The Long Winter #55

Previous Engagements part three

The isolated little town that hosted Harden University and the Gravenreuth Institute was also home to a number of bars and restaurants, each with its own rustic charm. Sandra sat in a booth in a dimly-lit place known for its pizza and wings. The tables were ancient, topped with faded laminate, and the high-backed benches offered vinyl-covered padding that suggested that at one point they might have been comfortable. Yellowed light fixtures hung here and there, and the two windows at the front of the restaurant looked out at snow drifts and salt-stained cars. A bar separated the dining room from the kitchen. Sandra put her elbows on the table and propped her head in her hands and scowled at her companions.

“I can’t believe he didn’t have the guts to face me himself…”

Penny, sitting beside Sandra, put her hand on her friend’s back and gave her a friendly pat.

“Aw, you poor girl. I’m sure it’s important, though. I mean, he asked Bart here, too.”

Sandra shifted her dour eyes to Bart.

“Don’t look at me. I can barely maintain my relationship with Annelise, let alone give others advice on their own predicaments. Far as I’m concerned, brother’s on his own.”

“See? Probably something totally different than what you’re afraid of!”

Sandra scowled at Penny, the perky little bitch.

“Weren’t you assaulted this morning? How in the heck are you so cheerful?”

“I’m used to horrible trauma at this point.”

Sandra’s scowl deepened as Penny looked up and shared a smile with the pretty waitress, and then followed her with her eyes as she crossed the room.

“What’s with the assault?” Bart asked, no small amount of wonder in his voice.

“Nothing—”

“Maddie’s douchebag fiance called Penny a slut and tried to rape her.”

“He did not! He was trying to scare me, is all!”

“He wanted you like Braden Garies wanted you. You’re so naive it’s almost sickening!”

“I’m not! I know what he was trying to do, he was just trying to scare me to keep me away from Maddie. Well, it worked. I don’t want to see her. I thought about texting her to tell her about what he did, but if he sees the text he might actually hurt me, so—”

“Are you telling me that if I fell into a bad situation you wouldn’t try to help me?” Sandra lifted her head and raised her finely-sculpted eyebrows at Penny.

“No! Don’t twist my words—”

“That’s pretty much what it sounds like you said,” Bart said with a wry smile.

Penny crossed her arms and pouted. “You are both mean. I don’t want to talk about this. It was more fun when we were speculating about Clark’s problems.”

“Boy do I have problems!” Clark slammed into the booth next to Bart and bumped his shoulder. “Brother. What’s up?”

“What the hell, Clark!” Sandra’s voice cut Bart’s greeting off before he could open his mouth. “Whatever you got is so important you have to address it in front of the General Assembly?”

Clark took a moment to meet all their eyes. He met Bart’s sideways. Bart eyed him back that way. Penny smiled at him like the simple-headed moron she was not. And as for herself, Sandra’s fine eyebrows were in a perma-scowl that night. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the thinly-padded bench and dared him to spite her.

“This isn’t going to be easy to say—”

“Just say it, you coward. If I was in your position I’d just say it.”

“You’re not making it any easier…”

“We could have done this in private. You want to break up? Fine. We’re broken up. I didn’t do anything with Penny while we were down there, you know. She was a perfect gentleman—”

“What? I was what?”

“—which seems to be more than I can say for you at this moment.”

Clark’s face took on a shade of relief and he smiled at Penny.

“I guess this means you’re more man than I, Penny.”

“I would never try to emasculate you, Clark.”

“Clark, come on, get to the fucking point,” Bart said.

“All right, all right. Fine. I can do that. I can tell you. Jesus fucking Christ, this is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. I rehearsed this in my head the last five days, and I just can’t get it right—”

“Then just spit it out, asshole!”

Clark glowered at Sandra and then he drew himself up and the waitress came and took their orders, her cautiousness evaporating before the warmth of Penny’s cute smile. They muttered about the weather and about their upcoming classes and then the drinks were there and Clark sipped a draft beer and Penny a diet cola and Sandra a water and Bart an apple juice. Clark set his beer down and scrubbed his hands through his hair.

