"I just wanted some fucking tea." - Allie

PART NINETEEN
↳ life goes on

PENELOPE WOKE SOMETIME DURING THE EARLY MORNING as gentle hands tucked a blanket up around her shoulders, being careful to tuck the corners in securely. The girl's eyes fluttered but remained closed as the events of the previous night began to come back to her.

She realises that her head is pounding as she finally opens her eyes and comes face to face with Grizz's concerned eyes.

"Hey. Gordie told me you were asking for me earlier. Everything, okay?" His voice was a soft whisper as he stood to the side of the bed.

Nell let the blanket fall to her stomach as she rubbed her eyes and nearly choked when she saw the sleeping figure beside her.

Harry was fast asleep, one arm tucked beneath where her head had been lying only moments before, the other arm tucked close to his middle.

Both of them were still fully clothed and above the covers so she figured Harry probably hadn't meant to fall asleep. Penelope had a faint memory of her asking that he stay and she was a little surprised that he had stuck around.

Her heart warmed when she realised that Grizz had placed the blanket not only atop her body, but also atop Harry's sleeping form. She turned back to her best friend with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I'm alright now. Harry took care of me believe it or not," she kept her voice soft, careful not to disturb Harry's quiet snores.

Grizz glanced at Harry with a thoughtful expression before he met her eyes once again, "I'm not so surprised."

Penelope felt herself smiling again as she realised she agreed with Grizz. Harry had come a long way in the short time they'd been in New Ham. Sure, he was still the same moody, troubled guy who sometimes made bad choices when he felt threatened or alone. But he was also someone new, he had become a better version of himself.

"Oh, shit. I just realised we totally passed out in your bed. What time is it? I'll wake Harry-" Penelope began, eyes wide as reality seemed to kick in.

Grizz stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Stop, hey. Chill out. It's like five in the morning. I texted you earlier to tell you I wasn't gonna be home but I'm assuming you were already passed out by then."

Penelope lied back down, letting out a breath. She cringed as her head hit the bed's headboard and gripped her forehead in pain.

Grizz watched her, then gingerly sat down on the bed and turned to nod his head at the empty bottle of whiskey by the door, "You been raiding Dad's liquor cabinet, Nell?" His tone was light but his eyes were worried.

If Grizz really knew her, he would know that her father had turned to drugs and alcohol when her mother died and therefore he would also know that Penelope had struggled herself with both of those for the first few months.

Something in her new best friends eyes told her that he did know, and this was exactly why he was gazed at her with such intense concern. But then she blinked and suddenly she was in another time.

She was still curled up on Grizz's bed, but instead of sitting in front of her, Grizz was beside her and clutching her tightly to his chest. She was high out of her mind and seeing a hallucination of her mother dying on a loop, over and over again.

Grizz didn't say a word, he simply held her. One of his hands reached up to stroke her hair as she rocked back and forth, an endless stream of tears falling down her face. She sucked in a breath and blinked again.

Another synthetic memory. Or maybe it was a real one, but it didn't belong to her? Penelope wasn't sure, but it definitely felt real. That memory was half true. She did have an awful hallucination when she was high not too long after her mother died, but nobody had been there to hold her. It wasn't easy but she'd picked up the pieces of her shattered heart all by herself.

She shook herself lightly and finally met Grizz's gaze. She wasn't sure how to feel about the memory but she did know that right here, right now, Grizz was sitting in front of her. She knew that he would be there for her through thick and thin, and she could really use a friend.

So she leant forward and tugged him into a tight hug. All she seemed to do these days was hug him, but he didn't seem to mind. This world had a strange way of reminding people to treasure every moment with the people they love, Grizz and Penelope were no exception to this.

"I'm okay, Grizz," her words were muffled by his shoulder.

He pulls back to look at her closely, "You'll tell me if it gets bad again?"

Penelope's throat feels tight but she manages a small smile and a nod. Grizz seems satisfied enough with this answer and gets up from the bed. He glances one more time at Harry before he announces, "There's an unofficial council meeting this morning at Allie's, I'm headed there now but you don't have to be there for a couple of hours."

