"I should've just stayed home today," Penny muttered, her head resting against the cool metal of the toilet stall door.
She sat on the closed toilet seat in nothing but her white bra and jeans, her gravy-soaked shirt crumpled on the floor beside her.
The initial panic had passed. Honestly, this wasn't even the worst thing that had happened to her at school. Not by a long shot. "Used to it" wasn't the right phrase—she was just numb now. Numb to the embarrassment. Numb to the laughter. Numb to being the school's favorite punching bag.
Closing her eyes, she tried to block out the echo of those cruel laughs and mocking voices. Flash's obnoxious cackle stood out the most. She didn't have proof, but deep down she knew he was behind her fall. It wouldn't be the first time. He made a hobby out of tripping her on the bus and pulling crap like this.
What kind of satisfaction do people even get out of humiliating others?
Still, she tried to focus on something—anything—positive. That shirt? She never really liked it anyway. And today's gravy? Pretty gross. No real loss.
"It's not the end of the world, Penny," she whispered. "And today's the last day before spring break, anyway." She let out a long, quiet sigh.
But her brain refused to move on.
Not just from the fall—but from what came before it.
From the conversation.
About Luke.
She had tried to forget, but it looped in her head, louder than Flash's laugh. And yet… they came for her. MJ was the first to rush over, looking genuinely worried. Betty and Beth were right behind. Even Gwen, Cindy, and Sha Shan showed up to push back the gawking crowd and give her space.
And Liz… Liz had been furious. Penny actually chuckled softly, remembering the wild fury in her voice as she chewed Flash and his friends out for recording her with their phones.
But the smile faded quickly.
Because thinking about Liz brought her back to Luke.
To them.
To what they might have.
Her chest ached. And this time, it wasn't from hitting the floor.
"I can't even be mad at her…" Penny sighed. How would she even know? She had never told Liz. Or anyone, really. Her crush on Luke was her most closely guarded secret. MJ was his sister, and Ned and Missy would have just teased her. After all, every other girl seemed to have a crush on Lucas Watson. She was just another face in the crowd.
"But it hurts so much…" she whispered, gently tapping her head against the stall door.
It didn't feel like Liz had betrayed her.
It felt like he had.
"Didn't you say you liked nerdy girls like me?" she asked aloud, voice cracking. "Then… why... and why Liz?"
Liz, who was not that smart, who was bad at school, who had bigger breasts, who was beautiful and everything that Penny wasn't.
"Was it all just a lie?" she whispered, blinking hard as her eyes began to sting. "Did you just say it to make me feel good…?"
She curled her knees up to her chest, arms wrapped around herself, as the sting behind her eyes turned into quiet tears.
"That was seriously hilarious. Did you see her flopping her scrawny little arms in the gravy? Looked like a baby playing in its own shit," a sharp voice rang out, echoing as the bathroom door slammed open.
Startled, Penny jerked upright, hurriedly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She held her breath, going perfectly still inside the closed stall.
"It wasn't even that funny, Lily," came a bored, unimpressed reply.
Penny's eyes widened. Lily Hollister. Harry's girlfriend… and her friend Carlie Cooper. Her throat tightened. "Are they… talking about me?" she whispered under her breath, barely audible.
"Tut tut tut, you don't get it, my friend," Lily said, her voice theatrical and loud enough to echo. "The real comedy here is that MJ—the so-called queen of Midtown High—tried to drag a downtrodden trench rat into her royal court."
"Wait… trench rat?" Penny mouthed, flinching.
"Downtrodden? Is Penny Parker even from a poor family?" Carlie asked, sounding unsure. "I know she's an orphan, but doesn't she live with her aunt who works at the Watson Group or something?"
"Please," Lily scoffed. "That's just a rumor. I bet her aunt's a secretary or janitor or something. Have you looked at her clothes—they scream hand-me-downs. And she takes the bus, Carlie. The bus. Trust me, that girl's probably living in one of those shoebox apartments where your bed is next to your stove."
