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Chapter Thirty-Two
Reliving Old Memories
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TORI AND SWEET PEA SAT DOWN AT THEIR USUAL LAB BENCH when they got to chemistry class and Tori could practically feel Mr. Harris staring at them as they walked in together. She could never figure out what his problem was but decided to at least try to ignore him unless he was speaking. The last thing she wanted was a Mr. Harris styled detention for not paying attention in class. She could still remember how she was so close to getting one when she was so frustrated that she banged her head on the lab bench and the man accused her of being bored.
"He seriously doesn't like us," Sweet Pea whispered as they sat down.
"He is on the list of people who have been testing my patience," Tori said.
"Who else made the list?"
"Veronica Lodge, Ethel Muggs and of course Reggie Mantle."
"Speaking of Reggie, how were you so calm about the way he threatened you?"
That was a genuine question. How was Tori so calm when Reggie threatened her the way he did? The answer to that was pretty simple.
"I wasn't a hundred percent calm but it wasn't the first time I've dealt with a situation like that," Tori said while shrugging her shoulders.
"Who else threatened you?"
Tori sighed, not wanting to even imagine his reaction if he were to know about MF's threat that wasn't even real. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't even a real threat."
Sweet Pea decided not to push the subject any further and turned his attention to the current lesson. Both him and Tori could tell that Mr. Harris kept glancing at them every now and then and they just wished that he would find something better to do than pick on them. Tori could see how annoyed Sweet Pea would get whenever Mr. Harris would call on him for an answer and Sweet Pea could tell how Tori was trying to hold in her frustration when the same happened to her. When class was over, both of them were more than relieved.
"I can't wait for school to end," Tori groaned as she dragged her feet down the hallway. "I swear if it wasn't for his attitude, I would still have the patience needed to get through fourth period."
"I thought you always had patience?" Sweet Pea asked.
"Yeah, well shit happens."
Sweet Pea stopped walking and grabbed Tori's arm and pulled her to the side of the hallway.
"Meet me at your locker right after fourth period," he said.
"Why?" Tori asked in confusion.
"You'll see. Just be there right after fourth period," Sweet Pea said before walking to class.
Tori just shrugged her shoulders and started walking to her next class. And for the whole time she was sitting in class, all she could do was wonder why Sweet Pea wanted to meet her at her locker right after class.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
TORI FOLLOWED SWEET PEA'S INSTRUCTIONS AND WAITED at her locker right after fourth period. She recognized his six foot three frame heading towards her and pushed herself off the wall.
"Now can you tell me why you wanted me to meet you here?" she asked.
"And ruin the big surprise? No way," the Serpent said.
Tori groaned as she followed him out of the school and they started walking down the sidewalk. She kept asking him what he was planning but he only chuckled and refused to even give her a clue.
"Please?" she asked.
"No," Sweet Pea replied.
"Pretty please?"
"Still no."
Tori groaned and Sweet Pea laughed at how impatient she was getting. She figured that clearly, he wasn't going to tell her anything so she decided to just suck it up and wait. When they arrived at the diner, Tori was even more confused but didn't question it and they found a booth to sit in once they were inside. She put her bag down beside her and leaned against the back of the seat. She looked near the counter and she recognized FP Jones in the uniform. His eyes landed on her and he recognized her as well. Did he know that she knew?
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Sweet Pea asked, pulling Tori out of her thoughts.
"No, I'm fine. I'll be right back," Tori said as she got up and headed towards the washroom.
She leaned against the counter as she tried to gather her thoughts about what was going on. Going to Pop's with Sweet Pea wasn't the problem but it was the fact that someone who she was sure was abusive was working there the same time they went. Knowing something like that was like a weight on her shoulders, and she didn't know what to do. Her mother specifically told her not to say anything to anyone but the longer she held it in, the more crushing it felt. Did Sweet Pea know about it or was he completely oblivious himself?
She tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ears and she sighed at her reflection in the mirror. Even she could see that she didn't do a very good job covering the dark circles under her eyes and she could understand what Sweet Pea was saying that morning. The thought of FP and what he could've done to MF and Jughead this whole time she was oblivious crawled back into her mind and she wasn't sure if she was ready to go back out there. She figured that if she didn't go back soon, Sweet Pea would be wondering what was taking her so long so she decided to just take a deep breath and head back to the booth. When she sat back down, there were already two milkshakes on the table and Sweet Pea was drinking one of them.
"Sorry about that," she said as she sat down.
"It's alright. I already ordered for both of us," Sweet Pea said.
Tori looked at the untouched milkshake in front of her and it was the same flavour she always got made exactly the way she liked it. She had no idea how he could even remember that since the last time they hung out like this was weeks ago.
"I don't know how you remembered every single detail, but thank you," she said before taking a sip. She looked back at the counter and FP wasn't there. Maybe she could ask if Sweet Pea knew anything but at this point, the odds were about fifty-fifty. "What do you know about FP Jones?"
"You mean besides being the Serpent King?" Sweet Pea asked as a response before taking a sip of his caramel fudge milkshake.
"Do you know if he has a history of, let's say, violent behavior?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know if he's ever gotten violent with MF or Jughead?"
Sweet Pea looked like he had just seen a ghost when he heard Tori's question and put his milkshake down.
"How do you know about that?" he asked quietly. "Did anyone tell you?"
"No, no one told me anything. My mom spoke to FP and I put the pieces together but she told me not to tell anyone and that she would take care of it but I don't know how she's going to do that. It's been bugging me since Midge's funeral and I haven't said a word to anyone until now but if my mom finds out that I completely choked I will never hear the end of it," Tori said and took a deep breath after saying everything she needed to say.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Sweet Pea said but he could tell that her mind still wasn't at ease.
He took out a quarter from his pocket and put it into the jukebox and tried to find a specific song. Once he found it, he pressed PLAY and Tori lifted her head. She recognized the song immediately and it brought her back to the first time they hung out at Pop's together and how they danced for a while until their food was ready. The sound of Michael Jackson's You Rock My World put a smile on her face as she listened to it. It was a small smile, but it was there.
"I can't believe you remembered this song," she said while looking at Sweet Pea who was smiling nervously.
"It stuck with me and I thought coming here, having a milkshake and hearing this song would make you feel better," he said.
It really did make her feel better and she didn't know how to thank him for it. She slipped out and sat right next to Sweet Pea who pulled her closer until her head was on his shoulder. The warmth and comfort was all she needed and she couldn't be more grateful.
"Thank you. For everything."