fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| TWENTY-EIGHT ||

"Uh, Jug," Lauryn changed the subject.

Her friend raised a brow. "Hmm?"

"Your dad's home right?" she asked him, and he nodded. "Could I swing by in a bit?"

"Yeah, course," Jughead replied, nodding. "Go for it. He was asking about you and Fangs."

"Cool, I'll catch you guys later, then," Lauryn said, getting up.

After she pulled up at the Jones' trailer, she knocked twice on the door, excitement unsettling her stomach when she heard footsteps on the other side.

The door opened, and the man stood in the doorway's face lit up the second he saw her. "Lauryn Fogarty."

"FP," Lauryn grinned as he held out his arms for a hug. "It's so good to see you."

"Feeling's mutual, Doll," he responded, pulling away to observe her. "How've you been? I heard shit went South with the Ghoulies. You okay?"

"Yeah, uh, fine, besides that," she nodded after he let her in and shut the door, and remembering the baby made her somewhat unsettled. She wanted to tell him more than anything, but he was the closest thing to a father that she had, and disappointment was the last thing she wanted. "How was prison?"

FP laughed dryly, shaking his head. "Worse than High School, that's for sure. You been doin' your work?"

Lauryn tilted her head, trying to state the obvious without saying a word. "Well, there's kind of been--"

"I know, you got a lot goin' on," he cut her short, patting her on the shoulder. "How are the others? Toni, Sweet Pea, your brother. They all good?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Sweet Pea and I are... we're dating."

"Finally!" FP cheered, and they both laughed. "I think everyone was waitin' for that. It's nice to hear that you're doin' well. I was worried about you."

"Actually, I kind of wanted to," Lauryn bit her lip, clearing her throat. "There's something I need to tell you."

FP's face fell, and he suddenly obtained a look of concern. "What is it?"

As she made eye contact with him, she opened her mouth to give him the news when his phone rang, and he quickly reached for it. "It's uh... Jughead. I'm sorry, Doll, I gotta get this."

"Oh, yeah, no problem," Lauryn chuckled, swallowing her words once again. "It's okay, it can wait."

"You sure?" he asked as he lifted the phone to his ear, and she nodded.

"Definitely."

--------

Sporting red lip gloss and thick eyeliner, Lauryn looked like her old self again. She tied back her hair into a high ponytail with a braid going into it. It was the most she'd dressed up in a long time, and she examined herself in the mirror well over ten times.

"You look flawless," Sweet Pea told her with a kiss on her cheek, his hands resting on her shoulders ring-clad which made her shiver. He then picked up her jacket and handed it to her. "Our kid is gonna be perfect."

"You don't scrub up so bad, yourself," she laughed, turning around.

She looked into his eyes, hers glistening. He leaned forward, kissing her on the lips and trailing his hands from her thighs up to her waist. She cupped his cheeks before studying his face for a second, smiling. "We don't wanna be late."

"You sure you're up for this?"

"It's FP's party," Lauryn said, ignoring the sick feeling she had been bearing for hours. "I have to be there."