Penny looked down at her gravy-soaked shirt, her voice barely a murmur. "I'm not poor… and my clothes don't look like hand-me-downs…" She paused unsurely. "Okay… maybe just unwashed…"
"Anyway," Lily continued, clearly loving the sound of her own voice, "this is just MJ doing what she always does—playing savior. First those other nobodies like Liz and those news sisters—whatever their names were—and now Penny. But the others at least had their looks going for them. Some rich guy will probably marry them or keep them as arm candy. But Penny? She's got nothing. No money, no beauty, no connections."
Inside the stall, Penny's fists clenched in her lap. Her teeth gritted. Shame and anger twisted in her gut.
"But I heard she just landed an inte—" Carlie started to say, only to be cut off.
"Carlie, let me finish," Lily snapped. "So here's what really happened. Penny got embarrassed. She realized she didn't belong at that table with the rest of them—so she tried to sneak away like a little rat crawling back to the gutter. But MJ? The queen couldn't have that. No, no. So she tripped her, on purpose, and made her the laughingstock of the whole damn school. Right there in front of everyone."
She delivered it like a grand finale, as if she had just performed a monologue on stage.
Inside the stall, Penny sat frozen. Her cheeks burned—not from embarrassment, but from fury. The lies, the venom, the way Lily twisted everything. Her nails dug into her palms.
"But… wasn't she and her friends the first ones to help her, though?" Carlie asked again, a note of uncertainty in her voice.
"You're still too green, Carlie," Lily replied with a smug chuckle. "That's part of her whole scheme. She wanted to remind Penny she can destroy her in a second if she ever strays from her side. Then she plays the sympathy card afterward so everyone still sees her as Saint Mary Jane, Queen of Midtown."
"I don't know," Carlie muttered through a yawn. "She felt pretty genuine to me."
"Well, whatever," Lily scoffed. "That's not what the rumors are going to say anyway. And that's what matters. This is how her perfect image starts to crumble—and when it does, the crown of Midtown High will be mine." Her voice swelled with a proud, haughty laugh.
"But there's no such thing," Carlie replied dryly. "There's no real title or anything. You are just making this into some kind of reality drama episode."
"There is a crown, Carlie. It's in people's minds," Lily said sharply. "And when they start seeing me as the top girl—the one with power, with the best contacts, the right image—they will finally stop calling me the second most popular girl at Midtown. Even Lucas Watson's sister, MJ, won't be able to compete with me then."
"I mean… you're already pretty famous," Carlie said with a sigh. "You're the district attorney's daughter and Harry Osborn's girlfriend."
"Not famous enough," Lily snapped. "See, girls like Penny and Liz? For them, high school is it. It's the highlight of their pathetic little lives. They will grow up remembering the good times, the heartbreaks, the cliques—because that's all they will ever have. Their dreams stop at graduation."
"But not me," Lily went on, voice rising with conviction. "I'm not settling for mediocrity. I'm not just going to remember this school—I'm going to use it. As a launchpad. And to do that, I need to tear MJ off her throne."
Carlie let out another long sigh. "...Okay, Your Highness. So what's your plan? Because I don't think you can beat MJ in popularity or looks. She is Lucas Watson's sister after all."
"Maybe not," Lily said, voice dripping with confidence, "but I can ruin her. This little incident in the cafeteria? It's the perfect counterattack. We will blow it up on social media, frame MJ as the perpetrator, and show everyone she's just a manipulative, fake bitch. It's time they see her halo crack."
"I don't think this is going to play out the way you think," Carlie said, her voice flat with disinterest. "It was just some girl falling into her lunch. Maybe people will laugh once or twice, but no one's going to care past that."
She paused, then added, "And I heard Penny Parker might be interning at the Watson Group. Her grades are always top of the class, so honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it's true."
