Rachael Waechter's Author Spot

Long Live

Penny

My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I clutched my textbooks and rounded the corner to the Senior hallway.

There was Theo, standing outside his locker talking to another one of the guys on the football team. I was out of breath by the time I made it up to him.

“Hey, Pen!” He said, looking genuinely happy to see me. “Good chatting, Brody. See you at practice.” He waved goodbye to his friend and turned his full attention to me.

“You look flustered, Pen. Is everything ok?”

Technically, everything was ok. But the announcement over the loud speaker over the lunch hour really pulled me out of it. 

“Theo, did you hear the announcements today?”

“I did, indeed.” He smiled, knowingly. “And?”

“I think there was a mistake. I shouldn’t have been listed as a nominee. I’m a junior, Theo. I’m not even a senior! How could I possibly be a homecoming queen nominee?”

“Well for starters, anyone can be nominated, it just usually happens to be all seniors. And second, maybe you’re just popular.”

“Says you!” I whisper-yelled. “You made the list, too! But you’re a jock! Of course you made the list! I’m the weird girl who accidentally gave another dancer a concussion a few months ago.”

“But you’re a cute weird girl,” he flashed me an over-the-top smile that made me laugh. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

“For real, Theo,” I said. “I think I’m being made fun of. I’m going to be publicly humiliated. 

“Ok drama queen,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “This isn’t Carrie or Mean Girls. This is just a normal high school. So what if they voted for you as a joke. You get to stand up there with the rest of them and receive a little bouquet. It’ll be fine.”

“Well it’s weird because it’s all couples who were nominated.”

He stopped in the middle of grabbing his calc notebook from his backpack. 

“You’re mistaken. I’m not in a couple.”

I blushed. I didn’t mean to make this awkward. Theo and I were friends. Really good friends. Best friends, even. I didn’t mean to bring up his lack of a girlfriend. 

“Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just imagining all these girls wearing their boyfriends’ jerseys to school on Friday and then making them little signs for the game, before walking out on the field together in a tiny dress and a suit.”

“Are you going to wear a tiny dress?” He asked.

I flushed an even deeper shade. 

“I mean,” I stuttered. “I don’t know what I’m wearing yet.”

“Well,” he replied calmly. “To school, you’re wearing my jersey.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“For real?”

“Yeah, I don’t want you to feel left out,” he smiled.

I smiled back.

“Thank you, that’s so nice of you.”

“You do have to wash it before you return it, though. Those are the rules.”

I think I hit peak happiness just then. I was going to be a normal high school girl, wearing a football player’s jersey and receiving flowers on the field during the homecoming game. I was living the teenage dream, even if he wasn’t my actual boyfriend. He was my best friend and that was good, too. 

“I’ll wash it, I promise.”

“Great, come by my locker tomorrow and I can give it to you.”

* * * 

On Friday morning, I looked at myself in the mirror, smiling at the Beckworth HS football jersey I was practically swimming in. A big, red #31 stood out on the back, just below the name: Martin. 

I fixed my hair and turned back to the bed, where I’d laid out a powder pink dress and strappy heels for tonight, as well as a “MARTIN #31” sign I’d made with a poster board and glitter pens. 

If he was going to loan me his jersey, I’d make him a sign to cheer him on at the game. 

Arriving at school, I could see the other girls in the hall whispering. I knew I was unpopular. They did vote for me to walk on the field tonight, probably to mock me publicly. I’d go up, take fourth place, and have to bow my head in shame as I walked back to my seat. I’d likely have to see Theo get crowned Homecoming King alongside Becca Rogers or Amelia Janko. It would be more painful up close, which is probably why they nominated me in the first place. 

“You look awesome,” Theo said, approaching my locker.
“Awesome thanks to you,” I replied, twirling for full effect.

“Bet your parents loved the outfit today,” he jested.