Penelope sighs, slowly coming to terms with the fact that no matter how much she wished the world could just pause for a day, it was going to move on without her anyway. So she nods and offers Grizz a half wave as he makes to leave the room

Before he goes he looks back at her, "Oh and I put some aspirin and a glass of water on the bedside table, I would suggest taking that now so that you can actually attend the meeting."

With that, he leaves, closing the door quietly behind him.

Penelope snorts and does exactly that. She chugs the water down like her life depends on it and then lies back down. She tugs the fuzzy blanket up over her shoulders once more and snuggles into Harry's side, noticing that he was like a human heater. She breathes in his comforting scent, resting her head on his chest as her eyes fall shut again.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

When Nell wakes up for the second time, the bright morning sun is finally in the sky and it's golden glow is peaking through a crack in Grizz's faded blue curtains. Her head is still placed comfortably on Harry's chest, his warmth seeps into her cheek.

She stirs and stretches slightly as she tries to wake herself up. Thankfully, the aspirin seemed to be doing it's job and Penelope didn't feel half as bad as she probably should after the amount of whiskey she had consumed.

Looking up, she realises that Harry is already awake. One of his arms is above her head as he scrolls through his phone, the other is wrapped around her side. She winces and pats his hand to move it out of her way as she attempts to sit up.

Without alcohol to numb the pain, everything was really beginning to hurt. Harry watches her struggle and puts his phone down as he jumps off the bed, coming around to the other side. She accepts his help, gripping his forearms as he hoists her into a standing position.

He shakes his head down at her with a serious expression, "All you gotta do is ask for help, Nell. You were shot, I really don't mind." Nell places her hands on her hips and stares back at him defiantly.

But her face quickly deflates as she realises that he's truly being genuine and not his usual sarcastic self. This was really going to take some getting used to.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just so used to dealing with things on my own," She admits, looking down at her sock covered feet.

Warm hands grasp her cheeks and tilt her face upwards so that she's staring up into chocolate brown eyes, "Well you're not on your own anymore. So you're just gonna have to get used to that."

A faint smile pulls at her lips as she closes the distance between them and presses her mouth against his for the first time since prom night. She feels him smile into the kiss as he wraps his arms around her body, pulling her closer to him.

Penelope lets out an unconscious yelp as one of his hands brushes against her wound accidentally. Harry steps back from her right away, regret fills his eyes, "Shit, Penelope. I'm so sorry."

She brushes his concerns off, wiping the grimace off of her face. "It's okay, Harry. Seriously, I hate being so delicate," she scowls.

He rolls his eyes, humour in his expression, "Oh, don't worry. I don't think anybody would ever make the mistake of considering you, delicate. Bullet wound or not."

Penelope scoffs, but grips his shirt and pulls him in for one more lingering kiss before she makes her way over to the pills Gordie had left the previous day. She reads the directions and takes two as instructed, washing them down with the last of the water Grizz left her.

It's quiet for the next few minutes as the two of them get ready for the day.

"Do you think Grizz minds that I slept here?" Harry finally breaks the silence.

Penelope shrugs as she ties one of her shoes, sitting on the bed. "Nah, he came round this morning. He didn't care."

Harry nods in relief. He shrugs on a jacket as he comes to stand in front of her, "So what are your plans for today? You got any work shifts?"

"I've gotta go to to a council meeting now and I think I've got kitchen duty for lunch but after that I'm free." She looks up at him with a meaningful look.

"Okay, good. So we'll hang out later then? I think- I want to talk to you about something," he stutters.

Penelope silences his anxiety with another peck on his lips, "Okay, I'll see you later."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

20K WTH!! i'm still loving writing this story & im so glad you're all sticking around to see where it goes. this chapter is on the short side i know but i figured you'd prefer a shortish chapter than have to wait another day.

hopefully there will be another update tomorrow xx