𝖛𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘 ↠ sweet pea [2]

|| THIRTY-TWO ||

"Jughead's what?" Lauryn's jaw fell open as she heard the news Kevin wanted to see her privately about. "Did he say how long he's gonna be gone for?"

The boy shook his head. "No, but Archie mentioned him leaving you a note or something under his seat at Tent City. Guess he wants you to run things for a while."

The blonde Serpent scoffed, but suddenly felt as though she was standing on the edge of a ten-storey diving board. "Please, I can barely run a household."

The two of them started walking to their next class. Riverdale High wasn't as overrun with G&G as it was before, and things were quieting down, but every now and then you could still catch a whiff of the dark aura in the air lingering. "Guess all this about Archie being proven innocent has distracted everyone from that game."

"And thank God it did. People were getting killed," Lauryn added on. "That game is pure bullshit, but there's something about it that seems to be raking everyone in. It's weird."

As they turned a corner, they noticed a girl who was brand new, yet bold enough to be flyering about something already. "You go ahead, Kev, I'll see you in Math." Lauryn smiled, before going up to the girl when he walked on. "Hi, what's this about?"

"It's a special group for those of us who need help connecting and finding peace with our pasts and knowing how to look out for the future," The strawberry-blonde girl chirped, and it almost sounded fully rehearsed. "I'm Evelyn Evernever, my father runs the actual Farm, and I run the school group."

"Farm?" Lauryn read the flyer. "I'm Lauryn Fogarty. I don't know if you recognize the name, but I think my mother used to go to you guys."

Evelyn nodded frantically. "Oh, yes, Katherine. She was lovely, one of our most dedicated members. It's so nice to meet her real daughter finally," She shook her hand, and Lauryn gave a fake smile. Evelyn's glance then faded to sympathy while she was still shaking Lauryn's hand. "I am so sorry for your loss."

"Yeah, well, not like she had anything better to do while she was abandoning her pregnant daughter." Angel Face said bluntly, making Evelyn's face turn to that of horror. "Maybe it's for the best."

"The way you are talking seriously concerns me. I'm sensing a lot of pain. Maybe you should come and see us sometime. Find some peace."

"Oh?" Lauryn crossed her arms. She decided not to press Evelyn for more too obviously. "What would make you think that? One of your faith-changing seminars?"

"I'm sorry, I'm confused." Evelyn frowned. "Faith-changing?"

"I'm sure you have a practice for that, since my mom ended up brainwashed with beliefs about raising a kid that isn't biologically hers. Can you explain the peace-finding in that?"

For a second, Evelyn looked as if she were about to slap Lauryn, but instead, her head fell to the side and she gave an understanding look, a hand caressing Lauryn's upper arm. "I can see that you're in pain from the tragic loss of your mother. Your mind is searching for answers. We can help you find closure. You should come to us." She handed her a flyer, scurrying off before the Serpent could say another thing.

"Yeah, right," Lauryn muttered to herself, tearing the paper up and throwing it away. "Guess I'll just have to debunk that bullshit on my own."

She carried on walking by herself, feeling the familiar intimidation of being pregnant kick in. No one knew besides Veronica still, so she knew she was paranoid. She found herself feeling vulnerable whenever she would leave the house, as if a sniper was pointed at her shoulder, or she was naked, she couldn't put her finger on it. But she knew that for as long as she was at risk, so was the baby.