fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| TWENTY-TWO ||

Some Serpents left the Whyte Wyrm as the evening was to play out normally after Jughead's trial, and the atmosphere died down into its usual manner of drinks and pool. Toni was sat over by the bar with Jughead, helping him bandage up his injured hand, and he didn't look happy about it.

"Who wants to bet that they're gonna smash tonight?" Sweet Pea joked, sitting at a table with Lauryn, Fangs and Jared.

Lauryn shook her head. "Nah, he has a girlfriend. Besides, Toni prefers girls."

"How's the Northside Princess gonna feel when he joins the Serpents, though?" Jared questioned, folding his arms as he leaned back in his seat. "She's Alice Cooper's daughter, right? Bet we're gonna end up on the front page."

"God knows how she's gonna react," Lauryn shrugged. "With the impression I got the other night, she seems... difficult, and I don't think she likes the Serpents that much."

Jared sipped his beer after downing a couple pills, and Fangs shot a violated look at him. "What?"

"What were those?" Fangs questioned strictly, and Jared rolled his eyes. "More anti-depressants?"

"Yeah, I got a strict lineup," Jared said. "I told you."

Getting the same odd energy, Lauryn and Sweet Pea looked at each other with concern, sensing Fangs' uneasiness from a mile away.

"Okay," he sighed, and Lauryn raised her brow at him. He shook his head, brushing it off as Toni made her way over to them, taking a seat next to Lauryn.

"I think I win the award for teacher of the year," she bragged, and her friends laughed. "He didn't mess up once."

"Yeah, I think you did good, Topaz," Sweet Pea said in approval. "He seems like he's takin' it seriously."

"What do you think FP's gonna say?" Fangs wondered, making them all think.

"If I know him well enough," Lauryn began. "He'll either be proud of his son for joining up, or furious at him for it with no in-between. The Serpents' reputation got worse after the whole Jason Blossom thing went down."

"God, remember Mustang?" Jared reminded them. "Fucked up shit. I hate how the Serpents were so involved."

"On another note," Toni spoke in a higher tone, her eyes on Lauryn and Sweet Pea. "Is there something you need to tell us?"

Fangs leaned forward on the table, his hands meeting on the surface. "Lauryn?"

Lauryn glimpsed at Sweet Pea who nodded, and a smile appeared on her face. "I'm pregnant."

"Lauryn, oh, my God!" Toni exclaimed, grinning.

Their faces turned to astonishment, and Fangs got up to walk around the table to hug her. "Holy shit. That's awesome."

"You're gonna be an uncle, Fangs," she grinned, but then noticed Jared's pretty annoyed expression, and how he seemed uninterested.

"Jared, you good?"

He perked up, pretending he was interested for a second before standing up, simpering at her. "Yeah, fine. Uh, congrats."

"Is that all you have to say?" her brother asked him spitefully, and he just shrugged.

"Yeah. I gotta go," Jared staggered away, and Lauryn couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault.

"Is he mad at me?" she wondered, checking her words.

"Nah, he's just high," Fangs sighed. "He's been overdoing it on his anti-depressants lately, I don't know. He won't talk to me."

"I'm sorry, Fangs," Lauryn tilted her head, hugging him again.