A chance you never thought you'd get.

Posting this one a day early, since tomorrow's Christmas. Happy Holidays, everyone!

For the rest of your morning, you're out of focus. During your other classes, there's no word about any discoveries regarding Izzy's folio, and you don't feel it wise to make the report yourself. Let the events fall naturally, you figure. Still, even the burgeoning glee in your chest caused by your **** plans on Izzy takes a backseat to your wandering thoughts about your next great venture of the day.

Lunch. With Penny.

Every time her beautiful face strikes your thoughts, your heart pit-a-pats in your chest, a nervous smile bubbling onto your face. Whatever are you going to say? This is a singular opportunity, and you dare not squander it on mumbling and awkwardness. You need a plan of action, but what?? Dylan is no help. The guy's never had a girlfriend either, as far as you can recall, nor does he invest much interest in seeking one out. You're never entirely sure if he's lazy or just very in tune with the natural flow of the world around him. Your family's advice hasn't been any good either: Be kind, flirt, be brave, be charming. These are all wonderful ideas, but they don't allude to what you're supposed to do! How does one simply hold casual conversation with such an amazing person?

You're still left in the dark even when the dismissal bell rings, signaling the beginning of your lunch period. No time left to fret. Head full of cotton and static, your legs carry you on their own toward the cafeteria, mind still buzzing with uncertainty. It isn't as if you've never spoken to girls before. It isn't that you don't know how to hold a conversation. It isn't that you're incapable of being a normal human being.

It's that it's Penny, and her opinion of you matters so much it ties your stomach in knots upon knots.

Blinking back into the present, you find yourself in the wide expanse of tables and chattering students in the lunch hall. Though you can't fathom eating with your stomach feeling so tight, you get yourself in line for the sake of routine and collect a few small things to keep from regretting it later. It's far more important that you find where Penny is seated, head craning and scanning around to find her. Like everyone else, she has a usual area she gravitates toward, so you already have a good idea of where she'll be. Your usual spot is several tables away from that, where you can get a decent line of sight of her while she chats and enjoys lunch with her friends.

...Maybe you are a creep. Well, today's as good a day as any other to be better! No more awkward admiration from a distance!

Funnily enough, both you and Penny hover near the same table on opposite sides, arriving at the same time. She offers you a polite smile, taking a seat and setting down her tray.

"Hi, Gavin. How's your head?"

Oh, yeah! You'd almost forgotten the dull bruise on your brow, giving it an inquisitive press. Oo, ow, yeah, still tender. With a wince and grin, you shrug and take your seat. "Nothing serious, it'll be fine. Probably looks worse than it is, I'm sure." Thank goodness, it seems your claimed confidence is surfacing again, keeping your nerves and panic strictly internal.

Penny's soft laugh is angelic and warm. "Well, that's good to hear. Say, I meant to ask... didn't we used to be in class together, last year?"

Without missing a beat, you reply, "English last year, and sophomore math the year prior." The quirk of her eyebrow alerts you that she's taken note of your crisp report on the subject.

"I see. So... you've waited all this time, just to say hello? Surely I'm not that intimidating."

You wince, smiling wryly. "Well, you know how guys are. We see a pretty girl and we find an ****." She blushes at your passive compliment. "We either go too wild and come on strong or all the right words run away and we just clam up instead. Seems I'm the latter."

"Did something change, then?" You're not sure why, but you weren't actually prepared for her to have questions about you. She's surprisingly inquisitive! Is the situation really so strange to her?

"Something like that?" You chuckle bashfully, rubbing the back of your head. "I, um... well, for starters, I have an older sister. Until just this weekend, we didn't get along in the slightest. I could have sworn that she hated me, with how I was treated." Penny frowns a little, but listens intently. "But then... well, some things happened and some opinions were brought out in the open, and we wound up reconciling. It all happened so fast, but we made up almost like all those years were just a bad dream." You smile a little despite yourself, trying not to think of the more... provocative things that happened on Sunday. "Now she's my supportive big sis again, and having her on my side rather than against me has been a big boost in my confidence."

