Three days of flyering had taken its inevitable toll on Lauryn's body, but she wasn't accepting defeat.
"Penny Peabody," Lauryn said, sensing the bitter, unpleasant presence of the woman who had just sat down at the bar beside her. She bothered not to look at her, but kept her eyes in the other direction as her head rested on her hand. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Little Lauryn Fogarty," Penny jeered, a smile detected by the roundness in her voice. Her palm smacked the bartop, one of her tarnished rings clanging against the surface. There was an awkward silence, as Lauryn had no intention of speaking to her. "Does your auntie Penny not get a hug?"
Lauryn looked at her, trying to gather if she was serious or not. She raised a brow. "What?"
"Come on, you remember me!" Penny elbowed her, but she only leaned away slightly. "I was a good friend of your dad's. Used to do business together."
"Friend?" Lauryn scoffed. "It was quite obvious that there was more than platonic drinks after work going on. I shouldn't be talking to you."
"Why? Is your mom gonna tell you off?" the woman glanced around, before flashing her eyes at Lauryn. "That's funny because I don't see her here. Haven't for about... eight years."
"What do you want, Penny?" she asked sharply. She'd heard enough about her mother, particularly her absence, and she didn't need any more. Especially not from Penny Peabody of all people.
"Legend has it that you're expecting," Penny replied, looking downwards at Lauryn's shirt. "And by the looks of things, legend is spot on."
Lauryn tried to pull her jacket over the bump. "Great observation. Now, if you'll excuse me."
She stiffly got up to walk away but Penny seized her slim wrist, shooting a direct, shuddering gaze into Lauryn's eyes. "There's gonna be a vote."
Snatching her arm away the second she felt Penny's grip loosen, Lauryn frowned at her. "What vote?"
"Whether Jughead should be exiled--"
"No, he won't be," Lauryn cut her off, shaking her head. "You don't get to dig your way back into the snake pen that easily. You--"
Penny snorted, licking her lips. "Need I remind you that your pal carved a chunk out of my arm and now his father is wrapped around my little finger."
"That's just it, Penny," Lauryn hissed, leaning closer to the blonde woman. "You're never happy unless everyone's wrapped around your finger. You won't win this. FP won't let you back into Serpent territory. You stay a Snake Charmer, or fuck off. That's what it'll be."
"Hey," Penny replied, her eyes narrowing. "You don't wanna be sucked into this as well, do you? Watch your mouth."
"You're not my mother, Penny," Lauryn reminded her bitterly. "Stay the hell away from my family."
"I can help you," Penny yelled after Lauryn who was making her way towards the ladys' room as an escape. Lauryn ignored her once again, and so she snuck after her.
The minute Lauryn was in the restroom alone, the door swung open again. She rolled her eyes, turning on her heel. "Jesus, Penny. What do you want?"
"I said I can help you," Penny repeated, approaching the girl uncomfortably close. She had a few inches on Lauryn, but enough to look down on her. The whiskey from her breath drifted into the air, wafting into Lauryn's nostrils. "You're not doin' so good, and it's pretty obvious."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure," Penny said sarcastically, and Lauryn despised how her health's state was so obvious to even her enemies. "But, say I did. You need protection, stability. Be it financial or--"
"Hold up," Lauryn stopped her, waving her arms out. "You want to help me?"
"If Jones is out of the way after this vote, I can keep you safe, and you won't end up homeless."
"No way," Lauryn chuckled in disbelief. "You're not doing this, Penny. I don't want or need your help, especially not with your twisted, shady methods. Everyone knows your shit is impossible to get out of."
Penny laughed loudly. "I'm not going anywhere, whether your pretty little self likes it or not. You don't get to make that call, and the others just want their homes back. No one cares about your melodrama."
"Oh, yeah?" Lauryn widened her eyes. "You're only still in the Serpents because you went to law school, and FP put you as far away as he damn well could. You've been on thin ice for years."
"So naive," Penny muttered, studying the girl's face. "You think that FP will turn me down all for you and his good for nothing son who's the reason for this whole stink."
Lauryn's tone dropped, and a lash of rage overwashed her composure, taking over her. "Don't get comfortable here, Penny. They're gonna find that damn head, and you're gonna be out of here."
"Keep telling yourself that," Penny nodded gradually, one of her narrow hands stroking Lauryn's shoulder. "But in the meantime, you might wanna vote for me."
