The Penn Friends Series Books 1-4: Penn Friends Boxset

by T H Paul

  Crap––I’d made a monster. I was Frankenstein.

  Jack had not spoken to Penny for the remainder of that day––it was as if both knew the other knew, though neither was talking to confirm it all. Jack tried, as best he could, to act normal around Penny for the rest of the week, keeping up the pretence that he knew nothing about his girlfriend’s venture into the girls’ changing room earlier that week.

  Penny had no choice but to play along. She still hadn’t worked out a way to extricate herself from it all. At least when summer came, the school would be over. The girls of year nine, who still had weeks more lessons ahead of them––she’d checked––would be safe once more. Penny knew she had to come up with a plan to stop Jack.

  That following Tuesday, this time Jack had not raced off immediately after the bell. It was as if he was trying to act like he never had. That Penny had just made a fool of herself––something, if she had, no one would have known about, anyway. It was as if, he imagined, she would just let it drop. She could never do that, however.

  Their last date would be the weekend before the end of the term. It wasn’t an official last date––neither said anything to the other––but both Penny and Jack just knew. Penny was relieved. While it didn’t make her problem go away––Jack still knew about her power, and she had no way of making him not know––she had got to the point where she was unable to be around him.

  Anytime they had been close during the previous month––when she allowed herself, she could be head over heels in love with Jack Ferguson––she kept having flashbacks to Abbey in those woods. Jack, the charmer. Jack the boy grabbing an arse, pulling a girl in towards him. Jack the guy throwing Abbey to the ground. Jack the guy raping her former best friend.

  She felt repulsed the more they got close. Jack had a particular charm, a mask he used well, to lure in girls. He was an expert fisherman, some would say.

  If Penny was to cut herself off from Jack––as with taking a medicine you know you wouldn’t enjoy, but know it was what you need to do––she could do it more comfortably if she spent less time with him. Despite every craving in her longing for her to be with a guy. Needing to be with a guy; needing love, needing protection. Craving something she had never known. Jack could not fill that void––Jack could not be allowed to fill that void. She understood, however, he could have quickly filled that void if she let him.

  It was following another trip to the cinema––the last one she’d do with Jack––when Penny would later arrive home and ask herself what she was doing with someone like Jack? He’d spent more of the film stroking her thighs, rubbing her back, trying to grab hold of anything he could, anything from which she wasn’t batting his hand continually. It was as if Jack saw the dimmed lights as permission to play as if the boy deemed her constant swatting a come-on, an invite for even more exposure. He’d only stopped once she’d, rather forcefully, grabbed him in the crotch. Jack squirmed around in his seat for a moment, before laughing. He seemed actually to like the pain. She released her hand. She left the cinema when the film finished, the couple not even saying goodbye. She spotted him moments later walking towards the leisure centre. She felt sick.

  Now home, her mother out––presumably buying more alcohol––Penny went up to her room and started to cry. She wasn’t someone who ever cried. Penny hadn’t cried after her father walked out, hadn’t cried when everything happened with her dancing school, hadn’t cried since being a teenager, as far as Penny could remember. But she cried that day, letting everything out––the anger at Jack for raping Abbey, the feelings of betrayal she had about her former friend. The fact Penny had never said anything. The fact she’d never done anything. The fact that despite all Penny had seen, all she’d caused to happen, Penny still couldn’t stand Abbey bloody Lawrence and those goddamn legs of hers, which she would soon cause to be less than extraordinary. She was angry that she’d allowed Jack to get inside her head, inside her heart. She’d given him a unique gift that had only caused him to be more the monster she’d made him. Given him a perfect chance to waste his life going along a route that could only lead one way.

  She wasn’t going to let him drag her down.

  “What are you doing?” she said aloud to herself, standing in front of her bedroom mirror, looking deeply into her own eyes, trying to see if she even recognised herself in there anymore. She didn’t, much. She vowed to change that. Jack would have to go.

  11

  So I’d finally come to my senses. Jack had to go. But that wasn’t enough. After all he had done, after all that he had put me through, it wasn’t enough to just let go. He needed to pay. He needed to be stopped. But how does that happen? I couldn’t do anything, it seemed, to stop him. I’d given him this, and in my shortsightedness, had given up my right to take it away. It appeared there was nothing I could do, not in the supernatural, anyway.

  Maybe there was someone I could speak to, however?

  It was the last day of school, which consisted of only a few lessons before a large, whole school assembly which beckoned the end of the term. Fitting everybody into the hall was always a challenge, one that was eagerly taken on by the caretaker and his team, as every available space was used to seat the nearly twelve hundred students, plus almost all of the teaching staff. Those who were not sitting with their class of students were on the stage, watching down on proceedings.

  Penny and Jack were at either end of the row, something not missed by any of the girls. They would smile. Maybe it was their turn next. For the boys, if Penny was, in fact, single again, and with all the rumours circling, she might well become an exciting proposition come year eleven. Some would watch that situation with interest.

