Avi2112
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Chapter 218
🕑 Added 2025-05-05 15:26:52 +0000 UTCInside the crowded school hallway, a group of cheerleaders strutted toward their lockers, laughing and chatting loudly.
"And then I asked her if she was gonna pay up for my ruined skirt."
"Ha! That must've shut her up."
"Seriously, I don't get how people don't watch where they're walking."
"Yeah, so rude. It's like they don't even care about anyone else."
"Ouch!"
They kept walking, completely ignoring the short girl they had just jostled. Penny Parker stumbled sideways, bumping her head hard against her own locker door.
"Ugh, today is seriously not my day," she muttered, rubbing her forehead.
And it wasn't just the chaos of the hallway during the lunch break, where she kept getting elbowed and shoved around like luggage on a conveyor belt.
The bad luck started first thing in the morning: halfway to the bus stop, she realized she had forgotten her chemistry assignment—which was due today. She'd had to skate all the way back home to grab it. By then, it was too late to catch the bus, and MJ had probably already made it to school. So in the end Aunt May had to drive her.
Then she saw the messages. Missy had texted the night before that she wouldn't be coming to school, and Ned followed up early this morning saying he had a stomach ache and won't be coming either.
To top it off, Gwen was swamped with student council duties, which meant Penny was now the lone visible nerd in every class. She had become the default target today for the eager teachers.
The chemistry teacher had even said, "Let's see what Penny thinks. She always knows the answer!"
"Ha…" Penny sighed, remembering how that kicked off another round of torment. Flash and his buddies hadn't left her alone since—mocking her, calling her names like "Puny Parker," and even tossing yucky crumpled paper balls into her hair.
She scratched her scalp, still half-convinced one of them was stuck in there.
"It's fine. This is just the last day before spring break... just have to endure one more day," Penny muttered to herself before closing her locker, which was crammed with tiny gadgets and half-finished projects.
"Aa—ah, shi—"
She barely took a step when someone shoved her from behind. She stumbled forward and hit the floor hard.
"Ouch!" she winced, trying to push herself up—only to find everything spinning and blurry.
"My glasses—ugh, not again," she groaned, patting the ground around her. Students walked by without even slowing down, stepping around her like she wasn't even there.
"Looking for these?" a calm voice said.
A hand held her glasses out in front of her face.
"Yeah—yes! Thanks!" she muttered, quickly taking them and slipping them on. Her eyes focused—and widened.
"Randy Robertson?" she blurted in surprise. He was tall, black-haired, and undeniably handsome—a member of the football team.
"It's nothing. Can you get up?" he asked with an easy smile, offering his hand.
"Oh—uh—thanks." She let him help her up. "I don't know why I keep tripping over everything lately. Ha ha…"
He chuckled. "Heh, yeah. Take care, alright?"
"Y-yeah, you too. Go Tigers!" she added, awkwardly raising a fist in the school team chant.
Randy smiled and started to walk off—until a bubbly voice interrupted.
"Hey, babe. Who were you just talking to?"
A short, long-haired brunette in a pink top strolled over from the cheerleading group, wrapping her arm around Randy with a playful smile.
"No one, baby. Just some girl who tripped while I was practicing my throw," he said with a laugh, planting a kiss on her lips.
Penny let her arm drop, face flushed.
"Yeah… Randy. That's Sally's boyfriend," she muttered with a weak, embarrassed smile. "And 'Go Tigers'? Ugh. Stupid, Penny." She bent down to grab her bag.
Suddenly—thud—an arm slammed her hard into the lockers.
"Hey, Puny Parker. Were you just flirting with my bestie's boyfriend?"
A tall girl stood over her—long brown hair, rich cocoa skin, and her cleavage on display in a too-tight cheerleader uniform. She popped her chewing gum slowly as she glared down.
"I—I didn't, Ariel," Penny said, forcing herself to meet her eyes despite the sting in her back. She felt completely wronged.
"Because if you did…" Ariel leaned in, blowing a bubble until it almost touched Penny's face, then snap—she sucked it back in. "You know what happens." She leaned in closer. "Keep your eyes off him. Got it?"
Penny's fists clenched at her sides, the sting of humiliation flaring in her chest. But her lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Yeah? We both know who really has her eyes on him," she shot back, thinking back to what Missy had told her—about Ariel fooling around with Sally's boyfriend, behind her back.
Ariel's expression turned to stone.
"What did you say, you little bitch?"
She grabbed Penny's face roughly, her manicured nails pressing into Penny's cheeks.
Penny winced, as she tried to shove her away, anger bubbling up as pain flared across her cheek.
"You have got such a mouth on you," Ariel snarled, pressing harder.
"Ou—" Penny tried to speak, but it hurt. Her eyes darted to her bag, just within reach. Half of her wanted to yank it open and activate the Microbots in glove mode—just one hit, just enough to shove Ariel back—
"So? Was she flirting with him?"
Sally had returned, arms crossed, her eyes narrowing coldly as she stared down at Penny.
"Ha, Sal. Just look at her," Ariel said, finally letting go of Penny's face with a smirk. "Randy wouldn't go near a nerd like this." She crossed her arms smugly, making her breasts jiggle.
Penny coughed hard, rubbing her sore mouth, glaring at both of them.
"Well, yeah, that's what I figured," Sally sneered. "He wouldn't cheat on me with this." She said looking up and down Penny with clear derision.
