Understanding penny

Hi, I’m rereading the Alice series for the 100th time because it’s so great! My most least favorite character is penny. I just don’t understand her. She literally flirted with Patrick while he was with Alice and sometimes right in front of her! She completely stole him away from Al and broke her heart. Did she even care when she’d see ALice? did she even care at all when she was with Patrick? the worst part was that she wanted to be friends with Alice and act like nothing ever happened, Al is a better person than me because I would’ve never forgiven her nor have been friends with her. How could penny live with herself after knowing she hurt Al so badly? Without any disrespect to you, Mrs. Naylor, I will never like penny but what was her deal because she acted like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

It’s really OK if you don’t like character in a book.  I don’t have time to go back and find where Penny entered the series or what the circumstances were–but I believe she was a new girl to the school and could not have known the particulars of every relationship.  Patrick may have indicated to her that Alice was mad at him for liking her, and Penny just assumed that they were breaking up.  When kids start linking up into couples for the first time, all sorts of dramas go on.  A crush can last a day or a year, and one member of a couple can have a much deeper love for the partner than the partner has for her.   Is seem to remember that Alice and Penny become friends later on.