It was the opening night of the school musical, Carrie, and the weeks of preparation had left everyone close to exhausted. All their time had been taken up practising choreography, singing or in Lauryn's case, hair and makeup.
Everyone was bustling around backstage, looking for their props or costars for last-minute adjustments, and Kevin was on just about his last nerve. Having Fangs as his co-director helped a bit, when he could actually find him.
Lauryn had her hands full with a comb and a bottle of hairspray, balancing a clip between her teeth as she worked her hardest on Mrs Cooper's now frizzy hair. Giving it one final spray, she looked at her in the mirror. "Okay, I think you're all done, Mrs Cooper."
"Wow," Alice breathed, grinning. "If I didn't know better I'd say this is the work of a professional, Lauryn. Thank you."
Lauryn laughed. "I don't know about that, but thank you. Break a leg tonight."
Alice got up, smiling one final time at Lauryn before disappearing into the sea of castmembers taking up the dressing tables. Lauryn glanced around in search of her brother, but couldn't spot him.
She made her way into the hallway where the dressing rooms were situated, spotting Kevin scurrying his way through. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Kevin, have you seen my brother?"
"No, but as a matter of fact, I'm looking for him now," he said, a hint of panic in his voice as he kept walking now alongside Lauryn who was trying her best to keep up with his speed. He jogged down some steps. "Ten minutes to places! Where is Fangs?"
The girl he asked shrugged. "I don't know."
Lauryn suddenly thought up a tiny suspicion of where he might be in her mind, trying her best to flatten it as it made her feel sick. They unfortunately then reached Midge's dressing room, where Kevin opened the door to reveal Lauryn's fear standing right before them.
Looking guilty as sin standing by the vanity was Fangs who quickly retracted his hands from Midge, the two of them looking startled.
"Fangs," Kevin greeted, expressing his sudden surprise. Lauryn face-palmed, blowing a million fuses inside of her.
"I was giving Midge some last-minute notes," Fangs lied, which was clearly the result of an excuse he'd thrown together as fast as his panicking brain could manage. Lauryn only shook her head at him disappointedly, distracted by Jughead suddenly sliding his camera into view of them.
She covered the camera lens roughly, storming into the room and slamming the door with the three of them inside. "The hell are you two playing at in here? What if that was Moose back there, Midge?!"
"I-I'm sorry," Midge stuttered nervously. "I shouldn't have let it get this far."
"God, if your boyfriend sees the footage Jughead just got--"
"He won't," Fangs vowed, and the two girls looked at him. "I'll make him delete it later. Midge, look, you're great but... Lauryn's right."
Lauryn scoffed as she picked up a hairbrush to smoothen the flicks of hair that were loose on Midge's head. "About time."
Midge sat down, staring at herself ashamedly in the mirror. She let out a sigh. "Moose... doesn't deserve this. You must think so little of me."
"Well," Lauryn sighed as she brushed through the girl's black hair gently. "I wouldn't be one to talk, but, let's put it this way, you're not on the first page of my good books."
"What do I do?"
"Come clean, maybe?" she advised, seeing the regret on the girls face and knowing she didn't do it out of spite. "After the show. You've gotta be honest with him."
"You're right."
There was a brisk knock on the door, and Kevin poked his head in. He looked overwhelmed with stress and sounded as if he was going to snap at any moment. "Are we ready in here? Midge, I need you--"
"She's ready," Lauryn said quickly as Midge got up, rushing out of the dressing room behind Kevin.
Fangs glanced at his sister, letting out a breath. "Look, Lauryn, I--"
"Save it, Fogarty," she cut him off, making her own way out.
The show luckily commenced on time and was going smoothly. There were, fortunately, no costume mishaps or lines being forgotten like the dress rehearsals showed, and everyone's eyes were glued to Betty's mother who was centre stage singing her heart out.
"You did an amazing job on Mrs Cooper's hair, Lauryn," Toni complimented quietly, unable to take her eyes off of her. "It almost doesn't even look like her."
"Thanks," Lauryn half-smiled. She felt a lot worse for shunning her brother than she'd expected to and wondered if he'd gotten out of the mess with Midge fast enough to avoid any further conflict.
Everyone was anticipating Midge's big reveal on stage, already mesmerised by Alice's perfect singing. The set-piece was lifted as scripted, but to everyone's horror, Midge was pinned to a board horrifically, her lifeless corpse punctured with knives.
