Family || Sweet Pea [1]

3

Chapter 3 || Arrest Aftermath

Jughead pushed through the police tape as I watched from the bottom of our stairs. I slowly followed him up the stairs and into the thrashed trailer. He threw more things around the living room while I watched, completely numb. I shrugged out of my leather jacket, feeling hot and extremely overwhelmed. Jughead slid down the wall and cried for a minute before he stood up, grabbing my wrist, and pulled me along with him to the bus station. He bought us tickets to Toledo and then sat me down inside the bus station before he went to call our mother. My phone rang again, Sweet Pea calling for the thirteenth time that evening. I pressed ignore as I saw Jughead come back into the bus station. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the woman selling bus tickets.

"Changed our minds about Toledo. Can you just put us on whatever the next bus out of town is, we don't care where it's going." Jughead asked the woman.

"Citrusville, Florida. Leaves tomorrow morning at 6." My phone started ringing again, this time Jughead took it and turned it off. We walked out of the bus station and headed to Pop's.

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Jughead and I sat in separate booths, almost on opposite sides of the little diner. I sat, playing with my phone as it rang for the fiftieth time. I declined the call again, but sent a text to the group chat.

I'm at Pop's.

I looked up as the door opened and Veronica, Betty, and Archie walked into the small diner. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I didn't care. My father is going to jail for a crime I know he didn't commit. I watched as Jughead left with Betty, Archie, and Veronica. When I was finally alone, I let my head hit the table and the tears started to fall. The door opened again, and three sets of thunderous footsteps headed my way.

"Kit?" Sweet Pea's voice sounded. He sat down beside me, and the second he did I lifted my head and looked across the table at Toni and Fangs.

"My dad, he just got arrested for the murder of Jason Blossom." I sniffled, wiping the tears from my eyes. All three of my friends looked at me with shock, because I was crying, and because FP Jones had been arrested.

"Oh, Kitty." Fangs said, taking my hand in his. I quickly pulled my hand out of his and shook my head.

"No, I'm fine." I said, wiping my eyes and pushing Sweet Pea out of the booth.

"I need to speak with the sheriff and I need to talk to my brother." I said, standing up and smoothing out my dress. I grabbed my heels and sent my three worried friends a small smile. "I'll text you guys."

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I pushed open the door to the sheriff's station just in time to hear Sheriff Keller say that my dad confessed.

"Dad? I asked, watching as he was walked across the station. He turned to look at me before turning his eyes down to floor.

"Daddy?" I tried again, rushing after him. Jughead caught me and pulled me into a hug.

"It's okay, Kitty." He whispered to me. I pushed him off of me and walked out of the station.

"Kitty." A voice sounded, causing me to quickly wipe away my tears and turn to face the source of the voice.

"Sweet Pea." I smiled softly.

"Don't do that." He said, pulling me into a hug. "Don't pretend you're okay when we all know you're not."

At his words, I finally broke down.

"He's going away, Sweet Pea." I cried, gripping at his Serpent jacket. "He's going away. What am I supposed to do?"

"I'm not going to say it's going to be okay, because I don't know if it will be, but you are going to be okay." He told me, hugging me tighter.

"He confessed, Sweet Pea." I sobbed, letting go of him. I reached up and wiped my tears, looking up at Sweet Pea.

"Kitty, he didn't do it." He told me.

"I don't know what to believe anymore, Sweets. He told me he didn't murder Jason, and he's never lied to me. But then he came here and confessed to killing Jason, and I don't know what to do. Where am I going to go? I can't go back home, it's a crime scene." I started hyperventilating. I was so overwhelmed with everything at the moment.

"Kitty? Breathe." Jughead said, suddenly sitting me down on a bench.

"Is she okay?" Sweet Pea asked, sitting beside me.

"Just breathe, Kitty." Jughead told me, ignoring Sweet Pea. I started breathing normally again, and instead of hugging my brother like I normally do after him calming me down, I turned and latched onto Sweet Pea. He carefully wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back.

"Where are you going tonight, Kitty?" Jughead asked, looking at Sweet Pea with a confused and irritated expression.

"I'm staying with a friend tonight." I stated shakily, standing and letting my bare feet hit the freezing cold concrete.

"Who?" Jughead asked, sending a skeptical look up at Sweet Pea.

"Just go with Archie, Jughead. I'll be fine." I brushed him off. I picked up my discarded heels and started to walk home. Sweet Pea caught up with me easily, and walked silently beside me.

"You staying with Fangs tonight?" He asked.

"Yeah, if he'll let me in. Can't stay with Toni, she's got a twin bed. Can't stay with you, you don't have any of my clothes at your place. Fangs will take care of me tonight, Pea." I told him, shivering slightly. Sweet Pea let out an audible hum before his large Serpent jacket was draped across my shoulders.

"But you'll be cold." I argued, trying to give him his jacket back.

"You're the one that's barefoot and in a short dress walking in the snow." He laughed lightly. I laughed softly as well, slowly warming up under the jacket. We made it to Fangs' trailer, where Fangs was sitting outside, waiting for us.

"Kitty, thank God." He breathed, grabbing me and hugging me. I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm okay, Fangs." I smiled softly. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course, Kit." He nodded. I shrugged out of Sweet Pea's jacket and handed it back to him.

"Thanks." I whispered, before disappearing into Fangs' room to change out of my dress and to get warm.

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After putting on a second pair of socks, a pair of sweatpants I left over here, and one of Fangs' hoodies, I shuffled into the living room.

"They refuse to go back home until you're absolutely, one hundred percent okay." Fangs said, pointing at Sweet Pea and Toni.

"I promise, I'm okay guys." I lied, struggling to hold back more tears.

"Come cry it out with me." Toni said from the floor, where all of Fangs' blankets were laid out. I squeezed in between Toni and Sweet Pea, laying my head on her shoulder.

"You're not okay, baby." She told me, wrapping her arms around me and running her fingers through my hair. "And it's okay to not be okay."

"I just don't want him to go. He's always been there for me; even when he was drinking, even when Jughead left." I confessed, letting more tears fall from my eyes.

"Well, you sure as hell aren't alone." Fangs said, laying beside Toni.

"You guys are the best." I mumbled, my eyes fluttering shut. Toni continued running her fingers through my hair, noticing that it was putting me to sleep.

"Go to sleep, Kitty. We're all going to be right here for you in the morning." Sweet Pea said, kissing my cheek and settling down beside me. Toni kissed my forehead, and Fangs leaned over and kissed my temple.

"Good night." I muttered sleepily, wrapping an arm around Toni.