Summer was a fun time for the residents of Riverdale. Plenty of movies at the theatre or drive-in followed by milkshakes at Pop's, recreational camps of various sports, summer jobs, and even cheerleading camp for the town with Pep. A quiet town, only slightly less so with the happy release of students from work. Four months of freedom providing fun for all who lived in the picture perfect suburbs. That was only half the story.
The other, was the sadder side of the tracks. Rougher around the edges, the Southside of Riverdale held less fun for the summer. Trips to camps were on scholarship or carefully scrimped away money for little kids. Teenagers had the luxury of practicing adult responsibility by getting full time jobs to help make ends meet, and hang outs were late and short due to early morning work or care for siblings.
That isn't to say that fun didn't exist, in fact, it is argued that the fun had on the Southside made the Northside charm pale in comparison. Late night drives, or motorcycle rides, lead to fun finds out of town, and the drive in and wyrm were always bustling with Serpents. There was also the beaches on what little of Sweetwater hit this side of the tracks as well as the Quarry to consider. That was where the best bonfires and late night parties were held. It was a good way to release the stress of the work day and dream about bigger and better things. There were the spare few that were satisfied with their lot in life, however.
One of them, a curvaceous blonde with an attitude to match, was currently letting her curls swing against her face as she danced to the beat of the music around her. She stood to the right at her pool table, a drink in one hand, the cue in another. She just finished another boring as hell week house sitting for some vacationing family or another, taking care of pets and their ever particular diets, and was ready to either throw away or expand on her payday. This was on her third drink and second victory with her hustling partner, who had just finished working on her bike and deserved a well spent night out. So far, she was holding true to end of the deal and the night was still young.
As their opponents finished discussing what they were going to with the deliberately bad break that had been set up for them, the tanned teen made his way over to her, brushing a hand against her bicep. When he got an indication she was listening, a slight turn of the head in his direction, he spoke, his voice deep, and low, using the music to hide their agenda.
"I'm pretty sure you're aware of this, but that crop top's neckline is proving to be very distracting with your dancing right now." His eyes shifted to the area in question before flicking to the less subtle glances across the table. "You may want to take it down a peg or two, Nat."
A slow, one sided smile pulled across the girl's face, her dancing less full-bodied in spite of the scoff that she produced. "Why, is it going to keep you from doing your part, Ty?" Her eyes did move to meet his then, a playful glint daring an affirmative answer from him. "Or are you trying to tell me that I'm getting sloppy with my hustle?"
Ty let out a slight chuckle, ducking his head down quickly before answering her challenge. "Nothing like that, girlie, I'm just saying that you can only use so many methods of misdirection at once. Don't overload or they'll catch you in one of the lies." He shrugged, moving to the table they took over and grabbing his beer. "Just a bit of friendly advice from the guy who anted up this game."
She shook her head, a deep, throaty laugh exiting her throat. "Oh, I see, you don't care if I was sloppy, just so long as it's not your money on the line." She took a sip of her tea, the whiskey barely burning on it's way down. "Well in that case, it's your shot, and I've got some working to do."
She left her cue at her seat, and made a show of whispering something in his ear (some joke that had him smiling and nodding to her as if she was telling him where she was going), and walked to the bar. This part of the process was rather slow, given that she had to weave her way throughout the crowded cage of carousers. Taking great care to not spill her drink, she made her way through slowly, keeping her target in sight. While she wasn't short, standing at 5'8" a whole 5 inches taller than her bartender friend and 4 over her best girlfriend, she was the girl to break through the crowd. Though, Nat also had a penchant for throwing elbows as well, which made things much easier.
She let out an exaggerated huff upon reaching the bar, throwing up two fingers to the aforementioned pink haired girl, and nudging the other with her shoulder. The latina next to her turned from her conversation with her looming boyfriend, an easy smile gracing her petite face.
"How goes the game? You and Ty turn on them yet?" Harley Davis, who was fully aware of the hilarity of her serpent name, asked, tilting her head from where Nat just came from. "Or are we prolonging the inevitable?"
Nat crossed her arms on the bar, learning her hand on her raised hand. "TBA at the moment. We needed refills and apparently my crop top isn't made for dancing if I don't want to be distracting."
A short humph came from the dark male next to them, making the girls turn to Harley's boyfriend of three years. "Their words or Ty's?"