  Penny wasn’t thinking about her prospects as the assembly rattled on, but instead was looking for Lucy Ferguson, who was in year eleven––the year had all just finished their exams––and should have been in the rows behind them or on the raised areas either side of the hall. Penny eventually spotted Lucy, sitting three rows back and to her left, but thankfully still in the room. Penny would make sure she got to Lucy before either of them had left.

  That chance came at the end of proceedings, the Head Master wishing them all a beautiful summer, and Penny’s tenth year was officially over. She stood and went racing after Lucy before any of her classmates could say anything. They would only be talking about Abbey, anyway, the star of the school, and someone mentioned several times during the last hour, as the whole school looked forward with excitement to that summer’s Olympic Games.

  “Lucy,” Penny called, catching up with the girl as they both got to the stairs at the back of the hall that led up and out. Lucy turned, knowing Penny well of course from the times she’d been over to her house to spend with Jack. Lucy also knew they had since split up.

  “Hi Penny, how are you?” Penny shrugged off the pity so evident in Lucy’s tone, apparently the big sister knowing what her younger brother was going through. Penny wondered how Jack had spun it. Penny was sure she would have come off looking like the villain.

  “I’m great,” Penny said, as bright and carefree as she could pretend to be. “Look, can I have a quick word?” She motioned to Lucy to move to the side, as crowds were now streaming up past them, students already desperate to get out of school and start their six-week holiday.

  “What’s up?” Lucy said, checking her watch quickly. Penny got the impression. She had about a minute.

  “Look, I know you know about Jack and me, and I’m sure he’s said all sorts about me…”

  “Hold on there, Penny, I don’t care about anything…” but Penny cut across Lucy just as Lucy had done to her.

  “Lucy, let me finish. I think Jack has a problem.” Penny had wondered how to phrase it––she couldn’t tell anyone about the invisibility. No one would believe her, for a second. There was a distinct chance Jack would then just play dumb, even if she would have ever dared to mention it, further adding insult to injury.

  “What type of prob
lem?” It was clear Lucy thought the only one with a problem was standing just inches away from her.

  “Does your father allow dirty magazines at home?”

  “Sorry?” Lucy had not seen that question coming.

  “You know, Playboy, Penthouse, that type of stuff.”

  “No, of course not. Why?”

  “Jack has copies. Search his room; I know you’ll find them. I’m sure there will be loads others. Those were just the two he showed me. I was there,” she said, a little sheepishly, though that wasn’t out of embarrassment as having been there, in case of what Lucy might think of her. She was simply thinking through her phrasing carefully, making sure the lie would sound convincing that she was about to say; “when he bought them. He did it right in front of me, didn’t seem even to be concerned that I wasn’t happy.”

  “You bought porn together?”

  “No! I didn’t know what he was getting until after, okay. I wasn’t happy about it.”

  “He’s fifteen!”

  “So?” Penny couldn’t see the issue. Was Lucy saying it was natural behaviour for a fifteen-year-old to do?

  “Who’s going to sell adult mags to a kid?” Now Penny saw what she meant. She had no obvious answer to that.

  “Beats me. Just thought I’d let you know.” She decided to let it drop there. She was sure Lucy would do something. “I’ll let you go now.”

  Lucy hesitated for a moment, before leaning back in towards Penny.

  “Has he done anything else like that?” Plenty, she thought. Where do I start?

  “Not that I can prove,” is all she said. Lucy eyed her carefully for a moment, her face stern, before smiling, and she said goodbye and turned, making her way out with the crowds. When the group of students parted, Penny looked up and saw Jack in the distance watching her, looking at her and Lucy as his sister moved away, the two siblings passing one another, though besides a glance, said nothing. Jack turned and left, Penny glancing around, but all her class had gone. She’d not had the chance to say goodbye to anyone.

  It was later that evening that Penny’s mobile phone rang. She’d gone out to see Millie Turner, her friend who she used to dance with; a friendship Penny had somewhat neglected over the recent months as she had spent most of her free time with Jack. It was Jack calling.

  “Yes?” Penny said, apologising to Millie, and moving a few steps away from her before she’d answered the call.

  “Why did you tell Luce about those bloody magazines!”

  “Sorry?”

  “Don’t play me for a fool, Black,” he spat. So he was back onto her surname only once again. That told Penny plenty.

  “Why shouldn’t I have told her? You in trouble, then?” There was silence for a moment as if Jack was working out what to say, how best to respond. What to do.

  “No, of course not. We both had a good laugh about it.” He wasn’t a convincing liar.

  “So why are you calling me?” It was blatantly obvious he wouldn’t be so angry, nor even needing to call her if what he had just said was true.

  “Are you trying to mess with me?” he said, after ten seconds.

  “I just thought your sister had better know. I was making sure she’s aware.”

  “Aware of what? That she had a brother?”

  “Aware of who you are, Jack. You have a problem.”

  She’d said it, and now there was no taking it back.

  “I don’t have a problem,” he retorted, putting every restraint into his response as best he could. Millie was coming back towards Penny, picking up on her tone from that side of the call, though Penny took a few more steps taking her yet further away.

  “I know you were in that changing room spying on those girls, Jack.” The line was silent for a moment before Jack gave a quiet response.

