pink pony girl

PENELOPE “PENNY” REYNOLDS ( SHE/HER ) is a FEMALE, TWENTY FIVE year old DANCER AT BRINIE’S BAR who has been living in Moorbrooke for HER WHOLE LIFE. They were born on JANUARY 1 and right now, they are currently residing in MAPLE COURT. It has been said that they look suspiciously like DOVE CAMERON and if they had to choose a song to describe themselves, they would choose SYMPTOMATIC by PEACH  PRC. 

trigger  warning  for  family  death ,   grooming / underage  ‘ relationship ’ ,  sexual  assault ,   drugs .

             you  know ,    the  spa  was  supposed  to  be  a  relaxing  experience .    it  was ,    for  the  most  part :     the  plush  robes ,     the  green  clay  mask  currently  layered  on  penny’s  face ,    and  of  course ,    the  fucking  heavenly  massage  that  ended  about  ten  minutes  ago .    for  a  moment ,    as  she  steps  onto  the  elevator  to  go  to  the  steam  room ,    she  almost  feels .....  serene .    almost .      she  really  thought  she  was  getting  a  well - deserved  break ,    that  her  luck  was  going  to  change !   yeah ,    right .    at  least  penny  can  hold  her  tongue  for  an  elevator  ride ,    right ?    she  kind  of  has  to ,      anyway ,     because  the  elevator  dings  only  one  floor  below  &  when  the  doors  open ,    it’s  fucking  alecto  on  the  other  side .   god  fucking  dammit .     penny  casually  hits  the  ‘ close  door ’   button ,   but  it’s  too  slow :    the  other  blonde  has  already  waltzed  on  in .   whatever .    alecto  hits  her  floor  button  and  the  elevator  begins  to  move  once  again ,    only  to  lurch  to  a  stomach - turning  halt  between  floors .    ‘  you’re  fucking  joking .  ’     human  instinct  is  to  pummel  the  ‘ open  door ’  button ,    but  it  does  no  use ,    obviously .    ‘  i’m  gonna  kill  myself .  ’    the  button  is  mashed  several  more  times  before  penny  lets  out  a  heavy ,   defeated  sigh  and  turns  towards  alecto .    '  i’m  going  to  be  so  fucking  real  with  you  right  now .   unless  you’re  actively  getting  us  out  of  this  elevator ,    you  should  maybe  keep  the  talking  to  a  minimum .  '

Everyone thought that James and Teddy were meant to be. They were supposed to stay together forever and ever and grow old together and all that bullshit and James had been a fool to believe that too, until now. Teddy’s proposal had been an absolute DISASTER and James knew it was all their fault but it was too late to turn back now. He’d fucked everything up and ruined the best thing in his life and had no idea how to fix it, or if fixing it was even POSSIBLE. 

It was late and James had spent most of the evening sobbing in their mom’s arms. They’d managed to restlessly sleep for about an hour but it was now three in the morning and James didn’t want to just lay here any longer. He needed to talk to Penny – she could probably just tell something was wrong because the two of them always could. So he wasn’t surprised when Penny was awake as he made his way into her apartment and went straight to where she kept her liquor, knowing they’d need this tonight. A word hadn’t left James’ lips until they’d landed on the couch next to Penny and took a massive swig of the alcohol. “Teddy broke up with me.” Then suddenly James’ face crumbled and they started sobbing again, not knowing if he would ever be able to stop. 

