"𝙳𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎"
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ

PENELOPE WAKES UP to a noise in the kitchen that sounds like dripping water.  She gets out of bed and heads to the kitchen to make sure that she turned off the faucet.  When she looks towards the sink, she sees Noah gulping a glass of water.  By the looks of Noah's appearance, Penelope can sense that she has not slept at all.

"Noah?" She cautiously says, "Are you okay?"

Noah looks up and sees that it is just Penelope.  The blonde noticed that the teen had jumped a little bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Noah answers.

"Have you slept?" Penelope asks.

"Yeah," Noah says and puts the glass down.  Penelope looks over at the couch and sees the blanket pushed to the end of the couch.  The pillow does not even have an indent that shows Noah had slept.

"I can make you another tea." Penelope offers.

"I'm good,"

"It'll help you sleep."

"I'll be okay, really."

"Come here," Penelope says and holds out a hand. Noah takes her hand and finds herself being pulled to the bedroom.

"C'mon," Penelope says as she sits in bed and pats the other side, "We can make it a true sleepover."

Noah silently lays down and pulls the covers up to her chest. She looks over and sees that Garcia is already bundled up with her eyes closed. She smiles at how her and Penelope never have to say the words; they know the love they have for each other.

—
𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘺

Noah slept every now and then throughout the night.  She was in and out of sleep, but she felt a bit more secure next to Penelope.

The two had an easy-going morning.  Penelope made the teen a massive breakfast and got her to school right in time.  The day has gone perfectly.  Just as Noah walks down the hallway towards her Spanish class, she sees a crowd starting to build up to watch something.

The teen moves around the crowd as she tries to pass through to get to her class.  As she looks in the middle of the crowd, she sees a familiar head of raven hair.

"Parker?" Noah asks herself. She makes eye contact with the boy, who has blood dripping from his mouth.  Suddenly, Parker launches himself towards another boy.

Noah looks around in confusion and peers down the hallway.  She makes eye contact with a teacher and immediately jumps into the fight.  Parker pulls his fist back to throw another punch, but Noah grabs it and pushes it down.

"There's a teacher coming, c'mon!" Noah exclaims and grabs Parker's hand.

The boy follows Noah, holding her hand as they escape down the hallway.  They quickly take a turn and sprint down the corridor.  Noah pulls them into the nearest girl's bathroom and locks the door behind them.

Noah turns one of the sink faucets on and runs a paper towel under it. She walks over to Parker and grabs his chin. She wipes the blood that is trickling from the boy's nose. When she looks up at his bruised eye, it reminds her of her fight with Nick.

"What the hell were you doing?" She tuts as she shakes her head.

"Fighting—"

"Clearly." Noah chuckles, "I mean, why were you fighting?"

"Douche bag said some shit about Ava," Parker explains.

"You're fighting over Ava?" Noah asks.

"I'm her...friend," Parker says, trying to think of a word to describe his and Ava's relationship.

"She's some friend." Noah sarcastically speaks.

"I was joking when I made the jealous comment yesterday, but now I'm starting to sense a bit of jealousy." The boy mentions as Noah throws the bloody paper towel away.

"I will never be jealous of a girl like Ava." She insists.

"A girl like Ava?" Parker questions.

"The girl who prances around expecting everyone to bow at her feet.  She walked all the way to the football field to ask you to eat lunch with her just because she knew you would say yes.  And she knew it would drive your friends crazy." Noah explains and leans against one of the sinks.

"She's not like that all the time.  She's actually really nice." Parker replies and leans against the sink next to Noah's.

"She's nice to you because she wants you."

"Wow, that makes me feel great." Parker chuckles.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you see the reality of the situation," Noah says as she puts her hands up in defense.

"What situation?"

"Maybe every time Liv takes a dig at Ava, she's trying to tell you something." The girl suggests.

"You just got here and you've got us all figured out, Seattle," Parker notes.

"I'm just good at reading people; I'm an observer," Noah says with a shrug.

"Well, maybe you could observe me sometime outside of school...?" Parker tries his luck.

"Is that you asking me to hang out?" Noah asks.

"I gave it my best shot.  You know, you're hard to please, Seattle."

"I'll keep your offer in mind," Noah smirks and grabs her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Hey, where ya goin'?" The boy asks and puts a hand up to stop the girl.

"To class—"

"Nah, we're already late. We can just stay and talk for a while." Parker suggests.

"Whatever," Noah says as she puts her bag back down.  If she was being honest, she could use a break.

Parker sits on the floor and gestures for Noah to sit next to him.  The girl obliges and puts her knees to her chest.

"You look like shit," Parker notes.

"So do you, black eye," Noah giggles and glances at Parker's bruises.

"I mean, you look like you haven't slept."

