P E A C H Y || SWEET PEA

<03>

I walked in through the front door after coming back from the park, where I was drawing, to see Dad running after Polly.

"I'll talk to her."

I did a quick assesment of what was in front of my eyes.

Polly running upstairs.

Dad running after her.

Betty walking to the kitchen, shaking her head.

Mom standing in the living room with her arms crossed over her chest.

Realizing this is yet another mess someone, probably my mother, has blown out of proportion, I jog my way over to Betty.

"So, what'd I miss, Ponytail?"

Betty was grabbing a cup from the cupboards to get a drink. She replied without turning towards me, probably so I wouldn't see the aggitation on her face.

"Polly wants to move out. She wants to go to the farm her and Jason were planning on going to. After that letter Mom got, I'm not surprised."

I remember reading over the letter when I found a copy of the newspaper in the student lounge this morning. I remember my classmates talking about how Moose was shot, still in the hospital. I haven't checked on him yet.

"Okay, so they don't want her to leave?"

"Mhmm," she replied, pouring herself a glass of OJ.

Leaning on the table, I sigh.

"Mom went crazy. Going off saying how she panics whenever we leave, or don't answer her calls."

"I've only ignored her call once, and that was by accident."

"Still."

We were quiet. I was mulling over what was happening. We just got Polly back, and now she was leaving. Yes, she has good reason to, and i support her decision for the twins, it just kind of sucks that we never really hung out when she got back. She was resting and I had other commitments.

Betty's phone started ringing. She answered it fairly quickly.

"Cheryl?" she answered.

I raised my eyebrow. I never liked eavesdropping, but I was naturally curious. Raising two Cooper twins on Nancy Drew probably wasn't as best a decision as my parents thought.

Betty ran to the front door, hanging up her phone and was scrambling to put on her shoes.

"Where're you going?" I asked, walking away from the kitchen to catch up with her before she left.

"I have to go meet Cheryl, it's important. I'll text you later with details," and then she left.

I stared at the closed door.

What the hell is going on?

Before I could run after Betty, I got a call from someone I hadn't heard from in a while.

"Hey what's up, Jug?"

"Peach, can you come to the trailer?"

• • •

"I told you to wear your helmet, Jug. Be more careful on your bike, please."

Betty was wiping Jughead off with a damp cloth. He had called me over to explain what happened, and needing a decent excuse. Jughead is smart, but not when he's just been beat up by a bunch of Ghoulies, a very nice group of people I had just learned about.

I was standing in the Jones' kitchen, putting my coffee mug in the sink and rinsing it off. Leaning against the wall, my new aquintence, Toni Topaz. Her and I briefly shared a look and a knowing smile, she was here and the one who educated me on why Jughead was jumped.

'I'm gonna jump you myself if you don't take care of yourself. Jug, you've been my best friend forever, and now you're Betty's boyfriend. I mean this, and it's the nicest way I can say it. Smarten the fuck up, Survive. You're a Serpent for a reason.'

I smacked Jughead's forehead. I heard Toni laugh in the background.

'See, told you Forsythe.'

He glared at Toni, 'Hardy har.'

'So what's the excuse.'

'Excuse for what?'

I look at my best friend, remembering when he would brag he was smarter than I was because he got a couple marks higher than I did on a test. I smacked his forehead again.

'For Betty, stupid. You tell her you were jumped and she's going to freak out.'

Jughead sighed. That led us to a short conversation about possible ways to avoid panicking Betty. Toni came up with the best one, he wasn't wearing his helmet on his bike, and he wiped out.

Betty was getting up to leave. I was gonna leave in a second, I just wanted to make sure Jughead remembered what I said. Betty asked Toni to watch his back, and she agreed, giving Betty a quick explaination about Serpent loyalty, and Betty was out.

We were quiet for a second, we heard Betty's footsteps on the gravel as she left.

I got out from the kitchen and stood next to Toni.

"Seriously Jug, take care of yourself. I'll keep this from her, for her own good. Just don't let it happen again. You forget I care about you too, idiot."

He gave me his signature smile. "Peach Cooper, admitting she cares for someone. This is rare."

I roll my eyes and mirror his smile.

"I take it back. You can get jumped again. Hell, I'll probably be the one asking them to do it."

The three of us laughed.

I said my goodbyes to Toni, giving her my number in case Mr Dark and Brooding needed help from the North.

"You're not that bad, Peach. For a Northsider," Toni smiled at me, I was standing in the doorway, and I smiled back.

"I'm glad you approve, Topaz, you stay safe aswell. And text me whenever, I need an excuse to get away from my house. Even if it's down on the South. I love the hair by the way."

And then I was on my way home, listening to the sounds of motorcycle engines.