It's All Over Now

Victoria stirred from her sleep, the rays of the morning sun falling across her face, warming her skin. She blinked her eyes open, trying to wake up. She stretched her arms out in front of her, yawning and feeling the tightness in her muscles.

As she looked over at the clock, she realized that she had slept in later than usual. She sat up, feeling disoriented and a little groggy. "Oh my gosh, it's past 7:00!" Victoria said aloud as she scrambled out of bed.

She hurried into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the warm water rush over her body. After a quick shower, she dried off and got dressed as fast as she could.

She put on a pink shirt and a black skirt, and slid on her black Mary Jane shoes. She threw her hair into a low ponytail and swiped on some nude lipstick. Finally, she grabbed her bag and locked the door behind her as she rushed out of the house.

Suddenly, it hit her - she had forgotten to leave the spare key for Penny. She dug through her bag, searching frantically for it. Finally, she found it, and she stuck it on a hook by the front door, out of sight from the street.

Then she remembered what Penny had told her - that she would come to the apartment if her aunt couldn't pick her up from school. She had said that if Victoria wasn't there, she would look above the door frame, where there would be a spare key. Victoria breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that everything would be fine.

Victoria's stomach grumbled as she hung the key on the hook, hoping Penny would remember what she had told her. 'I didn't take breakfast, damn!' Nevertheless, Victoria smiled, thinking about the young girl she had met a month ago, the girl who had become like a little sister to her.

She walked down the stairs and out to the street, where she hailed a taxi. She gave the driver the address of her office, and they set off. A few minutes later, they pulled up to her office building. "How much is the fare?" Victoria asked the driver.

The driver told her the amount, and Victoria paid him and got out of the car. She walked into the office building, greeting the security guard at the front desk. The guard pointed her in the direction of her office, and she headed that way.

She saw a familiar face in the hallway - her coworker, Walker. "Hey, Victoria," he said, waving at her. "What's up?"

"Good morning, Walker," Victoria replied with a smile. "How's it going?" She had always liked Walker. He was a kind and thoughtful person, always willing to help out a coworker in need. He was one of the few people in the office who made Victoria feel like she belonged there.

"Oh, and the boss wanted to see you as soon as you got in," Walker added. Victoria's heart skipped a beat. She hoped everything was okay. "Thanks for letting me know," she said, and she turned and hurried toward the elevator.

She pressed the button for the ground floor and waited anxiously for the doors to open. As soon as they did, she rushed out and down the hall to the CEO's office. She knocked on the door, her heart pounding in her chest.

Victoria glanced at her watch - 8:30. She suddenly realized with a jolt of horror that she was about to go into the office of Mr. Quinn, the CEO of the company. Mr. Quinn was none other than Sebastian, the man she had been dating for the past two years. How could she not have realized it sooner? She felt like she was going to be sick.

Victoria felt frozen in place, as if her feet were stuck to the floor. She couldn't believe what was happening. "How did I get here?" she whispered to herself, her eyes wide with fear. "What am I doing here?" The events of the night before came flooding back to her - the party, the conversation with Sebastian, the way he had treated her. It all felt like a nightmare, but it was real.

Just then, the door to the CEO's office burst open. Victoria turned to see the woman from the night before - Sebastian's wife - standing in the doorway. "Oh, you must be Vicky, right?" she said, a sly smile on her face. "What are you doing here?" Victoria felt her heart sink.

Victoria felt the woman's eyes on her, studying her from head to toe. She could feel herself blushing, feeling exposed under the woman's scrutiny. The woman let out a small, derisive laugh, then turned and left without another word.

Victoria walked into the office with her head down, hoping that Sebastian wouldn't look up and see her. But when she reached his desk, she couldn't help but look up at him. She wanted to see the familiar glint in his eyes, to hear him say that everything that had happened the night before had been a misunderstanding. But he didn't even look up from his laptop, engrossed in whatever he was working on.

Victoria cleared her throat, wanting to catch Sebastian's attention. He looked up, his eyes cold and distant. He didn't smile or even seem to recognize her. "Sign this," he said, tossing a piece of paper in her direction. She caught it and read over the words, her heart sinking as she realized it was a termination letter.

"What's this?" she asked, her voice wavering. "You're firing me?" Sebastian shrugged. "I'm afraid so," he said, looking back at his computer screen.

Victoria was stunned. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What have I ever done to you?" she asked, her voice shaking. "What did I do wrong?"

Sebastian's face was blank, giving nothing away. "Mr. Walker will give you a severance package and you can be on your way." Victoria was trembling, her heart breaking.