"But…" Ariel leaned in, flashing a cruel grin. "We should still teach her a lesson. Make sure she keeps that ugly mug shut."
"Haha, don't say that. Even ugly girls have feelings," Sally cackled, slapping Ariel's arm.
Penny glared at the two of them, rage boiling just beneath the surface. She was already thinking of a way to escape. No way she was spending lunch locked in a toilet stall again.
"Hey, you! What do you two think you are doing?"
A sharp voice rang out. A familiar blonde girl stood behind them—arms crossed, under her jiggling tits.
"A-Ah! L-Liz! Nothing—we weren't doing anything, right, Sal?" Ariel stammered, spinning around with a nervous laugh.
"Y-Yeah, Liz, we were just chatting with our little friend here," Sally said, forcing a fake smile as she ruffled Penny's hair roughly, messing it up. "Right?" she added under her breath with a pointed glare.
Liz narrowed her eyes. "Looks like you two have way too much free time. Should I go ahead and drop you from the squad?"
Both girls immediately straightened up.
"N-No, Liz! That's not necessary!" Ariel said quickly, her voice tight with panic.
"Yeah, we really were just talking," Sally added, withdrawing her hand and backing up slightly.
"Good. Because if I don't see you both on the field practicing for the rest of lunch, I will remove you. Got it?" Liz said coldly, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.
"B-But we haven't even had lunch yet!" Ariel protested, voice rising in disbelief.
"Y-Yeah, Liz. We were just about to eat," Sally added with a sweet, overly polite smile.
Liz rolled her eyes. "Fine. Eat. Then straight to the field. No excuses." She waved them off. "Now shoo."
"C'mon, Sal," Ariel muttered, tugging her friend away. Sally lingered just a second longer, shooting one last nasty glare at Penny before turning away.
Once they were gone, Liz stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Penny's shoulder.
"You okay?" she asked, her tone softer now.
Penny had been quietly massaging her cheeks—Ariel's grip had left her jaw throbbing.
"I… I'm fine. Thanks, Liz," she said with a forced smile, quickly slinging her bag over her shoulder and turning to go.
"Penny, wait—" Liz started awkwardly, but Penny was already walking off.
She kept her head down, sighing quietly. She knew Liz meant well. But Liz probably didn't remember the way she used to join in with the teasing back in middle school. It wasn't until she became friends with MJ that she started treating Penny differently.
And Penny didn't blame her. Liz was kind. She really had changed, and now she was even something close to a friend.
But the more Liz tried to help—the more she stood up for her—the worse Ariel and Sally's bullying became. That's why Penny always tried to keep her distance from the popular crowd.
Still rubbing her sore cheek, she muttered, "Why am I always the one… but she wasn't wrong though..."
How could a popular guy like Randy ever be into a nerdy girl like her?
Only Luke was different…
A small smile touched her lips at the memory of him holding her in the basement not long ago, whispering that he liked nerdy girls just like her.
Penny dropped her bag off in the classroom and made her way to the cafeteria. With Ned and Missy both absent today, she figured she would be eating alone in some quiet corner.
"Hey, Penny!"
A warm, familiar voice called out as a hand landed gently on her shoulder. Penny turned to see a beautiful redhead with a concerned look on her face.
"Liz told me what happened. Are you okay?" MJ asked, her voice full of genuine worry.
"I'm fine, MJ," Penny replied with a bright smile, doing her best to play it down.
"No, you are not. There are red marks on your face," MJ said, her eyes narrowing in anger as she examined her. "Was it Sally and Ariel again? Those fucking bitches—I'm going to kill them."
MJ looked ready to storm off right then and there.
"No, no! It's fine, MJ—j-just leave it, please." Penny grabbed MJ's arm with both hands, stopping her before she could go anywhere.
She didn't want her friend getting into trouble on her behalf.
"But how can you just let it go?" MJ asked, clearly frustrated.
"Trust me. It's fine. Please… just let it go," Penny said with a wry, tired smile.
MJ stared at her for a moment, then sighed, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Alright."
Penny smiled softly. MJ had always been like this—fiercely protective of her own, ever since they were kids. It never failed to make Penny feel seen and cared for, even when things were hard.
"Come on. You are sitting with us today," MJ said, taking her hand and dragging her towards the center of the cafeteria. "And if anyone tries anything with you again, I am not staying quiet this time."
Before Penny could protest, she found herself standing in front of the most popular table in school.
"Hey, MJ! Oh—isn't this Puny Pa—"
"It's Penny Parker. Get her name right," MJ snapped, glaring at the brown-haired girl with the short, layered bob cut who had just spoken.
"I-I'm sorry, MJ! I just thought—anyway, hi Penny! I am Elizabeth Brant, but you can call me Betty," the girl stammered, quickly standing up and offering her hand with a sheepish smile.
"Hi," Penny said awkwardly, shaking her hand. She knew a lot of people at school still thought that ridiculous nickname was her actual name.
"And I am her cousin, Bethany Brant—but you can call me Beth," a blonde girl added, standing and shaking her hand with a friendly smile of her own.
"Hello," Penny replied, offering a small grin.
"Okay, now sit down—you don't have to be so formal with her," MJ said, her earlier frown melting into a warm smile.
Penny sat down with the three of them, fully aware of the many eyes watching. Whispers and sideways glances buzzed around the cafeteria. The stares were stinging her, as it felt like people were pointing, clearly wondering why MJ had brought her to that table.
