When Crossing The Tracks-Sweet Pea

71 - cry to me

I wrapped a towel around my body as I stepped out of the shower. With the help of a second towel, I dried my hair a little bit before reaching up and swiping the mirror clear with my palm. I brushed my teeth, combed my hair and spent some time on my skin care. I returned to my room which smelled like vanilla due to the candles burning. The room was warm and cozy, just what I liked on a fall evening when outside is raining. I grabbed some clean pajamas and let the towel drop to the floor. I couldn't wait for the silky fabric to caress my skin in the most gentle of ways. I jumped onto my bed, laying on my stomach and grabbing my pen, ready to study for my upcoming SAT's. I was so ready for it, I studied too hard not to come out on top of my class. We all had to focus, the exams were this Saturday.

  "Have you talked to Toni or Cheryl?" I asked Betty but she shook her head "Yeah me neither. I tried calling but it was no use" I sighed and went back to eating my lunch "Did Kevin tell you about the musical he wants to do?" I asked, changing the topic "No" she said "It's Heathers" I said "Oh, that's nice" she said "Where's everybody else? I texted Sweet Pea but he didn't answer" I said and she sighed "What? Do you know something I don't?" I asked "Apparently Archie's back" she said "What?" I yelled, my eyes going wide "Lila, shh" Betty hushed me. I looked around and a couple people looked at us with their eyebrows raised "Sorry. What?" I whispered "I don't know details but he called Jug after second period, he said he's at home" she said "We have to go see him" I said "I know, after school though" she said "No Betty, we have to go right now" I said "Can you really afford to skip class now?" she asked and I sighed "You're right. After school" I said and she nodded "Well then did Sweet Pea go with him?" I asked, checking my phone in case I missed a text from my boyfriend "Probably, don't stress" she said and I nodded "Well, Archie came home to one hell of a surprise" I mumbled "What do you mean?" Betty asked "I don't know if I should say" I said "Is it bad?" she asked "Oh it's...bad" I said "What is it?" she asked "It's something along the likes of someone and....another someone doing....something behind someone else's back. Something as in something-something" I said "Something as in the thing I'm thinking of?" she asked "If the thing you're thinking of is the thing that I mean then yes, that something is exactly what you're thinking of" I said and her mouth fell open "No way" she said "Yes way" I said "How do you know?" she asked "That second someone involved told me" I said "Who is he?" she asked "Take your pick, it's pretty obvious if you think about it" I said "No way" she said "Yes way" I said and got up "But anyway, I don't want to get mixed up in their mess. I have to go grab something from my locker, see you in class" I said and Betty nodded.

   Two days later, the SAT's were closer and I still didn't see Sweet Pea except for a few hours at school in the classes he didn't skip. I was worried because I wanted him to just stay and study with me so he aces his exams, but instead he ran off without letting me know where he was, without answering my calls or texts. "He probably has his reasons for not telling you" Betty said as she followed me through the forest to the bunker hideout "Those reasons got him in trouble before" I said and stopped "Help me with this" I said, pointing to the heavy door. Once the door was lifted, I went in first, crawling down the steel bars until my feet reached the concrete floor "And there she is" I heard a raggedy voice and I squinted my eyes "Tallboy?" I asked as I looked at the man toed to a chair "Don't you fucking dare lay your eyes on her!" Sweet Pea roared, his fist colliding with Tallboy's jaw "Lila, don't look" Fangs said as he rushed to me, turning me away from the sight "Betty? Lila? What are you two doing here?" Jughead yelled once Betty came down "What's going on here?" Betty asked "Too bad I already had a good look at her the other night. When she got out of the shower and didn't have her curtains closed" Tallboy chuckled "What did you say?" Sweet Pea asked, landing another punch to the face of the older man "And the day before, when you couldn't bother to take her home from school. So she had to walk home all alone. She has such nice legs, doesn't she? And an even nicer-" Tallboy said but Sweet Pea cut him off by grabbing his collar, lifting him to his feet and from there a few inches into the air before throwing him backwards. The chair Tallboy was tied to broke under the weight of his body, a loud groan of pain filling the room. I was shocked at the sight in front of me, especially when Sweet Pea knelt over him, his fists furiously punching at his face. "Sweet Pea, that's enough!" Jughead yelled, trying to tear the raging Serpent away from the pathetic old man. "We need him alive, man" Jughead said, looking down at Tallboy. He was rolling around in agony, blood spilling from his mouth onto the dirty floor "Sweet Pea" I spoke up and his eyes met mine. I sighed and walked over to him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the back of the bunker for a little privacy "What's going on? Why are you raging like this?" I asked. He was shaking from adrenaline and all I wanted was to calm him down "Sweet Pea look at me, don't look at him" I said, grabbing his face and making him look at me instead of looking over my shoulder at Tallboy "Did you not hear what he kept saying about you? That disgusting fucking rat" he said "You made him shut up, it's over" I said and he exhaled, closing his eyes "It's over now, okay?" I said and he nodded. I let go of him and I turned to Jughead "Jug, he can't stay here anymore. Look at him, if he stays he's going to beat Tallboy to death" I said and Jughead nodded "Yeah. Yeah okay, you're right. Take care of him, I need him lucid" Jughead said and I nodded.

Once we got to my house, I was finally relieved. I stripped Sweet Pea of his Serpent skin and took him upstairs to my bathroom to wash his bloody knuckles. "How many times do you think you can do this without permanent damage?" I spoke softly as I wrapped his hand with clean gauze "I don't care about any kind of damage" he said "I do" I sighed "SAT's are on Saturday. That's tomorrow. When do you plan on studying?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest "Lila, seriously" Sweet Pea groaned annoyed by my constant 'bitching' "Do you think that when I tell you Sweet Pea please don't skip class, Sweet Pea do your assignment, study for the SAT's – do you think I'm encouraging you towards something bad?" I asked "I thought I told you to stop nagging me all the time, you're not my mom" he said and I rolled my eyes "I'm not nagging, Sweets. I know you're smart I just don't understand why you are so easily willing to throw away your future. And for what?" I asked "I can't just not show up when the Serpents need me. What can't you understand about that?" he said "This conversation isn't going anywhere" I said and started putting away the first aid kit. I heard him sigh deeply "Are you angry with me?" he asked "I'm not angry. I just love you" I said, wrapping my arms around his neck "Please, just stay with me and let's study for tomorrow" I said, pressing a kiss to his lips "Alright" he gave in. He might be annoyed with me right now but I know once we're together on graduation day, he'll be happy and grateful he studied for these damn SAT's.