Lauryn slapped away her hand viciously. "I'd rather die."
"Your kid might."
"Don't you dare talk about my kid," she warned, jabbing a finger into Penny's chest. "If my mom was right about anything when I was a kid, it was that you're bad news."
"Please," Penny scoffed, and her lips made an unpleasant sound. "You were a kid, and you still are. You don't know the full story, and neither does your mom."
Lauryn studied the woman's face for a moment with disgust, feeling an urge to spit in her face but managing to hold back. "I said no."
Penny blinked impatiently, but Lauryn wasn't about to listen to any attempt at persuading her, and so she staggered out of the bathroom with only one aim. Her boots whacked against the wood floor and she approached a group of older Serpents sat at a table.
"FP, can I talk to you?" she requested, and felt everyone's eyes eating away at her appearance. FP looked unfocused and dissatisfied, and he just stood up and led Lauryn over to the bar with a hand on her back without a word.
"What can I do for you?" he asked her, glancing in all directions as if he didn't even know where she was standing.
"Are you seriously considering this stupid vote?"
He let out a low grunt, looking downwards shamefully. "I would if I had a damn choice, but it's not my call anymore, and Jughead's not makin' it any easier for himself or me, for that matter."
"Of course it's your call," Lauryn argued, folding her arms. "You're the Serpent King."
"Well," he batted his eyelids, a sigh escaping his lips. "Maybe I am, but that doesn't mean I won't have a bunch of angry, homeless Serpents up my ass if I make a decision out of bias."
"But Penny..." Lauryn paused, shaking her head. "Penny can't do this. You know how she was when I was a kid, hell, that's why you kept her on the sidelines."
"Times are different now, Doll," FP reminded her. "If Betty and Jughead don't find that damn head to show the Sheriff that it wasn't us Serpents messin' with it, my son's out of the Serpens and we've no choice but to let Penny work us a way around the evictions."
Annoyed, Lauryn huffed. She spotted Penny prowling past, smirking at her darkly as she took a seat with Tall Boy. A feeling of desperation took over her, and her eyes met with FP's like a child. "FP, please don't let this happen."
FP knew her look all too well. "I'm tryin' my best, I promise. Believe me, I want that woman as far away from myself and you kids as possible. She's done enough damage."
"I'll say," Lauryn agreed, staring daggers at Penny from across the room. Before she could look back at FP, her vision was blocked by a haze of colour, and she swayed briefly on her feet before feeling a hand grip her arm, and managing to steady herself on the bar next to her.
"Easy," FP soothed, gesturing to a seat next to her. "You don't look so good, Doll."
She chuckled lightly. "That's not something I haven't heard a thousand times this week already. I'm working on it."
"Are you eating?"
"I--"
Just then, Sweet Pea came into the bar, spotting his girlfriend right away. She could see the irritation on his face simply because of her presence, and she took a deep breath in preparation. He approached them both, and FP patted him hard on the back before leaving them alone.
"How did I know I'd find you here?" Sweet Pea remarked bitterly, and took note of how she wouldn't look at him. "Hey, I'm talkin' to you."
"I can't stay at home all the time, Sweet Pea," she told him sternly, folding her arms. "Not while our entire gang's future is at stake."
"Yeah, but you're killin' yourself," he said, and she looked at him with horror at his obscene statement.
She took in a breath of air that shook her brittle lungs. "This isn't my fault."
"I know it's not," Sweet Pea sighed. "But, you gotta stop ignoring everyone's advice. We just want what's best for you."
"Noted," Lauryn saluted bluntly. "Let me guess, you're going to make another attempt at holding me hostage in your trailer?"
He let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "No, actually. I was gonna ask if you wanted to swing by Pop's for somethin' to eat before the vote."
"Uh, I-" she cut herself off in order not to stutter. "I'm not hungry."
Sweet Pea understood the look on her face immediately and shot a blank look at her. "Or is it because you can't keep anything down?"
Breathing out in defeat, Lauryn hugged herself insecurely. "I didn't think you noticed."
He took her hand. "Lauryn, it's my job to notice. What have you actually managed to eat this week?"
"Ice."
"What the fuck?" he blurted out, his face paling. "Are you serious?"
"Keep your damn voice down!" she ordered, her eyes panning around them attentively. "I'm sorry, okay. I'm sorry I feel like shit."
