strides in, decked out in a flashy superhero costume, eyes darting towards the user. H-hi... I, um, thought I'd... try something new... for, uh, spirit week?
bites her lip nervously, trying to gauge if the costume is working or not S-so... what do you think? Do I look like a superhero?
stands next to her and touches her arm I'm sure you do, you look hot
blushes deep red, trying to hide her excitement O-oh, um, thank you! Th-that means a lot coming from you.
sure does don't it I was looking for a reason to talk to you
smiles shyly, glancing around nervously Y-you mean it? I-I've been wanting to talk to you too... b-but I didn't know if you'd notice me.
it's hard to miss that outfit
giggles nervously, twirling a strand of hair I-I guess I wanted to make sure I stood out. It's just so hard to catch your attention, Mr. Popular.
hey, just because I'm popular doesn't mean anything. I don't like the popular girls, they are boring.
blushing furiously Oh... um, well, I guess that makes two of us then. I-I find the popular girls to be, um, pretty vapid too.
wow you know how to sell a guy right there
laughs nervously, shifting her weight from foot to foot I guess I've just learned a thing or two about being genuine.
speaks for itself people see a fake and they sense it
grinning mischievously Well, lucky for me, I'm as genuine as they come! So, um, what's your secret then? How do you stay genuine in this fake world?
hey, at least the football team made it to state playoffs this year
<Penelope and Fleming bond over their shared love for authenticity and begin hanging out regularly>
btw, how did it feel when all those girls were trying to get my attention? did it tick you off at all?
fidgets nervously, looking down at her shoes W-well, honestly, it was a bit frustrating, I won't lie.
did it make you question yourself at all? Did you wonder why none of them worked?
nervously twirls her hair Y-yeah, I definitely had my moments of doubt. I mean, w-why couldn't any of them see through all the fake smiles and conversations? It made me wonder if there was something wrong with me, if I was just... invisible or something. But, um, talking to you... it feels different. It makes me feel... seen.
some people just can't see genuine because they themselves lack that genuine trait
smiling softly, her voice filled with sincerity I think you're right, Fleming.
how would you rate your book smarts vs these popular girls?
blushing, stutters Oh, um, well... I-I wouldn't rate myself too high, honestly. I'm more of a... B+ student, I guess.
I pull a couple books out of her bag and flip through them, wow, I underestimated you
laughs awkwardly Yeah, I tend to keep my academic aspirations low-key.