Mystique || Sweet Pea [3]

2

2 || Bittersweet Goodbye

"Mrs. Andrews?" I asked, walking into her house the next morning. I saw her standing in the kitchen, hands wrapped around a mug of coffee and a sad look in her eyes. "Oh, I can come back if you'd like?"

"No, no Kitty, stay." Mrs. Andrews smiled sadly. "Please?"

I didn't say anything in response, I just pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around me and cried into my shoulder. I felt my emotions get the better of me and cried onto her shoulder as well. We stood beside the island crying into each other's shoulders for a few minutes before Mrs. Andrews pulled away and wiped my cheeks.

"He wouldn't want us to cry." She stated, offering me a watery smile. "He especially hated when you cried."

"I know that if I miss him this much, you must miss him so much more." I sniffed.

"I do miss him, I miss him so so much." Mrs. Andrews nodded, wiping the tears off her face. "But he wouldn't want us to be too upset right now. He'd want us to keep busy and then keep his memory alive without being sad."

"He was always smiling." I remembered. "I'll always remember that smile he had on his face."

"Me too." She smiled fondly.

"Hey, would it be okay if Cheryl and I planned something for when Mr. Andrews comes home?" I asked, thinking about how excited Mr. Andrews used to be about the Fourth of July.

"Of course, Kitty." Mrs. Andrews nodded.

"I'll send Cheryl by later with details." I smiled, pacing a kiss on her cheek.

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"Are you sure about all of this?" Sweet Pea asked, looking down at the plans I drew up.

"He would've loved it, Sweets." I nodded, smiling softly up at him.

"Okay, baby." Sweet Pea smiled, placing a soft kiss on my lips. "Then I'll help you with whatever you need."

"Let's get to Pop's, Cherry's waiting." I informed, handing Sweet Pea a box full of paint.

"I love you, Kit." Sweet Pea smiled, following me out of our basement and into the driveway.

"And I love you, Sweets." I smiled, pulling open the door to my dad's truck. Sweet Pea drove us to Pop's with a small smile on his face. He had his hand over my right hand, both of which were resting on my thigh. He was messing with the silver band on my ring finger, a stupid grin spreading across his face.

"You want to know something?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Sure." I smiled, looking down at our hands.

"When I asked your dad what he thought about the promise ring, Mr. Andrews was there." Sweet Pea said. "Mr. Andrews' only question was if you were happy, and if I was willing to do whatever it took to keep you happy. Your dad laughed and told him that I'd pull the moon out of the sky if you asked me to, and Mr. Andrews just said, 'good'."

"He really was like another father to me." I smiled sadly, interlocking my fingers with Sweet Pea's.

"And you were just like his daughter." Sweet Pea told me, turning into the Pop's parking lot. "He really loved you, baby."

"I loved him, too." I smiled fondly. "This will be good for everyone, babe."

"I know." Sweet Pea nodded. "Let's get in there before Cheryl storms out here and drags us inside."

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I was leaning against my motorcycle just outside of Riverdale, waiting beside the other Serpents and Poisons for Archie to round the corner.