New Girl In Town

Chapter 11

It was finally Friday. I was thankful with how quickly the week had passed. Sweet Pea picked me up every morning now; during free period we'd go to the back lot with the other Serpents, and after school we'd go to the Whyte Wyrm and hang out until he drove me home. I was considering getting a job there to help with the bills; I was already there all the time, so I might as well get paid for it. Plus, it'd give me a chance to get closer with Toni since she works there too. I was really starting to like her; she doesn't give a shit about what anyone else has to say about her and I admire that.

My dad finally got a job. It's as a cashier at a small convenience shop down the street from us, and it doesn't pay very well. But a job's a job, and I wasn't about to complain about it. The job kept him busy, and his drinking was beginning to subside a little, but he was still so angry all the time. I tried to spend as little time at home as possible.

Jax finally returned to school, and I saw him for the first time since the incident. He looked bad. Like, really bad. He had a black eye, a split lip, and his nose was busted. He also had a little limp when he walked. Sweet Pea was right though, he wouldn't even look at me, and the other Ghoulies steered clear of me as well. I felt powerful. I felt safe.

I still sat with Betty, Jughead, Ronnie, and Archie during lunch. Archie didn't say anything about Sweet Pea anymore which I was thankful for. I think Veronica talked to him after our little episode earlier that week. I was starting to feel comfortable here at Riverdale, like I'd finally found my place.

I was in English now, my last class before lunch. Although it was my favorite subject next to art, I always dreaded going because of my teacher, Mrs. Berlin. She was relatively young for a teacher, but she was a nasty woman. She was incredibly strict, and had no idea how to take a joke. I wouldn't go so far to say that I hated her, but I definitely didn't like her.

The bell rang, and Betty, Jughead, and I quickly gathered our things and headed for the door, excited for the small break that lunch provided us with. Right as we were about to leave, Mrs. Berlin stepped in front of us, blocking our path to the door.

"Miss. Kingsman, I would like to speak with you momentarily" she informed me with the permanent scowl plastered on her face.

"Um, okay" I replied, confused as to what she needed to talk to me about. "You guys can go to lunch, I'll meet you there." They nodded at me and departed the room, leaving Mrs. Berlin and I alone. She made her way to her desk, motioning for me to follow her. I stood in front of her, and she just stared at me and let out a disappointed sigh.

"So, what's up?" I questioned after a few moments of awkward silence. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Actually, yes" she replied bluntly. "I've let it slide these past two weeks hoping that it wasn't real, but it clearly is". What? I was incredibly confused, and my face must have shown it because she just sighed and continued explaining.

"Are you aware that we have a strict, no tattoo policy here at Riverdale High?" she questioned, glaring disapprovingly at the small collection of tattoos on my hand. I looked at her for a moment in disbelief, and then, before I could stop myself, I started to laugh.

"You've got to me kidding me" I scoffed, unable to control the giggles that were falling from my mouth. "What about all of the Serpents and the Ghoulies? Those guys are all inked." Her eyes narrowed at me; she was clearly unamused by my statement.

"I expect that it will be covered by the next time I see you" she cautioned in a flat tone.

"Are you serious? What am I supposed to do, wear a glove all day?" I retorted, pointing out the absurdity of how unnecessary that would be. It was just a tattoo, and it wasn't hurting anyone. Why did it matter if it was visible or not?

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you permanently stained your skin" she replied without looking up from the papers she was grading. I was absolutely fuming.

"Screw you" I spat and angrily huffed out of the room. Who the hell does she think she is? Teachers always stress about the importance of respect, but then when it comes to their students, they couldn't care less. Now I hate her.

I found myself heading towards the back lot instead of the lunch room. I was itching for a cigarette to help me calm down a little; however, when I got their, I could see that I was in plain sight of the outdoor lunch tables, and I would definitely get caught smoking. I looked around with a defeated feeling, but thankfully, a set of bleachers caught my eye, and it was in the opposite direction of the students who were seated nearby.

I quickly scurried over there and took cover beneath the bleachers that surrounded the football field. My hands were shaking because of how badly I was craving that cigarette. I slipped one out of my bag and placed it between my lips. I took the lighter out of my jacket pocket and tried to light it, but my hands wouldn't stop trembling.

"God dammit!" I yelled out in frustration, kicking an empty soda can that littered the ground near my feet.

"Need a hand?" I heard a soft, deep voice offer behind me. I whipped around to find the one and only, Sweet Pea.

"Yes please" I replied anxiously, taking a step towards him. I should have been embarrassed with how pathetic I must have looked, but my nerves calmed when I heard him chuckle gently. He grabbed a lighter from his own pocket and ignited it, lighting the end of my cigarette.

"Thanks" I replied graciously, letting a nervous giggle escape from my lips. I took a long drag, and sighed, letting the smoke surround me. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back in an attempt to shut everything out and calm down a bit, but I found it difficult due to the heavy gaze that I felt coming from Sweet Pea. I just opened my eyes and looked at him, giving him a sheepish smile and not saying a word.

"So... what happened?" he asked after a moment of silence, clearly sensing my angsty mood.

"It's stupid" I replied, not wanting to bother him with my problems.

"Do you want to talk about it?" continued Sweet Pea, pushing me to give him the details.

"I don't know. Mrs. Berlin's just being a bitch, I guess" I responded, taking another long drag from my cigarette.

"What's new?" Sweet Pea retorted sarcastically. I laughed at his statement and looked at him, unable to remove the smile from my face. He just returned my gaze, and we just stood there for a moment staring at each other. It gave me an opportunity to really look at him for once and take in all of the little details. Despite how messy his thick, black hair was, it always seemed to fall into a perfect curl on his forehead. I looked at his beautiful chocolate eyes and noticed a small bruise under his left one; he must have gotten into a fight or something. I continued working my way down his face, focusing on his soft, pink lips, and I thought about how rarely he smiled. I wish he'd smile more; he has a lovely smile. I lastly found myself gazing at the dogtags that hung loosely around his tattooed neck.

"Come on" he said, finally breaking the silence as he extended his hand "let's go. You'll feel better if you talk about it". I looked back at the school, thinking about Betty and the others, and about how if I went with Sweet Pea, I could get in trouble for skipping class; however, I then realized that I frankly didn't care about the consequences, and that Sweet Pea was right. I would feel better if I talked about it. So, I threw my cigarette on the ground, put it out with my boot, and took his hand. Although it was large and tough, it felt at home holding mine. He lead me to his bike, and I instinctively reached out for the helmet that he was already holding out to me, and strapped it on. We then both climbed onto his bike, and sped off without even looking back at the building we were leaving behind.