Resilience | Sweet Pea.

72 - Teenager's trauma

"Mad dog." I say, sitting down with him in my living room.

"What did you need, Nova?" He asks.

"Archie's at the gym with the other boys, but I thought you needed to know before hearing it elsewhere." I tell him.

"Needed to know what?" Mad dog asks, shifting uncomfortably.

"They found Baby Teeth last night, Mad dog." I say softly, Mad dog furrows his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, he's gone."

"W- What?" Mad dog asks.

"Sheriff Jones found him in the woods. I think he was used as a sacrifice..." I sigh. "A warning from the Gargoyle king."

"You're fucking joking." Mad dog says, seemingly getting more and more visibly angry.

"I swear to you, his killer will be caught. There's no doubt in my mind." I tell him. "I know exactly what Archie would say to you that in the meantime, you honour baby teeth."

"He was like a brother to me, Nova. We've been through a lot together." Mad dog sighs.

"It's okay to be sad. Grief is indescribably painful." I tell him.

"How would you know?" He says.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover." I say.

Mad dog looks down.

"I'm sorry, that was rude. I just-"

"Archie is my foster brother." I tell him, he looks up at me in confusion. "When I was 14, my parents were murdered. I know grief, and I'm sorry. I know this must be hard."

"I'm so sorry." He says. "But, why are you telling me?"

"Because Archie trusts you. I trust you." I say. "Plus. I spent so, so long ignoring my grief, and letting it kill me. It's okay to feel, it's okay to talk about it."

"You're a wise one, Nova." Mad dog chuckles. "Baby teeth wasn't in juvie as long as me, but we stuck together like glue from the get-go. I'm gonna miss him."

"I'm so sorry." I tell him.

"I should go down to the gym, talk to Archie." Mad dog says.

"Good idea." I nod. I get up and walk Mad dog to the door.

"Thank you, Nova. You're a good lady." He says.

"Be well, Mad dog." I say, he nods, and walks out the front door, shutting it behind him.

"You, my love, have the biggest heart I've ever known." I hear from behind me. I turn to see Sweet pea, standing at the top of the stairs in his underwear and wet hair, having just finished a shower.

"Go get dressed, we still have school." I chuckle at him.

*

"I'm meeting Betty in the blue and gold, so I'll see you at lunch?" I ask Sweet pea as the two of us enter the school.

"I promised Fangs I'd help his mom during lunch." Sweet pea sighs. "He apparently has something to do and asked me to do it."

"That's fine." I shrug. "Have you had a chance to talk to him yet? Yaknow... About the farm?"

"No. I don't know how to get him to talk about it." He sighs.

"Bring me up." I suggest.

"What do you mean?" Sweet pea asks.

"The farm prey on the emotionally vulnerable, and the mentally wounded." I tell him. "Who's the most fucked up person you know? Me."

"Hey you're not-"