Second Chances [Sweet Pea x OC]

Chapter 35

I sat on the counter sipping my coffee, ignoring Gladys's disapproving looks. It wasn't like I was sitting on the island with all the food, so why did it matter? And even if there was a third chair, I wouldn't want to be over there, the smell of breakfast giving me a headache.

"Hey, hon," Gladys said. "Why the long face?"

"One of my deputies found our trailer, or what was left of it. It was burned to a crisp," FP answered, passing by everyone to pour himself a cup of coffee. "They found drug cooking materials inside."

"Oh, my. In our trailer?" Gladys gasped. I couldn't understand how FP didn't hear the insincerity in her voice.

"Our little town can't seem to catch a break," Jughead said into his cereal. "Remove one cancer, another takes its place."

I watched Gladys over my mug, waiting for her to respond. Instead, it was JB who broke the tension in the room. "Come on, Dad," she said, smiling brightly, "we're missing the Saturday morning cartoons."

"All right," FP said, watching JB carry her plate to the other room. "You joining us?"

I shook my head. "Maybe another day." The three of us didn't move or say anything until FP was out of earshot, the pair in the other room laughing already at whatever they were watching.

"Did you really think that blowing up that decrepit trailer would change anything?" Gladys hissed, coming to stand closer to Jughead and I.

"If it had blown up, all of Riverdale would have known the moment it happened," I sighed, leaning my head back against the cabinets. "And there wouldn't have been anything left to identify as drug paraphernalia, it would just be shattered glass and melted rubber, if that."

"Is that where you went last night?" Gladys asked, focusing her attention on me. "Out to set the place on fire? I know for a fact FP won't let you anywhere near that deputy training."

"I did it," Jughead said from behind her. "And I'm not gonna stop until you are out of Riverdale."

Gladys gave a small laugh, turning to look back at him. "Well, you better buckle up then, 'cause I ain't going anywhere.

"And here I thought you didn't want to be anything like Penny Peabody," I said softly.

Before I knew what was happening, she had a hand on the back of my neck, pulling me roughly off the counter and next to Jughead who winced as Gladys took hold of the hair on the back of his head. "Here's a tip. Don't cross me again, either of you." Without another word she released us, walking out of the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

"Come on," Jughead said, pulling me after him to the back door. "Let's go see Archie."

I didn't want to go over there and take the chance of seeing Sweet Pea, but I wanted to stay here even less. We'd barely spoken over the past few days, him giving me time I needed. I didn't even know what we were now. We hadn't broken up, but we weren't together either. THe only thing I did know was that I was more hurt than anything.

I sat in the Andrews kitchen, Jughead wasting no time pulling the bag of chips on the counter toward him. "One good thing about being your neighbor is I got two kitchens to raid for grub now," he said between bites.

"Yeah, no worries," Archie said, brushing him off. "Abigail, you want anything?"

I shook my head, not looking at either of them. "I'm not hungry," I said quietly. It was becoming a phrase I said a lot lately. I could feel the worried looks Jughead and Archie were giving me but I wasn't going to eat just to make them happy. I'd tried eating the day before and it was like the food turned to dust in my mouth, it was a struggle to get even a few bites down.