fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| THIRTY-SIX ||

Finding the nearest bathroom, Lauryn checked each stall to make sure no one was in there before leaning against the sink. Every breath she took grew harder to gather, and her chest felt tight. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to ignore the haziness blurring her vision.

She unzipped her jacket for comfort, tying back her hair. She could feel her heartbeat in every crevice of her body, and her veins popping through her temple as she fought off an agonising panic attack.

"Damn it," she cursed, trying to hold on as her limbs became heavy and tears escaped her eyes. "Not now."

The door opened a tad, and Veronica poked her head in. "Lauryn?"

Lauryn quickly wiped her teary eyes, standing up straight to pretend that she wasn't shaking. "Uh, hey."

"I just wanted to see if you were all right," Veronica said with concern, approaching the Serpent slowly. "It seemed like something was wrong."

"No, I, uh, I--" Lauryn scrambled for an excuse, when she noticed Veronica looking down at the bump sticking through her unzipped jacket. She self-consciously zipped it back up, kicking herself for not thinking to hide the bump again.

"So, that Ghoulie was telling the truth?" Veronica asked, and Lauryn took a second before nodding subtly. "You are pregnant?"

"Please don't tell anyone," she begged, and Veronica looked surprised to hear such vulnerability in a Serpent's voice. "The minute Cheryl finds out..."

"Don't worry," Veronica assured her, stroking her upper arm. "You have my word, and I know Betty wouldn't tell a soul either. How far along are you?"

Lauryn hugged herself insecurely. "Four months."

"How are you holding up?"

"I'd be better if I wasn't here," Lauryn admitted. The kindness in Veronica's voice was oddly comforting. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I have no reason not to be," Veronica answered, handing her a tissue out of her purse. "What's bothering you? Besides the nightmare which is Cheryl Blossom, that is."

Lauryn took a deep breath, wondering where to start. "A lot of things, but... long story short, I feel so powerless and alone. I don't know how I'm supposed to raise this kid."

Veronica took her hand suddenly. "You're not alone, and you can do this."

"Easy for you to say, you're not getting bigger by the second. You must think so little of me."

"No, I don't," the girl disagreed. "I'm not judgemental in the slightest bit. I'm your friend now."

Lauryn scoffed breathily. "Friend? Our boyfriends literally hate each other."

"And that's between them, not us," Veronica stated. "For whatever reason they've crafted to hate each other for. If Cheryl, God forbid, finds out about your baby, you have my guarantee that I won't tolerate her discriminative comments towards you."

"Thanks, Veronica," Lauryn said, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. "It means a lot to know someone on the other side cares. I owe you."

"No problem, girl," Veronica replied, holding out her arms for a hug. "Let's get you back to Sweet Pea and the others."

Before they could leave, the door squeaked open and Toni hurried in. "There you are Everyone's looking for you. What happened?"

"Shit, I'm sorry," Lauryn said. "I just got a bit overwhelmed, that's all."

"Are you okay?" Toni asked, acknowledging Veronica.

Lauryn nodded adamantly. "Yeah, I'm good. Veronica was just helping me out."