Victoria's hands were shaking as she stood there, trying to process what was happening. The man in front of her didn't seem like the same person she had known for the past two years. She had thought he was kind and caring, but now he was cold and indifferent. She signed the termination papers and threw them at him, before storming out of the office.

"It's all over now," She said.

.

.

Meanwhile, a small figure, a little girl precisely, about eight years old, walked with her head down and her hand clutching her school bag strap. She walked slowly and hesitantly toward Victoria's door. She stuck her hand in the keyhole and pulled out the key, then unlocked the door and went inside. It was Penny.

Little Penny, who looked nothing like Victoria, had short black straight bob hair unlike Victoria who had dark brown Wavy hair. Penny's eyes were large and round, and they were a deep blue, almost navy in color.

Penny was a beautiful girl, but she was also painfully shy. She was grateful for her hair, because it gave her a sense of anonymity. Whenever she felt nervous, she could just let it fall in front of her face, hiding her shyness from the world.

Penny dropped her school bag on the floor and sat down next to it. She unzipped the bag and took out a sketchbook and a pencil case. She spread the sketchbook out on the floor and began to draw in it, her hand moving quickly across the paper.

Within a few minutes, Penny had drawn a perfect apple, down to the last detail. But she wasn't done. Still on the same page, she began sketching again. Then, a single tear fell from her eye, landing on the page. The teardrop had damped her drawing.

Afterwards, tears kept coming, and Penny tried her best to stifle her sobs. But it was no use. She felt like she was going to burst. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with each sob.

The tears wouldn't stop. She felt like she would never be able to stop crying. Finally, she picked up the pencil and threw it across the room not caring where it landed. She was hurt, pained on the inside.

Penny stood up and picked up her pencil and sketchbook, then sat back down on the floor. She turned to a new page, determined to start over. But the tears kept coming, blurring her vision and making it difficult to draw. She tried to keep going, but it was no use. She was too overwhelmed by her emotions. She let out a sob, unable to hold it in any longer.

This was Penny's habit. Whenever she was upset or felt like crying, she would take out her sketchbook and try to lose herself in her art.

But sometimes, the emotions were too strong, and the drawing wasn't enough to take her mind off of them. She would start crying, unable to stop the tears from flowing. It was like this time - the pain was too great, and no amount of drawing could make it go away.

Penny tried to stifle her sobs, but it was no use. The tears kept coming, and soon, she was crying out loud. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She fell to the floor, her body curled up in the shape of a ball, her face buried in her hands. The tears flowed freely, and she felt like she would never be able to stop crying. Whatever was causing this pain inside her, it was too much to bear.

Victoria entered her apartment and froze in her tracks. There, on the floor, was the little girl she had met a month ago, curled up in a ball and sobbing. The sight broke her heart. She slowly approached the girl, not wanting to startle her. "Penny?" she said softly. "What's wrong?"

Victoria had always thought Penny looked sad, but she never knew how deeply the girl was hurting. She had never thought to ask, to dig deeper and find out what was really bothering her.

Penny didn't answer, and Victoria didn't push it. She just went over to the girl and wrapped her arms around her, letting her know that she wasn't alone. They sat like that for a long time, just crying together. After what felt like an eternity, the sobs finally subsided, and they were left in a strange silence.

After a while, Penny got up and gathered her sketchbook and pencil, putting them back in her school bag. She looked down, not wanting to meet Victoria's gaze. She reached for the door handle, ready to leave. Victoria stopped her. "Penny, have you eaten anything today?" she asked softly. Penny didn't respond, just stood there, silent.

Victoria knew that Penny wasn't the type to open up easily. She was always quiet, withdrawn, like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. But then, without warning, Penny spoke, her voice full of pain. "Why do they have to pick on me?" she sobbed.

"My auntie, the other kids, everyone at school." She paused, her breath hitching. "There's this girl who's always making fun of me. She's popular and smart and I'm not." Victoria could feel the girl's pain radiating off of her, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort her. "What's her name?" she asked gently.

"Sage. Her name is Sage," Penny replied.

Victoria felt tears pricking at her own eyes. She could hear the pain in Penny's voice, the sadness, the loneliness. It was heartbreaking. "Don't listen to them," she said fiercely. "They're wrong. They don't know you like I do. You're smart and funny and kind, and the most amazing person I've ever met."

Penny looked up at her, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "But_ I can't help it," she said. "I wish I could be different, but I'm not." With that, Penny left Victoria's house, not looking back and Victoria also didn't bother to chase after her. She understood the girl needed her alone time. But she still felt for her.