{1} Tempest {Sweet Pea}

XXXIV

Storm opened her eyes to see Sweet Pea and Toni in her room with her as they looked at her, eyes widening.

"Oh my god, Storm." Sweet Pea says and he hugged her quickly and she'd grunt with pain. He quickly released her and she blinked quickly.

"You get a new black eye from somewhere?" She whispered and he looked at her and lowered his head.

"I may or may not have gotten hit a few times, when I went into the fight against the Ghoulies." He said and she sat up with a wince and a grunt of pain. "Woah Tempest! Don't be moving." He said and she shakes her head.

"I don't take any orders from you, Sweet Pea. Why the hell would you go against the Ghoulies with everyone on your heels? Are you insane?" She says and Toni had quietly excused herself, leaving the two alone.

"Are you upset with me about all of what I said on riot night? Or was it all about what I didn't say before you left to be a sacrificial lamb?" He asks, and she lowered her head.

"It's not what... Pea, it's not what you didn't say that night, it's what I never thought I would have to say to anyone to get them to listen to reason." She said as he looks at her.

"In 9th grade, my first year of real high school, also my last until I came back here... I was approached to be a part of a group of specialized tutors. I was already the youngest kid in my 9th grade class."

"I wasn't worried about being forced to be someone else, or worried about being teased, mocked, beat up... I did nothing to think before accepting the opportunity. I was put under teacher Mark, who was the same guy who had recruited me to it."

"I didn't realize how dark it had gotten, until it was far too late. He had gotten angry at me for being late to a session, and before I knew it, I was on the ground and he was..." She lowered her head and then tears were running down her face.

"He raped you?" Sweet Pea looked furious as the words came out of his mouth and Storm whimpered, but it was a clear nod that showed.

"It happened over and over. And over again, until I couldn't take it anymore, and I stopped going to the sessions for the tutoring."

"I... I thought I was safe, until I woke up in the night one day, and he was in my room." He hugs her against him as she sobbed, as he held her close as she was nearly unable to speak.

"I understand why you were afraid to get close to me now. Why it was when your instincts actually did you'd freak at my slightest movement. God, I am so sorry, I thought that you were just, I don't know." He said and she looked at him.

"Being a typical high school girl playing hard to get?" She whispered and he looked at her, and she leaned her head against his chest. "I wish I had a chance to talk to you before I jumped the gun by trying to save your asses." She whispered and he looks at her.

"You weren't gonna save us all, by getting your ass killed." He said and she looked at him. "Because we would not let it go unavenged." He said and a quiet chuckle came from her.

"You mean that you wouldn't." She says and he sighed at her, as she leans on his shoulder.

"Yeah, maybe I did mean that. It doesn't matter, when even do you get discharged?" He asked and she looked at him.

"Have you been home since I came in after the Ghoulies, beat me up?" She'd ask and he shakes his head. "Pea! That explains the smell!" She said and he'd sigh.

"I'm sorry for being worried, about my second best friend." He says and she looked at him.

"Fogarty." "Fogarty."

They both said, and then they both laughed quietly as they looked at each other. "Besides, you are not nearly, just a friend anymore Storm." Sweet Pea says and Storm raised a eyebrow.

"You're family." He said and she smiled slightly and he kissed her quickly on the forehead. "I'll let you get dressed, Toni says you're being discharged in an hour. Your jacket is over there." He said and she looks at him.

"Hey Sweet Pea?" She calls and he looked back at her. "Would you file a copyright lawsuit against me, if I got my new Serpents tattoo on my neck? I mean, since the others were cut out?"

She asked and he shakes his head at her. "Get dressed Tempest." He says a bit jokingly, as he walked out.

The next day, despite looking like she went through a all out war by herself, which she technically did Storm made her way through the hallways of RH, a bit slowly, but still did.

"There she is." Jughead says, as Storm limped into the room, and she limped into the room.

After finding out that there was still Serpents at the Whyte Wyrm, Storm had stayed with the others.

"We've been offered asylum on the Northside. I think you all know who we are referring to by now." Jughead says and the entire bar turns to Storm, who stood up.

"Get what you need, only what you can reasonably carry. I'll be carrying all that I can, and I am not planning to let anyone die tonight. Jughead isn't at all either. We may not be able to stop a war from brewing, or starting. But I say, that survival is more important to us, tonight!" She called and the bar nodded, and cheered briefly.

"Let's move." She said and they grabbed all of what they could and she grabbed a duffel bag of her own and they all walked out of the Wyrm, going as quickly and as quietly as they could.