A Penny for Your Thoughts

Penny stood quietly sorting her clothes as the rest of the Laundromat whirred and buzzed with life around her. She separated her whites from colors, bras from underwear, and hopelessly searched for one missing sock Penny knew she had when she walked in here. Of course looking for just one missing sock was harder than finding Waldo. She sighed. The washer ate another one. Soon she'd have no pairs left. She already usually wore them mismatched due to constant loss of just one sock.

Penny pushed her thoughts away from her sock dilemma to reach into her basket and withdraw a pair of black silk panties. She raised a brow as she thought of how everyone in the Laundromat right now could be getting a free show of her underwear. Oh well, she didn't really care much. It's not like anyone was watching her, they were all too involved in their own soiled clothing to bother. Nobody ever really interacted with each other at the Laundromat anyway. Penny often wondered why. They were all here on the same days at the same time doing the same thing; so why was it so taboo for anybody to even say 'hello'? Were they all afraid of what people might see in their dirty laundry?

Penny was so absorbed in her thoughts that she barely heard the boy beside her speak, "What?" she asked innocently, looking up.

"No I…ja…uh…eh…I-I love the air, hah," he stumbled over his words, squeezing his crystal blue eyes shut painfully once he was done. Penny couldn't help but giggle. She recognized him; he was here every Wednesday and Saturday just like she was. Never once had she heard him utter a single word in her direction, or at all for that matter. Then again she'd never heard most of the ordinary people surrounding her speak so why should this boy matter so much?

He grinned awkwardly at Penny, unsure of what to do next, as she laughed. For a moment he looked happy to see Penny's smile, however, his shy grin soon faded as he turned away in defeat. The boy busied himself with his laundry, keeping his head down and gaze intently focused on his clothes.

A thought struck Penny as she returned to her attention to her washer that made the auburn haired girl cringe, oh no, she sighed. Had he just tried to say something important? Did he ask to borrow some detergent or fabric softener? Did he find her missing sock? Was there a dryer sheet stuck to Penny's butt? A quick check proved the latter wasn't the issue—but still. She felt awful for having unintentionally ignored him…and then laughed.

Penny's head popped back up, prepared to apologize and ask the boy what was it that he had needed but he was already nowhere to be found. In her mind she could still see him in his hooded sweatshirt, blond hair, blue eyes, shy smile, sad eyes, and his mumbling voice. Penny still could not help but smile to herself. He was so…adorable.

"I'd love to sign it," Billy finally gave in. Penny grinned, happy to receive another…okay so one signature. One signature from Billy: the shy, socially awkward yet cute boy from the Laundromat. Billy, Billy, Billy. She rolled the name over and over again in her head. It was such a fitting name for him. As he leaned in closer Penny stole another glance up at Billy and felt her heart rate begin to increase. He really was cute. Her lips burst open into another smile.

"Sorry, I come off strong," he apologized, blinking profusely, his voice quivered a bit in nervousness.

Penny felt herself grinning like a school girl, "But you signed."

"Don't wanna turn my back on a fellow laundry… person,"

Penny giggled lightly, "Well if we can't stick together I don't know…" her voice trailed off, drowned out by the beeping of Billy's phone. He turned his back to her instantly. Her smile fell, and the butterflies swirling in her stomach dispersed.

"I'll probably see you there…" maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have butterflies for Billy.

Penny couldn't help it. The universe had simply pulled her in his direction, and she practically bombarded him as he entered the Laundromat. He looked pleased—beneath his constant layer shyness— as Penny insisted they do their laundry together. Penny knew, or at least she had figured out over the weekend, she couldn't pin her only judgment of him on his strange exterior. He did seem genuinely interested in signing her petition, though not at first…and he did sort of blow her off afterward. But, people were layered weren't they? There is good in everybody's heart, and Billy deserved a second chance. She wanted to keep his good safe and sound (though it's not like it was in danger…she didn't think). That and Penny was always yearning somebody to talk to; a friend. She needed for one of those, the homeless weren't very reliable. It was a bit selfish but Billy could be that—not homeless but her friend— and Penny found herself really, really wanting to be his friend now. Some little glint in his eye told her that a friend was something Billy needed as well. Maybe he was just as alone as she was sometimes.

"I love it," was how she had responded when Billy revealed his extra frozen yogurt. Penny's mind began to race. He had bought her, a girl he had just met a frozen yogurt. Something inside her got all giddy again, see he wasn't a jerk he was sweet! No, no, no, Penny, something else inside her reminded the girl, he had an extra. It wasn't meant for you. Don't get butterflies. Penny sighed, realizing just how far she was about to let herself get carried away over a cup of spare yogurt, even after her decision.

