Find a Penny, Pick Her Up

Chapter 22

I stood on the boardwalk, squeezing my fingers together. One by one. Thumb, pointer, middle, ring, and pinky. Over and over, as I stared at the setting sun hitting the horizon. Fisherman in the distance were docking their boats and transporting the catch of the day to the sidewalk, ready to be sold at the fish market the following morning. On the beach, older couples sat on lawn chairs, watching the setting sun with drinks in their hands. Vacationing families who'd been at the beach for the majority of the day looked tired, throwing dry clothes over their toddlers, gathering scattered toys, and packing up discarded trash and food - all while still trying to catch a peak of the sun. I shifted my footing, checking the time on my phone. It was ten minutes after seven - she was late. Was she ditching? 

A few couples ambled a few feet away from me, holding each other's hands and watching what everyone else was. I didn't recognize anyone, so that was a plus. I'm sure Annie wasn't thrilled about the idea of having Royal high students catch a glimpse of the school's all-time enemies having a private conversation. 

My phone buzzed in my hand, and I checked it, half expecting it to be Annie telling me where to stick it, but it was Jess. The message read: Do you see her? 

I texted back that she hadn't showed yet, making a joke about her never coming in the first place and wondering if she enjoyed cat fishing people. I pressed send, then looked up right when I saw Annie. She was walking down the boardwalk, dressed in black sweats and a hoodie, arms crossed tight across her chest. By the time she got to me, I eyed her outfit. 

"Camo much?" I asked. 

Annie smiled sweetly. "Wouldn't want anyone I know to see me talking to the town's killer." We were off to a great start. "Why am I here?" 

I swallowed. "I have some questions about the night Jack died." My own abruptness almost startled me, but I swallowed it and continued. She gave a short laugh that lacked humor. 

"The night you killed my boyfriend. How could I forget?"

My chest burned in frustration. "What I'm about to say is nothing against Jack and his memory, but you were planning on ending it that night. You know what he was to you, so don't pretend that you two were in love." I paused, realizing something. "Actually? That's pretty shitty on your part. And disrespectful." 

Annie looked at me like she'd been slapped. "Did you ask me here so you could get your revenge from the bonfire? Be a bitch back to make yourself feel better." 

I shook my head, nerves falling away as the conversation continued. I don't know why I was ever afraid of her; she was the same, insecure girl who I'd once been best friends with. "No, because I'm not a bitch." 

"Oh, really?" She raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow. "Do you not recall anything when we were friends? Honestly, Penny, sometimes I even thought you were being a bit harsh. That's saying something." It was true. I was a mean-girl. A clone of Annie. But everything changed the night Jack died. I was forced to look at myself in the mirror and recognize the person I'd become. It was part of the reason why I wanted to hide so much, because I wasn't sure how I'd let myself get to that point. 

I sighed, looking out over the water. "I don't wanna fight-"

"Then why am I here?" Annie repeated herself, taking a step closer. I looked at her face, and for a moment, I was sure I'd seen a flash of fear in her face. Fear? What did she have to be afraid of? 

"I was talking to Justin the other day, and we got into talking about Jack. He told me a whole story of him coming to us and me crying into him. Do you remember him showing up to McDonalds?" 

Annie stared at me, the same flash of fear running through her face. It was gone in an instant, and she regained her initial stoic face. "Yeah, he did. But only for, like, fifteen minutes. Then you told him to leave." Fifteen minutes?