Penny nods, nibbling on her lunch while you blather on. You weren't saying too much, were you? "So... you made up with your sister, and that gave you the confidence to talk to me?"

"That's the short of it, yeah. She's pretty persuasive when she wants to be." Which is all the time.

"Sounds pretty nice to me, honestly. I don't have any siblings." The crisp crunch of an apple between her teeth plays in slow motion in front of your eyes, giving you pause before attempting to speak again. Before you can, another girl places herself at the table beside Penny, staring you down with a questioning expression.

"Hey Penny, who's your new friend?" Being addressed as Penny's friend would give you more cause to celebrate if the girl's tone didn't sound so pensive and borderline accusatory.

You've seen this girl before plenty of times during your distant sighing admiration of Penny during lunch. You never caught her name, but you've jealously envied how she always seems glued to her friend. Tiny of frame, she's almost too thin by your tastes, boyish if not for her smoothly feminine face. Any bust or figure she could possibly cut is swallowed up in a large casual tee shirt, hiding most of her shorts if she can't keep it tucked in. Long, straight black hair is loosely gathered by a scrunchie at the base of her head, sleek and shiny in the light. Her thick but shaped eyebrows furrow in your direction, brown eyes studying you intently.

You give her a nod and a smile nonetheless, praying your orders keep you calm even under additional pressure. "I'm Gavin, nice to meet you."

"Gavin, this is my friend Faith. Faith, this is the boy I bumped into this morning before we met up."

"Oh, the guy who got floored by Queen Isa-bitch?"

You sputter and cough, Faith's moniker for Izzy coming just as you took a sip of water. Penny hides a grin, batting her friend on the shoulder. "Faith, hush! She's going to hear you one of these days, what will you do then?"

"I speak naught but the truth, Pen," Faith shrugs. "Besides, the only person she really gives the business is this guy. If she starts something over here, it's probably his fault." She looks your way again, as if daring you to cause either of them any trouble. Someone doesn't trust you, though you can't yet pin down why.

Penny seems as surprised as you. "Really? She only bullies Gavin?"

"Far as I know. Haven't heard her clobbering anyone else who didn't explicitly ask for it. Sure, she's been in fights and stuff, but they don't last and she always winds up on top. Smart people get out of her way after that."

"I've never gotten in her way," you reply defensively. "I don't have a clue what made her single me out."

"Are you a wuss?" Faith asks bluntly.

"Faith!"

"No, it's a fair question," you say calmly, surprising both girls. "Faith is right. I am a total wuss. I've never stood up to her before, so I must just be an easy mark for her to vent frustrations on."

Faith's eyes narrow on you, clearly skeptical that you could say such things without sounding sorry for yourself. "You don't, like, get off on that, do you?"

Penny throws her hands up, exasperated with her friend's behavior. You assume this isn't her normal line of questioning, but can't help but laugh at her words. "No, no, nothing like that. Sure would make tolerating her bullying easier though, wouldn't it?" This earns you a quirk of a smile from Faith, which you hope is a good sign.

"I'm so sorry Gavin," Penny groans, "I'm not sure what's gotten into Faith today."

"It's no problem, really. If it means a chance to speak with you, I'm happy to prove that I mean no harm to your friend." Bless you, magic marker powers. Your heart might be halfway up your throat, your toes ready to curl back like witch's shoes, and you have a pit in your stomach from a Roald Dahl novel, but you're still smooth as silk on the outside. Besides, Faith's brazen questions are actually easing some of those tensions, feeling more like the hard ribbing you usually get from Dylan. She's very honest and direct, and that's the kind of stuff you can get behind.

Penny doesn't seem to know what to do with your praise, but her composed demeanor tells you that it isn't hitting too deeply. Just as well, you'd rather not scare her off with fanatic levels of worship. Faith at least seems... tolerant of you, for now.

~

The conversation ebbs a little, everyone taking a moment to work on their meals before the lunch period ends. Not having much to begin with, you find a moment to direct the questions away from yourself for a moment. You learn that Penny and Faith have been friends since second grade and share as much of their lives as they can. They're planning to go to the same college and keep the friendship strong before adulthood "sucks the life out of them," as Faith put it.

