BFB High (with a continuous plot wow)

Chapter 12: In Denial

"I don't need help," Penelope insisted. "I'll be fine." She turned her head back towards Leah and gave what seemed to be an attempt to appear fine. Unfortunately, Penelope never had that good of a poker face, so instead it gave the opposite impression. Teddy found herself shaking her head, knowing that Penelope clearly wasn't fine.

"Uh Penelope," Leah started, before Nadia cut her off.

"Cousin, you're terrible at acting. You're clearly not fine," Nadia said, crossing her arms.

At this, Penelope frowned and snapped, "Why are you even here, Nadia? You already saw me earlier."

Teddy saw Nadia visibly jolt back at this comment. Teddy couldn't blame her. She was also surprised. I thought Nadia and Penelope had a good relationship as cousins, she thought. Was I wrong? Or was the stress of the accident and her amputations just getting to her?

"Penelope!" the amputee's mom scolded her.

"I-Well alright, it was mainly because Teddy, along with Leah and her mom, were visiting you and I was worried that you would be too fragile to deal with visitors," Nadia explained, before pausing to look back at Teddy and Leah. "Actually, maybe-maybe Penelope's right. I think she needs some space."

"I'm not fragile!" Penelope yelled.

Maybe fragile isn't the right word, Teddy thought, but you definitely aren't in the mood to talk right now. She simply waved goodbye to Penelope as she followed Nadia out the door of the hospital room.

"I'm sorry about that," Nadia apologized as soon as she and Teddy were out in the hallway of the hospital.

"It's fine," Teddy signed sincerely. While she was doing so, the door opened and the two turned to see Leah's mom step out into the hallway. They waited for Leah to step outside after her, and after around a minute, Leah also came out.

"Are you alright?" Teddy signed in concern.

"Me?" Leah asked in surprise. "I'm not the one who got into a car accident."

"No, but your best friend did," Teddy replied in ASL.

"I... I don't know if I'm fine," Leah responded softly. "I just hope Penelope's okay. That's all. I know she's strong, but I just can't help but worry. And... I guess I also feel bad about how Penelope seems to be pushing us away... You have no idea how much I want to go in there and support her but..."

"I know, and I'm sorry for the way she's been acting," Nadia said, shaking her head. "Her irritability is probably due to the pain she must be feeling but her stubbornness..." Nadia sighed. "That's always been there. Even when she was young, she insisted on doing things on her own, even when we offered to help. But then again, seeing how long you two have known her, you already knew that, didn't you?"

"What do you mean?" Leah asked, confused. "Penelope let me be her vice president in the middle school student council."

Is that really helping though? Teddy wondered. Doesn't the student council vice president not do anything? But then again, I've never been in student council so I wouldn't know.

"That's not exactly what I mean," Nadia said, but before she could continue, they heard Mrs. Lemon, who had left the teenagers alone to talk to Nadia's parents a while ago, call out to her daughter.

"Leah, isn't that one of your classmates?"

The three girls turned to see Connor walking down the hallway from the elevator. But what was surprising was the fact that he was carrying a bouquet of flowers. Upon seeing them, he called out, "Oh hey, Leah, Nadia, and..." He trailed off, clearly having forgotten Teddy's name.