"Well, Harry did say she was smart when they were kids," Lily replied, her tone laced with condescension. "But I always thought that was his way of pitying the poor, you know? Still, if she is actually talented… it wouldn't hurt to show her a little sympathy. Who knows—maybe she will be useful to me someday."
There was another pause, and then Lily giggled. "What do you think would make a good gift? Should I give her one of my old purses? Although… that might be too much. It probably costs more than her family could make in a year. Maybe some of my old clothes? It would be good charity. She will be immensely grateful for my generosity, I'm sure."
"Do what you want, Lily," Carlie replied, distracted. "I told you, I'm more interested in those riots that happened in Hell's Kitchen last night."
"You true crime nutjob," Lily groaned. "I know your dad's a forensic scientist at the NYPD, but can't you please stop obsessing over those stupid things and focus on real issues?"
Their voices faded as the bathroom door shut behind them.
Penny finally turned off the recording function on her phone and let out a heavy breath. She slumped against the stall wall and softly banged her head back once. Twice.
"She was going to twist the story… she was going to turn people against MJ—and me. Just for a crown that doesn't even exist." Penny muttered under her breath, "What a nutcase,"
She wasn't even sure why she had recorded them. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe, if Lily really did try to frame MJ, this could help clear her name. But even that didn't bring her much comfort.
The weight of everything hit her all at once—Lily's poisonous words, the humiliating fall in the cafeteria, Luke dating Liz. Her thoughts spiraled, fast and messy, and for a moment, it was all just too much. She felt trapped in this stall, in this school.
She didn't even feel angry anymore. Not really. Just... tired. Tired of the gossip, the jealousy, the cruel smiles hidden behind fake kindness. Tired of being treated like a punchline, or a punching bag.
Even when Lily's words were wrong—and they were—Penny didn't have the energy to fight them. Not today. Not right now.
"Let's just… get through this day, Penny Parker," she whispered to herself, hugging her forehead to her knees.
Suddenly, the bathroom door creaked open again.
Knock knock.
"Penny, it's me," MJ's gentle voice called out. "I brought something. Open up—it's just me and Liz."
Penny hesitated for a second, then cracked open the stall door. The moment she saw MJ's kind face, her tension eased. She opened it wider, still holding one arm across her chest to modestly cover herself.
"I went shopping yesterday and still had the bags in my trunk," MJ said, pulling out a neatly folded red top. "I think this one should fit you."
"Thanks, MJ," Penny replied with a tired smile, taking the shirt and slipping it on quickly, grateful beyond words.
"Wow, it doesn't look bad on you at all," Liz said, her tone surprisingly warm.
"Yeah," MJ agreed with a smile. "Red really suits you."
"Really?" Penny asked quietly as she stepped out of the stall and moved toward the mirror, adjusting the shirt self-consciously.
"I've told you a hundred times—you've gotta stop dressing like a nerd," Liz said with a laugh. "Give me one day with you, and I will completely upgrade your look."
"Liz…" MJ narrowed her eyes, at her in warning.
"What? I'm telling the truth. Just one day, and I'll have her turning heads," Liz said with mock seriousness.
MJ chuckled. "Well, we could take her shopping. That's not a bad idea."
"Ooh, and maybe a new hairstyle? Maybe dye her hair in red?" Liz added, eyeing Penny through the mirror critically.
"That might be a bit much…" Penny said awkwardly. Truth was, she never liked wearing girly clothes. Her figure wasn't anything special, so she usually hid behind oversized hoodies and baggy jeans. It also felt quite comfortable that way.
"Okay, then it's settled," MJ said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Tomorrow's Saturday—we're taking you shopping. Just us girls. It will be fun."
"Yay! I love shopping days," Liz said with a wide grin. "This is gonna be great."
Penny smiled. She could see what they were doing—trying to lift her spirits after everything that happened. Maybe taking her out for a silly, light-hearted day was their way of reminding her she wasn't alone.
And maybe… just maybe… she needed that more than she realized.
"Alright," she said with a quiet nod. "Let's do it."
***
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