"Unless strangers are starting to mother me for how I dress on a daily basis, who do you think, Dax?" She rolled her eyes. "I swear he acts as if he hasn't seen me in worse."
"Are we referring to your bikinis or the fact that you two used to share a bathtub until you were three?" Harley giggled, shaking her head.
"Personally, I was referring to some of the strappier cut out shirts I tend to wear." Nat admitted, taking the last few sips of her drink while she waited for its refill. "But either of those work too."
"That boy, I swear…"
The three laughed, while the couple took turns sipping from their shared drink. With the raven haired girl being quite the lightweight, and Dax the permanent DD between them, the arrangement was a great deterrent against wasting drinks. Ty and Nat however, were not as blessed, both liking different things as well as not being a couple. The blonde always preferred harder things like Whiskey and Rum, while Ty stuck to beers and the random shot or three of tequila.
Soon, bronzed, and well manicured hands set down an open bottle of Ty's chosen craft of the evening, and a tall glass of mingling amber liquids in front of Nat. She turned to meet the kind smile of Toni Topaz, quirking an eyebrow at the finger raised to wait before speaking.
"After hearing about Ty, I think you and I both need this." She leaned down and straightened up to reveal two shot glasses and a small, black orb of a bottle. "Just got your request in today's delivery."
"Have I proclaimed my love for you yet, T?" Nat's blue eyes glimmered at the bottle with glee. "Because I feel a love song writing itself in my chest right now."
She laughed, pouring the drinks and pointing it at the other two in an offer. When they shook their heads, she shrugged, hiding the bottle away under the counter before passing the girl her shot. "You can prove it by not going Disney on me. Here: to dealing with guys that like to think they're the mom friend."
"May they be out of their teens before they become real parents." Nat added, clinking her glass with Toni's before they both slew them back and smacked the drinkware on the counter. "How much to I owe you?"
"I'll add the two drinks to his tab, and the shots are on the house." The other girl waved a hand at her, stopping her from reaching into her pocket for her cash.
Nat smiled, pointing at her, "You see, this kind of thing is exactly what makes it very difficult to contain myself from jumping on this counter dancing and singing several versus in admiration towards you, Topaz."
"As much as I would love to see the first half of that, I'll add it to the list. What are we at now, drinking, my amazing skills as your bartender, dance, photography…" She trailed off, listing the several things that made the girls friends, gasping. "Oh! Are you taking Advanced Studio this semester?"
Nat looked up palming the rather large tip she was about shove into Toni's jar. At the squinted she received, she merely gave lazy smirk, knowing she'd been caught. However, she pretended otherwise as she retracted her hand and answered the question.
"If you mean did I sign up for yet another free period to be with Sinclair so I can play with the only good school supplies we have at that school, then yes. As a matter of fact hells yes, I am. I take pride in being one of the only students keeping her employed, and besides, she's promised to sell me half of the stuff when I graduate."
""That better leave the other half to me, that crazy old bird." Toni agreed, thinking fondly of the class the girls met in three years ago. "Can't wait to see what kind of shots you got this summer."
"I have a feeling yours are going to be a lot more conceptual than my poolside and pet portfolio." Nat deflected modestly, her hand moving to rub at the back of her neck. "Besides, you know all the good spots to get those vintage views I crave." Her phone buzzed in a customized succession, signalling her summons to her game. "Gotta motor, the hustle awaits."
"Catch you later, and I better not see that ten anywhere near my tip jar!"
"No promises, T!" Nat called out, continuing in a whisper and slipping it to Harley before leaving. "You know what do do, Harl."
"But of course." Pink lips turned into an infectious smile that bore brilliant teeth.
Nat's own lips curved slightly, giving a two fingered salute, and fist bumping with Dax before she braved the throng of what other people would call thugs around her. She took a long, deep sip of her own drink to avoid spillage first, but got sloshed on by a couple of people around her. She bit back whatever comments she wanted to make, instead using it to her advantage upon reaching the table. She lurched forward with less grace than she had, letting out a slow giggle as she slumped against the table, and slammed the drinks on it.
"It's so crowded," She drawled, her voice liliting into a slight whine as she looked at Ty. "People made me spill my drink on my shirt, Ty-Ty."
The pet name elicited some snickers from the guys that were playing them, and a pinched expression from her friend. However, the blonde had done it intentionally in an attempt to make her seem far drunker than she was. It worked, since the taller of the two players nodded to them, an eyebrow raised skeptically.