"That's because I haven't," Noah replies as she takes a deep breath and leans the back of her head against the tiled wall.

"How come?"

"It's stupid—"

"Nah, what is it?" Parker pleads, "Nightmares?  Are you scared of the dark, Seattle?"

"No," Noah chuckles, "It's a little more complicated than that." She adds.

"I like complicated," The boy says and smiles at her.

"Em—" Noah stops, "My Mom's job is like super random.  She could get called in at any second and she has to just drop everything and go.  So, last night, I had to stay with one of our family friends.  And I just didn't feel...safe." Noah explains.

"So you didn't sleep?" Parker asks.

"I tried to close my eyes, but every time I did, I just had the urge to open them again." The girl says, knowing that the boy will not understand.

"And now you're so tired, all you wanna do is close them." Parker assumes.

"Yeah," Noah agrees and peers over at him, "It's weird—"

"Not really.  Everybody has moments where their mind weighs them down." He says and it honestly surprises Noah.

"Yeah, I guess," She replies.

"So, do you not see your Mom a lot, then?" Parker asks.

"I do, but she just leaves for a couple days every other week or so."

"Do you get along with her?" He continues to pry.

"I don't know, I guess." Noah shrugs it off, trying her best to refrain from completely lying to Parker.

"I know what you mean," Parker begins, "Me and my Dad have a weird relationship.  As long as I play varsity football, he doesn't care about anything else I do.  'As long as it doesn't interfere with football'." He says and seems to quote his father.

"You must be good at football, then." Noah says with a smile.

"You'll have to see for yourself.  There's a game next Friday, you should come."

"I—"

Suddenly, the two hear a key jiggling in the door.  An older teacher opens the bathroom door with a girl standing behind her shoulder.

"Mr. Reef.  I suppose you and your friend were up to no good." The teacher calls Parker out by name.

"We were just—"

"Save it for Principal Gallway." The teacher interrupts and steps back to let the girl in the restroom.  Noah and Parker scurry out into the hallway and are escorted to the front office by the teacher.

"Caught these two locked in a bathroom together," She explains to the receptionist, who turns around to look at the principal.

"My office," Principal Gallway says in an annoyed tone and points to the door.  Noah and Parker walk in with their heads down and hear the door close behind them.

"Mr. Reef, you've gotten in so much trouble, I might as well have your parents on speed dial." Principal Gallway mutters as she sits in her chair.

"We really weren't doing anything.  We were just talking and casually skipping."

"Casually skipping?  You know, making it sound 'casual' doesn't make it any better."

"I know, ma'am.  But, there's no need to involve the 'rents in this." Parker says, referring to his parents.  Noah smirks to herself and looks down at her lap.

"And what happened to your face?"

"I'm just so clumsy and that door came out of nowhere," Parker jokes further.

"And you, Noah?  Didn't think I would have any trouble with a Prentiss." Principal Gallway says and looks over at the girl.  The teen immediately wipes her smirk away.

"We really were just talking." Noah states, "And I'm not a Prentiss, my last name is Collins."

"Right, well, that doesn't change anything.  I'm calling your parents — don't move an inch." She declares and picks up her phone.

Principal Gallway calls Parker's Dad first and informs him of the situation.  Parker looked angry, to say the lease.  Noah saw how his mannerisms changed and how he clenched his jaw as he heard his father on speakerphone.

"I'll be there as soon as possible," Parker's Dad says and hangs up the phone.  Noah looks over at the boy and sees him shaking his head.

"Alright, Ms. Collins," Principal Gallway says and dials Emily's number straight from Noah's school file.

The teen became nervous about what Emily was going to say.  She had only just moved in and she knows what happens to new foster kids who cause trouble.  Noah is also nervous that Emily will be upset because she is currently on a case in San Francisco.

Noah zones out in panic but is brought back by Principal Gallway hanging up the phone.

"She's not answering." She says.

"She's on a case," Noah explains.

"Is she in the city?" The woman questions the teen.

"No, I'm staying with a family friend." Noah answers.

"What's their number?"

Noah gives Principal Gallway Penelope's number and leans back in the chair.  She is somehow even more nervous for Penelope to talk to her principal than Emily.

"Can I talk to her?" Noah suddenly pleads.

"You wanna tell her?" Principal Gallway asks.

"Yeah," Noah replies and takes the phone, holding it up to her ear.

"Hello?" Penelope answers on the second ring.

"Penelope?"

"Noah?"

"I'm in trouble," Noah says and looks down at her shoes.

"What?"

"They need you to come down to the school." The teen tells her and clenches her jaw out of anxiety.

"Wha—" Penelope stutters, "Noah, you know I love you the mostest, sweetheart, but I'm a little busy."

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to." Noah insists and waits for the woman's response.

