Penelope Rose:
Tired of people thinking they
can kiss MY boyfriend.
Feeing = Angry 😡

Penelope and Isadora walked in school together, with coffees in hand.

It looked like Tori was struggling with a stack of text doors, folders, notebooks, and two of her bags.

Penelope looked at the stack. No wonder Tori was struggling, because she couldn't even organize her shit. Everyone knew that text books go on the bottom, folders in the middle, and notebooks on top.

Penelope asked, "Do you need help?"

"Yeah," Tori replied.

"Good," Penelope said and went to her locker when Isadora broke off to go to her own. Penelope's locker had a forest painted on it, because it reminded her of the times that she, Isadora, and their parents vacationed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was a good time.

Isadora's locker had a dancer wearing a red dress and twirling a ribbon around. Isadora wanted to be a dancer, like her namesake, Isadora Duncan – just without the broken neck part. She was the most preppiest, girliest girl that Penelope knew, well besides Cat. However despite the outfits that consist of a lot of pink, Isadora really loved all kinds of metal music, watched football, was part of the middle school football team, was a member of the Gorilla Club, and hung out with four metalhead guys, with her being their lead singer.

In Sikowitz's class, Penelope watched Jade and Cat act out their part in a play. Cat held an overly large pig stuffed animal.

"Betsy, Betsy, that animal's delicious flesh can keep us all alive for another week," Jade said, using a voice that from the late 1800s.

Using a matching voice, Cat said, "I don't wanna be alive without Poncy! This pig is everything to me that my daddy never was and I'll be ding-dang—" She got hit in the face with a ball, causing her to fall down with a scream.

Exasperated, Jade said, "Sikowitz!"

"What?" asked Sikowitz, like he didn't just throw a ball at one of his students.

Cat got up, holding a hand to her cheek, "You hit me in the face with a ball."

"Oh, come on," Sikowitz said. "A truly great actor can stay in the scene no matter what's happening around her."

"But it really hurt," Cat stated. The bell rang for lunch. "Ooh, lunch, yay!" She ran out of the class, nearly knocking Penelope to the ground in her excited haste.

Sikowitz called, "Learn your lines! I want everyone off book tomorrow!"

After watching Beck's, Robbie, and André's part of the play, Sikowitz said, "Ready, drive-by acting exercise. You're all angry Englishmen. Go."

The only accents that Penelope knew were from the book series Skulduggery Pleasant, but that was Irish, and the show, Game of Thrones.

Robbie said, "I insist you tell me who sat on my crumpet."

"My grandmummy went to the loo while I snogged the prime minister."

"This flock of whip-poor-wills is bothering my trousers," André said.

"Good heavens, there's a dead cockroach in my brassiere," Cat said.

"For the last time, I told you that doors are for people with no imagination," Penelope said, pointing at Beck, who looked flustered.

"Penelope, that's Irish," Sikowitz told her.

"Oh, um..." Penelope turned to a random guy, pointed at him, and yelled in a British accent, "Someone pushed my little brother out of a tower window! Winter is coming on whoever did it!"

People started shouting at each other.

Sikowitz shouted over his class, "All right, all right, very good, quiet down!"

They took their seats.

"Now that we're all loosey and/or goosey, the time has come for our newest students to tackle..." Sikowitz started and stomped his feet, making his class do the same before saying, "The Bird Scene!"

Penelope hated the Bird Scene. It took her four tries before she finally realized that she had to believe in herself and claim that she did it right no matter what Sikowitz says. It was stupid that she practically had to have a tantrum just so she can be a part of a play.

"Tori, the stage is yours, though, you can't take it home," Sikowitz told her.

Tori asked, "Can I ask you a quick question before I start?" Jade groaned loudly and Penelope giggled at that. "So—"

"Just do your best," Sikowitz said. "Action!" He sat down.

"Okay," Tori said. She set her play aside and started the scene using a southern accent.

Penelope was distracted by Tori's ugly ass sandals. Why did she wear those things? They were hideous. She would gladly burn them if she got them. She wouldn't even accept them if they were a gift. Not even Isadora would give her those ugly sandals.

She wondered who designed those sandals.

Tori bowed her head dramatically and then looked up, asking, "How was that?"

Sikowitz asked, "What do you mean?"

Tori asked, "Did I do the scene right?"

Penelope groaned, because they had to hear that drivel again.

"Oh! No, not at all," Sikowitz told her.

"Okay," Tori replied. "Then what did I do wrong?"