"You sure she's good to play...'Ty-Ty'?" His friend snickered at that, but the older man ran a hand through his oily hair, slicking it back. "I mean, the way things are going, maybe we should call it a night, huh?"
Nat looked to the table with a frown, Ty had given them solids, which had a decent setup if you knew what you were doing, and they had stripes. Though the stripes were closer together, they allowed for a lot of defensive 'accidental' playing as well as some blocking of pockets. Turning to look at Ty she pouted.
"I don't want you to lose your money…" She pouted, loving just how much these guys were eating it up. "Maybe they're right."
Ty shook his head, his gaze softening as he looked at her. She knew it was all part of the act, that she was asking if he screwed them up, but the other two thought they were a tipsy teen couple that didn't know what they were doing. It never stopped her from seeing a small hint of something outside their unspoken language in her friend's dark eyes. However, any reaction she made went either ignored or unnoticed by him and the others. It also helped that the older men thought she had been drinking girly bottom shelf drinks and not her top shelf whiskey.
"How you gonna learn if there ain't any real stakes, darlin'?" His smile was genuine, but his town full of condescension. He knew exactly what he was doing and was offended she even suggested it.
"If you two are done making goo-goo eyes at each other, I'd wager it's the little lady's turn if you're still in."
They turned, acting as if they were caught in a moment instead of having a silent fight over whether or not the pot was worth it. Nat rubbed at her arm nervously, and grabbed her cue.
"Okay boys… if you say so…" she said, pretending to waver, but intentionally making a kick shot. She gave a shrug as if she didn't even mean for that to happen, a smirk on her face as she turned away from them to circle the table. They were the ones that didn't want to call shots, after all, so really they made it child's play.
"It's not like I'm losing any money." She whispered sending a wink over at very impressed Ty.
The game was won pretty quickly after that, as well as others, the two making sure to balance the wins with the losses so as not to alert anyone to their hustle. There were also a few people that they knew that they challenged for free, still wanting to have a good time. With annoyed patrons avoiding their table, or biking tourists fooled by their young faces falling for a chance at easy money, cash flowing into the pockets of the darker haired boy and the blonde as the night drew out. This eventually left Nat bored as she watched the boys take a break for a game of darts while she sat and chatted with Harley.
"Okay, time to play initiate, groupie, or undecided." Harley teased, pulling her from whatever thoughts distracted her, indicating for them to sling back shots that Nat knew she would regret later. "Or as I like to call it, the 'Let's get Nat a man' game."
Nat rolled her eyes at her friend, slamming the shot glass down. "Babes, are we really doing this again? I mean after the last guy, I am fine with just nice heavy make-out session."
Her lip curled into itself as she recalled the last hook-up Harley set her up with. While things hadn't exactly been terrible, but they weren't great either. And with school starting tomorrow, Nat wasn't looking for a morning after sneak-away or window toss. However, her friend as relentless. Harley had spent the entirety of the summer playing a game of people watching and judging based upon certain criteria only she knew and with "qualifications" gained from watching a ridiculous amount of Criminal Minds and the intro to psych class they took last year. Yes, when it came to a particularly interesting individual further investigation was made on the blonde's part, but nothing serious ever came of it. Not everyone was built to handle what she had to offer.
There was no shortage of teens and younger adults at the bar tonight, though, still leaving plenty of ground unexplored. The Serpents had grown ripe with younger members, or 'baby snakes' as they are ever so annoyingly (in her opinion) nicknamed. This didn't help the blonde, but her friend, however, was given plenty of fuel for the fire. Though Nat was sure she'd end up getting set up with anyone at this point, which wasn't a terribly big surprise. Ever since she and Dax exchanged promise rings last year, hell even when they got together freshman year, she has insisted on trying to find 'the one' for Nat. This was all done with indifference from the other party, and far more frequently than necessary. The other girl took care of whatever needs she had, yet couldn't stop herself from allowing her friend this action.
If it made Harley happy, than she was happy. The problem with Nat was that she was a very self aware bitch and outside of sleeping with her, guys didn't really have any interest in that. She couldn't be as girly, charming, and simultaneously badass in the same ways as her friend, so she settled for her favorite of the three. Didn't win many admirers, but certainly cemented her place as a serpent.