“I’m engaged.”

All three stopped. Indeed, it seemed like everyone in the restaurant had stopped so thick the air around them had become, and Sandra’s shriek drew everyone’s eyes.

“You’re WHAT?”

Clark sighed and leveled a hard gaze at Sandra before continuing.

“My mom’s not just loaded and famous, she’s connected. And I guess I didn’t really realize until I got there just how connected she was. I mean, everywhere we went she knew the owners, she got the best seats, the best meals, they emptied out a section of the Louvre for her. To be honest, it’s kind of shocking to be sitting here in this shitty place with you group of peasants—”

“Hey!”

“But life is full of its ups and downs.”

“That wasn’t nice, Clark,” Penny pouted again.

“What does any of this have to do with you being engaged?” Sandra leaned forward to give her scowl some extra oomph. Call me a peasant…

“What it means is that those people don’t always choose who they end up with. So she’s friends with some producer who wants to make me into the next big star, they want to see me in some stuff here to decide where I’ll go, but they’ve already decided I’m going to marry his daughter.”

“Who’s his daughter?” Sandra asked.

“Who’s this guy?” Bart asked, his hand cutting through Sandra’s question.

Clark glanced at them both and then leaned back.

“He’s some movie mogul guy. Owns like three quarters of the European movie studios and half of Hollywood. Some Moroccan guy, I think, or maybe Turkish. All I know is that his daughter grew up in North Africa, Tunis or something, and if I marry her I’ll have my future set and never have to worry about anything ever again.”

“Is his daughter cute?” Penny asked, taking an innocent sip of her soda.

Clark swung his scowl in her direction.

“What?”

“What a thing to ask, you frickin’ lesbian,” Sandra muttered.

“She’s not—well, she’s…”

Clark grumbled something to himself and the food arrived. The waitress again glanced at them in caution and again ended up sharing a smile with Penny. When she was gone and Penny was blowing on her pizza Sandra leaned over and whispered loud enough for the next three tables to hear, “She’s not going to go out with you, Penny.”

“I’m just being friendly,” Penny said, shooting Sandra a sharp look. Then she blew on her pizza again and smiled at Clark. “I’ll bet that being in movies means she’s beautiful! Gorgeous, even!”

“Her looks don’t matter—”

“That’s a lie,” Sandra gave him a smug look.

“Not in this case, they don’t! Look, this is marriage! Forever! It’s a serious thing! I’m not ready for that! I just turned 19! If anything, I want to get out of it!”

“Get out of it? Why?”

Everyone looked at Penny. She ate a dainty bite of her pizza and giggled and shrugged.

“I mean, the deal doesn’t sound so bad to me. If she’s gorgeous on top of it, then what’s the downside?”

“Shit, Penny, not everyone feels the same way about commitment you apparently do,” Bart said, again with that wry smile of his. He patted Clark on the back. “I get what you’re feeling, brother. Women are all varying degrees of crazy, and it’s tough to get saddled with one before you can even tell what kind she is. What if she’s the unacceptable kind?”

“Unacceptable?” Sandra scoffed. “And just what exactly comprises unacceptability in a wife?”

“Argumentativeness, spitefulness, resting bitch face,” Clark counted off on his fingers. Penny giggled and gave Sandra a smug smile of her own.

“You are no help, person I was once best friends with…”

“Whatever. I want out. How can I get out of this? Penny, you know people. Can you have her killed? You know, with some sort of plausible deniability?”

“What?” Penny nearly choked on her pizza. “Killed? No! I don’t know anyone like that!”

“You’re a liar,” Clark said. “Everyone saw you get flown to campus last semester by that shiny bitch, what’s-her-face. You’re connected, no one comes to Gravenreuth without being connected.”

“I’m not connected to contract killers.” Penny pouted again. “I wish people would stop thinking that about me…”

“Better they think about your videos instead?”