"Give me ten minutes," Penelope says and hangs up the phone.  Noah gives the phone back to Principal Gallway and leans back.

"Wait here for them," Principal Gallway says and stands, "Get out some homework or a book." She demands and leaves her office, closing the door behind her.

Noah sits in the silence between the two teens.  Suddenly, Parker bursts out laughing and rolls his head back.  Noah looks over at him and cannot help but smile.  She begins to laugh along with him, soon finding herself in a fit of laughter.

"Dude," Parker says, "They think we fucked or something!" He exclaims and hears Noah's giggle erupt.

"What the fuck are we gonna say?" Noah asks and sees Parker shrug as he laughs.

—
𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦

"They're in here,"

Noah and Parker hear Principal Gallway's muffled voice say outside of the office.  They both shut the homework they were working on and look behind them to see Parker's father and Penelope Garcia entering the office.

"What happened, son?" Mr. Reef asks Parker as he eyes his son's bruised face.

"I'm sorry," Noah whispers her apology to Penelope as the blonde sits in the chair next to her.

Principal Gallway explains the situation and what she believes happened. Noah shakes her head at the principal's assumptions and looks over at Garcia. The blonde does not seem to be buying the story, seeing as Principal Gallway believes a lot more than 'talking' went on in the bathroom.

"I'm giving them both in-school suspension." Principal Gallway states, "Mr. Reef, you and Parker are free to go." She says and hands the teen boy a pink slip.

"See ya', Seattle." Parker mutters and gives Noah a small smile. The girl flashes a tiny grin back and waits for him and his father to be gone.

"Noah told me that her mother's out of state.  I'll have to inform her about the in-school suspension." Principal Gallway states and hands Noah the pink slip.

"I will be sure to pass the gossip along to Emily." Penelope replies.

"Then, I guess that's all." The woman says and stands up to open the door for Noah and Penelope.

"Thank you for your time, ma'am." Penelope says and waves the principal off.

Noah trudges her way back to Penelope's car, which stands out in the school parking lot. Noah opens the passenger door of the orange Cadillac and sits in silence. Penelope waits for the teen to say something, but realizes that she will have to be the one to speak up.

"Noah," Penelope says and looks at the teen, who is staring in another direction.

"I know you're my munchkin and I don't get mad at you, so I'm gonna ask you..." Penelope pauses as Noah turns to look at her, "Did you skip your class on purpose?"

"No," Noah quickly replies, "And it was only Spanish class. I can speak the language fluently already." She tries to make it better.

"So, you lied to your principal?"

"I had to," Noah insists, "Parker got in a fight and I saw it and I stopped him before a teacher came.  I helped clean his face up in the bathroom and we talked about what happened.  That's it."

"You just cleaned up his face?" Penelope asks.

"Yeah,"

"There was no more-than-friends activities involved?" She asks more clearly.

"No, of course not, I would never do that." Noah declares and sees that Penelope believes her.

"Why was he fighting?" Penelope asks, hating the idea of two kids fighting.

"He was defending this girl." Noah replies, "And she wasn't even there.  It was just another football player talking about her."

"Oh, I'm no profiler, but I sense some jealousy in your tone." Penelope immediately notes and smirks at Noah.

"I am not jealous." The teen argues.

"Whatever you say, munchkin." Penelope giggles and starts the car.

"Please don't tell Emily," Noah begs and peers up at Penelope.

"Noah, I—"

"I know that you told me that you're not a good liar, but I need you to do this for me.  If she finds out I skipped, she'll be so mad at me.  Just please don't tell her.  I can't afford that." Noah rants and Penelope can see the fear in the teen's eyes.

"Afford what?" She asks.

"For her to think I'm not a good kid," Noah mutters and looks down at her hands.

"What?"

"She'll send me away, just please don't say anything." Noah pleads and begins to pick at her fingernails.

"Oh, Noah, Emily won't send you away," Penelope reassures the girl and takes her hands in her own to stop the teen from nervously picking away at them.

"You don't know that." Noah sighs.

"You're right, I don't.  But I do know that she adores you and she never stops talking about how excited she is to go home and hang out with you." Penelope beams and looks into the teen's electric blue eyes.

"Because she thinks I'm a good kid—"

"Noah, honey, you are a good kid.  You're an angel!" The blonde exclaims and smiles wide.  She watches as Noah's head hangs a bit at the thought of Emily finding out.

"I won't tell Emily, but only this one time." Penelope finally gives in.

"Really?" Noah asks, shocked.

"One chance.  Only because I wanna be the cool fairy godmother." Penelope states and puts the car in reverse.

"Thanks, P." Noah chimes and feels the car back out of the parking space.

"You're welcome, doll," Penelope replies and admires the teen's smile.  She watches as the teen lets her arm out of the car and feels the breeze on her skin as they drive back to the BAU.