Pennies

Regatta

When they wake up, it's about 4:30 in the morning. They get up, get showered, get dressed, and go to the regatta. They are asleep the whole way. Brenna's mom drives the two of them to downtown. When they arrive, it's about 5 A.M.

"Wake up sleepyheads," Brenna's mom says.

"Ugghhh," they both moan in unison.

"C'mon, we're here."

They wake up, get out of the car, and walk to the boathouse. Upon arrival, they see David sleeping in the grass outside of the boathouse.

"Let's not wake him up. We'll wake him up after our team shows up."

Their team shows up around 5:30 A.M. They wait at the boathouse for their coach to show up and give them instructions. When the coach finally arrives, they are instructed to warm up. After they do a few exercises, they go outside the boathouse. Penny looks around for David. He's still in the same part of the grass, but now he's on his side. She walks over to him and rubs his shoulder lightly. Upon touching him, he springs awake.

"Woah, calm down," Penny says, soothingly. "It's just me, Penny."

"I'm sorry. I always get scared whenever someone wakes me up," he responds.

"Want to walk with my friend and I?"

"Sure!" he says, excitedly.

They get out the wet grass and go over to Brenna.

"Hey Brenna, what's up?" Penny asks.

"Not much. Is this David?" Brenna asks.

"Sure is. And you are?" David replies.

"Brenna."

"Nice to meet you Brenna."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Well, let's get walking," Penny says.

They walk for a bit. David introduces his story to Brenna in a casual way. He doesn't ask her to have empathy for him. He simply tells her his situation and moved on.

"So how is -" David said before getting cut off by a bang. It was louder than any other noise they had ever heard in their entire lifetime. It was almost like... a gunshot. All of a sudden, they hear another one. David runs towards the noise.

"David! Where are you going?!" Penny yells to him. He continues to run. The two girls run after him. Then all of a sudden, they hear another bang. Right after that, a slight clang, like iron on iron. Then, they hear a scream. When they catch up to David, he is on the ground holding his leg. Right next to him is another man with a hoodie on, hood up. Close to the man on the concrete is a gun.

"Someone call 911 now!" Penny yells. She goes over to the gun and kicks the gun out of the man's reach. She goes over to David and kneels next to him.

"David, are you okay?" Penny asks him, hands hovering above him as if it would heal him.

"He shot my leg! The bastard shot me!" David screams, angrily.

"I know. Let me help you," Penny says, trying to calm him down.

"No, I got this," Brenna says. She wants to become a doctor when she grows up, so she knows what she's doing.

"Move your hand," she orders David. He does so and screams from the excruciating pain. Brenna takes one hand and puts it over the other and puts them both on his wound.

"Call 911," Brenna demands of Penny. She listens and pulls out her phone.

"Hello?" the 911 operator says when Penny calls them.

"Hi, there's been a shooting at the regatta by the Toledo boathouse. Someone is shot. Send an ambulance please!" she says, full of panic.

"Got it. Boathouse in Toledo?"

"Correct. Please hurry!"

Penny hangs up the phone and goes back over to David, who is now passed out due to loss of blood.

"Stay with me David!" Penny yells at his blank face.

"What do you care? It's not like he's related to you," the shooter says to Penny. She walks over to the man and punches him in the face.

"He's my friend you bastard!" she yells at him, crying from fury that he could be so heartless. A stranger comes up behind her and holds her back from throwing more punches. The ambulance arrives and a stretcher is pulled out of the back. Two men appear from out of the back of the ambulance. One holds his shoulders, the other holds his legs. The two of them pick up David and put him on the stretcher. They then strap David up and put him in the back of the ambulance. Penny also gets in the back with David. She cries the whole way there.