“I snuck out this morning before they could see me. I didn’t want the lecture. You know they can’t stand you,” I hated saying it, but it was true. My family thought Theo was trouble. They didn’t like that he was a weirdo like me. I think they feared he would take me away from them. In reality, Theo was staying back for me. He’d be attending Beckworth College next year, not wanting to get too far from Victory, or from me. 

“They’ll come around,” he winked. “Are they coming to the game tonight?”

“No,” I replied. “They don’t actually know about it. I just told them I had plans with a friend. Luckily, they didn’t question it.”

“Sweet, so I can actually be seen with you and not be at risk of murder.”

“Murder?” I laughed. 

“Yeah, isn’t that a thing with some dads? ‘Don’t touch my daughter unless you want to wake up in a ditch’ or something like that?”

I laughed. He was so sincere. I was proud to be wearing his jersey. 

“I need to go to my drawing class,” I said. “But I will see you tonight at the game.”

“Yeah, I’ll try and find you in the crowd,” he said.

“You’ll find me. I’ll be the one in the Martin jersey.”

* * *

As halftime approached, I slid my homemade poster under the seat and made my way to the gate, where the Homecoming court would enter the field. Theo was still on the field, so he wouldn’t join until the clock ran out. 

I got in line behind Amelia Janko, smoothing my skirt and trying not to make eye contact. 

“What did you do to get your name in the box, Anderson? I thought only seniors were able to be on the court,” she sneered.

“I don’t know. Guess I must be really popular,” I quipped back. I could feel my face turning red. I really wanted to get this over with. 

The horn sounded and we started to make our way onto the field. Theo ran up next to me, dripping with sweat, cheeks smeared with black facepaint. 

“Hey,” he said, offering me his arm. Just “hey.” I smiled and took it, walking slowly so as to not trip and fall in front of the entire school.

The senior class president lined us all up and announced each of us to the crowd. When he called my name, I stepped forward and waved to the bleaches, accepting my bouquet and smiling, even though it pained me. The cheers were much less raucous than they were for the other nominees. I thought I even heard some booing. This was humiliating. 

“Ok everyone,” the class president said into the microphone. “This year’s Homecoming King is… Theodore Martin!”

The crowd erupted into applause as Theo stepped forward to receive his crown. I clapped and grinned. He deserved it.

“And your Homecoming Queen is…”

My heart raced as I braced myself to walk away awkwardly.

“Penelope Anderson…”

The class president didn’t look or sound happy. The crowd clapped some, but not enough to make it believable. They were just as confused as I was. 

I plastered on a fake smile and stepped forward to be crowned. The class president smiled a bit, too, as she pinned a tiara in my hair. The other nominees walked away, dejected. I swore Amelia was crying as she sulked across the field. 

As Theo and I took our photo together, I had a feeling something was off. He looked far too pleased but not at all surprised. Posing for the photo, I leaned in and whispered.

“What did you do?”

He continued to smile for the camera, not looking at me.

“I broke into the student council’s office and stuffed the ballot box. No biggie.”

I burst out laughing just in time for the camera to flash.

“You’re not serious!” I whispered.

“As the plague,” he replied, pulling me closer to him.

“Amelia Janko is going to kill you,” I said.

“So is your dad but I’m not scared of him either.”

I smiled. A real smile this time. This was the dumbest thing that had ever happened to me, but I kind of loved it. 

When we made it back to the stands, he came over to see my sign before returning to the field.

“I love it,” he said. “That was really thoughtful of you, Pen. Thank you.”

“We should get a picture with it. A real one, not one for the yearbook.”

I handed my phone to a freshman covered in war paint and posed with Theo and my homemade sign, our silly crowns probably glistening in the stadium lighting. 

“This is a keeper,” I said, looking at the photo.

“Print me a copy of that for my locker,” he said. “I want to remember you in this dress, with that crown. Penny Anderson, Homecoming Queen.”

I laughed but knew I would be printing the photo for sure, one copy for each of us.

A few years later, that photo would be hung by my bed. My best friend, Bianca Williams would ask about it, and I’d laugh, telling her about the time Theo rigged an election and stole my heart in the same week.