diamond //sweet pea//

//thirteen//

The sun was just setting. A sign of dread for the Northside, but the Southside, oh she was just waking up. The Whyte Wyrm was alive and buzzing with activity. Word had quickly gotten around that a young girl was pledging her life to the Serpents., and not just any girl. The daughter of the Serpent King himself, sister to the resident Serpent Prince.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Toni asked, desperately trying to talk her friend out of it.

Cassidy sat nervously next to Dallas, who evidently also was trying to talk her out of it. She had tried to use her brother as an example, but Trey's life was anything but miserable, only urging Dallas on.

"I'm positive. This could be a really good thing for me." Dallas was pulling out all the stops, her stubbornness had never had such a workout. Nevertheless, the tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. 

"I guess Dallas, but it could also end really badly. What did Sweet Pea say when you told him?" Cassidy piped up from her nervous silence. Something that didn't suit her. 

Dallas' eyes shifted back and forth. Toni and Cassidy exchanged a dangerous look. "He doesn't know does he?" Toni sighed exasperatedly. 

Dallas shoved herself off of Cas's bed and stood by the dresser at the furthest point in the room. She kept her head low, avoiding the looks of disappointment radiating off of her friends. A loud, frustrated sigh erupted from Dallas' mouth, throwing her hands wildly in the air. 

"Just trust me! I want this. I want nothing more than to be a Serpent, I would die for any one of you. I just need it to be official," she yelled, sending her friends reeling in shock. She was ready to be reprimanded, but instead, Toni smiled. 

"That's all I needed to hear Dal. I think you're ready," Toni laughed, giving Dallas and thumbs up. 

Cassidy, however, felt different. "This is insane! Dallas you can't go through with this. Sweet Pea is gonna be furious. He doesn't want you doing this because he can't keep you away from all the shit the Serpent have to do."

Both Toni and Dallas were taken aback and the sudden outburst. It was obvious that there was more to the story, but Dallas didn't want to further poke the bear. Dallas slowly approached Cassidy, who looked close to tears. 

"Listen Cas, it'll be okay. And if it's not, then you can say 'I told you so'." Dallas earned a weak smile from the dark haired girl, but she was upset. That much was clear. 

"As soon as she earns her jacket, we'll come straight over here so we can celebrate," Toni chimed in trying to alleviate the awkwardness. 

Cassidy shrugged her shoulders, giving a small nod in agreement. She hugged both girls and sent them on their way. As soon as they were gone, Cassidy collapsed onto her bed in a fit of tears. She knew the dangers of being in a gang. She was reminded of it every day when she got dressed in the morning. The patch of flesh that resided just above her hipbone was scarred and burned. A Ghoulie tattoo had once existed there. Before she knew Dallas, she had been in the same position. She recognized the marks that covered Dallas' skin that morning she showed up shaking in the girl's bathroom. It was that day that she marched herself over there and announced she was leaving the gang, which didn't go over well with anyone. Especially Mikey, her boyfriend at the time. 

She knew the Serpents weren't the Ghoulies, but she couldn't shake the feeling of Mikey and Bryce holding her down, while Malachai cut off the tattoo and burned the skin underneath. Gang life had put a bitter taste in her mouth but found the Serpents a refreshing new flavor. But Cassidy Jackson wasn't sold. And she was terrified her friend would meet the same fate.