"You'll have to perform the scene again tomorrow and get it right, or else you cannot be able to be in Andre's play or any other," Sikowitz told her as he made her take a seat.

Tori asked, "But can you tell me what I did wrong?"

"No, I can't," Sikowitz replied.

Tori asked, "I don't get any feedback?"

"That is correct," Sikowitz responded.

Tori started, "But—"

"Drive-by acting exercise," Sikowitz interrupted. "You're all terrified dolphins, go!"

Penelope got up and started jumping up and down making dolphin sounds, with everyone else.

Sikowitz said, "Live the fear! Live the fear!"

After leaving the class, Tori kept badgering them about the Bird Scene, until they stopped in front of Tori's locker.

"Oh, come on," Tori said. "How am I supposed to do the scene right if no one would tell me what I did wrong? I thought you guys were my friends."

"You thought wrong, because you kissed our boyfriend," Penelope told Tori, taking Jade's hand.

"Yeah, we're not your friend," Jade told Tori. She grabbed Beck's hand and led them to the vending machine to get a drink.

Jade asked, "Any of you got a dollar?"

Beck took out a dollar to give it to Jade.

Tori said, "You guys...my problem?"

"Number one rule of the 'The Bird Scene': no one is allowed to help you," Beck explained walking back to her.

"No one," Rex repeated.

Jade pointed at the whiteboard on Tori's locker, "So this is what you did to your locker?"

"Yeah," Tori said. "See, it's an erase board with a bunch of colorful pens in a convenient cup. So whoever wants to, can write or draw whatever they want."

Penelope took a maker and drew a penis on the white board, while Jade wrote 'Stupid' in the space between Tori's Locker.

Tori asked, "Well, what's wrong with letting other people be expressive on my locker?"

"Well, for one thing they can do that," Robbie said, pointing at the white board.

The three walked away and Tori called after them, "Yeah, well, my locker's smarter and more mature than your lockers."

"Tori has to do the Bird Scene, again," Penelope told Isadora as they made brownies together.

"Of course," Isadora replied. "I hate that monologue. Every time I hear 'bird' I immediately go back to that monologue and ugh."

"Me too," Penelope told her. It haunts her nightmares sometimes. "And now I have to hear that monologue until she throws a stupid tantrum."

"I get why, but god, that's stupid," Isadora said.

Penelope replied, "And we can't tell her because I don't want to hear it for like a month straight."

"That would be a nightmare," Isadora told her as she poured the batter into a brownie pan.

The next day in Sikowitz's class, Beck asked Tori, "So, you ready?" Jade put one arm around his shoulders.

"Oh, I'm way past ready," Tori said. "Sikowitz wants the Bird Scene? I'm gonna give him the Bird Scene. I got props, a backdrop, and just to kiss up a little, I even got Sikowitz—" she took two coconuts out of her bag, "Two large coconuts." She was smiling.

"Those are good ones," Beck replied. He went to sit down.

Robbie asked, "What's the deal with Sikowitz and coconuts?"

How did he not know why Sikowitz drank the milk out of coconuts?

"He says the milk gives him visions," Jade said, holding her hands up and going to sit down.

"It's obvious that he adds stuff to it to make the milk give him visions," Penelope muttered, going to sit down while Jade snuggled up to Beck.

The bell rang and Sikowitz walked in, said, "all right' and proceeded to trip over nothing. He stumbled his way onto the stage like nothing happened. "We have much to do today, but first, Tori, the Bird Scene."

Tori jumped up, "I'm ready." She took out the coconuts, "And before I begin, I'd like you to have these two large coconuts."

"Wonderful," Sikowitz said, taking them. "You know their milk gives me visions?"

"I've heard," Tori replied with a smile.

"Very good," Sikowitz said. "Everyone pay attention. Tori."

"One sec," Tori said, before pulling down a backdrop that was over the whiteboard.

"Ooh, a backdrop," Sikowitz commented, sounding pleased.

Tori put on some glasses, "I am ready."

"Delightful! Action," Sikowitz said.

Tori started in on her monologue and Penelope noticed that this time, Tori wasn't wearing ugly sandals. Penelope guessed that what Tori was wearing was kind of cute.

Tori rolled down a bird prop and continued her monologue, before she cut the string of the bird prop and threw it out the open window. She bowed her head dramatically and raised her head again. "So? Was that good?"

Penelope groaned, because she was going to have to do it. Again.

Sikowitz asked, "Exactly what are you asking me?"

Tori asked, "You know, did you like what I did with the scene?"