"So how was your weekend," Billy asked softly, positioning himself atop his washing machine, "you spend the whole time hunting wild signatures?"

Penny's chest tightened a little, "Um…actually…I went on a date."

Billy strained a smile, "get right out of town…how was that?"

Penny tried her best not to feel guilty about harboring an almost crush on a guy who barely seemed interested when a perfectly perfect guy was more than interested. She had always had that sort of luck with guys. She would fall for the jerk while Prince Charming was just around the corner leaving daisies in her locker and throwing pebbles at her window while she and Ricky made out at the movies but still wouldn't let her share his popcorn and broke up with her the next weekend to see that same movie and make out with Stacey Marsh. Or…you know…something like that.

Wait, no, go back, no crush! No almost crush either! Billy is a friend! Stop comparing him to Ricky from the tenth grade. He's not going to hurt you. Billy wouldn't hurt a fly. He's your friend. You don't get your heart broken by a friend.

But that's only because you don't let a friend get that close…

"Unexpected," the word just popped on out of her mouth, "He's a really good looking guy and I thought he was kinda cheesy at first," Penny suddenly confessed. But her layer theory! Her layer theory made her look beyond the cheesiness to see how great Captain Hammer really was, helping her at the shelter and feeding ducks in the park. She liked him. She liked him a lot. He swept her off her feet—literally—like Prince Charming and everything. He made her happy and glow as she fell so fast for the hero. He was a good choice, safe, "but he turned out to be totally sweet!"

She found herself happily confessing to Billy again, this time on her layer theory. Billy was nice to talk to— even if his retort about pie was a little confusing.

"So you gonna see him again?" Billy swallowed.

She smiled to herself, allowing the warmth that came when she thought of date with Captain Hammer to spread through her, "I think I will," Penny glanced down, "Billy?"

"Yeah?"

"You're driving that spork into your leg."

"Huh, so I am. Hilarious," the pair laughed awkwardly. A lump formed in Penny's throat. Billy didn't like listening to Penny talk about her date after all. Maybe that frozen yogurt really was always meant for her.

Penny gently placed her finger tips against Billy's chin, "so keep you head up, Billy Buddy." Her voice ended abruptly as she lifted Billy's eyes to meet hers. She was lost instantly, swimming in a sea of crystal blue. She adored his pretty blue eyes, even now when they seemed so, so sad. Penny's heart thumped extra loud for every second hers and Billy's gaze remained locked. Her breath hitched in her throat a little as some sort of gravitational force began to pull the pair together. She felt her body move ever so slightly forward, and felt both a thrill of joy and shriek of panic as Billy's did the same. Her fingers continued to graze the bottom of his smooth chin, and Penny wondered what it would feel like to—

YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND! Her conscious screamed. Penny pulled her hand away quickly as if Billy's skin had burned her fingers.

"It's like Captain Hammer's always saying," she blurted, her breathing heavier than normal.

"Right," Billy blinked, his whole body tensed as if he were in pain, "how are things with cheesy on the outside?" was that jealously that laced Billy's voice. Penny noticed that his eyes had fallen to the spot on his leg where she had laid her fingers briefly. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot.

"Good, good, he's…nice."

"This is perfect for me, so they say" and they did say it. Everybody said it. Penny was so lucky to be Captain Hammer's girl. She could get anything she wanted— for the homeless— as the girlfriend perfect, heroic, kind of egocentric Captain Hammer, "I guess he's pretty okay," but he was safe and he was still good to her wasn't he? After plenty of failed romances, wasn't Captain Hammer supposed to be her fairy tale Prince Charming? "After years of stormy sailing have I finally found they bay?"

And if he was her Prince Charming, then her happily-ever-after would happen soon, right? "There's no happy ending, so they say."

She thought about Billy. Billy Buddy who made her smile, and laugh, and shared his frozen yogurt with her, and signed petitions, and was nowhere to be found… Her shy, sweet, jealous Billy, "Should I stop pretending?" she sang as the butterflies swelled in her stomach once more.

But maybe she was wrong about shy, sweet Billy. What if Billy was right? What if there was a third, even deeper layer that was the same as the first? That theory would certainly render Billy the jerk, especially after he abruptly decided to stop coming to laundry day. Billy was missing in action and she was with Captain Hammer. Captain Hammer the hero, who did so much more than sign a scrap of paper even though he hardly believed any amount of signatures would cure a 'symptom' of the rotting fish head of the human race for her. "Or is this a brand new day?"

