fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| FIFTY ||

Lauryn sat in Kevin's truck, anxiously fiddling with the steering wheel as the rev of the engine unsettled her even more. If that wasn't enough to turn her stomach upside down, she was parked on a dirt path in the middle of the forest unable to see practically past her nose.

Rescuing Cheryl was definitely not something she'd have imagined herself to be doing months earlier, and she wasn't as in on the action as she'd hoped to have been, but being there was enough self-validation for her alone. 

The darkness outside of the distance the headlights covered was so blank and eerie that she could barely look at it without chills erupting all over her body. She rolled up the only open window, feeling as if she was shrinking in the leather seat.

It was chilling not knowing what could've been out there watching. After what felt like an eternity, a faint siren echoed throughout the area, making her look up from her phone screen attentively. 

Seconds later, the group of teenagers came staggering out of the trees, piling into the truck as fast as they could. Kevin jumping in the passenger seat, he pointed forward. "We need to get out of here right now."

"Party foul?" Lauryn asked jokingly, relieving the handbrake to speed down the gravel path. She looked into the mirror above her. "Blossom. Nice to see you again."

Cheryl looked nothing like the strong, flawless icon she usually presented herself as. She looked almost like a little girl, sporting an old-fashioned school uniform and straight ponytail. Apart from that, she looked spooked, as well as out of breath.

"Thanks for waiting for us, Lauryn," Toni spoke, also breathlessly as her wide eyes scanned the trees. "Let's just hope the nuns don't follow us."

"On their wooden legs?" Veronica scoffed. "Please. Did you see the way they were chasing us? They were almost like robots."

"Yeah, they definitely didn't know how to run," Toni recalled. "But, then again, they're probably hundreds of years old."

The two girls laughed, and Lauryn only wished she could've been there to witness it. "Wow, so you guys really got the full treatment."

Cheryl clenched her eyes shut suddenly, and Toni took her hand, eyeing up Lauryn in the mirror. "I think Cheryl's a bit... sensitive to that word, right now."

"Of course," Lauryn said. "I'm sorry, Cheryl. Are you all right?"

"I'm managing," the redhead replied meekly. Whatever happened to her back there was going to take a long recovery. "Thanks to Toni, who never gave up on me."

Toni smiled tightly, blushing as she caressed Cheryl's pale hand. Veronica then leaned over towards the front. "Hey, uh, could you drop me off at home, by any chance? The sooner I'm in bed where my parents last saw me, the better."

"Sure, Ver," Lauryn agreed as they made it back into town, where street lamps and traffic lights made it a lot easier to drive. "You're gonna have to direct me, though."

After dropping Veronica off a moment later, Lauryn then drove them to Pop's where she and Toni's bikes were parked. Cheryl glanced at the comforting sight of the diner lit up by neon signs.

"You're home," Toni told her warmly, and her eyes glistened. "Treat you to a milkshake?"

"My, my," Cheryl grinned. Maybe with Toni around, she wouldn't need so much recovery. "That is the best offer I've had all week."

Lauryn chuckled, undoing her seatbelt as she and Kevin climbed out of the truck. She tossed him the keys, and he nodded. "Thanks for taking good care of it."

"No worries," she responded, resting her hands in her back pockets. "Didn't have time to try out my famous stunts."

Kevin laughed awkwardly, patting her on the shoulder. "See you, Fogarty."