They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. What happens when life gives you an organ-stealing cult, a horror game come to life, and drug-dealing drama all while you're trying to have a normal junior year of high school? Savanna Marrows is...
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A long conversation ensued the next morning between Jughead and me as we attempted to navigate the rocky road that was ahead of us. I understood his thoughts, and I wasn't telling him that he was wrong in any way, I just didn't think I personally could handle being so close to the people that were once sent in to give me over to my father.
Yet, I gave Jughead my support, but not without me taking a step back from the Serpents. I promised to always be there when they needed me, but until I figured out my thoughts and feelings about the Ghoulies coming together with the Serpents, I had some self-exploration to do that didn't involve the two gangs. While my boyfriend spent the day trying to find out more about the Ghoulies and recruiting them, I had a very important visit to make.
Allison was waiting inside as I walked in, an excited smile on her face as she spoke to the woman in front of her. She gave me a wave as I walked in before breaking off her conversation. "Savanna, thanks for coming!"
"Wouldn't miss it," I said excitedly as I turned to the woman standing next to her. "Hi, I'm Savanna."
We shook hands. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sarah. I'm really glad you guys decided to come. We were able to work out something awesome for you." We followed her down a series of hallways before she led us into an empty room. "Wait right here and I'll be back in a few."
"Nervous?" Allison picked up on my anxious behavior as I sat and tapped my foot.
I nodded. "This is huge for me, I want you to know. I can't believe I'm actually doing it."
Sarah walked back through the door, holding onto a small little puppy in her hands. A smile broke out on my face as she placed the little dog on the floor where I moved to sit. The small dog immediately wobbled its way towards me.
"Oh, my goodness, hi," I greeted as I scooped the small animal up.
"This is our golden labradoodle. He's about six weeks old today. The trainer we spoke to said he would be perfect for your condition," Sarah explained as she watched the puppy slide across the surface of the floor. "He'll probably grow to be about 40ish pounds by the time he's a year old based on his parents' history."
I wanted to hold the dog forever. Forget baby fever, I had severe puppy fever. He was so cute and fluffy and he literally looked like a bouncing ball of fur. "I love him." I watched him attempt to grab a ball only for it to go rolling across the room while he chased in a flurry of paws. He gave up after a moment and instead walked over and plopped in the middle of my crisscrossed legs before closing his eyes.
"We have other options to bring if you'd like," Sarah added as she picked up a few of the spare toys in the room.
I glanced back at Allison who shrugged before I faced Sarah. "Honestly, I think he's the one." I gently rubbed the top of the puppy's head as he snoozed. "I'm sure that sounds crazy."
Sarah shook her head. "Not at all. You'd be surprised how fast dogs pick their humans, which really happens let me tell you. I'll go grab paperwork." She slipped out of the room, leaving Allison and I to ourselves.
"He's so precious," She said as she sat down next to me and reached over to pet the dog's fur. "You're gonna love him."
"I swear I already do," I laughed as I continued rubbing my hand over the puppy's fur. This was a crazy decision. Nobody knew I was here, not even Veronica and Jughead. I had hoped to keep this under the radar, besides Mom of course, since I signed off on papers that anything that happens at my therapy appointments, she gets notified if serious.
Sarah entered the room again after a few minutes with a folder and a pen in her hand. "Okay, Miss Savanna. I just need you to sign off on a couple of these and then we will have a trainer start working with your puppy right away."
"Trainer?" I asked as I got up off the floor with the dog still in my arms. "What's he getting trained for?"
"I'll explain, don't worry about it," Allison offered as she raised her hand. "Just go ahead and sign off and then we can grab some coffee to discuss."
I shrugged and followed her instructions and began signing the papers basically registering the dog to me. I paused at the line titled Dog's Name. I glanced down at the puppy in my arms before writing my decision without a second thought.
Sarah looked over everything and smiled at the last page. "Mocha," She read the name off the sheet, "I like it. Very fitting. Alright, well, I'll get a copy of these sent to you, and then we will let you know when we're ready for the next step in training."
I thanked Sarah and handed the puppy back over before Allison and I walked to the coffee shop across the street. After ordering a very fitting caramel mocha, I sat down at a small table.
"So," Allison spun her cup in her hands as she began, "I talked to your mom after our last session just to fill her in and later that day I received an interesting phone call from the one and only Hiram Lodge."
My eyes went wide at her revelation. "What? Why?"
Allison shrugged. "I guess your mom told her about our idea. He paid for everything, in full. Including the puppy's training so he would be fully obedient and ready to live with you in the apartment."
I blinked at her abundance of information before shaking my head. "He paid for all of this?"
Allison nodded and took a sip of her coffee as she shrugged. "It was his idea."
I sat back in my seat in disbelief. There were a million questions on my mind about what had just happened, but there was only one person who could give me the answers I was looking for, and I was about to find out what they were.
--
"Why'd you do it?" The crackle of the fire filled the room, casting an orange glow on the pristine walls. I stepped out of the doorway and closed it behind me gently. "What gave you the idea?"
Walking into the Pembrooke was odd without Veronica's presence. This was the first time in a long time that I entered the building by myself, but my mission was set and I had questions to ask and answers to receive. Hopefully, they would be good ones.
Hiram twisted in his chair to look at me, not an emotion present on his face. "Princesa, come sit." I followed his request and took a seat in front of his desk. He watched for a moment before speaking, "Your mother told me what had happened, a brief catch up. I was not aware of the extent of what you were dealing with."
I fought back the urge to roll my eyes. "Not to be rude, but you have to realize that-"
He held up a hand. "I understand a lot of this spurred from what you dealt with at the Sisters'. That's why I did it. I put you through that, I shouldn't have, and now I'm trying to make up for it," He explained, "This doesn't get us anywhere near what it should be, and I realize that and I'm acknowledging it."
"As much as I appreciate what you did, I don't want you trying to buy your way back into my life, Dad," I mumbled as I crossed my arms. "Yes, I'm so grateful for what you've done, and I'm positive it'll help me in my recovery, but there's more on a relationship level that we have to deal with and I don't want you purchasing crazy things to persuade me."
Surprisingly, Hiram nodded calmly. "Understood, mija. I'll do my best to refrain from this in the future, but I see this as a resource that you need and that it will help you get better."
He was right even though I didn't want him to be. I had zero desire for him to rebuy our relationship, as nice as all of the gifts would be, I knew that wouldn't help us on an emotional level. For now, I was grateful for this beginning step in hopefully the right direction.
