BAD IDEA ► SWEET PEA [discontinued]

― t h i r t e e n. Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The day of the drag race soon dawned upon us. Archie left early to get ready for the race. I slacked around at home waiting for Ghost to come pick me up like he said he would. I thought when I heard engine revving from outside my house, it'd be Ghost and Lzzy coming to fetch me.

     I looked out of my bedroom window and to my disappointment. . . It wasn't Ghost and the others.

     It was Sweet Pea.

     Alone on his motorcycle. No sign of Liz or Ghost. I frowned upon the sight. Really? They abandoned me and sent him instead? I pulled out my phone and texted Liz. No reply.

I grunted and headed downstairs.

"Where's Ghost and the others?" I asked as I approached Sweet Pea.

"They didn't have enough space in the truck so they sent me. They'll meet us there," he explained. "Hop on," he threw a motorcycle helmet at me, which I caught. "Is that my flannel?"

I looked down at what I was wearing. I was wearing the red flannel he gave me. I wore it semi-tucked into a pair of denim shorts and tied it into a bow at the front. I also wore a bandana to go along with it. My outfit was retro pin-up inspired.

"It's mine now," I said.

     I put on the helmet and clambered into the backseat. It felt awkward to put my hands around his waist so I held onto the seat instead.

He started the engine and drove off. It was a short distance from the house to the drag race. We must have arrived pretty late since there was already a large crowd gathering.

I clambered off of the motorcycle and was immediately greeted by Lzzy.

     "Kenna!" Lzzy beamed. Before I could even say a word, she shoved red solo cups into our hands. "Glad you made it," she continued, "Sorry, Ghost couldn't fetch you. The truck was full." She made that :/ face. "So we sent Sweet Pea. Hope you didn't mind."

     "I did mind," I said before sipping from the cup. "Hey!" I could hear Sweet Pea exclaim. The bitterness of cheap beer stung my throat. I furrowed my brows in disgust. "What's in this?" I asked Lzzy.

     "Pure fuel," she replied, "Pure fuel."

     I watched as she walked away to join the other Serpents. I was left standing there next to Sweet Pea's motorcycle with a red solo cup in my hand. "Gross," I mumbled.

     "It's warm," Sweet Pea added.

     I sipped a little bit of the beer. I retched, "It has this weird taste to it." Again, there was this strange taste that just gave me a pang in the head. It's weird to describe. "It tastes. . . It tastes. . . It's tastes like. . . A minus."