Crash

The Land Down Under

So far, Penelope was not in a good mood. 

Her day had started off well. Charles had driven her to the rink on his way to training, insisting on carrying her bag inside for her. He and Jasper had chatted like old friends until Penelope had shooed her boyfriend away, knowing that if he was late for training, his team would kill him. With a kiss and a promise to catch them later, he left, humming as he made his way pack to the carpark. 

Still on the upward incline, Penelope and Jasper had a training session that was more than successful. Nationals were right round the corner, but unlike for showcase, this time she felt ready. The routines were better, more complicated but almost flawless. She and Jasper had gotten their rhythm back, and slowly she could feel her love for dancing starting to return. Being out on the ice was fun again, and she was happier for it. 

After rehearsal was finished, Penelope and Jasper sat in the stands, catching their breath. She was tired and her legs ached, but she felt better than she had in a long time. As she was switching from her skates to trainers, she caught Jasper staring at her, a little frown forming on his brow. 

"What?" she said with a nervous laugh, flicking a flake of melting ice at him. 

"Hey! Nothing. You just seem...happy, this morning."

"That such a bad thing?"

"No. Just wondering what's got you smiling like that, that's all."

"Well, Jasper, I happen to be having a very good week."

"Oh? Why so?" 

She gave him a look that told him all he needed to know. Jasper laughed, a deep sound right from the pit of his stomach that rang out through the rink. 

"Penelope this is a side to you I never thought I'd see!"

"Shut up," she grumbled, flicking more ice at him. 

"I never said it was a bad thing! I mean, clearly he's doing something right."

"We've just been...working through some things. That's all."

Jasper raised an eyebrow, slinging his bag over his shoulder as they got ready to leave. "Things? What things?"

"I don't know. Something stupid."

"You guys have your first fight?"

"No, actually. It was weird, I thought it might be the end but it wasn't. Now it's like nothing happened."

"So...a lot of make up sex?"

 Penelope opened her mouth to scold him, but changed her mind at the last minute. "Yes," she said plainly, hiding the hickey on her collarbone as she took off her jumper. "A lot of make up sex."

Things had started to go downhill that afternoon. Penelope had left the rink and was sat in her closet back home, trying to pack for their trip to Australia. Charles was leaving earlier than her so that she could stay and rehearse as much as she could but still be there to support him. It was a lot of work, and a long flight, but it was worth it. She was excited to get out of L.A. even if watching the races gave her heart palpitations and caused her anxiety to go off the charts. 

Unfortunately, the universe seemed to have other plans. Just as Jane was explaining why she probably should take more than half a bottle of sunscreen, Penelope's phone rang. 

Jane stopped talking, waiting for her to answer. Penelope waved a hand, dismissing it. "It's my work phone. It's probably nothing."

"You should really answer it, Penelope. At least check who's calling. It might be important," Jane said with a little frown, and Penelope could tell it was killing her not to know.