Page 25 of The Perfect Play

“Does he still do that?” Tears were in her eyes, and one slid down the side of her cheek, black trailing it from her mascara.

“Not as much anymore. He’s moved on to other vices.” I looked out the window and over at my house, seeing my mother’s light on. My heart broke for her, but as much as she’d tried to get out, something always kept her there, taking the brunt of the blows, whether physical or emotional. It was probably me and my two sisters.

Penny placed her hands on my cheeks, turning my face toward her. Tears streaked down her face. “I’m the worst person in the world. After all this time, I thought you were the biggest jerk ever. But you were just trying to keep your family together as best as you could at thirteen and fourteen. I’m so sorry. I wish I’d been able to help.”

Her words caused my own tears to surge. Why hadn’t I trusted her with this before? I might have had someone to lean on, might not have lost Troy. Might have convinced my mother to move on and start a new life out of this cycle of nightmares.

With the Jeep in park, I reached over, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her to my chest as much as I could over the console in between us. She sobbed against me for several minutes, and a new sensation took over. I’d never really seen Penny cry, but to hold her and comfort her seemed like the most natural thing to do.

I stroked her hair, loving the feeling of the softness between my fingers. “Hey, it’s okay. You shouldn’t be the one crying. I’m the one who pushed you away.”

Penny sat up, wiping under her eyes with her fingers. “But I should have kept pushing back. I should have known you had something more than just getting older that was making you act all weird.”

She sniffed, and another stray tear started to fall. Reaching out, I wiped it away, my hand next to her lips, drawing my eyes to them. I’d thought about those lips more in the past few weeks than I’d thought about any lips in all my life.

I glanced up, watching her eyes as they searched my face for something. Pausing a second, I took a breath and moved in, brushing my lips to hers.

She stilled, and I pulled back, hoping I hadn’t ruined everything more than I’d already done before. Her gaze dipped back to my lips, and I leaned in again, this time wrapping my hand through her hair and around her neck, pulling her closer to intensify the kiss.

The warmth that flowed between us, as well as the sparks I could have sworn were going off, made me wonder how I could’ve ever thought about kissing another girl. Not that I’d ever kissed Penny before, but this moment was everything and more. It was like the world was finally righting itself, helping me get back to the vision of how my life was supposed to be.

A ringtone pierced the silence in the Jeep, and we both jumped back, looking as though we’d just been caught. I glanced down to see the screen of her phone on her lap. It was her father.

“You might want to answer that,” I said, scooting back in my seat and running my hands through my hair.

“Uh, hey, Dad. Yeah, I got a ride home. I’ll be right in.” Penny hung up the phone, her eyes darting around to everything in the vehicle but my face. “I, um, I need to go. Thank you for the ride and for telling me all that. I’m not sure how you managed to keep all that bottled up for so long, but just know that I’m right next door. Call me or whatever, and we can talk if you need to.”

Her hand squeezed mine, and she leaned forward, kissing me lightly on the cheek. She hesitated a moment before waving and getting out of the Jeep.

I leaned my head back against the headrest as I watched to make sure she made it inside. I wasn’t sure how I’d gone from enemy number one to kissing her, but the bridge had been rebuilt, and I finally felt like my life wasn’t a constant rollercoaster of emotions. Maybe I had a chance at a happily ever after despite what had happened before.

I glanced up as the light turned on in her window and Penny peeked out. I’d be lucky to have her by my side for the rest of my life. Now I just needed to make sure I didn’t screw it up.

Chapter 20

Penny

Iwas still thinking about that kiss on Thursday, days later. Even my lips seemed to have the humming feel of the vibrations imprinted on them, able to be called up at the slightest thought of a kiss. We’d had several games, and I had some tests to study for, so I hadn’t been on the schedule for work since the week before, meaning I only got to see Jake in passing.

But every time my phone pinged, I’d race to see who the message was from. Jake had messaged me several times, and I might have gone back and looked at the conversations at least twenty times, analyzing them for the littlest details. Each time I’d bounce from disbelief to elation as I thought about all of our interactions over the past few weeks.

We hadn’t even messaged about the kiss, or anything significant, for that matter. Had the kiss been because what he’d revealed to me was so secret? The thought made me cringe. I didn’t want to be another girl on his list of conquests.

I arrived at school earlier than usual and took a seat on the large platform in the common area. Only a few people milled about at that time of the morning, and I pulled out a book, knowing I needed to finish it since the night would be taken up by a game forty-five minutes away.

“What’s with the sad face, friend?” Kate slid up next to me and gave me a look of concern. “I would think you’d still be on cloud nine from this weekend.”

I’d told Kate the whole story of Jake offering to drive me home and the breathtaking kiss when I’d seen her Saturday morning—minus Jake’s confession—practically bouncing as I paced back and forth in my bedroom. But was I jumping to the conclusion that a kiss could mean something more, especially given Jake’s reputation?

It had been my first kiss and an amazing one at that, but I had nothing to compare it to. Maybe I had been awkward and Jake was just being polite by not saying anything.

“Just trying to get this book read for English tomorrow. How are things with you? No sign of mystery kisser, huh?” I gave her a mischievous smile and bumped her shoulder with mine. Kate had told me a story of her own. Some guy had come into the party wearing a mask and had kissed her and then disappeared, leaving her with a mystery she was still trying to solve.

“I feel bad judging all the people in Superman movies. Like, you can’t tell who that is? My brain was whirling so much that I barely remember any of his features. Although, I didn’t mind his lips on mine.”

I shook my head, laughing. “Who’d have thought we’d both get our first kiss on the same night? I’m just glad mine didn’t happen at the party.”

“Parties aren’t so bad, Pen. It’s just what you make of it, I guess. Maybe someday I’ll know who my mystery kisser was.”

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