          uh  oh .    this  isn’t  good .    james  entering  a  space  without  a  sound  is  practically  unheard  of :    that  on  its  own  is  cause  for  concern .   penny  sits  up  from  where  she’s  sitting  with  titty  boy  hanging  out  in  her  shirt ,     brows  immediately  furrowed  with  worry .   ‘  jamie ?  ’    she  calls ,    though  it  doesn’t  take  long  for  them  to  find  their  way  to  her .   it’s  expectant  silence  for  a  few  moments  until  the  bomb  drops .   ‘  what  the  fuck ?  ’     genuine  surprise  &  confusion  colors  her  words .    the  possibility  of  that  happening  hadn’t  even  remotely  occurred  to  penny :    and  it  feels  like  a  fucking  betrayal ,   honestly .   teddy ?   dumping  james ?   to  put  it  simply ,    the  math  is  not  mathing .    but  penny’s  feelings  aren’t  important  at  the  moment .    she  processes  this  silently ,    pulling  tb  out  of  her  top  to  give  her  brother  a  proper  hug .   ‘  it’ll  be  okay ,    it’ll  be  okay ,  ’   she  soothes ,    squeezing  him  as  tight  as  she  could ,    like  she  might  be  able  to  absorb  some  of  the  hurt  from  him  &  take  it  for  herself .    ‘  what  happened ?   what  did  they  say ?   did  they  say  why ?  ’     

Maybe being born with someone else right beside him was the reason James just needed to be attached to people all the time. He was literally grown in the womb with another person, so how would he be expected to function without someone around constantly? Impossible. “I’ve never really been on my own, have I? You were always there when we were kids and then Teddy was there all the time.” There was no point learning to be independent where there was absolutely no need to be. James went quiet for a moment as their thoughts rushed around in their head. “I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like everything has felt really weird since …” Even though they didn’t finish the sentence, the two of them both knew what James was referring to. Ever since Alfie. “No they’re not mad at us! Believe it or not,” he reassured. And for once that was true, though he couldn’t actually say what was really bothering them. “I just think I’m overthinking stuff again, it’s stupid.”

            '  no ,   jamie .    you’ve  never  been  alone  and  you  never  will  be .    it’s  a  good  thing ,    though ,   isn’t  it ?  ’    james  will  always  be  penny’s  favorite  person  in  the  world ,    even  when  they’re  bickering  or  annoying  each  other .    penny  sometimes  wonders  if  they  were  really  meant  to be  split  in  two  like  this ,   or  if  some  cosmic  mistake  tore  one  whole  person  in  half  to  form  the  twins .   the  mention  of  alfie ,   though  unspoken ,    feels  like  a  brick  to  the  back  of  the  head .   sends  her  reeling  a  bit ,   to  be  honest .   ‘  of  course  things  are  weird .    our  whole  family’s  lives  changed  that  day .    but  no  one  blames  you ,    james .  ’     it  crushes  her  that  they  still  carry  the  burden  of  guilt  over  what  happened .    she  understands  it ,    though .   she  feels  it ,   too .   not  in  the  same  way ,    but  a  dagger  through  the  heart  is  a  dagger  through  the  heart  no  matter  the  motive .   grief  cuts  the  same .    penny  watches  james  wrestle  with  their  thoughts ,    brows  furrowed  slightly .    alarm  bells  are  screaming  in  the  back  of  her  head :   wrong !   wrong !    something’s  wrong !    ‘  okay ,    so  don’t  think ,   then .   talk .    you’re  freaking  me  out ,    since  when  do  we  keep  things  from  each  other ?  ’    absolutely  fucking  hypocritical ,     but  it  hardly  matters ,   right ?   at  least  penny’s  a  good  liar .   ( she  hopes . )     

ginny tried to listen more carefully this time but yet again, the words flew right over her head. some reference that she was too old for, which was fine. she’d argue the golden age of television was prior to whatever jersey shore was, but there was no need to age herself more. ‘oh, right. well that’s a lovely quote, darling. you should get it. unless this is a hint for a christmas present?’ she asked, flashing a smile to her daughter. ‘where exactly in your apartment? it’s a bit… loud, no?’

         parents ,    man .    they  just  don’t  get  it .    at  least  mom  is  trying  to  placate  her ,   though !   ‘  nooo ,   not  for  christmas ....   i  was  actually  hoping  for  a  new  phone  for  christmas ?   since  you  love  me  so  much ,   and  also  cause  the  screen  is  broken  on  one  i  have  now ....  ’    she  shoots  her  mom  a  beaming ,   hopeful  smile .   not  that  it  matters ,    because  if  ginny  says  no  then  penny  will  just  ask  harry .   ‘  loud ?   my  apartment ?   i  mean ,   not  really .    not  if  it  was  clean .   but ,   like ,    i  don’t  have  a  lot  of  stuff  on  my  walls  anyway .   just  like ,    a  few  framed  pictures  and  my  tapestry .  ’    the  tapestry  is  especially  prominently  featured ,   emblazoned  with  the  image  of  lana  del  rey  as  a  saint .    it  really  brings  the  place  together .

