I wake up to the ringing of a facetime. I look over at Josie and she looks frozen in her place. I read the name on the phone.

Pen Park

Okay shit. Fuck.

"Can I answer it?" I ask Josie timidly.

"I mean she'll find out at some point."

"Right."

I quickly swipe to answer my call knowing I am probably on the last ring, I am pointing the phone to face me at an angle where she won't be able to see Josie.

"Hey Pen."

"Hey Cy, did you just wake up or something?"

"Uh yeah yeah, hard workout this morning you know?"

"Yeah I get it, but you haven't called me in a while are you okay?"

"Yeah sorry I couldn't come to the phone I was really bu–"

"Really busy right, you know I heard that. Really funny actually I heard you've been really busy with Jo Jo."

My eyes go wide and my mouth drops open slightly. I don't know what to say to that.

"Yeah, we hang out sometimes, we've gotten closer recently."

"Hmmm, weird because I heard you were seen holding hands going to your room. Flip the camera Cy."

"Uh, that's really not a good idea. My room's kinda messy right now." I stutter out.

"Your rooms never messy, flip the camera."

Before I can take the action to turn my phone I hear Josie sigh and all of a sudden she is now holding my phone.

"Hello Penelope."

"Hey Jo Jo, long time no see. It's good to see you outside of the circumstance."

"Mhm yep, did you call for another reason or is that all you wanted to know, if so Cypress and I were kind of in the middle of something."

"What does that mean?" She asks in a challenging tone.

"Maybe I will tell you later, you know, after you let us get back to it."

"Okayyyyyyy." I say as I grab the phone back into my hands. Josie tries to reach for it but I am quickly off the bed and heading towards my door.

"Nope, okay I am going to talk to Pen outside, Jos feel free to anything in my room, it's also yours now. I will be right back." I send her a reassuring smile before softly closing the door behind me and taking in a deep breath.

"It's also hers now? When were you going to tell me about this Cypress?" She says with an intimidating eyebrow raised.

"My full name, really Pen?"

"When were you gonna tell me?"

"I don't know alright. This practically just happened, it's a touchy subject."

"Touchy subject, you think? Cy she just made a sex inuendo to get me to leave, just happened my ass."

"Okay Pen, take a few breaths. I made a promise to be honest so we are going to go back in there and have this conversation together but I need you to promise to be civil." I say raising my eyebrows in a serious manner to show her I mean it.

"Civil, Cy I was being civil, tell her that."

"I will but you need to promise first."

"Fine. I promise."

"Good."

I walk back into my room still holding the phone in my hand before walking to my desk and propping my phone against it.

I get up and grab the bean bag chair in the corner and put it next to my desk chair.

I walk over to Josie and grab her hand and motion for her to sit in the bean bag chair while I take the other one.

"Okay so this is happening but before it happens I need you both to tell each other you will be civil. We are gonna handle this like adults and talk about it together. Pen you can yell at me all you want later."

"I am always civil with you Jo Jo." Pen says in a suggestive manner and it makes my skin crawl a bit.

"Alright that is not what I meant Pen."

"Getting defensive already Cy?" She quips back.

"Quit it Penelope. I will try my best to stay civil." Josie says to me as she grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers.

I know it's a play at Pen but she did just make a suggestive comment so she kind of deserves it.

"How long has this been going on?" Pen asks.

"Do you want a timeline or the simple answer?" I responded.

"Timeline."

"Well then it was a day or two before I called you that night asking for that spell. Jos was outside and we ended up hanging out in my room."

"Oh is that when you two started hanging out?" She asks with fake amusement in her voice.

"Don't be like that, you had to realize that at some point you telling Cypress to keep an eye on me would eventually bring us together." Josie cuts in.

I immediately note that now Pen knows I told her.

"So, you told her about that. When?"

"When she was in my room the first day."

"You told her that on the first day? Good to know you're a stellar secret keeper." Pen says with a clear bite in her tone.

I roll my head back in frustration knowing that this is not how I wanted this to go.

"Cypress wasn't very good at being slick about it. I kind of knew it was happening, it's not completely her fault."

I smile at her while I lightly squeeze her hand in appreciation for her defense.

"Josie, Cy told me you were dating a wolf. What happened to that?"

"Finch broke up with me because she thought I liked Cypress, but she said some things before that I shouldn't have tolerated. Cypress made it easy for me really."

"You two are gross. So are you two dating or what?"

Josie and I make eye contact. I knew I was forgetting something, we still hadn't discussed that.

I hear Pen sigh and it's the type that is accompanied by an eye roll.

"Cy can I talk to you in private?"

I look over to Josie, silently asking if it's okay. I don't want to keep anything from her, not after earlier.

She nods so I take the phone with me into the hallway.

"What the hell are you doing Cy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you even want to be with her?"

"I can't believe you're asking me that. I hoped there would be a small part of you that was happy."

"Your relationship track record is ruining every inch of happiness I want to feel."

"I am serious about this Pen."

"Then why did you look at each other like buffoons when I asked if you were in a relationship? That's not very promising Cy."

"That's just because we forgot to talk about it earlier. I want to ask her out on a date."

"Well that's new."

"I meant it when I said I want this."

"Don't hurt her Cypress."

"I have every intention to avoid that."

"Alright then please take me back in there so I can catch up with Jo."

A smile erupts onto my face and I nod eagerly thankful that she's not as upset anymore.

I walk back into the room and Josie looks at me with a questioning face. I mouth the word later to her before putting the phone back on the desk and laying in my bed.

I hear them talking for about five minutes before I garb for my jar. I actually have to roll a blunt because I don't have any pre-rolled ones left.

I start rolling and I walk over to Josie.

"Can to lick this for me please?" I ask with a sly smile on my face.

"Why?"

Pen being a real one and knowing what I am doing steps in.

"She's just trying to teach you Jo."

"Yeah, just for educational purposes." I say piggy backing off of Pen.

"Don't think you're slick, both of you."

She grabs my hand that's holding it and brings it to her lips. She kisses my knuckle before she brings her lips closer and looks up at me to make eye contact. She drags her tongue across the lip of the wrap in a sickeningly slow manner, before pulling back from it.

"You know what Pen actually we gotta go." I say in a quick sentence.