Pennies

Unfair

"It's not fair!" Penny exclaimed. Everyone had been getting the new iPhone 7s, except her. She would have to deal with her 6s for another year. A whole year. Ridiculous, right?

"Honey, you know our plan only supports an upgrade every 2 years. We signed up for this!" her father explained.

This is dumb, she thought. She couldn't handle the torture she would get from everyone at school. Penny this, Penny that. She would go insane!

Penny is a good kid. She is 17, no job, no siblings, but a sick Nissan Versa. She doesn't have much though, except her car, her phone, her skiing equipment, her rowing scholarship, and all of her color assorted clothes from Buckle. She gets a weekly allowance of $50. Not much for a kid her age.

Well, she thought, it's almost time for rowing practice. I guess I'll sit in my room with my crap phone when I get home.

She goes up to her room, takes off her clothes, and puts on some short shorts and a crew neck sweatshirt. She's currently in fall season rowing, which is a 5k and it's so much harder than spring and...

Anyways, she goes downstairs and into the garage. She grabs the keys on her way out the door, not even saying "I love you" to her parents. She is so mad at her parents right now. She wasn't even given a chance. She starts up her car and heads out. Hopefully her boyfriend, Gabe, will cheer her up. They're both on the same team and plan on going to the same college, hopefully growing up and having kids together, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

She speeds the whole way to rowing practice, only slowing down when she sees a cop. She's almost late and her coach, Sarah, is pretty strict about timing. When she arrives, she runs through the boathouse doors to her locker room where Sarah is waiting.

"You were almost late," she says, rudely.

"I'm sorry, I was having a fight with my parents."

She sees Gabe and walks over to him, with a stunning rock in her hips.

"Hey babe," Gabe says, kissing her on her arrival. Gabe is the captain of the rowing team. He's also former captain of the football team. He was voted best in his class of 50. He's also a senior.

"Hey baby," she says, kissing back.

"C'mon you lovebirds. Let's get out on the water," Sarah says to them.

They line up on the four man boat and lift it off the racks. They follow their coxswains lead down to the water.

"Ugh. Brenna this boat is so heavy," Penny says.

"Quit your complaining, Penny."

Penny shuts up for a bit until they arrive at the river. They follow the coxswains orders.

"Up and over heads! Together, up!" Brenna yells.

Penny lifts up her part of the boat, grunting as she does so.

"Alright, down into the water. Together, down!"

Penny does exactly as she is told and puts the giant boat into the water. She holds on to it to keep it from floating away.

"Everyone find your spots! Let's be quick on the docks!"

Penny finds her spot, the stroke seat. Everyone else gets oars and she holds the boat. When the boys arrive with the oars, they promptly put them into the right spots and get into the boat, all of them at the same time, as to not tip the boat. When they get out of the bay and into the river, they start with some warm-ups. Let's not get too much into the details of the practice.

While on the water, Jack says some pretty rude things to Gabe.

"Hey Gabe!"

"Yes, Jack?"

"What are the odds you tell me why your girlfriend is stroke seat?"

"Zero in zero."

"I'll tell you why. Because she stroked my-"

"We get it, Jack. Haha, very funny."

Little known fact, Penny used to date Jack. It was in 6th grade though, so does that even count as a relationship?

After about an hour of boring warm-ups, drills, and talking about stroking Jack's... they head back in. They follow the coxswains lead back up to the boathouse after lifting up the boat out of the water. When they arrive at the boathouse, Penny notices a man sitting in the grass. After loading the boat back on the racks and a boat talk-down, Penny goes with her friends to Wendy's to get some fattening food. On their way, they pass the man she saw earlier. Suddenly, Penny stops walking. She just... stands there. Her arms to her sides, her hands made into fists. Her head down, looking at the grass. She starts to think about the man that she just passed. She lifts her head up to the horizon, turns around, and walks back over to him.

"Hello," she says to the man.

"Why hello pretty lady! How are you on this fine day?"

"I'm... good?"

"That's great!"

"What's your name?" Penny asks the man.

"David. Yours?"

"Penny."

"Nice to meet you Penny!" David says, reaching his hand out for a handshake.

"I know. Just kidding," she says, shaking his hand back. "Nice to meet you too."

"Hey babe! What are you doing with that loser?" Gabe yells at her from across the few yards between them.

"Just a sec!" Penny says back.

"You think I'm a loser?" David asks.

Penny shrugs. "I barely know you. Here, take a 20," she says, taking out her wallet and a 20 dollar bill with it. It wasn't much, considering she had to fish through 50's to get to the 20's.

"Have a good day, David," Penny says, going back to her friends.

"Bye Penny! See you back here tomorrow?"

"Sure!" she says, trotting back now.

"Hey what's with you? Don't talk to that loser," Gabe says when she gets back.

"Maybe he's not that bad..." she says, looking back at him and waving. He waves back.