"College, huh," you mutter, nibbling on a fry. "I suppose I should think about that pretty soon. Have you considered your majors, yet?"

Faith answers first. "I have a music scholarship waiting for me, so I don't really have to pick."

"Oh that's cool, what do you play?" That would explain the weird cases you've seen her carrying around from time to time, you think.

"Just about anything with strings on it or in it," she brags through a broad grin. "Violin, guitar, piano, you name it."

"Very nice. Pretty sure me holding an instrument is an affront to the art, so I'll leave it to the talented ones." Penny giggles softly at your comment, which directs your attention back to her. The very idea startles you; that Faith even could drag your eyes away from Penny. "What about you, Penny? What do you want to study?"

To that, Penny's face softens and sinks a little, but only briefly. Faith winces a little too, looking away for a moment. "I want to get into a STEM program. I really like the sciences, especially biology."

"Animals," Faith adds. "She likes animals."

"Sounds good to me. Is there a good program in the college you're both going into for that?"

Penny nods, but leaves something unsaid. "There is, I just have to work hard and get there on my own." You know there's more to that, but worry that pressing harder could lead to your chat going sour. Instead, you try to keep the ball rolling.

"Why biology, though, if you like animals? Wouldn't maybe an agricultural program be better for that?"

Faith rolls her eyes. "You're like the millionth person to suggest that."

"Oh, sorry..."

"It's fine, really," Penny continues. "Most people hear animals and think of farms and livestock. I'd rather work with more diverse creatures, something larger scale. Something more international, maybe."

"So like... zoos?"

Penny smiles at you and nods. "Maybe at first. I think it would be exciting to see them in their natural habitats as well."

"That's how we lost Steve Irwin, Penny." Faith smirks, nudging her friend with her elbow. She bounces her eyebrows, looking your way. "She's gonna wear khaki shorts and go hug elephants all day." Oh god, what a cute mental image.

"What about... aquariums? Do you like fish, too?"

To that, Penny lights right up, and your heart simply can't handle such a delightful experience. "Yes, I do! Aquatic ecosystems are so complex and fascinating—"

"Oh lord, Gavin, you got her started. Quick, Penny, eat this before you kill me with fish talk." Faith plugs Penny's mouth with the heel of a roll, making her protests muffled and unintelligible. You try not to laugh, but it's too cute and silly for you.

"Well, if Faith doesn't want to hear 'fish talk,' then why don't we go to the aquarium ourselves? I'd love to hear more about what makes them so interesting."

Faith's jaw drops a little. "Did you just ask her on a date??"

You laugh, raising your hands defensively. "I'm certainly trying to, if that's okay!"

Penny crosses her eyes, staring at her roll and turning quite pink as she thinks it over. Chewing quickly, she swallows and looks back up at you. "That sounds fun, actually. When were you thinking?" You definitely weren't thinking, else nothing you say would ever come out this smoothly.

"Hm... next Saturday, if that's good?"

The two girls glance at each other, Faith giving Penny a firm look. What's that about? Coming to some silent agreement, they turn back your way. Penny nods, opening her mouth to answer just as the class bell calls out through the noise of the cafeteria chatter.

"Ugh, already??" Faith slumps against the table for a moment before collecting her and Penny's trays to go turn in.

"Gavin," says Penny, snagging your attention crisply. "We'll talk more about the details later, but next Saturday sounds good to me."

Your heart skips so hard it may as well stop. Did you just land a date with Penny? You feel your mouth dry up, the strain on your nerves too much even for your brave order to combat. "Tha-that, um... yeah, good, sure...!"

Thankfully Penny seems more flattered than put off by your bashfulness. You exchange phone numbers and she promises to talk later to discuss meetup times and the like. When Faith returns, they bid you good day and stride out of the cafeteria, leaving you to stare in open-mouthed, brain-frying disbelief at your phone.

This is the Best. Day. Ever.