Sin bin { Sweet pea}

T H R E E

Number twenty nine sunny side trailer park is quiet, somber early morning sun setting a fiery orange glow of warmth through the small home.

Four teenagers sleep, one on top of the other, close and safe. Estrella and sweet pea share the plaid threadbare couch, a thick blanket tangled between them. Their feet beside the others head, Sweet pea dangles precariously off the edge of the couch, his muscular arm being cuddled by Fangs, sprawled across the floor with Toni topaz asleep in his lap, her pink hair fanned out across sweet pea's stomach.

The small tv still reels through a re-run of friends, the screen raining colour on Toni's face, rousing her to consciousness first.

She slaps the ground around her lazily, eyes barely open in search of the remote. Instead she finds her phone, lighting up the semi dark room with a burst of light as her phone begins to ring. The caller ID burning her eyes.

Jughead Jones.

"Hello?" She groans softly, carefully climbing over Fangs to exit the trailer.

"Can you come over?" Jughead pleads painfully.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Toni pauses at the trailer door, turning towards her three friends, watching Estrella cuddle closer to sweet pea, her arms around his leg.

"The ghoulies, they cornered me as I was leaving the red and black."

Toni leans across the couch, shaking Estrella's socked foot to wake her. She picks up her head, dark hair tangled over her red bloodshot eyes.

"I'll be right there." Toni hangs up yanking on Estrella's leg again as she falls back into sweet pea. "Come on! It's Jughead." Toni hisses to her.

This puts Estrella on high alert, she slides over sweet pea, landing gracefully with her feet on either side of Fangs. She yanks her chunky suede boots and Sweet pea's jacket before following Toni down the row to the Jones trailer.

Knocking on the door Estrella takes the chance to look down at herself, dressed in a pair of loose black pajama shorts, a maroon silk cami and sweet pea's oversized leather jacket that just barely touches her mid thighs, revealing her long tanned legs.

"Mierda! I-" Estrella is cut off by the door opening to reveal a weathered Jughead Jones, his eye purple, his lip busted, and his frame drooping.

"Mierda!" She exclaims again, pushing her way inside the trailer to find the first aid kit she stashed long ago when she used to come around and clean up some of the older serpents after bar fights and drunken stupidity. FP loved to step in to keep the peace but usually ended up taking a hit or two.

Toni sits Jughead down, watching her good friend constantly tug down Sweet pea's jacket to keep herself unexposed.

Estrella sets the kit down on the coffee table, grabbing Jughead chin to tip his head up for her to see. "They got you good, baby cakes look! A ring impression on his temple," she points a long nail at the square cut above Jugheads brow. Those were Estrella's favorite bruises and wounds, they were unique unlike ordinary bruises these ones had shape and form. "I think you give Sweetie's serpent initiation bruises a run for their money. Don't tell him I said that, he'll be in a sour mood forever." She shakes her head, watching Toni pull out cleaning wipes from the kit.

Jughead watches Estrella shift uncomfortably in her very short outfit, running her hands down her thighs constantly and then looking around as her cheeks turn crimson.

"You know what, I'm going to go make sure Fogarty doesn't set my trailer on fire and kill Sweetie. Come by later Jughead, I got some great pain killers." Estrella rises, patting his shoulder before yanking the door open go reveal Betty copper. Fist in the air to knock.

"Nancy drew! Perfect timing." Estrella chirps scooting around the blonde before striding away, leaving Betty shocked.

"Why is her face half bruise? And since when is she a serpent?" The question goes unanswered as Betty fussed over her boyfriend.

Inside Estrella's trailer Fangs is now missing, most likely having returned to his own to check on his mother while Sweet pea is just waking up, his baby face in his hands, posture slumped as he stares wearily down at the floor.

"Hey, Sweetie?" Estrella kicks off her heels, sliding onto the couch beside him. Her hand finds its way onto his shoulder rubbing softly at the material of his shirt.

"Just tired." He answers shaking her off.

Estrella hops to her feet, shorts bouncing slightly. Sweet pea turns to watch her sashay across the linoleum floor. He growls lowly, his eyes blazing over hungrily watching her dance around in the kitchen, marked by his jacket in such a short outfit he didn't often see her wear.

"Sweetie-" she glances over at him resting her chin on her shoulder. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Sweet pea jolts slightly, looking into her dark coffee eyes. "I was just enjoying the view." He grins making Estrella lean a little bit more against the counter. "I love my jacket on you, it suits you." He rises walking over to her, un-doing the front zipper to let the leather jacket hang off her shoulders better. "But it would suit you better on the floor." He leans closer to whisper in her ear. She laughs shoving him away.

"I am not awake enough for sexy talk sweetie. But nice try." Estrella kisses the tip of his nose before sashaying off into the bedroom to change into proper clothes. "Jughead's a mess by the way! I told you the ghoulies wouldn't leave him alone. Now give him a few days and he'll come around." She calls into the front room while pulling on one of Sweet pea's unused black pullovers and a pair of jeans. Estrella yanks on a pair of boots and stride out into the front room again picking her school bag.

Sweet pea sits against the counter with a frown. "I don't want you going to school. I don't like this, people can take advantage of you like this." Pea snarls rubbing his thumb gently under Estrella's black eye. She jerks back feeling the burn of his hand.

"I'm not glass pea, they touch me and they break, not the other way around." She rolls her eyes ready to continue her statement but never gets that far.

Sweet pea looks away, teeth sinking into his lip. "Fine." He takes his jacket up and leaves, slamming the door behind him so hard the walls shake. Estrella leans back groaning up at her ceiling.

Why did he have to be so territorial serpent!

She snatches her keys off the counter locking the door behind her. She climbs into her car, flinging dirt and grass up as She high tails it out of the trailer park towards school.