Penelope was in the hospital for two weeks before she was finally well enough to be released. She was under strict orders to rest while she continued to recover from her head injury. There were follow-up appointments she had to make with a few different doctors as well as a therapist, which had been court ordered after Carlo reported her case to the judge at a court hearing.
When she exited the hospital, Derek had pulled up in his Audi. The only thing that Penelope knew about the car was that it was fancy. And that it must have cost a fortune. Not that it mattered. Derek opened the door for her and helped her in.
"I know they said that you need to take it easy. But the first thing we need to do is get you out of those clothes." Derek said, looking Penelope over.
She was wearing the jeans she had on at work the day she was taken to the hospital and a scrub top, since the paramedics had cut her shirt off her when they had arrived to the scene. "Well, theres a thrift store a few blocks away if you want to stop there. I don't want to put you out at all."
"Um, no. I'm not taking you to a thrift store. We're going to go to a real clothing store, where you can pick out real clothes that actually fit you. I saw what was in your closet when Carlo and I went to go get your sketchbooks. There was nothing in there that fit you. Do you realize just how tiny you are, Little Mouse?"
Penelope blushed. She knew how skinny she was underneath all those clothes that she wore. She had no idea what sizes would fit her, nor did she know how difficult it was going to be to find things that fit her form. She tried not to think about it as she rode with Derek through the town. It was a nice day, and the wind was blowing through her matted hair. It had grown out slightly, and by now, Mary would have already given her another hack job. It felt weird the way it flew through the wind. But Penelope didn't dislike it.
Derek pulled into the back of a building and parked. "We're going to go in through this way. My family is friends with the owner, and they've closed it for us so that you can get whatever you want." He opened the car door for Penelope and led her in through the back of the store. Once they got in, an associate was there to meet them.
"Well hello there! You must be Penelope! I'm Sophia! I'm going to be your personal shopper today." She extended her hand to Penelope, who took it and shyly shook it.
"Hi Sophia. Its nice to meet you."
"Its nice to meet you, too! Come on inside. I have lots to show you!"
Although Penelope had been in a clothing store before, it had been a long time. As soon as she saw the rows and rows of clothes racks everywhere, she became overwhelmed. She didn't even know where to start! Panic immediately began to set in, but then she felt a calming touch on her back.
"Its ok." Derek whispered. "This is why we had the store close for you. I figured you might be overwhelmed. I'm right here."
Penelope gave him a look of appreciation and followed Sophia deep into the store. "How about we start you off with the basics. Bras, underwear, and socks. Derek, would you be a dear and go find us a shopping cart?"
"Sure!" Derek said, holding himself back from making a joke about wanting to stay for what was surely going to be the best part of their shopping day. As soon as he was gone, Sophia took out a measuring tape.
"Ok, now that hes out of the way for a moment, lets get your bra size. Is that ok?"
"Sure." Penelope said.
Sophia let out the tape and explained what she was doing before she did it, wrapping it around her in a few places to get the perfect measurement. As she did so, she wrote it all down on a small sticky note. "Ok. I got what I need. Now lets figure out what you like."
She showed Penelope several styles of bras, but all of them were too fancy looking for her. "They're all too… fancy. I've never had anything like any of these before."
"Well its important to find something that not only looks good, but feels good on you, too. You have to be comfortable in them, or they're going to do you no good. Lets start with something plain. Solid colors in a few different styles. That way, we can work you into feeling comfortable."
She pulled several different solid colored bras out from different drawers and handed them to Penelope. "These are so huge! I've never had anything this big before." She said, eyes wide.
"That's the right size for you, dear." Sophia replied before ushering Penelope into a dressing room to try them on. Derek had already grabbed a cart, but was watching the interaction at a distance. When she finally went into the dressing room, he walked up to Sophia.
"How is she doing, Soph?"
"I can tell that she is very nervous. And I don't think she has ever worn a proper bra. She said that they were way too big. But I measured her while you went to get the cart and I know I pulled out the right sizes for her."
"OH MY GOD!" Penelope shouted from the dressing room.
"What!? Is everything OK?" Derek said, beginning to rush to the dressing room.
Sophia put her hand out. "Don't go in there you're going to freak her out!" She scolded. "Let me handle this."
"Whats up, Dear?" She asked knocking on the door "Is everything ok? Do you need any help?"
"It fits so differently. But in a good way. It doesn't feel like they're being squeezed flat anymore!"
"Can I come in and have a peek?"
"Um… Ok…" Penelope opened the door, and Sophia went in and assessed the fit.
"That looks like a perfect fit. What do you think? Is it comfortable for you?"
"Yes! It feels so nice! Can I try the other ones on?"
"Absolutely! Try on as many as you like. I'll be right out here if you want me to see how they fit. Different styles won't be the same on you, so you have to figure out which ones you like the best."
"Ok!"
After some time, Penelope had tried on several different styles and liked most of them. So the ones she liked all went into the cart. Then, she picked out some socks. Sophie didn't want to traumatize her by making her try on underwear with Derek nearby, so she simply pulled a few packs of a name brand in her size with different cuts off a shelf for her to try on later.
Then they moved on to the rest of the store. Shirts, pants, pajamas. Each thing Penelope tried on had her looking at the dressing room mirror wondering who she was staring at. It was so overwhelming that she had a hard time choosing anything she liked. None of it looked natural on her thin frame. She couldn't even bring herself.to show off anything to Derek or Sophia.
After almost 40 minutes of trying things on, Penelope couldnt take it anymore. She wasn't used to walking around so much just yet, and her body was starting to tell her that it was done. So they ended up with a few comfy shirts, pants, and jammie sets for her so that she could go home and get some rest.
When they finished, Derek paid for everything and she walked out wearing a V-neck tee and a pair of the comfiest pants she had ever worn. Sophia had said they were leggings and were the most perfect pants she could wear around the house while she was recovering. "And they show off that nice little booty you were hiding from us, too!" Sophia bad commented with a wink. The comment was met with a scowel from Derek as Penelope proceeded to die of embarrassment as she sought a way to cover herself back up. The only thing she could think to do was pull the shirt as far over her rump as she could get it to go. Which wasn't very far. Why was this shirt so small, again? Oh yeah. It was her size.
"Don't worry about it, Penelope." Derek said softly. "You don't have to hide anything about yourself, anymore. You look amazing."
Did she, though? Derek couldn't take his eyes off her at all. Maybe she looked more like a freak now and he just didn't want to say it. A slutty freak. Thats what Greg would have called her.
Penelope must have been staring down at the floor because she then felt a gentle touch on her chin as Derek tilted her head up to meet her eyes. "You have no idea how stunningly beautiful you are, do you?" All Penelope could do was swallow hard and stare back, searching in his eyes for a lie that wasn't there.
"Once we get home, I am burning this outfit. Just so you know." He warned Penelope. She didn't object to the decision. Although she had appreciated the new clothes, she was still extremely overwhelmed with anxiety. She was not used to being able to pick out her own clothes to wear. Nor was she used to being fussed over as Sophia had. She didn't know how to accept it.
Sophia and Derek had picked up on her queues though and did their best to not push her too far. Derek knew that for some time she was going to be way out of her comfort zone, though. She was going to have a lot of adjusting to do. He wondered if Penelope even knew how to be a normal teenager. She was going through a very dramatic change to her lifestyle, and he knew that it was not going to be easy for her.
As he drove home, he reached for her hand, which she took. Shortly after he started driving, though, Penelope had fallen asleep. The shopping trip had taken too much out of her. So he turned on the radio and listened to some music as he drove the rest of the way home.