It’s dinner time in Belgium and Penelope is preparing her food (because her mom is at work, as always) when she hears her phone ring. She groans, turns off her kitchen stove, and wonders who is calling and why, but then she sees the contact name and gasps.
The words “‘Jojo <3’ is calling…” are on the screen, and immediately, Penelope thinks it’s a prank. It has to be. Her ex, Josie, hasn’t called in months.
When she had first left after her last kiss with the brunette, Josie had called every day, but Penelope never answered. Instead, she’d listen to the heartwrenching voicemails Josie left for her. She received one every day at noon without fail, until it became every other day, then every week. And then she stopped getting them. She just thought that Josie had moved on, found herself a new boyfriend or girlfriend, and was happy without her presence. And Penelope was fine with it. She had to be. She had to move on, away from the girl that she herself had left. She had no right to still be hung over her.
But she was.
And she couldn’t help it. Every night, Penelope would dream of her. Of coming back to Virginia and running back in her arms, of one of their picnic dates, or even of one of the many arguments they had until ultimately breaking up. There was no escape from the ghost of her past relationship.
Now, as she eyes her phone, still not totally convinced that this isn’t a prank or a hallucination, she hesitantly taps the green ‘answer’ icon and holds the phone up to her ear.
“Pene- Penelope? Oh my god, you answered,” Josie says in a shaky voice.
“Josie?” Penelope asks as if her voice and contact name isn’t evidence enough.
“Penelope… I…” she continues trying to say a full sentence but failing to do so. Her voice is weak and she sounds like she’s still in shock. Penelope stays silent, waiting for what Josie is going to say.
“Pen, why did you leave?”
She remains silent.
“I hate it here without you.”
Penelope studies her kitchen counter, trying to focus on something other than the words she’s hearing from her phone.
“Please, Pen. Say something.”
Now her voice is wavering, and quiet sobs are heard. Penelope feels guilty, knowing she should say something but not being able to.
“I need you back, Penelope. Please, I miss you so fucking much.”
She flinches at the curse word, something Josie only says in her most intense moments.
“...Josie, we shouldn’t b-” Penelope says, but then getting interrupted shortly after.
“Shouldn’t be what? Calling? Don’t you miss me too?”
Josie’s voice is now filled with anger and betrayal, and Penelope grimaces at it. She so desperately wants to tell her that of course she still misses her, of course she wants to come back, but she can’t do it.
“I’m an ocean away from you and I don’t think I’ll be coming back anytime soon, Jojo,” she tells her, knowing fully well that her mom would let her go back whenever she wanted. But she couldn’t see Josie again, with the knowledge of The Merge and how Josie would sacrifice herself for her sister in a heartbeat. She can’t come back only to eventually be there when Josie dies because she won’t even fight for her own life.
“You can’t just use Belgium as an excuse!” Josie says, no, yells.
“Josie, it’s… I’m about to eat dinner right now, I can’t stay on the call for much longer.”
“Penelope-”
She hangs up the phone before Josie can say anything else, before she herself breaks and starts sobbing on call. She takes a few deep breathes, trying not to cry, trying not to let the tears out, but they come anyway, and she just lets them. She lets herself cry, and now she’s crying uncontrollably, leaning against her dining table. After a while, after her tears dry up, she steadies herself and grabs her phone. Looking at the contact, her thumb hovers over the block button, and for a few seconds, she questions whether she should really do this. But her thoughts subside and she decides it’s for the better of both her and Josie, presses the button, and turns off her phone.