𝖛𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘 ↠ sweet pea [2]

|| ELEVEN ||

Lauryn took what she felt was her first breath of life, and she sat up when a wave of dizziness overthrew her.

"Lauryn!" she heard Katie cry, and Sweet Pea darted to her side.

"Lauryn, holy shit, baby," he ran his hands briskly through her hair. She winced stiffly. "Easy, you're home."

She took a second to reflect on what had happened before she blacked out, squinting slightly with a grunt. Remembering the deal, she swallowed any words which she was about to speak.

She looked up at the kitchen, the blurry figures starting to focus. All of her friends were staring at her with concern.

"You went crazy out there, Angel Face," Sweet Pea said softly. "I can't believe you were about to play chicken with Penny."

"I didn't have a choice," she shrugged. "I couldn't think of anything else to do."

Sweet Pea sighed. He couldn't tell her Rich knew, and clearly knew what deal he was making. "It's lucky Rich bought us some time."

"I wasn't gonna let them take her," Rich spoke, crossing his arms. "That's not what the allegiance was made for."

Fangs swallowed. Though he hadn't heard Rich's revelation at basketball, he knew the answer to the Ghoulie's question. He brought his sister a glass of water, and she sat up properly.

Katie took it from Fangs, handing it to Lauryn as their eyes met briefly.

"Thanks," Lauryn said. She downed half the glass, handing it back to Katie. "We need to start figuring out what happened to Skye."

"She's a nobody, though," Rich reminded. "No one probably saw her disappear. I mean, what, her dad's awol and her uncle's dead?"

"Yeah," Lauryn sighed. "Maybe we could give them a false lead."

"And if that backfires?" Katie asked. "They'd come straight back looking for us."

Lauryn nodded in defeat. She glanced around frantically. "Where's my daughter?"

"Relax," Sweet Pea calmed her. "She's in her room asleep, fresh diaper, thanks to Katie."

Lauryn shot a slightly appreciative smile at Katie, unsure of whether that was going to be enough to trust her again.

"So," Rich cleared his throat. "Your call, Angel Face. What's our move?"

Hearing Rich use the exclusive nickname made Sweet Pea want to lash out in animosity, but he kept his composure. He studied Lauryn. "You don't have to have a decision made right now, baby. Why don't we get you to bed?"

"Probably best," Rich agreed. "Sleep off the shock."

Lauryn pursed her lips together, but she could only think of hugging her brother first. "I'm sorry I ruined our evening."

"What?" Fangs shook his head. "Don't be stupid. I'll come by tomorrow and we can hang."

Lauryn nodded. The gang members left the trailer, leaving just Sweet Pea and Lauryn alone.

"So, now that it's just us," Sweet Pea began, unable to hold back the interrogation any longer. "When were you gonna tell me you found the gun?"

She shrugged, letting out a groan. "Can we not talk about this right now?"

"No, I'm pretty pissed off," Sweet Pea retorted. "I told you I put it somewhere safe. That doesn't mean that as soon as you sniffed it out you could wave it around. That was a murder weapon."

Lauryn clenched her eyes shut. "Can we not go back to that night?"

"It looks like we have to," Sweet Pea argued. "I kept that in case we'd need it to defend ourselves in the future, Lauryn."