Why not? - English

13-08 Sparkes in the Sky

Penny and I didn't get to talk about it like I had planned, thanks to Ravani's desire to tour the rescue center and the Sparks' trip in a homemade hot air balloon. While Steele wanted me on the tour, he had sent Penny to the cliffs, along with Helen and Tom as a disaster response team - which was definitely sorely needed.

And yet Ben, Ravani and I had still had to go out to find Hannah and Joe at sea, where they had landed thanks to their turbo engines. I had sent Ben after the burning balloon to prevent an accident on Pontypandy Island. In the end, it was Penny who masterfully shot down the balloon. I had watched everything through binoculars - including how Ben and Penny high-fived each other and chatted with smiles.

It had turned my stomach around. She ignored me while flirting with him? What was that? Did she want revenge on me? But she couldn't know that I was watching them, could she? Did she want to give him a chance now that she thought I had turned to Ellie? Did she really believe that? Still? Even though I assured her I hadn't?

I was completely taken by surprise when Malcolm told me yesterday, while playing cards at the station, what Dilys said, she had seen and that it was going around in the whole city. It was hard enough trying to get everything on track so that Penny and I could finally be together without her having any more 'ifs' or 'buts'. But after Penny had to hear that from me and Ellie, it would have become almost impossible to win her back. The fact that she hadn't responded to any of my messages showed me that. Her trust in me must have been completely destroyed. I had recently assured her that I was only paying so much attention to Ellie for work and only because I wanted to pave the way for me to be with Penny. Now should I pay for Ellie's dissolute love life?

I've never had a hard time reading Penny. But since she came into work today, she had completely shut down. She showed no hint of emotion. She had greeted me just as neutrally as she did with Ellie, while Elvis and Arnold had smiled and before I could talk to her, Steele had already come and sent us both to separate posts.

Ravani had just said goodbye to me and I was still waiting for Steele to take him back to the station in Venus when Penny came out of the ocean rescue center already dressed. She faltered for just a moment before stubbornly answering with a curt 'Hey, Sam.' passed me and made her way to the station.

"You can drive in Venus if Steele comes soon. I can walk too," I offered her.

"Running is healthy!" was all she said without even turning around. I glanced sideways at Charlie, who had just come out of the Cafe and was looking at me, then at Penny, then at me again - only to wave my hands excitedly to show me that I should talk to her before she left.

He had also been at the Pioneer's festival yesterday and was the one who had made me, in the presence of my parents, get it off my chest about everything that was going wrong between me and Penny. They all said I needed to talk to her and clarify this. My Dad had even threatened me that he would spank me if I actually did not do that and didn't fix things with Penny. But where should I start to get her attention enough to make her stop and actually want to talk?

"You and Ben, you seem to be getting along better again?" I called after her a little louder because it was the first thing that came to my mind and to my delight she actually stopped and turned to me skeptically.

"We never didn't get along."

"I just thought because he and you were talking and laughing today," I said with a shrug, trying to act as cool as possible while the thought of what she might do with him if she didn't believed me soon, was eating me up inside.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” she replied skeptically and crossed her arms over her chest to look at me seriously. I pushed myself off the railing I had been leaning against and walked calmly towards her - my hands deep in my pockets.