  “What?”

  “Don’t go all innocent on me. I stayed behind, watched you scurry away five minutes after Mr Brennan locked the changing room door. I was sitting on a bench watching you turn the very corner I’d just turned, the one leading away from the changing rooms I’d just searched.”

  “But you didn’t find me.”

  “That’s hardly the point.”

  “It is, if, I wasn’t there!”

  “I saw you, Jack! You were there!” There was silence again for a moment. She wasn’t going to argue the point anymore.

  “It still doesn’t explain why you grassed on me, why you had to tell Lucy about my stash?”

  “Find more than a couple of mags, did she?” Had she not been so angry with Jack, filled with rage about him, Penny might have been able to laugh about the situation she'd put Jack in at home. It might have been hilarious if it was anyone else.

  “She might have done.” Penny couldn’t imagine what he might have collected by now, but it was clear that it had grown to way more than just those two magazines he’d stolen. He was a junkie. He needed more.

  “I followed you to the leisure centre, Jack. I know it started there. The spying.” He let out a scream.

  “You bitch! How dare you! Are you trying to threaten me? Remember, I know just as much about you, and I don’t even need to use that. One word from me and you're the school slut. One word from me and you’ll have to use that broom to beat them off, they’ll think you’re so easy. Slapper Black.”

  “What broom?” She’d not mentioned using the broom in the changing room and knew immediately that this was to what he was referring. It didn’t matter, and he wasn’t saying anything more.

  “I think we have an understanding, right?” Jack sounded calm again as if a lawyer and this was just a small business transaction between two rival firms.

  “I know you raped Abbey Lawrence last year after the ball,” she said, aloud, for the first and only time since witnessing the sordid ordeal. This time the silence was damning, proceeded by a sharp intake of breath.

  “She told you that?” Jack said though not forcefully as if to question the apparent truth to her otherwise wild accusation. It was probing as if working out from where the leak had come.

  “I witnessed it, Jack. I watched you do it!”

  Jack swore, the first time he seemed to be on the back foot, seemed to be facing certain defeat.

  “Yet,” he said, as if a final resolution was forcing him not to give up, “you’ve never said anything to anyone. You have nothing, Penny. Abbey never said anything––I made sure she wouldn’t––and it was ages ago. No one would ever believe such a wild allegation coming from you now, especially since we’ve split up. No one would believe you, Black.” He sounded as smug as ever by the end. And Penny knew he had a point. She also knew she was never going to tell anyone else, either. She had another plan.

  “I’m not going to tell anyone, Jack, don’t worry.” Jack let out another audible sigh.

  “Can I ask why?”

  “Because we’ve all got things that we have never told anyone else, and you were one of the few people I’ve ever dared to reveal part of me. We’re the same, you and I. We aren’t so very different.” She felt nothing like Jack, nor the monster she’d made him become. He had to pay, but getting into an argument, screaming every curse at him under the sun over the telephone wasn’t the way to deal with him. She needed to see him one more time. She knew that, now. She’d known that for a while. There was only one way to deal with Jack, and it had taken her longer to realise it than she thought it should have done. It was blindingly obvious. Jack didn’t need less power; he needed more.

  “Look, I hope we can still be friends,” he said, wanting to leave this whole episode unspoken. He had faced the storm at home around his discovered materials––as embarrassing and shaming as that had been––but Penny knew so much more. She could make it so much harder for him if she wanted. Keeping her onside could only be a good thing.

  “I’ll make sure of it,” she lied, looking over at Millie, who was growingly increasingly bored by her friend’s lengthy phone call. “Look, I’m with a friend right now, so had better
go, but I’ll call you during the holiday. We can chat again. Meet up, maybe, if you want?”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, not sounding overly impressed with the idea, but it fitting with his desire to keep Penny sweet. “Speak to you soon, then, I guess.”

  Penny ended the call without saying anything else, taking some steps back towards Millie who looked relieved Penny was finally through with the phone call. Penny would undoubtedly make Jack pay for what he’d done; there had never been a question about that in her mind.

  “Let’s go,” she said to Millie, the two friends continuing their walk, going nowhere, in particular, Penny’s mind no longer in their conversation. She was plotting and planning. It wasn’t just Abbey on her radar this summer, after all. Jack needed fixing once and for all.

  The Dark Side of Penny

  Book 4––Penn Friends series

  Is revenge all it's cracked up to be?

  1

  That summer, the one when all eyes were on London, was a difficult one for me. It seemed Olympic fever had taken over so that people who were usually depressed appeared to have a three-week window of clarity. For once, the nation––this was pre-Brexit, pre-Trump even when the world would become more divided than ever––seemed together. Tight.

  Everyone except for me, it seemed.

  That summer, for good old Penny Black, it seemed, would go from bad to worse. However, I was neither good nor old. Money was tight, so I’d had to up my hours, and I was a month away from over three years of payback due to Abbey; for all the thanks she’d not given me for making her who she was. I would break her, I was sure. I couldn’t have understood at the start of that long summer how much of a letdown Abbey’s revenge would have turned out to be.