DESPERADO | SWEET PEA [2]

45

Izzy was at the Jones trailer, about to get herself some cereal when her phone rang. She answered it immediately after seeing that it was Archie calling, "What's up?" She questioned, automatically hearing the sigh leaving Archie's lips on the other end of the phone.

"Look, Izzy. I know that you've literally known Ricky for, like, five seconds, but he's insisting that you come over to play video games with us," Archie informed her calmly, "I don't know why, but he says he trusts you. So would you maybe want to come over?"

Izzy smiled, shaking her head, "Archie Andrews!" She jokingly scolded the boy, "Are you using a little boy to get me to come over to your house to play 'Video Games'. Huh. I expected better from you," She paused, beginning to laugh as she imagined Archie frowning at that very second, "I'm kidding, Andrews. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Once hanging up the phone, Izzy went into her backpack, beginning to feel a headache coming on. It was the third one she had gotten that day. The doctor told her that it was normal for people with concussions to get them, but it didn't make it any better.

She opened her bag, taking out a pill bottle filled with Oxycodone, something that was clearly not prescribed by her doctor. She uncapped it, taking out two pills before closing it back up.

She walked over to the sink, turning it on. She bent over, drinking from the sink faucet without a care in the world.

Izzy tiled her head back as she swallowed the two large pills before turning off the sink.

With that, she grabbed her jacket, just before heading out the door.

_____

At Archie's house, Izzy sat with Ricky and Archie in the living room, playing video games, "Whoa," Ricky said enthusiastically as he won once again, "Four to one. Smoked you." He told Archie with a smile on his face.

"You got lucky that time," Archie commented, just before his phone rang. He lifted his phone up, only to see that it was Miss Weiss calling her. Izzy noticed the name on his phone and shared a glance with Izzy before he turned to Ricky, "All right, I gotta take this. Izzy, come with me?"

"Yeah, sure," Izzy responded, standing up from her seat on the ground before following Archie into the hallway that came right before the kitchen.

Once answering the phone, Archie placed the phone on speaker, allowing Izzy to hear it too, "Hey, Ms. Weiss."

"Archie, the administrator at Santa Lucia Shelter finally got back to me. He found a match," She informed him in a nervous tone, "But, Archie, Ricky's full name is Ricardo DeSantos."

"DeSantos?" Archie asked Miss Weiss confused, turning to Izzy, who avoided eye contact with him, "As in Joaquin DeSantos?"

"Yes," Miss Weiss replied in confirmation, "According to his records, Ricky is Joaquin's younger brother."

"Hang on, I don't understand," He told the woman in confusion, "Joaquin's dead, and now his brother..."

"His file shows Ricky has a history of violent behavior and self-harm," Miss Weiss informed Archie, causing Izzy and Archie's eyes to widen in alarm, "Where is he now?"

"He's at my house," Archie informed the female, "Look, Ms. Weiss, I gotta go."

"Archie, please be careful," Miss Weiss warned him in a concerned tone.

"I'll call you right back," Archie told her before hanging up.

He let out a sigh, turning to Izzy with a questioning look on his face, "You were one of Joaquin's best friends. You knew that he was his brother all along, didn't you?"