Caterpillar

"Knock it off dad, you know he isn't my boyfriend" Penny pouted, puffing her cheeks

...

Welp, my will to live has just gone completely gone out the window.

As my perception of reality shattered around me, crumbling in on itself while despair embraced me with gentle enrapture..Penny spoke up once more.

"Come on Greg, I got everything ready just for you" she smiled sweetly, before swiftly gliding off behind the wall, out of sight.

I looked up to Mr.Chindelin, searching for his approval. He nodded softly, before stepping behind me to watch as I made my way up the stairs. It was a little awkward with his eyes constantly tracking each of my movements (if I'm being blunt it was slightly embarrassing), but as long as he accepts the idea of me and Penny being alone together, then that's a small price to pay. In comparison to the heaven I'm about to experience, his gaze is nothing but a prick on the finger!

Once I got up the pristine staircase, I quietly examined the second floor hall before landing on Penny's door. Like some sort of horror movie, it was all the way down the middle, between a various number of other entrances on either side of each wall (kinda creepy if I'm being real).

I gulped, before slowly taking my first few steps. I didn't want to scar the velvet-like carpet with my (comparatively) befouled, dusty shoes, so naturally every step I had to take needed to be deliberate. What sort of filthy mutt would Penny take me for if I left some sooty smear stains (pretty great alliteration am I right?) on her immaculately virgin mezzanine?!

Questionable use of adjectives aside, my point is that I don't want to leave a bad impression.

As I finally got to the end of the hall after a few moments, taking note of the peach interior slowly shifting into a hot pink as her room drew closer (almost like an omen of sorts), she opened her cracked door fully and gave me a wide grin.

"It's all set. come on" she said softly.

God, if you're really out there..please let me marry this woman someday.

I smiled awkwardly, forcing down my delusional fantasies as I walked past her. Once I stepped inside, I was immediately flooded with visions of lurid cupcake pink colors and profusely inordinate prop-like objects..it's almost hard to describe honestly. The overwhelming, palpable intensity of the room certainly felt superfluous with its bright pink curtains, pink bedsheets and light pink comforter, its clear mirror on the right side wall near the window with its pink outline, the small pink chandelier the pink chair next to said pink mirror with the window with pink sliders, a pink footstool, pink, pink, pink!

Why is there this much pink?! Is this her room or Strawberry Shortcakes, because at this point is there even a difference?!

Suddenly, my attention was briskly diverted as the door shut softly and Penny moved in front of me.

Right in front of me.

W-woah, wait, aren't we moving a little fast here?! I didn't even get to finish detailing the contents of her room yet!

Ah, well, who cares. I'll take a kiss from her any day over some stupid elucidation (that means explanation) on interior design...

Wait-idiot! What the heck are you thinking?! It's way too soon for that you fool!

Cold sweat dripped from my face as my mind raced wildly, filling my brain with gratuitous chaos. I stared directly in her eyes, silently praying my rapidly increasing temperature didn't show on my face with an embarrassingly humiliating beat red.

I gulped, as she opened her mouth to say:

"Sorry about him, he's always acting like that"

She moved away in a huff, closing her eyes and turning her head to the opposite direction.

Whew, praise the lord! I thought I was gonna die from how palpable the tension was! I might've really wanted that kiss, but I don't think I'd be able to handle one from her just yet so soon after I arrived (of course I wouldn't complain regardless of the circumstances, but you get my meaning).

I scratched the back of my head, replying meekly: "It's fine, my family's weird too"

Wha-no! Did I just-no I definitely-just implied that her family is weird! You idiot! stupid, incompetent fool! What is wrong with yo-

"Heheheh yeah, but you get used to it" she giggled, smiling at me with slanted eyes as she held her fingers to her mouth.

Oh...I guess it worked out?

"So...do you have any ideas?" She asked next, innocently.

H-huh? Ideas? Like, sexy ideas? The kind two hormonal pre-teens would wanna experiment with in a deliberately enclosed room?! The kind of impassioned, unbridled sort of ardent fervor that leads to intemperate bliss?!

"W-what-wh-u-a-do you mean?" I barely flubbed out.

What the heck even was that? Does that even qualify as a sentence?!

"About the project silly" she giggled once more, her mouth furling into a smirk as she gently brushed my arm with a stray hand.

S-she touched me?! Wait, does that mean we really will let our desires loose in here?! I can't wait (but I'm also terrified)!

"O-oh yeah...um..about that.." I trailed off for a moment, quickly trying to regain my usually calculated mind.

In a flash, my chat with Mark came to light.

"A butterfly. Yeah..let's do that. I always see you a-around them at school, so I was t-thinking why no-t?"

Crap-why did I say it like I have tourettes or something? Am I really that stupid?!

 "Ohh, that's a great idea! I actually really love that" she said zestfully, her conciliating tone echoing with enough tranquility to pacify a million suns.

Man, her voice is so soothing..I could get lost in it-

"D-did you have any other ideas? I don't wanna leave out anything you might have in mind..and thanks.." I muttered. 

Dang it, I'm doing it again! I'm still not over this stupid (yet admittedly perfectly understandable and reasonable) fear of talking to her without messing up! It's infuriating! So-just like, stop!

"Umm..not really, no. Your idea is pretty amazing so I wanna go with that, I think" she said cheerfully.

