After Headlines

14: Forgiven

" JoJo!" Penny rushed into her bedroom.

" Yeah?" JoJo looked up from her book.

" Can you take me to the zoo, please?" Penny hopped onto JoJo's bed next to her.

" The zoo? Did you ask Josh and Bexley?" JoJo asked.

" Yes." Penny nodded.

" Okay, give me five minutes and I'll be right out."

oOOo

" I see the tigers!" Penny dragged JoJo over to the tiger enclosure. JoJo took a picture of Penny next to the tigers enclosure per her request.

" Can you send it to Josh and Bexley?" Penny asked.

" Sure." JoJo chuckled.

That's my girl!

Josh quickly replied. They continued on to the orangutans, penguins, lions, eagles, and eventually came upon an ice cream shop.

" JoJo, can we get ice cream? I can pay!" Penny held ot four dollars. JoJo smiled down at the little girl.

" I'll pay this time, save that for a rainy day." JoJo advised. Penny nodded, putting the money back in her back pack.

They sat at a small table. Penny tried to catch the chocolate ice cream that was dripping down the edge of her cone with her tongue.

" Excuse me." An older woman tapped JoJo on the shoulder.

" Yes?" JoJo turned, subconsciously placing her body in front of Penny's.

" Might I ask how old you are?" The woman asked.

" I'm 21." JoJo tilted her head.

" And you have a daughter?" The woman nearly shrieked.

" She's not my mommy." Penny piped up helpfully.

" I'm spending a day with my niece, is that okay?" JoJo snapped. The woman just walked away, grumbling.

" Why did she think you were my mommy?" Penny asked.

" Some people just like to assume." JoJo shrugged.

" Well, Bexley's my mommy. My real mommy didn't love me, but Bexley does." Penny said as if it were nothing much.

" That, she does." JoJo nodded.

" JoJo?"

" Hmm?"

" Are Sky and Cara gonna date again?" Penny asked.

" Not sure." JoJo shrugged.

" They should."

" Why's that?" JoJo smirked.

" They love each other. Like you and Ben. Or Josh and Bexley." Penny replied.

" You think so?" JoJo cocked an eyebrow.

" I know so." Penny nodded.

" How on Earth are you only six?" JoJo muttered. Penny missed that part and finished up her ice cream.

" Ready to head home?" JoJo asked.

" Uhhhh, what time is it?" Penny questioned.

" 3:15."

" CAN WE GO TO THE PLAYGROUND?" Penny was dragging JoJo to the playground before she even got a response. JoJo gave Penny a suspicious glance but was more than willing to play with her.

oOOo

" Can we go pas tthe theatre?" Penny asked as they began to walk home.

" Why?" JoJo asked.

" Because I like the theatre." Penny shrugged. If JoJo wasn't suspicious before, she certainly was now. Before she could question further, Penny was already pulling her in the direction of the theatre.

" You've been weird today." JoJo commented.

" I'm always weird." Penny laughed. Yep, something was up. There wasn't quite enough sass in that response.

" Hey, look, the theatre." Penny jumped subjects. They came up to the exact theater that JoJo and Cara do Bandstand.

" And the door's open!" Penny sprinted inside before JoJo could stop her.

" Penny!" JoJo chased after her, into the house. The house lights were dark but the stage lights were on. And Ben stood center stage.

" Penny, you little trouble maker." JoJo murmured under her breath. She made her way onto the stage.

" What is this?" JoJo asked slowly, walking to stand in front of Ben.

" Josephine Katrine Bachmann, I've loved you ever since you appeared outside my dressing room door four years ago. I love your unnatural obsession with books and fictional characters. I love your laugh and your smile when your with someone you love. I love how you can dance like nobody is watching. I love how you sing like there's no one else in the room. I love you so much." Ben knelt down on one knee, producing a ring from his back pocket. JoJo's hands flew to her mouth in shock.

" Will you marry me?" He asked hopefully.

" Yes! Yes, absolutely yes!" JoJo exclaimed happily. Ben grinned, sliding the ring on her finger next to the paper clip promise ring.

Ben pulled her into his arms, spinning her around.

" I love you." She whispered into his ear.

" I love you more." He smiled.

Bexley, Josh, Sky, Penny, Cara, and Natalie came out from the wings. JoJo noted how Natalie and Cara both stood on one side of Bexley and Josh while Sky stood on the other. Yikes.

" I helped!" Penny announced.

" That explains so much." JoJo laughed, running over to hug her friends.

oOOo

Cara stood on the balcony of the apartment, watching the city below her.

" Hey." Sky stepped onto the balcony next to her. He carefully placed his hands on the railing.

" Hi." She replied, somewhat awkwardly.

" Um, I-"

" Why'd you do it?" Cara cut him off.

" Uh, do what?" Sky asked blankly.

" Break off our engagement." Cara asked bluntly.

" I-uh..."

" I mean, there must be a reason." Cara raised her eyebrows expectantly. He just stared at her, eyes wide.

" My gosh." She muttered, trying to slide past him.

" Because your mother told me to." He said before he could stop himself.

" What?" She spun around.

" I shouldn't have said that." He clamped a hand over his mouth.

" My mother told you to?" She squinted.

" She told me that if I didn't stop seeing you, she would cut you off of your inheritance." Sky said, somewhat shamefully. Cara couldn't do much more than gap.

" Why did you-"

" Cause I didn't want to be the cause of a rift between you and your family." He replied.

" That's not for you to decide." Cara didn't know who to be mad at anymore.

" I know it's not. And that was probably the biggest mistake of my life."

" You, I can forgive. My mother, on the other hand..." She trailed off.

" You can forgive me?" His head shot up.

" Sky, I never stopped loving you." She laughed lightly.

" That's good, cause I didn't stop loving you either." He took a confident step forward.

" So, let's give us another shot and let me deal with my mother." Cara grinned.

" Deal." He nodded. She placed her hand on the back of his neck pulling him down for a kiss.