“That was mean, Clark,” Sandra said. “And you want her to help you? Any of us, for that matter.”

“I didn’t want to break up with you, Sandra. Honest. Maybe I was a little pissed off about your romantic getaway, but I’m over it. Now I’m a frickin’ traumatized boy and I can’t get out of it no matter how bad I want to.”

“Until about 15 seconds ago I hoped for the best for you, but now I’m not so sure,” Penny said, glowering across the table at him.

“I didn’t mean it… well, maybe a little I did in the heat of the moment, but I’m sorry. I’m freaked out and I’m saying shit I don’t want to say. I don’t really want her killed, but I figured if she dies in some horrible accident I’m off the hook.”

Sandra, Penny, and Bart exchanged uneasy glances and they spent several awkward moments focusing on their food.

“Well,” Bart said, “if you’re getting married I guess I’ll get ahold of your brother and we can start planning the bachelor party. Always look on the bright side, eh?”

“Some friends you are…”

***

It had been a good workout. Penny sweat for an hour the following morning and then stretched for 20 minutes and then jogged back to the dorm, passing through the doors into the common area at around 7:30 that morning. She was still sweating and a little out of breath and her face was flushed and a boy on one of the sofas looked up and followed her with his eyes as she crossed before the hearth. Penny glanced down at her second-skin leggings and despaired. She should have been in baggy sweatpants drawing zero eyes in her direction. But in this reality she had grown accustomed to eyes on her by her classmates once again, and tried not to sulk too much at the thought that everyone she knew had once again seen her naked and in the midst of coitus with her faraway ex-girlfriend.

When she reached her room she found the door was open and there was a handsome young man inside. He was leaning against the doorway to Maddie’s room and doing something on the phone in his hands. He had a fine, square jaw with a cleft chin and beautiful dark hair in waves pushed back from his face. Penny’s first impression was that he had to be some sort of a model. Were they getting ready to film a promotional video in her room? Why had she not been informed? He looked up and smiled at her as she entered.

“You must be Penny Stark.”

Penny stopped short and narrowed her eyes.

“Who wants to know?”

This handsome young man pocketed his phone and stepped towards her with a good-natured laugh.

“Maddie said you were a character, and she was right.” He closed the door behind her and held out his hand. “Travis Hartner. Maddie’s my bride.”

“She’s your…” Penny hesitated but ended up reaching out and letting him shake her hand. While his skin was soft he had a firm, confidence-inspiring grip and he met her eyes and she could understand why Maddie put up with his abusive phone calls… not that she would. “Where’s Maddie?”

“First, I have a question for you.” He reached back into his pocket and retrieved his phone. “Is this you?”

“Those were revenge videos, those were taken illegally…” Penny’s rushed response faltered and her face flushed redder as she saw that the image on his phone was neither her bedroom nor Ayumi’s. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Just watch.”

The image sprang into blurry motion. It was a dark room, a HUGE dark room with multi-colored lights strobing around and smoke and something about it woke a tingle in Penny’s memory. There were people there, everyone was dancing. She could feel the music even if this Travis did not have the sound turned up on his phone. And then there she was. That was her indeed, Penny Stark, the PMer lesbian dancing with her hips pressed lewdly against someone else’s fiancee…

“That was…”

“Not what you were expecting?” Travis said with a chuckle.

He let the video continue. Penny was staring up at Maddie. At her lips. She was grinding her body against Maddie, their faces so close, she could remember feeling Maddie’s champagne-soaked breath on her, remembered that intoxicating smell—

“Is it?”

Penny tore her eyes from the video when it ended and looked up at Travis, her eyes wide. Suddenly she was very aware of how fatigued she was after her workout, and that she was alone in her room with this handsome, strong young man and while he certainly remained charming there were many days he had reduced Maddie to tears.

“Yes.” Penny swallowed hard. “Nothing happened, but I’m—” she choked on her words and stepped back from him. “I’m sorry.”

He gripped her wrist and pulled her back towards him. That charming smile still on his face he lowered his voice and his dark eyes bored into Penny’s.

