it's a date (the only problem is it's fake)

would you fake go out with me?

Landon breaks up with Hope a month before homecoming. He says something about them not working out. He gives her a lot of excuses, but not a lot of explanation. He says he's sorry, and just like that, he leaves her standing in the middle of the school's parking lot. Tears are falling from her eyes and people are staring. Hope can't bring herself to care, she's heart broken. She doesn't know how to react. Landon was her first and only boyfriend, so this was her firt heartbreak. It didn't take long before her best friend came running to her, glaring at everyone who dared looking at her.

"Hey, what happened?" Penelope asks, her voice gentle.

"Landon broke up with me."

Hope speaks through her tears, and it hardly comes out. Looking back, she's a bit surprised that Penelope understands instantly, but the short haired girl does. Penelope's eyes grow wide with surprise at first, but then her whole face hardens. Nobody wanted to be on the receving end of Penelope Park's wrath.

"I'll kill him."

Her hold on Hope loosen for only a moment, but when Penelope hears the sob escaping her best friend, she decides that killing Landon Kirby could wait. The last time Hope cried like this was at her father's funeral. Penelope felt a pang of sadness at the memory. Hope had cried enough in her life, she definitely didn't deserve this.

"Come on, Hope. I'll take you home." Penelope says softly to her best friend.

Then she guides Hope to her car. The auburn haired girl lets her, the tears still falling from her blue eyes. As Penelope drives out of the parking lot, she steals quick glances to Hope. Her friend is looking out the window, often wiping her tears away. Penelope knows exactly how Hope was feeling at this moment. Her friend was heartbroken, yes, but she was also embarrassed. The whole school had seen her get dumped, then cry. One thing was sure about the Mikaelsons, they were proud people. Landon hadn't just dumped Hope, he had attacked her pride.

"Hope, come on, talk to me."

Hope turns her head to look at Penelope. Penelope's eyes leave the road for a second to meet her eyes. She sees a lot of things in the ocean of Hope's eyes. Pain, embarrassement, incomprehension, anger...

"How could he do this? We've been together for a year now." Hope says, there's a weird calm to her voice. "He told me he loved me at lunch."

Penelope doesn't say a thing. She just reaches for Hope's hand with her free hand. Hope intertwines their fingers, grateful for the comfort her friend was offering. Neither of them speaks after that. They ride in silence until Penelope stops the car in the parking of the Mikaelson mansion. Even though she's rich herself, Penelope is always a bit stunned when she witnesses the Mikaelson fortune. The mansion was so big that she used to lose herself in it when she first befriended Hope. However, now she could come through the door without knocking as the mansion was like a second home. Unsurprisingly, no one's home. Hope's aunt Freya and her wife Keelin were Hope's guardians since both of the girl's parents had passed away. Both women were still working, and Penelope was glad that they were.

"Go to your room, I'll be there in a second."

Hope doesn't argue, doesn't roll her eyes nor does she make a snarky remark about Penelope being bossy. The auburn haired girl just shrug and goes to climb the stairs and go to her room. Penelope sighs, she knows it will be a long ride to get Hope to open up about her feelings. She gets two tubs of ice cream from the fridge. A caramel tub for herself and a chocolate and mint one for Hope. Then she quickly walks upstairs and to Hope's room. The sight that greets her when she comes into the room breaks her heart. Hope is curled on herself on the bed and she's crying. Penelope sets the ice cream tubs on the night stand before getting under the covers. She cuddles Hope, spooning her.