When the weather was nice, Penny's favorite place to read was under the tree by the cemetery. It wasn't a long walk from home, and the Mayor's house blocked her view of the trailer. Truthfully, she never got much reading done there. She'd mostly let her mind wander, daydreaming about living in one of the houses on this side of town.

It didn't hurt that she got to see Sam every now and then, being so close to his house. Sometimes he'd ask her what she was reading, or he'd sit down and play a game on his phone next to her.

Penny didn't expect anything from him; she knew he only saw her as a friend. But he was so kind and relaxed; so different from what she was used to, that just seeing him for a minute felt like a cool breeze on a hot day.

She liked him, but she also envied him. His hero father and cute little brother. His home. And his mom Jodi, who couldn't be more different from Penny's mom Pam.

Penny was lost in these thoughts when she realized Sam's friend Sebastian was standing just across the street, waiting for him. She looked down at her book quickly.

Then she peaked back up-he was smoking, and didn't seem to be paying any attention to her. Penny held her book so it covered most of her face and wrinkled her nose at the smell.

Why did Sam hang out with this guy again?

She didn't know Sebastian well, but through all the years that they'd been passing acquaintances, he'd made no effort to be nice. Not to mention everything his sister Maru had said about him. He was sullen and unfriendly, nothing at all like Sam. Even Sam's other friend Abigail could be pretty outgoing when she needed to be. Sebastian was just...cold.

It was so easy for them-Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail-to be themselves; to be comfortable in their own skins. They never tried to impress anyone. Meanwhile, Penny spent every day of her life trying to belong, and she still felt like an outsider.

"What are you looking at?" Sebastian was glaring at her, and Penny flushed when she realized she had been staring.

"Oh, I, uh," she stammered, trying to come up with anything to say. "You know, those are really bad for you. You should think about quitting."

If it was possible, Penny felt her cheeks flush harder.

Yoba, why would she say that? She was always saying awkward things to people, crossing the line.

Sebastian started to respond, but Sam came out of his house, and Penny looked back down.

"Sorry, man, were you waiting long?" Sam bumped Sebastian's fist. "My mom was being a pain; I had to help prep all the fish for dinner."

Penny wanted to slip away unnoticed, but Sam saw her.

"Hey, Penny, enjoying the weather?"

"I was just headed to the library," she answered, already turning to escape.

"See ya!" he called.

Penny walked straight to the library without looking back.

"Good afternoon, Gunther," she said as she came in, but he didn't look up from the tray of dirty artifacts he was pouring over. She walked past and headed to the back corner where the exhibits were kept.

She didn't bother looking at the artifacts this time; she knew them all by heart. Instead she just sat on the ground with her back to a shelf and pulled out her book.

But she didn't read. She just crossed her arms over her knees and rested her head, shutting her eyes tight.

Penny was troubled by her interaction with Sam's friend, but more than that, she was disturbed by her own reaction to it. Why must she keep playing it over and over in her mind? What was wrong with her that such a simple conversation made her so uncomfortable?

Her mom wasn't like this. Pam could say anything to anyone and not care about it a second later. Maybe Penny got it from her dad...

"Penny? Penny, wake up, we're closing." Gunther was shaking her shoulder gently.

"Oh, I'm sorry Gunther, I must have drifted off." Penny gathered her things and left.

But where could she go now? Penny hated sitting alone in that trailer any longer than she had to, especially when she would just be waiting for a call from the saloon to come pick up her mother. It was only six; that would be hours from now.

She walked back across the bridge into town, and found herself crossing the river down to the beach. She hadn't been down to the water since Summer last year, and she'd forgotten how lovely it was. The waves crashed rhythmically and gulls cried. No one was around.

Penny picked up a clamshell and walked down the docks. The old wood rocked and creaked in the water. She sat at the end of the pier and turned the shell over in her hands absentmindedly.

Days off were the worst. Days when she was tutoring Jas and Vincent were better; she didn't feel so lost. They were good kids and it made her feel like she was doing something worthwhile. But on days where she was alone, her mind was free to wander to its darkest parts. Tears welled and she let them fall.

"Spring allergies?" she heard behind her. She whipped around, and Sebastian was there looming over her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Penny wiped her cheeks. "This is where you like to sit, isn't it?" She started to stand.

"It's a public dock." He gestured for her to stay seated. "You have as much right to it as me, don't worry about it."

He started walking, but Penny plucked up her nerve. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to...overstep. I should have minded my own business."

To her surprise, he smiled. Had she ever seen him smile? She must not have, because she would have remembered. It was so much warmer than she thought he could look, and so genuine.

"Consider it forgotten," he said. "You know, normally it's the kind of thing that would get on my nerves, but this time it didn't bother me."

He walked back up the pier, and Penny was left alone to sort out what that meant.