“Maddie will never see you again. You’re a PMer. You’re a danger to everyone around you. With profiles like ours, we can’t afford to have someone like you in our lives.”

“You’re—” Penny grunted and tried to pull her wrist free but for all her exercise she was not strong enough. Her heart hammered up into her throat and she swallowed hard and tried to maintain eye contact. “You’re hurting me…”

“I’m hurting you?” He looked down at her wrist, so skinny, so delicate in his hand, and yanked it up between them. “This hurts you? Would you rather we were dead?” He yanked up on her arm and she yelped, she was on her toes as he held her hand aloft. He swiped the screen on her phone and showed her a news headline from the previous spring. “This was your school, wasn’t it? Where Morning Light died? You were there, weren’t you? And Cosmette went to your same school. Your whole island is a magnet for danger. What little hurt I could do to you pales in comparison to the hurt you could do to us.”

“I didn’t—I’m not—”

Penny bit back her next words as tears welled up in her eyes and she cursed herself for being such a crybaby. Travis laughed and pulled her to the sofa. He sat and, with her wrist still in his unbreakable grip, she sat, too. He placed her hand way up on his thigh and kept her there.

“So what’s this about a revenge video?”

Penny kept her knees closed and leaned away from him, but her arm was only so long and he was very strong.

“What, exactly, was taken illegally?”

Penny shook her head and he laughed at her.

“Really, a girl who dances like that in public with someone else’s betrothed, and you’re embarrassed to have a factual conversation about something everyone already knows about?”

“If everyone knows about it, why do I have to talk about it?”

He laughed again. “Really? A slut like you embarrassed about a little talk about sex?”

He moved her hand further up his thigh. She could feel the heat radiating from the hard thing between his legs. She tried to pull away but he retaliated by placing the edge of her hand against that hard thing in his pants.

“I’m not a slut—”

“Everyone in this institute knows that’s not true. You were just recently fucking some waitress. You fucked someone else’s boyfriend before that. And after, if what I heard about you and some tramp on some uninhabited tropical island is true.” He placed her hand directly upon his member and grabbed her hair. “So now I’m giving you the chance to fuck a man. Maybe that’s what you really need. Cure that dyke disease you contracted…”

“Let me go,” Penny whimpered, straining back against his grip with all the energy she had left. “I’m not a slut.”

“A troublesome slut.” He forced her face towards his. He smelled good, some sort of expensive soap or cologne, and Penny’s stomach turned. “But prove to me you’re worth the trouble and maybe I won’t be forced to tell Maddie how you came on to me.”

“I’m not coming on to you—”

“You’ll spread those legs and you’ll admit to being a slut and we’ll enjoy a few meaningless moments together this morning.”

“I’m not a slut!”

She lashed out with her free hand, slapping him as hard as she could despite her lack of leverage. His face contorted with rage and he growled and the world turned over in a blur as Penny went tumbling from the couch. Panic had long since seized her heart and she scrambled away towards her room, putting distance between them. She held her phone—where did this come from??—before her like a weapon. He laughed again at her and she frowned back.

“What?”

“You’re a riot, Penny Stark.” Then his face turned serious. “You stay the fuck away from Maddie. If you had any sense you’d stay the fuck away from all of us, away from the whole fuckin’ human race in the first place. Why don’t you just fuckin’ kill yourself, you girlfriend-stealing little slut?”

Penny’s mouth dropped open and she stared at him, groping through her mind for a retort, but there was nothing. Nothing but shock and pain and her stupid eyes teared up and, because she was a crybaby, she started crying right there. He laughed again, sadistically this time, and shook his head as he turned towards the door.

“You’re fucking pathetic, you know that? Pathetic. I don’t know why I was worried about this. No way Maddie sees anything in you but a fucking tease. You fucking slut.”

The door slammed shut behind him and Penny was alone. She looked down at her phone but saw only a watery mess and had to swipe her sleeves across her eyes three times before she could get ahold on herself and then she realized she was breathless and it was several more minutes before her hands were steady enough to see the notification regarding a message from Leah.

