Sweet Pea and Lauryn had become inseparable, more than what they were before the incident. Lauryn hadn't slept in her own bed once all week, and Fangs had Jared sleep over multiple times just to make the place seem less quiet, and he was making the most of it.
The years of put-off affection were catching up, and everything was falling into place fast.
"On another note, Jughead seems to be settling in okay, and by that I mean terribly. I've told him not to raise his hand in class, but he does it anyway. It's like he's enjoying classes here, besides the thrill of waiting to be beaten up by the Ghoulies." Toni remarked just as Jughead walked past the girls with a quick nod, clearly trying to get out of the way of the Serpents and Ghoulies in the halls.
"Aren't you gonna help him set up the Red and Black, Toni?" Angel Face asked.
Her best friend nodded. "Yeah. That reminds me, I gotta go help him set up shop real quick, and hopefully not suffocate in the dust. I'll be out in a second. Wait for me?"
"Of course," Lauryn said with a smile as they stopped, and Toni turned in the opposite direction. "Don't get coffee in your hair."
As she watched her best friend go, Lauryn felt the walls swallowing her up, realising that this was the first time she'd been alone in the halls all day, and the Ghoulies were more than numerous.
"There she is!" one jeered, while his friend waved his hands around in her face to scare her, the two of them laughing childishly.
Startled, she chose to ignore them, brushing past them as other joined in the frenzy of tormenting and namecalling which was harder for her not to react to than she expected it to be.
She had her switchblade tucked into her boot. Despite the metal detectors decked at the entrance of Southside High, the students always found ways to hack the system. It was taking everything in her not to pull it out, yet, she'd be outnumbered like crazy.
She picked up the pace, thankfully spotting Sweet Pea, Fangs and Jared through another crowd of students leaving.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sweet Pea asked her once she got to them, noticing her slight heavy breathing and wide eyes. "You look scared."
"Did one of those bastards touch you?" Jared asked, folding his arms as he stared down the whacky-haired enemies nearby who were staring Lauryn down. "Say the word, Lauryn, and we'll take 'em down."
"No, uh, I'm okay," she said, trying to shake the sticky feeling of feeling herself being watched. "I just got a few weird looks. I felt outnumbered, that's all."
Fangs put his hand on her shoulder firmly. "Don't worry. You won't have to walk the halls alone anymore."
"I'll walk with you from History to Math if you want." a voice said from behind them.
It was Skye, a dark-haired slightly tanned Serpent whose arms were decorated with tattoos and jewellery. She was an ally who often helped other members under heat escape Riverdale when she wasn't off the radar. Everyone just assumed she was indulging in her drug addiction which was obvious by her chapped lips and straggly hair.
Skye was one of the lucky Serpents like Jughead who still had their father to provide for them, though. Her father was a Serpent, but only for protection for Skye and her younger siblings due to his involvement with an ex-mercenary years before.
He was more into art and music than partying and drugs so he tended to keep out of most of the criminal activity unless desperate for cash. No one said anything, though, as he was a peaceful patron, and was always respectful. All the better for Skye, then. She could do just about anything without him finding out, or any other Serpents questioning her loyalty.
"Sure, Skye. That'd be great, thanks." Lauryn smiled. They didn't talk very often, but when they did, they hit it off pretty well. It was hard to have a conversation with the girl when she was high out of her mind, especially when she had a drink to wash the pills down with, but Lauryn was no discriminator, the girl was always nice to her.
"No problem, I've seen the way those slimy losers look at you," Skye turned and glared at their rivals. She wasn't under the influence of anything for once, which made her seem oddly down to earth. "And I saw the video their leader released. Sick. How are you holding up, Laurie?"
Laurie was a peculiar nickname to be called since they were basically acquaintances, but Lauryn wasn't bothered by it. It was a friendly gesture, if anything, only to increase their comfort level.
"Thinking about it, I'm not that surprised it happened," Lauryn crossed her arms. "I knew they'd have it on film. They're Ghoulies, always keeping track of others' misfortunes to laugh at later."
"That doesn't mean I wasn't pissed as hell, though," Sweet Pea invited himself into the conversation, scowling at Skye.
He'd been out with her once, agreeing to it drunk one night at the Wyrm, and it was an awkward, one-sided date which he got nothing from. Ever since he'd called it off since he had undeniable feelings for Lauryn, though, Skye had either ignored him or taken every opportunity to say something rude to him.
Lauryn was completely oblivious. She never saw any rivalry, as Sweet Pea always acted the same if she was around. She didn't even know they'd gone out.
"Ugh, of course. You and your temper, Sweet Pea," Skye remarked, seemingly jokingly yet bothering him just as much. "Always getting into fights over tiny things."
"Yeah? And I'm pretty proud of it," Sweet Pea riposted in near enough the same tone, just to mask the tension from Lauryn. "Keeps me on my feet, not that you'd know much about me, though."
Skye laughed, licking her lips as she tilted her head. "I bet, but I also beg to differ."
Jared watched as Lauryn's eyebrows twitched in suspicion, and he and Fangs exchanged awkward looks. "Okay, well," he spoke up, clearing his throat. "Are you coming down to the quarry, Skye?"
"Yeah, we're, uh," Fangs added on to help, yet his tone wasn't as convincing as he intended it to be.
"Sure, love birds," Skye said before laughing. "You guys are cute together."
The two chuckled awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Lauryn picked up on the weird tension better than the one from before, placing a hand on Skye's shoulder. "We'll see you at the quarry, then?"
"Sure will," the dark-haired girl said, flipping her hair back before strutting away.
Lauryn looked up at her boyfriend, detecting the sour expression which he was no longer trying to hide. "Is there something off between you two?"
"No," he said bluntly. "Just... weird vibes, that's all."
"Yeah, bro. But she's still hot," Jared added on, and Fangs raised a brow, nudging him. "I'm kidding, Fogarty."
"I thought you were gay, Jared?" Lauryn asked. "What, you like her now?"
"Swingin' both ways, Fogartess. Still kinda figuring it out, though. And no, I don't like her."
"I wasn't talking about the fact that she's hot," Sweet Pea changed back the subject.
Lauryn raised a brow. "Umm?"
"Which I don't think she is," he covered, realising he'd said the wrong thing, in the wrong tone. "You're the only girl I find hot, Angel Face."
"Thank you," she said, placing a hand on her chest to act like she was almost offended.
"She's just never really seemed to be all there to me," her boyfriend explained, studying the girl who looked to be interacting disorderly with Ghoulies. "I don't know what it is, but I think Topaz feels the same."
"Speaking of the Tonester, where is she?" Fangs questioned. "We're gonna get last pick of the chairs if we don't leave soon."
"Helping Jughead set up for the school paper," Angel Face explained. "The old Red and Black room, I assume."
"Let's go get her, then," Sweet Pea suggested, taking his girlfriend's hand to pass the Ghoulies, as well as Skye, once again. They knew to mind their own business whenever he looked in their direction, and any crafty smiles were knocked down by others who gave the same impression.
Lauryn felt so much safer with him around, especially with her hand safely tucked into his. She couldn't understand why she suddenly needed protection from a couple glares, as it was different to having to fight a guy twice the size of her.
It was starting to become alarmingly apparent to her that something had changed, and she figured that if she didn't admit it, it would go away. She thought she'd be back to normal in no time.
She had to be.
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