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

Josie's not answering any of my texts

"Josie's not answering any of my texts."

Penelope sighs as she watches her friend pace around her room. Hope had grown a little more worried with every hour that day. The short haired girl had grown fond of seeing Hope happy. Her best friend had gotten so much happier since Josie Saltzman walked into her life. Hope smiled, texted and giggled like a little girl. Penelope didn't say a thing, but she knew deep down that Hope was falling for her fake girlfriend. The problem was that Josie Saltzman hadn't been answering her phone in two days now. Penelope knew something happened on tuesday, she didn't know every detail, just that the brunette had been upset. From what Hope had been willing to share, their night had ended pretty well, with a kiss and all.

"Call her." Penelope suggests.

"I tried! She's not picking up."

Hope is agitated and it irritates Penelope. So the short haired girl stands up and walk to her friend. When she's close enough, Penelope puts both of her hands on Hope's shoulder and stops her pacing.

"Then you go see her."

"What if she doesn't want to see me." Hope blurts out.

As soon as Hope's words leave her mouth, Penelope's eyes widen as she finally understands what's worrying Hope. Her friend was afraid that Josie didn't want anything to do with her anymore. She thought that she was loosing yet another person. Penelope gives Hope her softest smile, the one few people had seen.

"What if she just lost her phone?" Penelope says back. "Let's go, I'll drive."

Hope follows Penelope silently as they walk to her car. She's nervous, sad and... something else. There's just this feeling of emptiness in her stomach. She kept replaying the last moments she had shared with Josie at the old dock in her head. She was desperatly trying to see what she did wrong, but nothing stood out.

"Do you want me to put some music on?" Penelope asks.

Hope shakes her head. "I've got it."

She only hesitates a second before choosing a song, but when the soft sound of Tom Leeb's guitar fills the car, Hope sighs in contentement. Penelope frowns lightly when she hears the soft tune, Hope wasn't the type to listen to that kind of music usually.

"What's that? It's not really your type."

"His name is Tom Leeb and... Josie made me listen to him. I love his sound."

They stay quiet after that, the ride is filled with soft guitar and worried faces. When Penelope stops the car in front of the Saltzman home, both girls can see lights through the windows. Sometimes, they could even see people walking around through the windows.

"Now, the only thing that's left to do is walk to the door and knock." Penelope says, her tone playful.

Hope shoots her a glare before she unbuckles her seatbelt and gets out of the car. She walks to the door with confidence, but as soon as she's close enough to knock, her confidence vanishes. She gulps and shakes her head, she had no reason to be so nervous, so she knocks. A couple of seconds later, the door opens. Hope almost run back to the car when she's faced by Alaric.

"H-hi Mr. Saltzman."

Alaric frowns. "Hope?"

"Yeah, uh... I was wondering if I could see Josie. I've been texting and calling her, but she's not answering."

"Rick, who is it?" Caroline calls out from another room before Alaric can answer Hope's question.

"It's Hope." The Saltzman man answers, his eyes never leaving Hope.