Playing for Keeps (a PIL fanfic)

Chapter 33

"Thanks Arabella. At the time though, I felt like it was. I was originally more quiet, reserved, loved to draw, absorbed in my studies. I was shy, the smart kid at school. I ended up locking myself in my room, crying everyday to myself up until their funeral. That was the last day I cried... Well, until today." She adds, chuckling wryly at the realization.

"About a month later, I started to... Act different, live different... Hang with different people. At the time, I called it living life to its fullest, but in reality, I was acting out in my grief. I drank, cussed, made out with strangers, got a few piercings, and came home later and later. Jax was worried, and he tried to keep me in more, he got more strict, trying to hold us all together. He made sure me and Zac ate and got to school. This went on for about two years. Me and Jax slowly but surely grew apart, instead of closer. We fought a lot, usually the fight starting over something simple..." She trails off, running a hand through her hair once more.

            "One night, Zac got worried about me. He went looking for me, all the places I usually hung out at. The next part was a little fuzzy, though I know he found me at a bar, drunk. We headed home, taking shortcuts down some back alley's, and a kid came up, pointing a gun on us, basically asking for any valuable possessions. He tried to rob us at gun point, but his hands were shaking, as well as his voice. I remember vaguely, Zac tensing up, and trying to be the voice of reason, asking him to put the gun down. I was still kinda drunk, telling the kid to go home, he obviously didn't know how to use a gun. That set him off, and he aimed at me." Her voice cracked, as she continued.

"Zac jumped in front of me." She states, and everyone's hands fly to their mouths in surprise, eyes widening at what happened. "The kid dropped the gun, and ran off. Reality kinda set in for me at that point, when the gun went off... I remember there was so much blood.. Blood everywhere...I yelled for help, screaming... Help arrived, they took him away to the doctor. The navy took one look at me, covered in blood, with the gun sitting by me on the ground, and arrested me." She adds, fire in her eyes once more.

"Those fucking idiots." Kris snarls, pissed that they arrested the wrong person.

Penelope nods at her, before continuing. "Jax came to see me the next day, let me know Zac was okay, and had gotten help. He was still unconscious, but the bullet had missed all major arteries, thankfully. He told me he was going to try everything he could to get me out of jail, but he was disappointed with how I had been living the past two years. Later, I heard guards talking about pirates being in town, so I decided to use what I had learned to escape, to go find them. I figured Jax wouldn't care, and he needed to focus on taking care of Zac anyway." She pauses second, taking a swig of wine, before continuing. "Before I escaped, I wrote a letter to Jax, apologizing for the past two years. The next night, I made my escape. I went home, dropping the letter off, and grabbing a some of my things. The crew took me in, and I left with them. I found out later Jax didn't know until after I left, thinking the letter was just to apologize. Come to find out, a guard told him later I escaped. I learned from my first crew, giving up some things I had started doing the past two years. I still like to draw, and read. Eventually the crew ditched me at a port. I bounced around a few more times, before meeting you all." Penelope finishes her story, looking at all of us.

             " I'm sorry about your parents. Thanks for sharing Penelope." Cecilia says gently, looking at Penelope, who smiles at her words.

"Kris? You wanna go next?" Penelope asks, glancing at the hazel eyed girl. Kris nodded, standing up.

She looked slightly nervous, fidgeting, twirling her hair with her finger. "Well, I have a confession of sorts..I'm flat... Like too flat..my proportions don't seem well.. Desirable ya know?" She asks, gesturing to her chest, and her body.