‘because i spent most of my life to get here?’ aksel says with a ridiculous expression on his face. who the hell tells a doctor to quit because shit’s tough? apparently this girl. at her question he gave her a nod to continue, complain away. parents getting divorced? aksel took a large sip of his drink, nearly finishing the fucking thing. sometimes he didn’t understand other people. at least she had parents who didn’t hate her guts, at least she was grown and somewhat put together. she was conceited, he was guessing. the sympathy didn’t show on his face so he looked away from her. ‘bummer. what are you, like, 25? i’m shocked they stayed together this long.’ 

they’d been broken up for years now but that didn’t mean mala was going to forget her first love. or that they knew how to not me in love with her sweet penny lane anymore. penny had gone through shit and come out of it by pushing mala away. that was a choice, and there was nothing mala could’ve done to fix that. she had some dignity and she’d stayed away from penny. penny didn’t deserve mala’s kindness, not even now. however, when the rumours started and mala found out about the divorce, she knew penny needed a friend. she needed more than her twin, and mala’s heart ached to be that person for penny again. so there they were, knocking on penny’s door one afternoon and hoping she was home. once penny opened the door, mala looked at her with sad eyes and offered a small smile, ‘hi. i.. i heard about the thing and i brought wine… wanna pretend nothing ever happened and we’re just two friends? i think you need a friend, babe. and i’m shit at ignoring someone when they need someone. 

           she’s  taken  the  week  off  of  work  to  rot  away  in  her  bed .   somehow  she’s  not  really  in  the  mood  to  entertain  people  at  the  moment .   she’s  worried  about  james ,   yeah ,    but  right  now  she  needs  to  process  on  her  own .   by  herself .    let  her  spiral freely  with  no  one  to  catch  her :    she’s  just  been  looking  for  a  ledge  to  fall  off  of .    her  apartment  is  a  wreck  as  usual .   dozens  of  empty  white  claw  cans  litter  the  counterspace ,    dishes  piled  up  in  both  sections  of  the  kitchen  sink ,    empty  takeout  boxes  stacked  next  to  the  trash  that  ( surprise  surprise )   needs  to  be  taken  out .    at  least  titty  boy’s  cage  is  well  maintained .    it’s  the  one  thing  she  actually  takes  care  of .    she’s  taking  a  nap  on  her  couch  with  some  stupid  reality  show  playing  on  the  tv  when  the  knock  startles  her  awake .    she  lurches  to  the  door  in  a  daze ,    assuming  she  probably  ordered  doordash  earlier  and  forgot  about  it .    

‘yeah, the clock strikes midnight and i turn into a pumpkin.’ aksel slapped back as he accepted the drink from the bartender and chugged it back in one swig. ‘i’m just tired as fuck and i’m so tired of waiting for my turn. do you know how long i have to be everyone’s else’s bitch before i’m allowed to do a solo surgery? too fucking long! i’m all for being a student but it’s exhausting.’ while he normally wouldn’t whine to a stranger, she’d pushed a button by asking and so she got to hear all of his problems. ‘now you say something that’ll make us even.’

          she’s  been  placated  for  the  moment  as  the  bartender  hands  her  the  drink .    straw  finds  her  lips ,    &  her  brow  furrows  as  the  guy  keeps  talking .   penny  blinks  at  him  slowly .   ‘  sucks .    you  should  quit ,   then .  ’     why  bother  doing  something  if  you  hate  it ?    though ,    penny  lane  is  a  unique  breed  of  person  that  simply  doesn’t  do  anything  she  doesn’t  want  to :   not  super  an  option  for  most  people .  ‘  make  us  even ?  ’    she  repeats ,   wry  amusement  coloring  her  words .   ‘  are  you  asking  me  to  complain ?    because  this  week  i  found  out  my  fucking  parents  are  getting  divorced .   maybe  i’m  biased ,  but  i  think  i  win .  ’

