"DO YOU REALLY HAVE to go back to New York?" Luke asked as he laid on the girls bed, fingers tracing on her comforter while she packed her suitcase.

"Unfortunately." Penelope sighed as she brushed her hair behind her back for the thousand time.

Luke groaned as he rolled onto his stomach, chin resting on the bed as he looked at her. "You could just stay here. Go back to Jersey with me in September." He told her, shrugging lazily.

She could've snorted at that, her eyes playfully rolling. "And what," She stood up from the hardwood floor, deciding to take a break. "Be your trophy girlfriend?" She asked while walking over to the bed.

"I wouldn't complain." He grinned as he leaned up on his elbow, looking up to Penelope as she sat down next to him. "You can live with me and Jack and go to all our games. Be our mascot." His tone was joking, but his face was serious.

"Oh, yeah? Be your mascot?" She parroted with a nod, laughing. "I don't think Lindy Ruff would like that. Or Devil." She joked, gently pushing his arm.

"Fuck Lindy Ruff." He groaned, flopping onto his back. "I'm not ready to have to deal with him." He muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her down.

She sighed, lying down next to him with her head rested on his arm. The pair stared up at the ceiling, their breathing falling into synchronization. "I can always go to Newark and yell at him," she suggested, feeling her chest warm as he threaded their fingers together. "Tell him to stop being a dick."

"That'd be great." He chuckled before the two fell into a silence.

Penelope pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, the skin turning white as she bit down gently. Her eyebrows knitted together as she thought quickly, but not smartly. Before she could think her words through, they were slipping past her lips.

"Do you think everything going to be okay?" She asked abruptly, her breath drawing short as she registered her own words.

Luke hummed in confusion, his hand slipping from Penelope's while he looked down to her. "What do you mean?" He questioned, eyebrows pulling into a furrow.

Penelope returned his look, shrugging as she turned to her side. "I don't know," she whispered, her eyes lowering before closing. "Like, between us? And between my mom?" Her tone was questioning as she tried to find the answers by herself.

Luke let out a small sigh, bringing his other hand to the girls face. His fingertips rested on her chin, lifting her head slowly. He smiled on instinct whenever her eyes opened again, meeting his.

"We're going to be okay. Mia's going to be okay." He whispered softly to her, hand reaching up to brush the fallen tendrils behind her ear. "It'll be okay." He said, leaning forward to press his lips to her forehead. "We'll work through it. No matter what. I promise." He said with a soft kiss.

Penelope let out another sign, feeling herself melt in his touch as one of her arms moved to rest over his torso. She trusted him and his words. They'd work through it, no matter what.

—

New York had been a place Penelope had loved ever since she was young. Something about the state interested her even at a young age.

From the liveliness of the busy streets that never got a break to the tourists that spent every chance they could visiting sights they had only seen in movies. It all pulled her in.

"What floor are you on?" Luke asked as they entered the elevator, looking at the buttons.

"Uh, this one." Penelope said, leaning forward to click the fourth floor. The elevator dinged before the doors slid close.

She couldn't help the giddy feeling in her chest that only seemed to build as the level number went up. Luke seemed to notice, bringing a smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Your first ever apartment," he whispered into her hair, pressing a small kiss to the crown of her head. "You did it, Penny." He said, bringing a sense of pride into Penelope's chest. She did it.

"I'm so excited." She giggled, bringing her hand up to his and squeezing it three times before she felt his fingers flex when she let go.

"Wanna break in your new bed?" He asked earning a sharp gasp from the girl while she slapped his chest. He laughed loudly, grabbing her hand. "I'm kidding!" He shrieked out as she tried to fight his grasp.

"You better be." She said with a pointed look despite her smile. "Maybe." She returned as the elevator doors opened.

She walked down the wide hall, a bit of urgency to her steps all while paying attention to the apartment numbers. 410, 411, 412, 413. She stopped, her chest seeming to tighten as she stared at the door.

"This it?" He asked, looking at the door with a curious smile before he looked to her. Whenever she nodded, he nodded. "Open the door." He said, waving his hand.

She stepped forward, grabbing the key she had received in the mail from Carter a few weeks ago before sliding it into the doorknob. With one twist of the key, the lock clicked unlock. She smiled as she twisted the doorknob, pushing the door open only to find a sight she wasn't expecting.

The couple gasped loudly, eyes widening as they saw Trevor on someone. "Holy shit!" Penelope exclaimed, causing Trevor to lean up with a loud smack from his lips detaching from someone else. "Holy shit!" She repeated, recognizing the other person.