Harley slipped her hand onto Nat's shoulder with a small, resigned sigh. "You see, this is what I've spent this summer trying to shake out of you. If you can't open yourself to the full possibility, how are you going to open yourself to-"
"Love?" Ty swung over, leaning the back of Nat's chair. 'This one? You think she's even capable of loving anything outside of her bike, knives, or cat? Good luck with that."
"Aww, poor Jimmy is losing to Dax again." She whined childishly, scratching at his scruff while Harley rolled her eyes at their behavior."Now he has to prove his alpha male machismo by bringing poor widdle ol' me down a peg."
"This is why you're gonna be single forever." He chuckled, pushing Nat's hand away with a wink. Any indication that he wasn't called by his 'serpent name' well hidden in his enjoyment of mocking her. "Can't even take a light teasing about your flaws."
"Yeah yeah, maybe you should try improving your cluster game." She shrugged, surveying the the board while Dax planted his third toss close to the others. "Maybe then he wouldn't be wiping your ass, or you could actually aim in pool."
"If I wanted you to backseat play, I would've had you play doubles, Dwyer." He turned, heading back to his game.
"Nah, gotta rest these shoulders man." She rolled them back for emphasis, "been carrying your ass all night."
The three broke into laughs, Ty's more fake to show he didn't think it was funny, and the night was spent in a similar fashion. The hour grew late, drinks were pouring, and money was flowing into Nat's pockets as more and more of the older serpents thought they could beat the little Dwyer girl at a game they all practically raised her on. She was feeling pretty confident, and at a comfortable buzz during the most current game when she felt a hand at her shoulder.
"I come in for an after work drink, maybe a game or two, and I find that not only are you still here, but you're poorly disguising your hustle?" Nat felt her shoulders slump, the gravelly voice not matching any of her friends.
She frowned, standing up so that she could turn around to meet the forested green eyes of her brother. Jason Dwyer stood at a decently build 6'1" with strong arms, and bowed legs from riding for so many years. He had a strong jawline, which was clenched in her direction, oil and engine grease smattered across the faded shirt he wore. His flannel was wrapped around his waist, indicating that he'd probably just closed shop for the night, and hadn't gone home yet.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" His voice was stern, and she knew she was dealing with Guardian Jay and not Big Brother. Though maybe in a respect, it was.
"No, but something tells me I'm about to be told." She snapped, crossing her arms, and cocking a hip to the side in rebellion. "Did I turn eighteen only to suddenly have a curfew implemented on me without my knowledge?"
It was a point of trust between the two of them that she never had one. With Harley and Ty living on the same street, and Dax usually going to them escape Sunnyside, she never really needed one. She also usually was out with him, or somewhere he could easily find her if he was that worried. So for him to be digging into her now that she was an adult, in high school, but still an adult, had her annoyed. When he sighed in an aggravated fashion, she held her ground, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
"Of course not, but that's because I expect you to be smarter than this, and resting up before the first day of your senior year of high school." He fixed her with a blank expression before pointing to the door. "Since it seems that I was wrong about that, I'll just tell you; summer's over, go to bed, and don't even try to skip tomorrow, not matter how bad the hangover is."
The area around them had gotten hushed at this point, the Dwyers making a scene out of nothing. But he was tired from a long day, and she'd had a bit to drink, so the similarly minded people were butting heads and it always caught people's how the situation wasn't changing any time soon, Nat scowled, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Fine whatever you say Dad I guess this is just another example of 'do as I say, not as I do', huh?" She bit the inside of her cheek to stop her from explicitly calling him out on how he dropped out halfway through his junior year to apprentice at a garage. It had been a career choice, she knew, but it had also been for her benefit. She grumbled, moving off towards the direction of his finger. Still wanting to fight, she slung back with a "And don't worry, I'll even push my bike home so you don't need to worry about me wrapping myself around a tree."
She was fixed with merely a glare that promised a more private discussion tomorrow, the others following her out of the bar without a word. There were snide comments about Jay not be able to handle his little sister now that she'd grown up, and and even more about how much she'd grown into her own woman over the years. These went ignored by the girl as the slight chill in the air brushed her face and if JD said anything, she didn't hear it., Instead, she grabbed the ramp to Ty's truck in order to pack her cycle. He had already figured she was going to have a bit, so he brought it while she rode ahead to get them a table.