The backstage members crept their way onto stage cautiously, trying to work out what was going on as it wasn't clear from the angle they were at or the awkward lighting. Each of them were asking themselves the same questions.
Alice turned around as the music played on, letting out a blood-curdling scream at the terrible sight in front of her. The audience instantly erupted into a sea of panic when they realised that it wasn't part of the show, notably because of the message written in blood from the Black Hood.
Sweet Pea fought his way through the distressed crowd running in the opposite direction, staggering his way onto the stage to get to Lauryn. He covered her eyes as soon as he got to her, leading her off the stage to join the swarm of frightened people running for their lives.
As soon as they got outside, they were drowning in audience members fleeing the high school careless of the way they were driving, and Lauryn clung to Sweet Pea's arm for what felt like dear life. In shock, Lauryn sat down on his bike, gasping for air as she replayed the previous couple of minutes in her head.
"Holy shit, she..." she hyperventilated, her eyes wide. "She's dead."
Sweet Pea cupped her cheeks frantically, checking her out. "You're okay, though, right? Fuck, you're shaking."
"I-I'm fine," she breathed, holding his arms for comfort as well as stability. She turned her head towards the door they'd come out of worriedly. "But, Fangs. I didn't see him come out."
"We'll find him," Sweet Pea reassured her turning back towards the doors where screams were still echoing through, and it was hard to tell whether they were imagining them or not. He looked at Lauryn before kissing her hard on the forehead. "You know what? Stay here. I'll get him."
"I'm scared," she said, and meant it for more than one reason.
"It'll be okay," he replied, and with that, he was pushing his way back into the school to find her brother.
After no more than a minute, Sweet Pea returned, an arm around Fangs who was hugging himself in terror. Lauryn had never seen her brother so frightened, and she threw her arms around him the second he was in arms reach. "Shit, Fangs."
"Midge..." he trailed off, and Lauryn kicked herself for getting the intrusive thought that maybe he'd had something to do with it. No, he's not like that.
"Do you know what happened?" she asked him, having to chase his eyes for eye contact, which lasted less than a second. He shook his head, his lip quivering.
"No, no, Lauryn, you gotta--"
"I believe you," she promised, hugging him again. "We'll figure this out."
Sweet Pea placed a hand on her back. "Let's get you two home before this shit turns into a riot."
Sunnyside Trailerpark was only just starting to die down when they got there, talk of the murder already spreading like wildfire. Headlights from arriving motorbikes outside shone through the Fogarty trailer windows every few seconds, making the Serpents jump each time.
Lauryn paced back and forth about the kitchen, running her hands through her hair as she couldn't get the memory of what she'd just seen out of her head. "How often does someone get murdered in the middle of a school musical?"
"Can you sit down?" Sweet Pea requested as his eyes struggled to keep up with her every move. "You're not makin' your brother feel any better."
He looked over at Fangs who was sat across the table from him, his head mounted in his hands. The room went silent, but Fangs' breathing soon filled the air.
Lauryn pulled it together, yanking the chair between them and setting it in front of her brother before sitting down. She reached for his wrists, drawing them from his face. "Hey, look at me. Tell me what happened."
"I-I don't know!" he gushed, fighting his way out of her grasp. "One minute she was there and-and I don't know what happened!"
"Did you see anything?" she asked, fearing the worst. He shook his head, and she couldn't help but wonder why he was so unsettled. "Fangs, I need you to calm down."
"I can't!" he snapped, clamping his hands over his eyes again. Sweet Pea and Lauryn glanced at each other with worry, as well as confusion.
"Why, man?" Sweet Pea asked, leaning his leather-clad on the wooden table which tilted it slightly.
"The-The footage!" Fangs cried, twisting his mind up with all sorts of irrational thoughts. "I'm so fucked."
Sweet Pea frowned, lost. "What footage?"
The realisation hit Lauryn, and she tried to hide the fact that it had sparked up some worry inside of her as well. "Jones... Jones was filming backstage before the show, when Fangs was in Midge's dressing room."
"You were in Midge's dressing room?" Sweet Pea asked his best friend who nodded regretfully. "Were you two...?"
"Yes! We were!" Fangs roared. "It was a dumb mistake, now I'm screwed."
"No, you don't know that," his sister argued, shaking her head. "It was only a second if Jughead even got anything in the first place, and who knows, your face might not have even been recognisable."
Fangs chortled, feeling practically humoured by her attempt at comforting him. "Right. Like the cops don't have technology for that."
