history. | SWEET PEA [2]

CHAPTER SIX

SATURDAY came sooner than Becca would have liked.

With Reggie working the front door, her mother had suggested she find a date for the grand opening of La Bonne Nuit that night. However, she had bigger things to worry about.

Becca had been on edge all day since her brother had mentioned casually at breakfast that he was working with Veronica now on her speakeasy. She'd chanced a glance at her father, but if he gave any indication that he was angry or unhappy, Becca had not seen it. That should've put her mind at ease but instead, it'd only made her anxiety worse.

Especially when he'd asked her to go into Leopold and Loeb's confidential inmate records and delete one of the names, permanently erasing whoever it was from the detention center's history. The lucky guy? Someone named Munroe Moore, a name unfamiliar to Becca but one she would note for the future.

A knocking at the Mantles' door interrupted her thoughts as she put on her other golden earring. Despite Cheryl's rude comment from earlier, Becca had reluctantly decided to follow her advice. Tonight, she'd taken a page out of Betty Cooper's book and as she stood up from her vanity, the silk pink dress adorning her frame shimmered with the lamp light. The garment was short, probably shorter than either of her parents would have liked, with a plunging neckline ending just below her chest. To get her out of the door though, Becca had paired the dress with a long, cream-colored faux fur coat. That way no one, not even her parents, could fully see the front and back, or lack thereof, until she was at Pop's.

Her dark locks were pulled back into a high ponytail and she'd forgone her thick black glasses in favor of her contacts and a dusting of gold glitter across her eyelids. To match, gold heels with straps winding up her legs like vines decorated her feet. But, in true Becca fashion, the platforms were as low as possible. She still wanted to be able to walk after that night.

"Becca!" She heard her mother shout up, "Elio's here!"

Needless to say, she'd also taken her mother's suggestion and found herself a date.

"Be down in a second!" Becca replied loudly, grabbing her gold clutch from her desk.

Just as she was about to leave though, something shiny caught her eye. A flash of silver in one of her vanity drawers. The dark-haired girl swallowed thickly as she looked down at Sweet Pea's necklace, the delicate band of serpents and small, emerald gemstone still hung on the chain. He'd told her it was his mother's from when she joined the Serpents, and Becca distinctly remembered the look in his eyes when he'd given it to her. Like it was important, like she was important.

She forced his face from her thoughts, slamming the drawer closed. Next time in class, she'd find a way to return it, obviously he'd want something so meaningful back. And then that would be the end of it.

Wrapping herself in her fuzzy coat, Becca met Elio at the bottom of her stairs. His honey-brown hair was slicked back, and an expensive tux hugged his built frame, a gold Rolex watch complimenting her gold earrings.

He took her pale hand in his own, kissing the top of it and whispering, "You look stunning."

Despite his warm compliment and gentle touches, Becca had to force herself to smile back politely and mutter a 'thank you'. He wasn't as bad as Dilton, that was for sure, but he was nothing compared to Sweet Pea.

With a few pictures taken and a kiss on her cheek from her mother, the pair made their way outside to their ride. For a moment, Becca was taken aback at the expensive limo waiting for them in her driveway.

"Brought my own driver tonight, hopefully that's alright," Elio smirked at her surprised expression as he opened the door for her.

"Of course, it is," Becca raised a dark eyebrow, her shock fading away and replaced with her own coy smile.