The others filed near her, not saying anything as she finished tying the bike down. Once that was finished, and she slammed the truck bed closed and threw herself against it. After a kick to the ground she finally vented.
"Who the hell does he think he is?" She hugged her chest with less indignation than before, knowing he was right. "Dude goes MIA for half the summer, giving bullshit excuses, and now he wants to parent me?"
"It's almost like it's his job or something." Dax mused, earning an elbow from his girlfriend. "What? I'm just saying, he does something slightly paternal and she gets all up in arms about it. Am I the only one who sees this as an overreaction?"
"Slightly paternal? Slightly?!" Nat snapped her gaze at him, earning an even stare in response. "Dude, he just sent me to bed, like I was a child; I think I have a right to be angry. Especially when he hasn't given a shit about that kind of stuff since I was ten and he was babysitting."
"I'm not going to say I agree with one or the other about this," Ty started, putting himself between the two with arms outstretched. "But I do think that maybe we just need to grab some grease from Pop's and just sleep the impending hangover off. There's no use in making matters worse."
"Seconded." Harley nodded, pulling Dax to his bike, "Burgers on me tonight, guys."
Nat huffed for a little while longer, before pulling herself towards the passenger seat. "Fine, but only because the food's free."
"That was not an invitation for you to order half the menu, Munchie-pants." Came the stern call of the latina. Before she could respond however, there was a was a clash from when Ty slammed his door shut, the roars of the two engines sounding before they rode off to Pop's.
~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~
Natalie threw herself onto the couch of her and Jay's small house on the 'nicer' part of the Southside. With him owning a shop, they could afford to make some ends meet a little better, and it helped that their landlord wasn't terrible about the rent. She tugged at her doggy bag, eyes lit up in anticipation of the burger that was barely contained in its bun after all the add-ons she ordered. Double pattied, and piled high with onions, mushrooms and swiss, she was ready to stave off the hangover like a pro. Fries and an ample supply of napkins also waited in the bag at her hip, and an oreo milkshake melted slowly on the table at her feet. Ty and Dax were unpacking her bike before coming in. There had been a stop by Dax's place first to grab money to pay Harley back, but having paid for (most of) the night's drinks, Nat was free to stuff her face and did so without hesitation.
"You couldn't even wait for us to all be in the same room, Nat?" Harley chided, her voice slightly disgusted at her vigor. "They are going to be all of five minutes."
"They are around the corner, I heard them open the door, Harl." Was the response, mumbled around a particularly large bite of beef, Nat covering mouth with her hand in an attempt at politeness. "They can survive If I start without them."
"At least we don't have to witness her talking with her mouth full." Dax rounded the corner, slipping a ten into his girlfriend's hand and giving her a kiss at the temple. "You should know better than to get between her and her Pop's order, babe."
"Oh hush!" She laughed, pushing him away lightly before bending down to grab a chicken tender. "I'm just trying to be nice here."
"Which already makes it a lost cause with Nat." Ty argued, emerging with a shrug. "I mean, when have any of us used that adjective to describe her?"
Nat merely squinted her eyes at him, lobbing the ball that was her burger wrapper towards him, only for him to dodge it with a swift pivot of the hip. Letting out a fake bark of laughter, the blonde pulled herself up to grab the trash before they all forgot about it, and snatched his ten from his hand. Moving to the kitchen, she tossed it and passed Harley the bill on the way back to her seat. Everything was relatively quiet as the rest of them ate. Nat swirled a few fries in her shake and nibbled on them, but the burger had done more for her appetite than she thought.
So she spent those moments of silence thinking about JD and what he had said. Was Nat really mad at him for trying to be a better guardian, or was it more of a reminder that tomorrow starts her last first day at school in the Southside? She'd never really thought about college, and bounced from job to job with no real career path in mind. She'd always just assumed that she would take on more responsibilities within the Serpents and prove herself a worthy part of the group. They were her family, and Nat wanted to deserve them, but how could she help them? What would Nat provide to the group? She gnawed on her lip, not sure of the answer for that. Outside of applying to a few local schools within the state for general studies, she wasn't looking for much. Options kept her free to adapt, and pigeonholing herself would be a death sentence.
