I was so fixated on Cecelia and my eyes were interested in what she had to say, but all my mind could think of was Penelope. My eyes wouldn't dare to glance at how cute she looked in her uniform and my smile was forced to hide away whenever she came near.
"Zack?" Cecilia asked, putting a strand of hair behind her ear, "what made you ask me out? I thought you were the type to just have a one night stand."
Wow, she wasn't afraid to say what she thought. Just like Penelope.
"I really like you," I said with a small smile and I could feel Penelope's eyes on me this whole time. She was talking to a waitress that had just come in. Please don't serve our table.
"I really like you too," she said with a chuckle, "so, favourite movie?"
"Um, anything scary." I made a scary face and we both laughed just as our waitress came towards our table.
"Me too!" She said with a smile. "We should go watch one sometime."
My mind was focused on the waitress approaching our table. It was Penelope. She worked here, you couldn't avoid her in this tiny place.
I continued to stare at the menu as Cecilia and Penelope had small talk. Just order already!
Penelope didn't look awkward at all, but I could feel her eyes on me. Why was I so caught up on her? She was not into me. Soon enough, Cecilia and I both ordered some drinks and Penelope finally walked away.
"Right, where were we?" She said with a grin. "What's your favourite scary movie?" She said in ghost face's voice from the movie 'Scream.'
I pretended to think even though I knew the answer already. "Saw!"
She cringed. "Really? That's so brutal! I'm more into the paranormal type movies."
"I like those too," I said with a small smile, "and yes, we should have a movie night. Maybe a marathon of Paranormal activity or Saw." I winked.
She nodded with a smile. "I would like that very much."
It was silent for a moment and we're both staring at each other with smiles on our faces. "What are you thinking about?" She asked me as music filled the background of our conversation.
"All I'm thinking is how beautiful you look tonight." The words flowed out freely like they were meant to be said.
It felt weird just dropping Penelope like that, but
she probably didn't think much of it. She got what she wanted, I was moving on and leaving her alone.
Like Gray wanted me too.
"Zack," Cecilia's cheeks reddened and it looked cute on her, "you make my day." Our drinks soon arrived and Penelope was the one serving them again. Really?
Cecilia didn't know that I ran after Penelope like a dog with a bone and she couldn't see that I was avoiding eye contact, but Penelope noticed because she was the one staring this time.
We ordered our food and Penelope left again, when would this torture end? "Doesn't she go to our school?"
I glanced over at Penelope for a second and then stared back at Cecilia, who waited for my reply. "Um, I think so but I'm more concentrated on you and not some girl I barely know."
Penelope soon came over with our meals and the smell of the cheeseburger sent my senses to the roof. I always loved Iris's menu and the cook's mouth watering food. I noticed Penelope leave to go outside after she arrived with our meals and that was when I realized I needed to use the bathroom.
Cecilia blushed again, knocking my thoughts away and nodded. "You're right, this date is about us getting to know each other."
I nodded in response. "I couldn't agree more."
We began eating and she looked cute when she ate. "Do you like English?" I asked after a moment of silence.
She swallowed and sarcastically laughed. "No way! English is the worst subject in the history of subjects."
I laughed with her with a huge grin on my face. "Me too! I just don't understand why we have to take it."
She giggled and nodded. "I agree."
See? We had lots of things in common and Penelope and I didn't have anything in common. She loved English, I hated it.
And that was it. Wow.
After eating about ten bites of the meal, I excused myself. "I'll be right back, okay?"
She nodded, eating her salad and talking a sip of her drink. "Don't be too long."
I got up and headed towards the bathroom, I spotted Iris panning the diner. "Hey, Iris. How are you?"
"Oh, hiya Zack. I'm good, thanks. I see you're on a date. She's pretty." She smiled.
I looked back and saw Cecilia texting on her phone. "Yeah, she is great." My words didn't sound too convincing. It was only the first date, chill.
"Have a good night then, I've got customers." She smiled at me, serving people sitting at the counter.
I quickly headed to the bathroom and the breeze from out back filled the tiny stall I was in.
A phone began to ring, I checked mine but it was not me and I was the only one in here. It stopped and I shrugged it off, thinking of Penelope as I did what I came here to do.
And then my mind turned to Cecilia and how she listened and how she wanted to go out with me on a date. Not that I even asked Penelope, but I already knew the answer even if I tried to convince her.
Cecilia wanted me and that was what I deserved.
*
Penelope's POV
After serving Zack and his date their meals, I headed outside to get some fresh air. I felt like I was trapped in a world where I didn't belong.
It was cold tonight, maybe it was because the diner was on the other side of the beach and then my cell phone began to ring. I checked it and it was an unknown number and stupid enough, I answered it.
"Hello?" I answered, trying to keep myself warm. Nobody answered so I tried again. "Hello? Anybody there?"
"You killed your own mother!" The voice said, scaring me. "She killed herself because of you!"
I gasped at the unknown voice I didn't recognise, who was that? My hands begun to tremble and my phone dropped to the ground. It was only a prank call, I told myself.
My phone broke, cracking the screen and I began to scream and curse at how my life had become a nightmare that I couldn't seem to wake up from. Tears were streaming down my face, my hair was messy from me pulling at it in frustration. And I completely lost it.
The back door flung open, I didn't even notice it until arms were suddenly wrapped around me as I was yelling and screaming and trying to break free.
"Penelope," A male voice whispered into my ear as I was struggling and crying, "sh." He calmed me down and I began to whimper and cry into whoever was holding me. "You're okay."
And then I realized it was Zack who was holding me, he was the one holding me together and whispering into my ear that I was okay.
"Sit down," he said calmly as we did.
We were out back behind the diner, where the dumpsters were and we were leaning against the fence that separated the diner from the beach.
He pulled me into a soft hug as I was sobbing into his shoulder. "Are you going to tell me what that was about?"
I didn't dare to look at him as I wiped away the tears and my shaking stopped. I said nothing in reply, why was he here? I thought he was on a date with the love of his life.
"Penelope?"
He squeezed me tight as I replied. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your date?"
He sighed softly, but I could hear it. "Don't worry about that, I'm here with you."
"Why? I kept brushing you off and yet, you're still here," I honestly didn't understand him, "I treated you like dirt, Zack. I don't deserve you."
His arm wrapped around me and it hadn't loosened and I felt warm and safe in his arms like I was always meant to fit. "You've been through a lot, Penelope. I can tell and I don't want to push you into telling me everything but just know that I'll always be here."
I honestly didn't deserve him at all, he was being so sweet and all I did was threw it back in his face. "What I've been through isn't an excuse for the way I've been treating you." I said as my tears had finally stopped falling down my face. Maybe I was ready to let him in, maybe it was the right time underneath the moonlight, we're all alone and in each other's arms.
I think it was time to tell him everything.