"O-oh? Cool, cool..that's cool.." I said, repeating myself like a moron as I began to sweat nervously. 

Alright-what kind of mental issues do I have?!

"I don't really know a whole lot about butterflies though. I just chose them because I s-see you around them a lot..a-and figured it'd be a nice id-dea." I added (with less stutters than I had before, I think? I hope so. I haven't really taken count).

"Well I'm glad you noticed. That's really sweet" she tittered playfully.

Man, she really does like giggling..

PLEASE God-just let me marry her now! I don't want to wait anymore!

"So um..what exactly..or how much do you know about butterflies?" I asked, cautiously. I didn't want to over-impose on her knowledge or anything..so I made sure to say it discreetly (well I did the best I could).

"Well I can tell you about their life cycle. It's easy to start there" she stated with characteristically bushy tailed cuteness (she's so adorable even without trying! What's not to love about this goddess?!).

"Oh, yeah sure. I think we went over that in my grade school..I think..but it's been a little while" I replied.

"Then let's refresh your memory then" she said, brushing her fingers on my shoulder before moving past to walk over to her closet.

Wow, she really likes touching me. This has gotta be a sign, right?! I can't possibly mess up if that's the case...it would be the equivalent to committing the act of seppuku (Japanese suicide if you didn't know. So yeah, it's especially serious, but I know you're probably not surprised with how well you know me at this point)!

As she opened her light pink (I won't start with that again) closet, I watched her bend down slowly, protruding her...uh..."posterior"..in my direction.

Huh..was it always that big? Or is it the slacks she's wearing? Woah..that's a really good angle! Hold on..

I tilted my head down, staring unabashedly at her butt. Okay, maybe I'm a little ashamed (I swear I felt some drool come out of my mouth) but I don't get this chance often, okay?! Leave me alone!

As she reached further down in her closet, I heard her grunt before speaking up: "Sorry, I know I said I was prepared and all. I just.. hmph! Didn't expect this idea" 

"Oh it's no problem, you don't need to worry about it" I shrugged, casually.

As she got back to searching, I continued looking her up and down, my imagination beginning to override my senses.

Mmm..she looks really good at this angle..should I take a picture? Wha-no, don't get ahead of yourself you dimwit!

But..I'm kinda starting to relax a little..

I tried to turn my attention away, looking around the garishly bright room and take it all in once more. I noticed the tv, facing off diagonally to the right of her refined and gentle looking tumescent bed spread. It looked like it was probably a 70 inch..no, less than that. Perhaps a 64? something around there. Regardless, it's pretty massive for a girls bedroom. I mean I know mine is a 70 inch, but my family's just weird.

I turned my attention back to her bed, suddenly filled with the desire to sit down. I realized that I'd been standing for a while, and my legs were starting to shake from all of the tension. I looked over to Penny, still working on finding her notebook, and asked:

"Hey, uh, is there anywhere I can sit down?"

She grunted, continuing to stumble her way through the closet with her hands and face as she replied: "Oh, oof..sure, you can take the bed"

Even while bent over and moaning, she still sounds like an angel..

Wait, that came out wrong-

I didn't mean it like that-you have to believe me!

You trust me, right?  

Will you?

Pretty please?

After finally sitting down on her bed, I sighed, fully allowing myself to take in the atmosphere as I sunk into the comforter. I breathed in deep, inhaling the unmistakably redoubtable scent, filling my lungs with a saccharine vanilla-strawberry cacophony. It smelled as cherubic as the ambiance Penny herself emanates, scrupulously lulling me back into my unconscious fantasies (with not unwanted vicissitude).

No-not again! We have to..stay focused. We're just supposed to focus on this project yeah? We'll have time for distractions later.

I shifted my awareness over to Penny once more, realizing how much time she had spent rummaging through her belongings.

"Hey, uh, do you need any help?" I asked, slowly rising from the untainted purity that was her resting place (too much again? I'll stop, sorry).

"No, I think I got it" she said with a huff (not in a annoyed way, more like she was just strained).

Lo and behold, she did in fact have it. A couple moments after her heaved declaration, she pulled out the black notebook (that seemed to be) lodged at the back of her closet.

"Whew! Finally!" she said, wiping the sweat from her brow before moving over to her bed and sitting down.

Jeez, how hard was she working to find that thing? I kinda feel bad..I should have asked if she needed help sooner.

She patted on the area beside her, smiling up at me "Come sit"

I almost barked in response, but since I have (just enough) respect for myself to not do something quite that pitiful, I just moved back down to my place on the comforter.

"Alright, so I'll just go over the basics with you. I'm sorry it took so long" she said, brushing her hair behind her ear as she looked down at the notebook.

"Oh it's fine, you don't have to worry about it" I eased.

"Okay, so-"

"W-wait, I was actually curious about something else real quick, if you don't mind me asking.." I blurted out quickly.

Why did I say that so randomly? Well, it was because I had just remembered something. A very important something.

The thing that inspired me to make this move on Penny I otherwise would have never made. 

This was such a vital piece of information that I couldn't live without knowing. Something I kept all to myself.

I breathed in silently, before opening my mouth. The answer to this question will determine everything.

I stared directly into her eyes, gathering all of the confidence I could muster.

"Are you..dating J.B.?"