Two Evils // Sweet Pea

Chapter Sixteen

          Katherine Lodge stands awkwardly in the Jones' trailer, a handful of FP's closets serpents surrounding her. The familiar trailer already looks so much more normal with FP home, even in the midst of an impromptu Serpent meeting. She wasn't exactly afraid. The Serpents weren't going to harm her, not now — after everything. That didn't make it any less intimidating. Kat squeezes her arms around herself, her eyes focusing on the grimy floor. She didn't know why she expected the trailer to be cleaner with FP back, but, by God, she had been wrong. She sighs. Was she really judging them, again? Maybe she wasn't any different from the other Lodges — the privileged.

"Why should we trust a Northsider with our land?" An older Serpent sits comfortably on the beaten up sofa, a bemused look on his face, and an even more irritated tone in his voice, "Especially a Lodge."
"Exactly," A blonde female Serpent spits, absentmindedly twisting her hair into a plait. She didn't want to be here, no one did. "The Lodge family has done nothing but cause trouble and destroy our land."
"This Lodge is the reason I'm out of prison, or have we forgotten that already," FP Jones pushes himself from the counter he previously lent on, finally speaking up. Kat stands uncomfortably, kicking at the floor, unsure of how to act or react. The younger Serpents were far less intimidating, maybe she'd taken that for granted.
She takes a deep breath; "I know you have reservations, and I don't blame you. My father's an ass and a liar, and he turned one of your own against you. I understand why you don't want to trust a Lodge," She closes her eyes, steadying her breath, "But, I am not your enemy. The eviction notices, the back-rent, all of it is gone. No-one has to move out. This is your private land. Sunnyside belongs to the Serpents."
"And you expect us to believe that?" The same older Serpent spits, mumbles of agreement surrounding him.
"I have no reason to lie."
"Jones, how do we know Hiram didn't put her up to this?" They ignore her, directing their concerns towards their Serpent King.
"We don't," FP sighs, gripping Kat's shoulder, "But, she hasn't betrayed our trust before, why start now?"
"There's plenty of times Kat could have screwed us over, and she didn't," Sweet Pea sighs, not looking at her, "She didn't have to warn us when McCoy targeted Southside High, she didn't have to get the unlucky few out of jail, she didn't have to lie to the police and she didn't have to keep what happened with Peabody quiet; Kat did it anyway."
The crowd murmurs around them.
Sweet Pea stands tall; "I trust her."

*

          Kat leans against the door frame, glass in hand. What had started as an interrogation had soon turned into a celebration. Word had spread across the trailer park, and within an hour, the Jones' trailer was packed full. Kat could barely move, not that she felt comfortable enough to move from her designated wall space. She knew she wasn't in any danger — the Serpents wouldn't harm her. No matter how much they hated the Lodges — well, her father.

          "Lodge," Pea calls from across the room, signalling at her to follow him, "C'mere."
Kat furrows her brows, fiddling with a loose thread on her sleeve. Even now, whilst they celebrate their victory, she felt like a little mouse trapped in a serpent's nest. Never knowing when she'd turn for pet to prey once again.
"Lodge," He repeats, striding across the room, a worried look on his face. He extends a hand to her, "Everything okay?"
Taking a deep breath, the Mouse takes the Serpent's hand, "I'm fine."
He places a hand on the small of her back, carefully guiding her across the room, "Are you sure?"
"Pea," She paints a smile, "I'm fine."
It's obvious that she's lying, but he doesn't push her.

The two worm their way through the crowd, avoiding the large nests of Serpents knocking back drinks and chattering. Eventually, arriving at the far end of the trailer. Two strikingly tall Serpents lean against the table, drinks in hand, laughing loudly.

"So you're the infamous Katherine Lodge," The blue-eyed Serpent smiles, extending his hand to Kat. His face is strikingly familiar, but she can't place it, "Sweet Pea's mentioned you plenty."
Kat shoots a look at Pea, an embarrassment flushing his face. It hadn't even crossed her mind that Pea could've mentioned her, never mind why he'd mention her in the first place.
"Only good things," The taller of the two smirks, running his fingers through his blonde hair, "We promise."
"I highly doubt that," Kat chuckles, watching as Pea's face turns redder.
"Ignore them," Sweet Pea huffs, narrowing his eyes at the serpent boys, "DeSantos and Rizzo like to exaggerate."
"DeSantos?" Kat tilts her head, that's why he looked so familiar, "As in Joaquin DeSantos?"
"You know my little brother?" DeSantos stands defensively, raising his eyebrows at Kat.
"I mean, I spoke to him a few times at the Drive-In," She fiddles with her jacket, "How is he? Didn't he leave for San Junipero?"
DeSantos smiles slightly, easing up again, "He did and he's doing fine."
Kat returns the smile.