Embarrassed, you dart out of the library at top speed, bouncing off the stairs and as far away from the building as you can get. By the time you get to the sidewalk, you're terribly out of breath and angry at yourself for ruining yet another chance you had.
You decide you're about ready to give up for the day. It's all anxiety for nothing. You had some faint glimmer of hope you could get somewhere with this, find Penny, make up for everything stupid you did, and maybe you wouldn't still be the lonely, homeless, miserable, absolutely pathetic trash animal you've always been, and that seems not to be the case. So whatever. You give up.
As you keep wandering, staring at the ground and occasionally peeking your head up at noises, you see someone out of your peripheral. Someone big. Those big ears and old jacket are unmistakable. It's Kevin, the dog who was with Sebastian that night!
You lock up in terror. Turns out, you really can find Penny now—and everything in your brain is telling you not to. You start thinking of hiding spots. Alleyway? No, these are too clean. Woods? Maybe...
"Colton?"