was hungry and sloppy, for some reason it just made it perfect in a way that Josie couldn't describe. Penelope pulled away first, that's when Josie realized she needed to breathe. Her forehead was resting on Penelope's, whose eyes looked sadly at Josie's.