“They are,” he lulled his head to the side to look at her. He took it from her, the crisp snap as he opened the can and took a sip giving him peace of mind. “He wasn’t a total bitch about it, but he definitely kept asking how much longer it was.” When she asked, he lit up like the forth of July fireworks over the reflection of the water. “Oh my god, let me tatt your ass, please.” He wasn’t sure where ass tattoos became his specialty, but he never turned it down. He loved a good strange place, strange design, strange vibe. “What do you want babe? I’ll make it happen.”

               ‘  that’s  so  annoying ,  ’   she  mumbles  in  agreement ,   taking  a  drink  of  her  own  can .    xav’s  bright  expression  is  contagious ,     though ,    his  excitement  immediately  becoming  penny’s  as  well .   ‘  it’s  all  yours ,    babe .    i  have  no  idea  what  i  want ,   though .   wanna  help  me  come  up  with  something  cool ?  ’    she  asks  only  because  she  knows  he’ll  be  up  for  the  challenge :    honestly  pen  isn’t  sure  she’d  trust  anyone  else  to  tattoo  her  at  all .   ‘  it’s  gotta  be  dope  ----  when  i’m  dancing  it’ll  be  like  a  walking  billboard  advertisement  for  your  work .  ’

James couldn’t exactly pretend that he hadn’t done the exact same as what Penny was doing right now, so it wasn’t as though he was in a place to judge, even if sometimes he DID worry. Was James just being an overprotective brother? Maybe, but ever since they’d lost Alfie, James had become more protective of their siblings than ever. Being with Penny right now was already making him feel a lot better – those awful spiralling thoughts that had been spinning around in their head were calming down slightly and James was now trying to think more logically. Maybe his parents were talking about somebody else. That would make more sense, right? “Yeah, I do love him.” There was that dopey smile, back on their face. Always had loved Teddy and always would. “You were right by my side of course, holding my hand on my journey to independence.” Their nose scrunched up and he bopped it against Penny’s head. At the question, James lifted his thumb to his lips so he could chew at the nail, a nervous habit they’d never quite learned to kick. “I know I can always talk to you. Just been feeling out of sorts, I guess.” Which technically wasn’t a lie considering how high his anxiety levels had been the past few days. “I know that bad shit happened but we’re still a happy family, right? You don’t think that would ever change, do you?” 

            worried ?   about  penelope  lane ??   now ,    why  would  anyone  do  that ?    she’s  just  fine ,   obviously .   she’s  thriving .    can’t  you  tell ?    besides ,    any  concern  shown  to  her  would  only  be  shaken  off .    ‘   i  know .   it’s  hard  being  alone  when  you’re  used  to  having  someone  there  all  the  time .  ’    it’s  harder  to  drown  out  the  intrusive  thoughts  when  it’s  quiet .    ‘  it’s  okay ,    we  can  be  independent  together .  ’    she’s  not  one  to  talk ,    after  all .    her  whole  life  has  been  spent  clinging  to  other  people  and  finding  value  that  way :    james  happens  to  be  the  only  one  who  hasn’t  gotten  sick  of  it .    brows  furrow  slightly ,   eyes  soft  as  she  assesses  her  brother .  ‘  i  don’t  think  that’s  something  we’ll  ever  have  to  worry  about ,  ’   penny  admits  gently ,   ‘  no  matter  how  bad  things  get .   i  don’t  think  there’s  anything  we  could  do  that  would  make  our  family  stop  loving  each  other .  ’    and  surprisingly ,    she  really  believes  that .    everyone  leaves ,    things  fall  apart :    but  the  reynolds  family  is  iron - wrought .    sturdy .    unbreakable .    right ?   this  line  of  inquiry  is  making  penny  anxious  too ,   now .   ‘  why ?  did  mom  and  dad  say  something ?   are  they  mad  at  us ??  ’