FightNight// SweetPea

Spiraling.

              It was a couple days later I was walking down the streets of the Southside. It was calm, the breeze flew, the night sky was dark, lit only by the light of the full moon. I was walking down the street walking toward the Wyrm, meeting everyone there. I see the neon lights in the distance, letting me know it's not much further. I heard footsteps coming up behind me, I smiled to myself.

"You know you aren't too slick, Fogarty." I chuckled

"How do you do that?" He asked

We walked through the doors walking straight to a table in the back.

"I've learned some things." I said staring off

"Are you okay?" He asked

I looked at my hands.

"I'm always okay, Fangs." I said before giving him a tight lipped smile

"I'm going to grab a beer, you want one?" He asked

"Yeah, I'll take one." I said before looking around

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem off." He said getting closer

"I'm okay, Fangs. I'm fine." I said

He gave me a tight smile before walking off toward the bar. I began to look around seeing Toni bartending, Sweet Pea playing pool with Tall boy and my dad being upstairs holding a meeting. Fangs came back with two beers, placing them on the table sliding beside me. I avoided eye contacts as much as possible, hoping he would just let it go.

"Okay, what's up?" He said

"Nothing is up, everything is normal. Toni working, Sweets playing pool, you and I drinking. Everything is normal." I said

"NO, it's not. You are normally joking and laughing, You normally go and grab us beers, You normally go and say hi to Sweet Pea, You normally go up and bother your father. This is not normal, something is wrong. I am one of if not your best friend, what are you not telling me?" He explained

I stared at him, completely thrown back by his reasonable outburst.

"My brother is ashamed of my dad, me, the serpents. His friends didn't even know, let alone know he's serpent royalty. My dad is falling off the wagon and hard, I'm not doing much better. My world feels like it is crumpling from under me, I'm slightly falling off the deep end and I don't know how to stop it." I said in one breath

I looked down at my hands covering them with the fabric as I grabbed my beer standing up.

"I-i actually need to go talk to my dad so I'll talk to you later, yeah?" I asked getting up

"Wait! Salem, let's talk about this." Fangs said getting up to follow

"Please, Fangs. Not here and not now." I said feeling my eyes begin to water

He stared back at me as we stood in the middle of the bar, people singing and laughing having the time of their lives. He readjusted his jacket, holding his beer with both hands.

"Okay, but we are talking later." He said walking backward toward the pool tables

I nodded before turning to my dads office. I walked up the stairs seeing multiple members walking out. I step in to see my dad with his hands covering his face. I dropped my empty beer bottle in the trash can catching his attention.

"Oh hey Sal, how is it?" He asked

"fine." I said looking to my feet

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked

"It's nothing. Ummm, can I have a couple bucks to go get cigarettes?" I asked

"How much you need?" He asked