𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

𝒻𝒾𝓋𝑒

As the two approached the Serpents near the bar, Nellie couldn't help but gawk at the tall boy next to Jughead. He towered far above her, giving her a condescending look when F.P. and she finally arrived.

"Well, Sweets?" F.P. repeated himself "Is your brother still in jail?"

Sweet Pea huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in response. "Not leaving for another month or two."

"Excellent!" F.P. exclaimed. His hand easily wrapped around Nellie's wrist and pulled her gently forward. "Meet your new guest, Nellie Hearst."

The Serpent looked down on Nellie. His strong stare triggered her to return an equally daring look. He radiated violence and disgust as he eyed her. It was a feeling that reminded Nellie of the darker parts of New York. The narrow alleyways where sinister deals were made.

"I can't have a guest at the time, F.P." Sweet Pea said, holding his hands up in the air as if to excuse himself. He turned around to face the barman, Hogeye. When he caught the man's attention, he motioned for another coke. 

F.P.'s hand quickly landed on Sweet Pea's shoulder making the tall boy turn around fast, surprise clearly displayed in his dark brown eyes.

"It wasn't a suggestion, Sweets," F.P. said, his voice low and dangerous.

A silent battle went on between the two Serpents as Nellie silently watched it transpire. Curiously, she looked at Jughead who simply shrugged and returned his attention to his phone.

With a scoff, Sweet Pea pushed F.P.'s hand of his shoulder. "Fine," he mumbled, shrugging his jeans jacket higher on his shoulders. 

F.P. ran his hand through Sweet Pea's dark hair. "Now, who's a good boy?" The man taunted but he only received a deadly glare in return.

"Now let me properly introduce you to your guest. This is Nellie Hearst." F.P. said, returning his attention to the girl.

Sweet Pea didn't even look at her. "Just drop her and her stuff at my trailer at one p.m." He said, downing the rest of his coke.

"I have work at Andrew's but I'll meet you there." Sweet Pea continued after he placed the empty glass back onto the counter. He easily slid in a sleeveless jeans jacket, a vibrant green snake embroidered on its back.

As soon as the Serpent left the Whyte Wyrm, F.P. turned back to Nellie. 

"You're in good hands, Nellie, he's only rough on the  inside," F.P. said with a wink. Nellie followed the retreating figure of Sweet Pea with unease. Her presence was clearly forced upon him and she didn't want to bother anyone. But truth be told, she needed a place to stay and if Sweet Pea had a vacant room in his trailer, she would gladly occupy it as long as she did not need to spend another night on the uncomfortable couch of the Jones's no matter their hospitality.

"It's not for long, I hope," Nellie replied, returning her attention fully to F.P. who observed her with squinted eyes.

"Well, you don't need to leave for us," he replied, motioning to the bartender for another cup of coffee.

+ + + + 

At precisely one p.m., F.P. dropped Nellie off on the other side of Sunnyside Trailer Park, her worn backpack the sole piece of luggage. She knocked on the door, looking back at F.P. when her call was left unanswered. 

The man's face changed from relaxed to impatient with just a small frown of his dark eyebrows. The gang's leader leaned against his motorcycle, crossing his arms in front of his chest as the minutes ticked by. Nellie sat down on the staircase, leaning against the wooden wall of the trailer. 

Five minutes turned into ten, turned into fifteen, turned into twenty.

Finally, the sound of an engine brought both of them back from their thoughts. 

Sweet Pea's tall figure approached, crouched over an equally large motorcycle. He skidded to a stop, only a few meters away from F.P. who shot daggers at him with a glare.

"So much for punctuality, Sweet Pea," the older man said, straddling his own motorcycle. 

"Treat her with respect, right?" F.P. added before he put on his helmet and raced away from the trailer. 

In the mean time, Nellie had stand up, grabbing her backpack firmly between her hands and waiting for Sweet Pea to let her in. 

He was still sitting on his motorcycle, observing her from behind the tinted glass of his helmet. Unease crept over her, wondering what the young Serpent thought of her as she stood there in her filthy sweater and jeans, her converse sneakers covered in mud. She straightened her back and shot him a look through his visor.

As if it was a sign, Sweet Pea descended the motorcycle and removed his helmet. As he ran his hand through his nearly black hair, he strutted towards the trailer. Not able to move, Nellie looked up to him as he passed her on the narrow staircase, their bodies unavoidably bumping into each other. 

He looked down on her, his brown eyes scanning over her face. With a frown and a grunt he turned away, continuing his step. Nellie didn't move until she heard the solid click of Sweet Pea's lock. 

Shaking herself awake from her daze, she quickly ran up to him, following him inside. As she entered a mixture of pine and cedar wafted around her.

Whereas the Jones' trailer had somewhat resembled a rather small home, there was no denying the fact that Sweet Pea's trailer was nothing but that. A trailer.

On her right, she saw a small kitchenette, immediately connected to two couches which also served as the chairs from the small round table. On the other side of the kitchen, right underneath one of the windows was a small bed. It's unmade state made it clear that this was where Sweet Pea slept normally. 

On her left she found two small doors. The one that was slightly crooked open revealed a tiny shower, sink and toilet all crammed together in a few square feet. The other door was firmly closed. 

Sweet Pea lingered in front of it. He seemed too big for his trailer, Nellie thought as she nearly saw his head touching the low ceiling. 

"This is the room," Sweet Pea finally broke the silence, shoving the door open with one single push. Behind the door, a small room appeared. It was just big enough for a bed, with underneath some drawers and a night stand. 

Sweet Pea turned away from Nellie, who gaping at the doorstep. 

"It's not much but it's all you have right now," He said, walking towards the fridge and grabbing a bottle of cold soda. 

"It won't be for long. Thank you for your hospitality," Nellie replied, before she went into the small room and placed her dirty backpack onto the neatly made bed.

"You can borrow a few of his clothes, until you got your own," Sweet Pea called from somewhere in the trailer. Nellie simply hummed in response, her attention draw to a picture pinned behind the door. On it was what she assumed to be Sweet Pea's family, printed on an already yellowing paper.

Two boys, arms tight around each other's shoulders, almost in a wrestling stance were grinning at each other instead of at the camera. Nellie couldn't make out which one was Sweet Pea as both of the boys were having dark, tangled her and didn't look at her. A father was leaning on his knees, his eyes shimmering with both amusement and pride as he laughed at his sons. The mother stood behind the father, her arms crossed in front of her chest in faked impatience but she wore an expression of entertainment. 

A thud in the trailer brought Nellie back to her situation. She stepped out of the room and looked at Sweet Pea who lay on his bed, his back resting against the window. She wanted to know what happened. Why his brother was in jail and where his parents were. But she knew better. 

She wasn't planning on staying here. It was best that she did not add more tention by adding questions, Sweet Pea would not want to answer. For now, she should be happy she had a roof over her head.