"Sure," Sikowitz replied.

Tori asked, "So, did I get it right?"

"Oh, no," Sikowitz said. "You failed. Again."

"What? Why?" Tori started, "I did everything—"

"Hey! Watch where you throw your props!" the janitor scolded and threw the bird prop at Tori, who ducked to avoid getting pelted by a bird prop.

Penelope smirked at that.

Penelope was trying to figure out what was up with the ugly floral curtains when Robbie and André walked into class walking weirdly and holding bags of ice.

Sikowitz came in and said, "Happy birthday."

Cat asked, "Whose birthday is it?"

"Somebody's, somewhere," Sikowitz answered. Made sense.

"That's so true," Cat agreed as Sikowitz walked on stage and stood in front of the floral curtain.

Sikowitz asked, "Where's Tori?"

"Here!" Tori said, poking her head through the curtain. It was kind of reminiscent of Jack putting his head through the hole in the door in The Shining. Penelope was amused.

Sikowitz jumped and laughed, "You brought curtains."

"Let's do this," Tori said, closing the curtains.

"Very good," Sikowitz said. "Ladies and gentlemen, once again, the Bird Scene – starring Tori—"

"Vega," Tori said, briefly putting her head through the curtains.

"Vega," Sikowitz finished.

The curtains parted. There were more props and Tori was wearing a costume.

She played music and started reciting. She whistled and a bird flew in, before Tori continued. Penelope will admit, it was a little impressive.

Sikowitz leaned forward and whispered, "You see the bird too?"

"Yeah," Beck said.

"Fantastic," Sikowitz said, sitting back.

Tori motioned with her head and the bird flew out the window.

Tori finished her monologue and dramatically lowered her head.

"That—" Sikowitz stood up, "Was impressive."

Penelope will admit that.

Tori asked, "So did I get it right?"

"Nope," Sikowitz replied.

Tori argued, "I did too get it right!"

Sikowitz started, "Tori, listen—"

"I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but do you know how hard I worked on this scene? I made this costume. I downloaded special prairie music. I even trained that crazy cockatoo to fly in and out of the window on command!" The cockatoo flew in and Tori yelled, "Not now!" at the poor bird. The cockatoo flew out. "Look, you're a great acting teacher and everything, but I don't care what you say! The scene I just did was good and I'm proud of that no matter what anybody thinks," Tori ranted.

It got a little quiet and there was a smattering of applause. Penelope reluctantly clapped twice but that was all Tori was going to get.

Tori was confused, "What?"

"You just passed the Bird Scene!" Sikowitz exclaimed.

There was cheering.

Tori started, "But – but you said—"

Sikowitz explained, "Tori, the whole point of the Bird Scene was to teach a performer like yourself to believe in your own choices, no matter what others think. We are artists and a true artist does not define success based on approval from others. A true artist need only please himself or herself or—" he pointed at Rex, "it's self."

"You don't know what I got," Rex replied and Penelope rolled her eyes.

Tori started, "So all three times I did the scene—"

"Were delightful," Sikowitz finished. "It was only wrong when you asked if it was right." Sikowitz clapped, "Drive-by acting exercise! You all are elderly people walking barefoot on broken glass! Go!"

They got up pretending to hobble in pain and complaining to one another.

Tori showed them her locker which was dull.

Trina asked, "Make what shine?"

"It's the title of the song I sang in the Big Showcase," Tori explained.

"Oh," the others replied.

"Whatever," Jade said.

"'Cause, you know, that's what got me here in the first place," Tori explained.

"I don't like it," Jade said, then drank some coffee.

"Maybe the words should be bigger," Cat suggested.

"Or at least brighter," Penelope offered. Jade glared at her briefly for talking to the enemy.

They started talking over one another before Tori said, "Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah. I believed in my own choice and I don't need approval from others."

"Ah, the young female has learned the ways of 'The Bird Scene'," Beck said.

"I still think it's dull," Jade said.

"I do too," Penelope agreed.

"Yeah? Well, then maybe I should Make It Shine," Tori said. She pressed a button on her locker. The stars, windows, and the letters lit up on the locker.

Everyone, except Jade and Penelope, were impressed by it.

Jade asked, "Are we going to eat or what?"

"Yeah," Penelope said.

"Oh, yay, food," Cat said and they started to take off.

Beck asked Tori, "Come with?"

"Sure," Tori said.

Jade glared at Tori before taking off. Penelope gave Beck a look, because he should stop being nice to her.