𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 | 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐚

chapter fourteen

✴︎°༄

"SHE'S STABLE AND they want us to go see her," Jughead came bounding to the group of teens.

"I think they mean you," Toni said looking at Sweet Pea.

"Uh, yeah," He mumbled and left to go to her room. He stood at the window and looked in. She lay there motionless, expressionless. Her usually tanned skin was pale and her fingers seemed bare without the delicate rings she always wore. Her hair wasn't in a ponytail and was visibly tangled. She was always such a fashion queen and to see her in a hospital gown and hooked up to machines made Sweet Pea's heart rise to his throat.

"You can go in sir," A nurse said before she walked in. She turned to see him still standing there so she went back out to talk to him. "Sir?"

"I- I don't think I want to," He replied.

"You're afraid that this will be the last time you talk to her?" The nurse asked and he nodded ever so slightly. "The chance of losing her at this point is very unlikely. The bullet did not miss all the vital organs, but she is recovering well. We're thinking she'll wake up within the next couple days."

"Wait, what did it hit?"

"Um," The nurse glanced around to make sure no one was listening. She whispered, "I'm not really supposed to tell you but the bullet damaged her lungs and hit a fairly main vein, which caused the intense bleeding."

"Oh my god!" Sweet Pea exclaimed and anxiously ran his fingers through his hair. "Is there any way for me to help her now?"

"Talk to her, it's the best, and only, thing you can do for her. Keep it positive and lite though, it really makes a difference."

The nurse walked in and wrote some things on a paper then walked back out.

Sweet Pea sat next to Kiara's bed and held her hand in his. He entwined their fingers and kissed her knuckles. He would've given anything to feel her hand clasping back or to see her eyes open.

"I'm sorry," He mumbled. "I shouldn't have let this happen. I should have stayed with you."

He took a deep breath.

"Positive, right, um," He mumbled, "I got you some things for Christmas. I think you'll really like them. Um...oh! Peabody is gone, so no more dirty work." He let out a dry, sad laugh.

***

Natalia arrived the day after Christmas and was fuming with anger. She blamed Sweet Pea for the whole thing and couldn't stop yelling at him. He didn't yell back but simply just stood there and let her pound on his chest. After a minute, Veronica pulled her away from him and into a hug.

Natalia then started to explain the whole parent situation.

"They are in court right now getting custody over her, and by the looks of it she'll be with them by next week," Natalia explained. "Her dad is like Hiram Lodge; he won't stop until he gets what he wants. He'll do anything to get her back; lie, bribe, hell even kidnap her. This man is insane."

"How can we stop him?" Sweet Pea asked.

"And you're still relevant how?" Natalia scoffed.

"Sweet Pea is Kiara's...roommate? Boyfriend? I don't really know what they are, but they are very close," Veronica explained.

"Hm, last I checked he was dealing drugs so she dumped him," Natalia hissed. "She called me sobbing the night she got shot. I wouldn't be surprised if this was somehow a suicide attempt, it wouldn't be the first!"

Her eyes widened when she realized what she had just spilled. Sweet Pea's anger written on his face faded into that of utter sadness.

"Wait, what?" Archie exclaimed. "She-"

"Yes, Archie, she did. But of course none of you guys knew that," Cheryl cut in. "She only told me, not even Jughead."

"Why?" Sweet Pea gulped down his urge to cry.

"Why do you think, Serpent? Her parents, duh!" The red-haired girl replied. "She couldn't fucking take it anymore!"

"Why did none of us hear about this?" Jughead asked.

"It happened in New York, I was with her in the hospital right after." Natalia walked away and sat down. She couldn't take it anymore. Kiara was fighting for her life, her parents were fighting to get custody of her, and these small-town-teenagers were acting like they knew what was happening and how to fix it.