Penny smiled with pride as her boyfriend shook the mayor's hand at the podium. He was so wonderful, and caring, and tall, and handsome and always knew exactly how to make Penny happy. Right now she was euphoric. She couldn't believe he had managed to do all this for her. The thought of anybody caring about her so much made Penny giddy. Nobody had ever given her so much before, for Penny the simple homeless shelter was like being given the key to Australia. With Captain Hammer Penny could change the whole world, help the homeless, the lost, the hungry and the needy. she could do good for everybody, a lot of good.

Penny looked back up at Captain Hammer and once again found her heart beating in a dizzy dance. He was so perfect. Every time she looked at him, without fail, she was always thinking about how perfect her Prince Charming was.

"I hate the homeless—,"

WHAT?! Penny felt her heart being seized in panic.

"—ness problem that plagues our city," She breathed the slightest sigh of relief as Hammer continued, "You know what, I don't need to tiny cue cards," and then again Penny's chest tightened in fear. Yes, yes he did need those cue cards. He had confided in Penny just last night that he didn't know what to say at this ceremony, so she had written most of those flash cards for him. She had given him the basics of what to say and now he was throwing those away?

"When I fell deeply in love with my serious long-term girlfriend Penny—raise your hand Penny," Captain Hammer instructed. She obeyed, but she had never felt this awkward in her life. it had only been a little less than a month and here he was displaying her like some sort of trophy. She swallowed hard. It wasn't a complete disaster though! He still had time to fix it, "There she is. Cute huh? Sort of a quiet nerdy thing, not my usual, but nice."

Penny's brow furrowed. She felt…gross. Was it her or was that just…inappropriate?

Then he started to sing. Penny desperately wished to sink so deep into her seat that she would disappear into the plastic cushion. How could she have forgotten how self-centered he was, simply because he was sitting next to her? That seems like a pretty big thing to miss. Then again, as long as he made her feel special she supposed she had missed a lot of things about the egocentric hero. Had really just compared being homeless to being a dog? He was mocking them.

"So I thank my girlfriend, Penny (yeah we totally had sex),"

Penny wanted to choke him. That was private and completely uncalled for! She couldn't stand being on that stage and having the entire crowd staring up at her any longer. Discreetly, Penny rose from her seat and began to make her way gingerly down the stage steps and headed for the back on the hall. He was just like every other guy she had ever dated wasn't he? All perfect and charming and heroic at first and then…and then he mocks you and pretends to care about the homeless, the problem Penny had dedicated her life to, and reveals their private bedroom exploits to an entire crowd of people. This was horrible! Captain Hammer wasn't her Prince Charming.

"Everyone's a hero," but if he wasn't her Prince, then who was? "In their—"

A strange static like sound erupted through the hall. Captain Hammer froze as he was shot with the blue beam.

"Muwahehehehhehehhahahahahahaaaaa"

"Penny?" a quivering voice called out to her, "n-no." it stuttered, taking in her injured form. It was funny. She knew she hurt, but didn't feel any pain. She could feel herself almost slipping out of her skin as her breathing grew shallow and cold seeping into her skin from every direction, but not pain. Her mind was dizzy. She couldn't move. Everything felt so strange.

Somewhere in the corners of her hazy mind remembered hearing about how people always saw their lives flash before their eyes before dying. She hadn't. Does this mean she wasn't dying? But she still thought she was going die, the moment she realized the piece of the exploded machine had struck her. She didn't see her life then and didn't now.

Another wave of cold fell over her. Maybe everyone simply misinterpreted that statement. Maybe you didn't see your whole life, just the things you cared about most. And right now she saw…she saw…

"Penny, oh…" through her clouded mind she suddenly recognized the shaky voice.

…Him.

She tried several times before her lips formed the words, "Billy? Is that you?"

What was Billy doing here?

"Penny, hold on, oh no, oh no no no no no," he told her. He looked strange too, his adorable features sadder than usual. His crystal blue eyes were filled with water as she watched him survey her. Penny could sense him trembling beside her. She didn't have the strength to figure out why? Was it her? She didn't feel any pain, so she must not be hurt, just chilly. Was Billy hurt? No, no he couldn't be. Billy had to be okay.

"Are you alright?" Penny asked.

"Hold on," he said again.

"No, it's okay," she reassured him. She wouldn't let her Billy Buddy get hurt. She wouldn't leave him with that villain that was here. Captain Hammer was her boyfriend. He'd do anything for her. So he would help Billy. Billy would be safe. Billy had to be kept safe. Billy meant the world to her, "it's okay. Captain Hammer will save us."

As the light faded from her eyes, Penny smiled at Billy for the last time.