“Where are you? I am waiting in the common area. I do not wish to converse with The Rog.”

The message was two minutes old. She hastily typed out a response and dove into her room. Leah was quick to response.

“Shall I come up?”

“Yes. PLEASE.”

Penny tossed her phone down on her bed and turned back to the room she shared with Maddie. Across the room Maddie’s door was open and her bedroom was empty. Penny had only a moment to peek inside and see it was empty before Leah entered. She stopped short and frowned at Penny.

“Generally people shower after working out…”

“It was Maddie’s fiance,” Penny said, her face burning red with shame at how her voice shook. “He was here. He tried to… tried to…” She squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. At least no new tears spilled out. Leah approached.

“He tried to… did he threaten you?”

Penny nodded. “He was… he started off friendly, then he told me never to talk to Maddie again. Then he called me a slut and… and tried to…” Penny bit her lip and glanced at the couch. Leah’s hand landed gently on her shoulder and Penny jumped. “Sorry, I’m—”

“No. No. I’m sorry.” Leah withdrew and squared off with Penny. “Shall I hug you?”

Penny nodded.

“All right.”

Leah put her hands on Penny’s shoulders and pulled her close for a hug. She patted Penny’s hair.

“He tried to rape you.”

Penny nodded into Leah’s shoulder.

“Did he succeed?”

Penny shook her head and she felt Leah deflate with relief.

“Well, then. Let’s get you showered and we’ll go have a quick breakfast.”

“With The Rog?” Penny’s voice was pathetic, but as they stepped away from each other and went to Penny’s room, Leah’s face glowed with affection and a hint of sarcasm.

“The Rog thinks everyone loves him. Most of them do. He is not unlikable.”

“You don’t like him.”

“I don’t dislike him. But I like you better—”

They stopped in Penny’s doorway. The curtain had fluttered, drawing both their eyes. But as they gripped each other’s hands and walked towards it there was no further movement. The sun streamed in through the window, its light still yellow with the recent dawn under which nothing could hide, least of all in a bedroom in a suite at the Gravenreuth Institute.

“Just my imagination,” Penny said, her voice sounding unconvinced of the sentiment it carried.

“Both of ours? At the same time?” Leah knelt down beside Penny’s bed, drawing the PMer down with her, and they both peeked under it. Nothing. They sat back on their heels, still hand in hand, and exchanged pale-faced looks. Leah gasped and then released Penny’s hand and laughed.

“What?” Penny rubbed her hand guiltily.

“The two of us, checking together for monsters under the bed.”

Penny glanced at the bed and then shared an awkward smile with Leah and then they put their arms around each other’s shoulders and laughed together.

“I still have to shower.”

“I’m not scared, but I’ll stay here with you, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind. If I could shower in front of Sandra I can shower in front of you.”

“Even after what just happened?”

Penny nodded. “He just wanted to scare me. It worked. I don’t want to talk to Maddie ever again…” She began disrobing. Leah moved to her bed and sat down.

“But,” Leah said, “we both noticed how this fiance of hers treated her all semester. It doesn’t seem right to me. Nothing about this.”

“I only noticed before you got here, but Maddie looks like she’s moved out. All her things are gone.” Penny tossed her clothes aside and stepped into the bathroom, leaving the door open.

“Gone…” Leah leaned forward and looked out the door and across the room. The room looked unchanged from where she sat, but all rooms in the Institute used the same rich bedspreads and high-count sheets. The water turned on and Leah swung her gaze back to see Penny stepping under the waterfall showerhead behind the glass enclosure.

“Totally gone. I wonder if we’ll ever see her again.”

“I hope so.”

“I wonder if we should try to rescue her from her fiance.”

Leah smiled to herself and shook her head. Penny had stolen her high school girlfriend from her boyfriend. Surely she was not about to try to steal a second…

Follow The Long Winter into #56 Previous Engagements part four here.