With her elbow perched on the dining room table she held the left side of her face in the palm of her hand, a steaming hot cup of black coffee cooling down set to one side whilst her phone laid flat, the bright screen showing Snapchat stories as she skipped through most. The long sleeves of her sweater reached down to her knuckles providing an extra sense of security from her chilly trailer.
Kitty had stormed home from the Wyrm last night in a furious hurry, wanting nothing but her own space away from the bar and any Serpents lingering within - her own boyfriend included.
Sweet Pea hadn't called, nor had he text to check up on her since their little tiff last night. She was still pissed off, he was probably still pissed off, but Penny was still a very raw subject and something that the blonde was still struggling to come to terms with. What mother ups and leaves, drops a fucking bomb shell of a secret and then disappears into thin air. Hers, apparently.
That didn't mean she didn't love her though. Sure, the two females had their differences, but for a long time Penny was the only blood relation she had. Yes, the Serpents were her family, and yes she believed in the whole 'blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family' bullshit, but she was her mother. Nobody can replace that. Not even a secret father that had been under her nose since day dot.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the handle to the trailer rattled, then stopped, and then rattled again. The action was followed by a string of curse words, and a fist colliding with the wood. With a sigh, she got up and twisted the key before yanking it open. Sweet Pea was on the other side wearing a mixture of annoyance and confusion on his face.
"You looked the door?" He asked.
"Yup," She said with a nod. "Thought I better open it before you put it through."
She peered past his tall frame and noticed the lack of bike which meant he had walked over from his own home. He watched her carefully, and she could tell he felt awkward. Pea had never been good when it came to talking about his emotions, always hid them behind his stoic features. Mind, she was the same. Perhaps it had something to do with growing up on the wrong side of the tracks.
"You not going to school?" Kitty finally broke the silence, causing Pea to pull back his lip and scratch the back of his head.
"Wasn't planning on it," he mumbled. "I came over to apologise. I shouldn't of said what I said."
"You're right," Kit sassed, jutting her hip out as she folded her arms across her chest. "You shouldn't of. It was bang out of order. You know, I could of brought up the fact your Mom was a junkie, but I didn't. You know why? Cause' it's a fucking shitty thing to do Pea."
"I know it is." He said clenching his jaw at the mention of his own mother. "I shouldn't of said it. The minute you walked out the door I realised just how much I had upset you. It was such a dickhead move, I've got no excuse for it." He paused and she stopped herself from reaching out to touch his twitching neck muscles. "I'm sorry, Kitty. Let's sack school off, we'll go get a Pop's milkshake, go sit by Sweetwater and smoke. I'll roll all your joints for the day."
Her facial expression remained unwavering for the few moments to come, and just for a second she thought he might turn around and walk away, but a glimmer of hope passed his own tanned features when she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Fine," She said moodily and the corners of Pea's mouth began to grow. "But do me a favour Sweets?"
"Sure, what?"
"Don't bring up my fucking mother again." Her words came out rather harshly, and he was taken back by how bitter she really sounded. Yeah, he knew she was pissed at Penny, he knew she missed her too, but he didn't think the situation had effected her as much as it had. Kitty Peabody was well known for being callous and hard hearted, with a good heart but a bad temper. People either loved her or hated her, there was no in between. It was black or white, simple as that. So to see her showing an emotion that could almost make her look vulnerable concerned him. What concerned Sweet Pea even more was the chance of her discovering what part he had to play in Penny's disappearance.
"Alright." He simply stated with a nod. She gave him a sad smile before moving out of the way and letting him inside.
"I'll go get changed," she shouted over her shoulder whilst heading to her bedroom. "You better get rolling those J's!"
He moved himself to the living room, sitting down on the couch before reaching beneath it to pull the rolling tray from its hiding place. As he began to make a set up, the sounds of Motley Crew came from Kitty's room. It was one of her favourite bands, and her mother's as well. Penny had dragged Kit to a show when she was younger, and since then she had listened to the heavy metal band with passion. He remembered walking into the Peabody home as Girls, Girls, Girls blasted from the CD player as the two blondes recited the song word for word, jumping about the kitchen excitedly. The memory, however, only made Pea react his actions towards Penny further. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Kitty discovered the truth, and despite hoping such day would never come. It was inevitable. Still, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and painted on a brave face, once more focusing on the task at hand.
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A couple of days later Kitty returned to Riverdale High, begrudgingly at that. Jughead and Toni had been hounding her, and on top of that FP had called round and had stern words with her. After a heated argument which Sweet Pea was an uncomfortable witness to, her father gave her an ultimatum.
"No school, no Wyrm."
And so here she was. Stood in the common room with scowl on her face, one which made every Northsider in the building turn in the opposite direction.
Upon arrival, dear ole Principle Weatherbee had collared their group of friends and pulled them into the office. At first they all simply thought that they were in for another bollocking after the fight that Jughead had apparently instigated, but after hearing how Reggie Mantel was involved, she had different views on such matter. Once the wooden door was closed behind them, he pulled out a sealed packet containing a horrendous uniform for them to wear. The lot of them received a detention when the headmaster earned a chorus of curses and unpleasant phrases in return for his courteous offer, before forcing them to change.
"What a way to single us out," the blonde spat. "I don't even fucking suit blue."
"At least you don't have to wear a turtleneck." Sweets grumbled as he pulled at the horrendous white under layer. "It's so itchy."
"Yeah," she laughed. "It's not a good look for you."
"This stupid polo clashes with my hair," Toni said as she tried to fix her collar whilst balancing a coffee in her other hand. "Maybe I should go blue next, colour coordinate."
"What the hell? Guys?" They all turned to look at Jughead, whom had arrived surprisingly without his Serpent jacket, instead donning a light blue denim Levi.
"Weatherbee gave them to us." Toni began with a sigh. "Said he understood that not every Southside student had the means to purchase Riverdale High-acceptable clothes."
"In other words no leather or fishnets." Kit commented.
"He thinks this will help us fit in." Toni finished, sarcastically smiling. Sure, sticking the 'wrongens' of the school in what looked like prison attire was sure to make them fit in with the rest of the perky pricks that filled the halls.
"Where's Fogarty?" Jughead quickly asked, searching for Fangs.
"He wouldn't wear it, the uniform," Pea shrugged. "So they got rid of him. Suspended him."