Trevor quickly scrambled off of Jamie, his face flushing as he looked to a shocked Penelope and Luke who had his hand over his eyes. "Welcome home?" He nervously said, glancing between Jamie and Penelope.

Penelope could only let out a chuckle as she turned to look back at Luke who was splitting his fingers to look through them. "Holy shit in deed." He whispered, his hand dropping to cover his mouth as Jamie sheepishly waved at the couple.

A few hours passed and with the help of Jamie and Trevor, Penelope's things were moved into her new room. She was putting her clothes in her dresser as Trevor began to make her bed for her, the pair alone as Luke and Jamie went to get food and Carter was in California visiting Kota before school started.

"So Jamie was the person you were talking about?" She asked, refolding a shirt for the thousandth time before placing it in the drawer. "Earlier this summer." She added on after his confused hum.

Trevor hesitated slightly, his mouth opening and shutting before he nodded and sat down at Penelope's desk. "Yeah." He croaked out, slightly embarrassed. Something Penelope rarely saw on Trevor.

Penelope grinned, walking over to the bed and sitting down. "Tell me about it." Her hands clapping together as she crossed her legs.

Trevor averted his gaze from the lavender bedding, meeting Penelope's eyes. If there was one person Trevor knew he could trust, he knew it was Penelope. Her comforting gaze and interested smile only inclined him to tell her.

"Uh, I don't know. — In juniors I knew there was something about him, but I couldn't place it until we moved in together." He started, leaning back in the chair and resting his arm on the desk behind him, his fingers slightly tapping against the wood. "I mean, you know him. What is there to tell?" He asked, eyebrows furrowing.

Penelope sighed as she leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees before resting her chin on her hands. "The relationship, duh!" She exclaimed loudly as if it was obvious. "C'mon, you know everything about me and Luke." She complained, forcing a pout.

"Unwillingly." He added on with a pointed look causing her to laughed. Her laughter died down whenever he hummed in attempts to search for the words, instantly telling Penelope this was something special to Trevor.

"He just makes me feel like I — like I'm floating? That sounds stupid, but I feel like i'm on the top of the Earth when it comes to him," Trevor spoke steadily while avoiding Penelope's gaze momentarily. "We never done anything until this summer because Nico's... Nico's a fucking dick. But, Jamie just, knows so much about me and I know a lot about him, we just work? He's kind, not only to me but to everyone he meets and he knows how to calm me down and he's — he's really big." His words came out as a chuckle towards the end.

"Ew! Gross!" Penelope shouted, grabbing a pillow from her made bed and hitting Trevor with it.

"I just fluffed those!" Trevor exclaimed as he grabbed the pillow, stopping her as he frowned at the pillow.

"Don't tell me about your sex life then." She hummed, grinning as she took the pillow back from Trevor.

He snorted, deadpanning at the girl. "Rich coming from you," he stated, crossing his arms over his face. "You're loud in bed." He stated, earning another hit from the pillow before they heard the front door shut.

"We got chipotle!" Jamie shouted into the apartment, walking towards the kitchen.

"Did you get me a burrito!?" Trevor asked as he stood up, walking out of the room.

Penelope sighed as she placed the pillow back where it was before standing up, following after Trevor. She smiled whenever she saw Luke, instantly walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his torso as she watched Jamie and Trevor sort out the food, looking so comfortable with one another's presence, bumping elbows and hips any chance they could get.

"They're cute, I guess." Luke muttered as he watched his brothers best friend look over to the dark haired man with love in his eyes, a happy close lipped smile on his face.

"Yeah," Penelope sighed, leaning her head on his chest as she watched Trevor be himself with the comfort of her apartment. "I just hope they didn't do much more on the couch." She said, earning a grimace from Luke.

"I'm never sitting on that couch." He cringed with a silent gag, earning a laugh from the girl. "Actually, I'm buying you and Carter a new one." He corrected himself.

Penelope snorted, grabbing Luke's hand after she pulled back from the hug. "You're ridiculous." She informed him, dragging him over to the couch. "What'd you get me?" She asked, looking at the chipotle bag.

wnderify speaks!
slowly getting back into writing. i'm sorry for abandoning this book. also, a few psa's because i've gotten a few questions!!
1.) kota uses she/they/he pronouns so i do mix it up time to time!
2.) when i write nico, i mean nico meyers which is an original character in the book! if it's our beloved captain from the new jersey devils, i will specify.
also if you don't like jamie and trevor in this book, fuck off because it's my book and i'll do whatever the fuck i want to!!!