"I'm just trying to make you feel better."
"Look, you're overthinkin' this," Sweet Pea advised, and Lauryn envied his certainty. "We'll just get Jones to remove the footage."
"No!" Fangs looked up sharply, the panic in his eyes scaring the other two Serpents slightly. "He'll think I had something to do with it, then. Everyone will!"
"We're gonna be questioned anyway," Lauryn said, shrugging. "We were there, if not metres from where she was killed. If you didn't do it, Fangs, you didn't do it. You've got all the Serpents to back you up on it."
"Since when has more than one Serpent proven effective?" he asked her, and she kicked herself for forgetting that this would be a perfect opportunity to incriminate a Serpent for the Northside.
She got up, her chair squeaking loudly against the floor. Raking her hands through her hair, she turned towards the kitchen window to think of what to do. "That footage is nothing. It has to be. Come on, I mean, why would they even consider it being anyone but the Black Hood?"
"They caught the guy, that's why," Sweet Pea told her, standing up. "But, hey, if that's not enough, there's also the fact that they take every opportunity they can find to shit on the Southside Serpents."
Fangs cried out in panic once again, and Lauryn shot a blank look at Sweet Pea, folding her arms. "Now who's not making him feel any better?"
"Do you want me to lie?"
"Look, guys, don't fight over this, okay?" Fangs begged them, his hands shaking as he held them up. "This is on me. Lauryn, you were right, I shouldn't have let it escalate with Midge."
Lauryn scoffed. "You didn't know she was going to get murdered, Fangs. Don't blame yourself."
"What do I do now?" he asked his sister, and the worry in his eyes broke her.
She gave him a hug, swallowing as her face crumpled with fear. "Get some sleep."
He nodded after pulling away, stumbling slowly towards his room before shutting the door without another word. Lauryn was about to follow after him, but Sweet Pea took her hand, shaking his head. "Let him chill out."
"I can't leave him here on his own," she protested. "He needs to know he can talk to me."
"He does. But, does it look like he wants to do much talkin' right now?"
Lauryn sighed in defeat. "Fine, but I'm coming back here first thing tomorrow."
As they got outside, Sweet Pea noticed the uneasiness on Lauryn's face as she hesitated to get onto his bike. "Hey, what are you so worried about? You said it's a reach for him to be dragged into anything."
"You said it yourself," she fretted. "He's a Serpent. They'll... do anything to make him look bad, to make any of us look bad. I just hope Jughead's footage is crappy."
"Me too," Sweet Pea agreed, leaning against the handlebars with an exhale. "Your brother is the last person who needs to be involved in this kind of shit."
"Maybe I should stay here with him," Lauryn suggested, glancing up at the front door worriedly.
"What difference is it gonna make?" he asked simply. "Come home and get some sleep."
"I can't lose my brother as well."
"And you won't."
She shook her head as she remembered Jughead's camera being pointed in her face. "I swear, that footage..."
"If Jones is smart, he'll have deleted it already," Sweet Pea told her, reaching for her hand gently. "Baby, come on. It's gettin' colder out here."
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In the days following Midge's funeral, the talk about hadn't ceased a bit. Fangs grew more anxious by the day, to a point where he was considering talking to Jughead about the footage no matter how sick it made him feel.
Each student involved in the production of Carrie was questioned separately by Sheriff Keller, and the Fogarty siblings left out the part about the footage completely, as per Fangs' request. Lauryn knew it was wrong, but she wouldn't betray her brother like that, especially while he was the one in the crossfire.
Just when the Serpents didn't think things could get any more intense, they were hit by the bomb which nobody was alarmed by as much as Lauryn. Stood in the Swords and Serpents reserved classroom, she fiddled with the rings mounted on her fingers, sat on a desk.
Hearing the words come out of Jughead's mouth sent her back to the early days of her pregnancy, and it was almost like the baby heard it too.
"Our old adversaries, the Ghoulies, have been released."
Sweet Pea's eye twitched at the thought of Malachai's sickening grin, and one of his hands rested on Lauryn's back protectively. He could hear every word spinning around her head without her needing to say it.
"Already?" Lauryn asked, having to clear her throat afterwards as she tried to process the shock.
"It's been six months," Jughead said, sensing her fear. "I don't wanna cause any alarm, but word on the street is that they want Serpent blood. They're gunning for a rematch, and there's even talk of baby Fogarty being a chess piece. They want war."
