New Girl In Town

Chapter 21

He told me that he would just do work for the Serpents. I didn't exactly know what that entailed, but I was sure that it was most likely illegal, so I just didn't ask. He tried to bring up the topic of me joining the Serpents again, but I shut that conversation down quickly. It's not that I had anything against the Serpents, they were like my second family, but the thought of joining a gang made me anxious.

"Hey, let's go over there," Sweet Pea said, pointing at a gated off empty lot.

"Sweets, I'm pretty sure that area is off limits," I giggled, gesturing to the signs that said 'No Trespassing' in big, red font.

"Oh, come on," he whined, pulling me towards the fenced off lot, "It'll be fine, trust me".

"The last time I did that, I got suspended," I retorted sassily. He just rolled his eyes and started climbing the chain link fence. I looked around anxiously, making sure no one was around, and then I turned back to the fence which Sweet Pea was now on the other side of.

"Come on, babe. It's fine," he encouraged with a wicked grin on his face.

"Screw it," I muttered as I took hold of the fence and ascended to the top. Once I reached the highest point, I swung both of my feet over and jumped off the top. Sweet Pea caught me right before my feet hit the ground, softening my land.

"Okay, so now what?" I questioned, looking around to observe my surroundings. The tall chain link fence formed a long rectangle, but it only covered three of the four sides. The back of the lot, which had no fencing, butt up against some woods; I assumed it was the same woods by my house which lead to Sweetwater River. The lot itself was rather bare; it was a relatively large, open space with nothing but dried dirt and dead grass.

Sweet Pea said nothing in response to my question, but he instead grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the middle of the lot. Once we reached a central location, he stopped abruptly in his place, causing me to bump into him.

"Sweets, what are you doing?" I giggled as I regained my balance; again, he responded with silence, only this time he sat down on the ground and looked up at me.

"Sit with me," he said simply, patting the spot next to him as he laid back to rest fully on the ground. I did as he said, snuggling up next to him as I settled down next to him and looked up at the night sky.

"The stars are so beautiful," I whispered, gazing longingly at the wispy clouds that littered the star splattered sky. It truly was beautiful; I've never really taken the chance to look at the sky here, and I'm glad I did. Back in California, the night sky was obstructed by the city lights, and even though I knew it was the same sky, it was hard to believe it was.

"They are pretty beautiful," Sweet Pea replied with a smile, "but not as beautiful as you". I turned gaze to look up at him, his soft face was almost entirely visible due to the bright light of the full moon.

"You're so cheesy," I blushed, breaking our eye contact.

"Says the girl whose favorite song is Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis," he chuckled, poking my side and making me squirm.

"Hey, it's a good song!" I defended.

"It is," he admitted, settling back down and pulling me close to him. Although the night air was cool, I was warm in his embrace; the smell of leather and cheap cologne had become comforting. It had become my home. We continued to lay there, the sounds of the night enveloping us, filling the silence that we were putting off.

"Asher?" Sweet Pea whispered after a few moments.                     

"Yeah?" I responded, not looking away from the sky.