Chapter Text
LaCienega Boulevardez doesn't get jealous of things that don't belong to her.
That didn't make sense in her world–but when it came to her archenemy, Penny Marie Proud–she was somehow jealous of her perfect, non-desecrated relationship with some boy from Arkansas, maybe? Hell, she didn't need to look into what state he was from.
But all she knew, under her ugly facade and mistreatment towards Penny, she knew that she was in love with her.
Like, she was full-blown head over heels for her.
And she didn't know why either–but she isn't… gay, or at least she doesn't know that yet.
LaCienega absentmindedly stabbed her mashed potatoes for the last ten minutes, she looked fine, perfectly put together and stabilized until Penny came with Kareem in tow, their hands intertwined like knitted sweaters, and as they sat down from across each other–Penny sat two inches away from LaCienega, their thumbs brushed once yet that small adjacency sent LaCienega's heart soaring as she smiled to herself subtly.
God, she could be so oblivious sometimes when it came to certain things. Like when LaCienega purposely shoulder-bumps her in the hallway, that's a private message for ‘you look cute today, dummy,’ or when she lightly kicks Penny's foot under the table, that also meant ‘come by my house later, I really wanna hang out with you today,’ and Penny still couldn't get the picture. She was just an oblivious dork in general.
Dijonay coughed abruptly. “Soooo,” she drawled the word to make whatever statement she has seemed dramatic. “Penny, we obviously see that you have a bugaboo hoggin’ up your attention from us. What's it like having a boyfriend?”
That word alone wants to make LaCienega wrinkle up her nose and go “Bleh!” like cartoon characters do, she still couldn't even fathom the fact that Penny had a special someone taking her away from them… from her… there's no way.
Penny was drumming her fingers on her knees until Dijonay's question made her go “huh?” when she missed out on something, LaCienega found herself staring at her endearmently before groaning with an eye roll.
“Jesus, Proud! Kareem has your head in the clouds down to the fact that you barely have time for us anymore.”
She saw how Penny turned her attention on her with those black puppy dog eyes and sighed ruefully.
“I'm– I'm sorry.” It's the fact that she didn't even say that to Dijonay, she said it to LaCienega, who was stubbornly staring her down like a predator does its prey when they're about to tear them to shreds.
“Whatever Proud.” LaCienega said dismissively as she scoffed, only before muttering this part to nobody but herself; “You barely have time for me anymore…” That hurts to say. It really does.
In classes they had with each other, not a glare was spared. Penny didn't look her way for almost thirty minutes until she accidentally dropped her pen, it rolled to LaCienega's desk as she grumbled, but the Latina already had it in her hand, extending the object to Penny's open palm.
That touch lingered for too long–LaCienega's cheeks flushed pink as she jerked her hand away. She could tell Penny was giggling without even having to see it, and that made her snarl impulsively to herself. She hated how stupidly adorable that girl was.
Right on cue, the bell rang as LaCienega could breathe freely instead of holding her breath for the longest when she's around Penny. Right after her last class, she got chauffeured to cheer practice as she waved goodbye to her parents as they drove off. Coach Collins really wasn't strict with the girls, but he was with the boys, and this season was basketball, and they had a home game here. She was talking with Dijonay until a familiar slim figure across the gym caught her eye.
She blinked twice, to make sure she wasn't spiraling.
Then, and if Aphrodite was magically doing this, they locked eyes.
Penny didn't acknowledge her, she just turned her body around, and said nothing. Nothing.
LaCienega swallowed her whole form of sayings down her tightened throat.
Penny's doing a 360 layup, effortlessly, confidently.
She's always oh so confident.
LaCienega's subconsciously biting her nails and tapping her foot against the polished court. She's watching a girl from the other team guard Penny. But Penny shoved her out the way and made the shot.
The crowd goes crazy, including Dijonay.
LaCienega calmly cheers for Penny, even though she's barely paying attention to the chaos unfolding in front of her eyes. She's so oblivious.
You barely have fucking time for me.
LaCienega goes to the locker room, and she sees a girl from her Advanced Placement class brushing her fingers against Penny's shoulder. She has sweat dripping from her eyebrow and neck.
The conversation is a hazy buzz now.
“That 360 layup was amazing, Penny,” she hears the girl with curls say, but her voice was sultry, like it's made of velvet. “You did better than the majority of the guys out there.”
Penny shrugged nonchalantly. “Thanks.” She sounded disinterested with her.
LaCienega observed long enough before getting involved by forcefully shooing the girl away. “She's taken.”
The girl laughed, tossed her head back, and looked at LaCienega quizzically. “Oh yeah? By who?”
If LaCienega actually said his name, she might've died right on the spot.
“Me.” She said it too seriously, but it honestly sounded gross coming from her. But it was enough for the girl to widen her eyes and apologize… for whatever reason.
The silence stretched out between them. Penny furrowed her eyebrows confusedly.
“...What just happened, bro?”
“I was just– protecting you.” LaCienega said wretchedly, but no shaking or tears were eventually needed.
“I have a boyfriend–”
“So?” LaCienega beats her to it on who got to speak first. “Penny, you are so oblivious due to the fact that you can't see that I have feelings for you! Ay dios mío, how long is it going to take for you to realize that?”
Penny laughed in disbelief, possibly in disgust too. “You just don't wanna see me happy, do you, LaCienega?” Her words bled with accusatory, making the other girl shake her head instantaneously. Maybe the wording came out wrong–
(It literally didn't).
“What? No, no, I do wanna see you happy! But–” The last fifteen seconds passed too fast. Penny's lips softly connected with LaCienega's, her arms looping around her neck, and the flavor of cherry lipgloss permeated on Penny's face.
Penny pushed her away. Okay, that was a mistake.
“I gotta go, mom's outside.” Penny told LaCienega, who stood there like a kicked puppy with tears falling down her face as her body locked in place. The revulsion felt hot like acid, and LaCienega almost burned herself.
She almost burned her feelings for Penny entirely.