Sweet Pea clenched his fist into a ball. "Which means you don't go makin' any half-assed deals about my kid this time."
"I hear you, Sweet Pea," Jughead assured him. "Lauryn and baby are our number one priority, especially with her being due pretty soon."
Toni reached across to squeeze Lauryn's arm from where she was also sat, hoping to comfort her in some way. "They're not getting it, Lauryn. We'll be more prepared this time, right, Jones?"
"Right--"
The door bashed open, and in ambled the Bulldogs led by Reggie who panned his eyes over the Serpents in the room. "Which one of you reptiles was screwing Midge Klump?"
Fangs' mouth ran dry as his nightmare was seeping into a reality, and he was trying to keep his cool just as much as his sister was.
"What the hell is going on?" Jughead demanded, outraged. "This is a private meeting."
Reggie brushed off Jughead's question as he was practically foaming at the mouth, and his eyes settled on Sweet Pea who he jabbed a finger at. "I'm guessing it was you, Sweet Pea. Since you're knocking up all the chicks around here."
"Reggie, that's enough," Archie scolded his friend quietly, but Lauryn had already lost it.
"Rehearse that in front of the mirror this morning, Mantle?" she asked, lightly pushing her way to the front of the gathering Serpent wall. "We all know someone on your level would never be able to think of something that clever."
Sweet Pea lightly pressed a hand on her shoulder as his anger charged up gradually, and he jerked her in the direction of Toni and Fangs.
"You ass, I didn't even know Midge," he hissed. "But, yeah, I get why she wouldn't want fleas from you mangy Bulldogs."
Reggie lunged at him, and he instantly fought back, the two of them causing members of both parties to get involved in what became a momentary brawl. Lauryn covered her eyes in frustration, Toni rubbing her back as she watched Fangs then join in to try and stop it alongside Jughead.
Archie and Jughead stood almost back to back as they'd extinguished the fire between their guys, staring at each other in disarray.
"Get out of here," Jughead demanded, and Archie only reacted with a nod as he attempted to usher his guys out of the room.
"This ain't over," Reggie spat at Sweet Pea who only narrowed his eyes, and when the Bulldogs were gone, the room felt like it had air again.
Sweet Pea could tell how stressed Lauryn was, from the news about the Ghoulies alone, and he put his arms around her before she'd even opened her eyes again. He glanced at Jughead. "What's your plan?"
"It's in the works," Jughead confessed, which made the Serpents roll their eyes. "But, for now, go home, secure your trailer, make sure you have everything you need if it's a direct attack. Keep an eye out for Skye as well, I have a feeling her business with the Ghoulies wasn't short-term."
Sweet Pea nodded in acceptance, wanting to argue but having no words to do so with. He only hoped that it would be enough to protect Lauryn. They made their way out of the meeting room hand in hand, but Sweet Pea could tell that her grip was looser than usual.
"It's gonna be fine," he said seriously, his eyes still ahead of him. "They're not gonna touch you, not while I'm alive."
Lauryn let out a shaky sigh. "I know, but... I really didn't expect to hear that today."
"That makes two of us. But, man, I think I'm doing a good job of not hittin' someone."
"Two seconds more in that fight and it would be a different story," she said, and he stopped them both, leading her to the side of the hallway out of the way. "How do they know that Midge was cheating with a Serpent?"
Sweet Pea furrowed his brow. "Maybe she told her boyfriend?"
"Wouldn't she have said it was Fangs?"
Sweet Pea grunted breathily, his mind coming to a dead-end. "Hell, I don't know, Angel Face. This whole thing is fucked, and it's probably not a good idea to be talking about this out in the open. The Northside's got snakes, too."
"You're right," she said, looking around attentively. "Can I use the restroom before we go?"
"I'll wait here."
As Lauryn was walking to the girls' room, she felt a hand settle on her upper back, and she turned her head to see Jared scurrying alongside her. "Jared?"
"Hey," he began. "I heard about the Ghoulies. You okay?"
"Dealing," she shrugged, stopping. "Sweet Pea and I are on our way home to, let's say, Ghoulie-proof the trailer. With the baby being due in a couple months, we can't risk anything."
"Smart," Jared remarked awkwardly, glancing downwards as if he had forgotten that Lauryn was pregnant. He then cleared his throat, lowering his voice. "I, uh, I got something that might offer you a little more protection, if you want it?"
"Oh?" Lauryn raised a brow, particularly intrigued by how discreet he was trying to be. "Enlighten me."
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