"Look, I want this to be over as much as you do," he told her, and his heart broke seeing the hurt emitting off of her. "But, you gotta try. Ice isn't good enough. It's not even a proper food."
Lauryn shrugged regretfully, unsure of what to do. "I know, I know. It just sucks because every time I do eat I end up throwing it up and it just reminds me of how screwed up I am right now."
He raised his brow. "So, you admit that you're sick?"
"I never said that."
Sweet Pea half-smiled, rolling his eyes at her. "Come on. Can you at least try?"
"What if I throw up there and then?"
"If you think about it, you definitely will," he said, and the discouragement reappeared on her face. "But, seriously, you gotta try."
"Fine."
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"How do you feel?" Sweet Pea asked as they got off of his bike outside of the Wyrm, helping Lauryn to her feet. The trip to Pop's took longer than expected, and Lauryn was trying her hardest to not let it be in vain.
"Horrible," she admitted, pursing her lips together. "That was a bad idea."
"You needed it," he lectured, careless of her protestations. "Just keep it down for me, okay?"
"That's the goal," she said as they made their way inside to be greeted by over a dozen more Serpents than there were in there earlier, and the music playing louder than it had previously been.
Finding Toni and Fangs sat at a round table, they joined them. "Hey, guys," Toni smiled. "You made it just in time."
"Seems like it," Lauryn looked around at the crowd. "Where's FP?"
"Over there," Fangs head-gestured towards the stage. "Penny's here, too. I think she's actually gettin' the upper hand."
"Yup, well, she had her one-woman campaign going on," Lauryn said. "Must've paid off."
"Yeah, she tried to convince me, too," Toni added, tutting smugly. "Wasn't really the speech I was expecting it to be. How has no one found anything? It's a literal metal head."
"Pun intended?" Fangs asked, and Toni narrowed her eyes at him. The others laughed.
"It's probably stashed in someone's garage," Sweet Pea suspected. "I think finding it, let alone tonight, is one hell of a long shot."
"Hey, but let's not give up hope," Lauryn said, and it was more than clear that she was just trying to reassure herself. She spotted Tall Boy gleefully rubbing his hands together, scowling at him. "So, Tall Boy's not as loyal as we thought for all these years."
"I'm not surprised after that stunt with the Ghoulies," Sweet Pea replied. "It's almost like he's trying to mess us up."
Within an hour, FP disappeared without saying a word to anyone, and the commotion in the Wyrm only rose as everyone began to question what was going on. Lauryn sat with her head in her hands, trying to distract herself from the food she was being defeated by.
Sweet Pea rubbed her back, leaning in closer to her ear so she'd be able to hear him over all the noise. "Maybe coming here was a mistake. Do you want me to take you home?"
Lauryn sat up, shaking her head at him. "No. I'm fine."
He kissed her on the cheek. "Hey, you're doing good."
She could barely manage a smile back, but reached for his hand instead. He simpered at her before Tall Boy startled them both.
"All right! We're beginning the vote!"
His boisterous voice rang through Lauryn's body, and she dug her nails into Sweet Pea's hand anxiously. "Doesn't he have to wait for FP to come back?"
Looking down, she freed his hand from her grasp briskly, acknowledging the little red dents she'd created. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
He laughed, taking her hand again without any hesitation. "I know you're nervous. Trust me, I've felt worse pain than that."
Penny licked her lips anticipatingly from a corner, keeping her gaze on Lauryn who had sweat beads appearing on her forehead. "Jolly good, Tall Boy. I've been wasting away sitting over here."
Lauryn considered shouting out an obnoxious comment but chose to keep her mouth shut, mainly because she felt as though one jolt of action would cause her to vomit. Sweet Pea threw an arm around her, rubbing her upper arm with his ring-clad fingers.
"Okay," Tall Boy's voice echoed throughout the bar, and the rest of the non-attentive heads turned in his direction. "We're getting straight into this vote! Would all those-"
"Stop the damn vote," FP barked, marching into the bar with Betty and Jughead. The statue's head was sitting heavily in his hands. Tall Boy said nothing, and instead gawked at them in pure defeat.
The Serpents stood from their table, watching in awe. Lauryn smiled at Betty who cast a look in her direction, giving her a nod. She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
FP ambled over to her, taking ahold of the chair she was sat on after giving her a wink. "It's done, Doll."
That was all she wanted to hear.
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