Suddenly, Harley settled next to her, laughing at something Ty said, and Nat recollected herself with the group. They sat there, talking about the night, the different teens they ran into, and calculated who won the most money from people during our venture. Dax won, but Ty's excuse was that Nat cheated him out of money that Nat then used to buy drinks for everyone. Soon the normal pattern of nonsensical conversation resumed. Harley was filling the guys in on some of the desperate chicks that were following some of the other guys at the Wyrm- With which Nat added, "Hey, maybe one of them will finally be desperate enough to date Brooks." And he, "Bite me, Dwyer." and a scoffed "You Wish."- as well as describing the guys that she thought were up to par for Nat that she didn't get a chance to see.
Ty turned towards Nat with a smirk, "Oh, so you mean low standards and too drunk to care?"
Knowing it was revenge for her previous comment, she took an 'innocent' sip of her shake. "Now who can't take a small tease at their shortcomings?"
Not expecting her to return to one of his taunts, his smile faltered and he threw a fry at her. "Fuck off."
They laughed and joked around for a bit longer, but then Nat looked to the wall and saw it was one AM. Knowing that JD would be home soon, she decided to call it a night to avoid making their spat any worse. Dax and Harley left together, while Ty helped Nat clean everything up. With him living next door, Ty was an the exception to most rules. Eventually though, she could see that he was failing to hide how tired he was, so she 'kicked' him out. Bidding her a good night, he left, with her locking up behind him. With a sigh, and a rough hand thrown through her hair, she moved to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, before heading up the stairs to her bedroom.
Though the house was two floors, the upstairs only held the full bath and Nat's room. Knowing she would have people over more than he did, Jay had given her the master suite, taking the smaller bedroom as his own. Though Nat had a suspicion it was also because it was in a place where he could hear her come home, if she ever came in late. Having more space than she knew what to do with, the room had been split in two, a thick pile of old throw throw pillows and and blankets resting on the ratty couch working as a wall. From there was her own tv and old playstation, with some games that never got old for her and her friends. She also had the advantage of being in a room that had a window accessing to the roof where she and Ty would have late night chats over a smoke.
Feeling the weight of the day pull on her, Nat barely changed into her pajamas before plopping next to her cat on her bed. This was how she got jabbed awake an hour and a half later.
Snuggling into her blankets, Nat groaned, not wanting the school day to start. The force movement jerked at her shoulder a couple more times. From her balled up position, Nat kicked out and made contact, hearing a thud and an "Ooof!" followed by a fiercely whispered "What the fuck, Nat?"
Shuffling out from the next she'd created for herself, Nat looked down at the floor, the bad she kept against the wall prepped to do more damage. Upon looking at the door however, she felt herself relax, an annoyed scowl crossing her features. Sprawled on the floor, and holding the back of his head sat Ty, the early morning light casting a pinkish hue onto everything. His eyes looked even more molten than usual, his freshly shaved face showing off young he actually was. The circles under his eyes ran deep, and his face was bright as if he hadn't been kicked in the chest. He was excited about something, she could tell. This was the Ty that only she got to see, sometimes with glasses thrown in the mix, but very rarely. Given that it was three in the morning, however, and they had only just parted ways, Nat was a little confused by his appearance.
"Is there a reason you aren't in bed, and are groomed for tomorrow already?" she complained, leaning to the corner of the bed that Shadow liked to sleep at and scratching at his ears. Nat was met with a soft chirp of happiness and a dull pur while Nat looked to Ty expectantly. "And why you seem wide awake when you were practically stumbling out my door?"
Sitting himself upright, he rubbed at his ribs where she'd kicked him with a shrug. "Couldn't sleep. Didn't want to wake anybody, so I showered and shaved, did all that stupid shit, even tried watching something in the living room to see if that would help, but Ma crashed out on the couch after she got home."
"Ty, we have to be at school in just a couple hours, we can't exactly play the 'figure out a way to get Brooks to sleep' game, here." She groaned, pulling herself up from the bed to gather her own things; no point in going back to sleep now.
He stood up, following her as she packed her bag with a half-assed attempt at first day prep. Nat's school supplies were bare, but she did manage to add a few locker decorations and a thick sweater that had couple of her many knives wrapped within it as well as a set of brass knuckles in the bag. Nat heard him snort lightly at her tactics, but hey, if it doesn't go through the metal detector and it's balled up in the sweater enough they won't catch it. Nat then tucked in her camera and a portable charger for her phone, as well as a few snacks and drinks from her personal stash. We both stayed quiet as Nat did this, something that Ty rarely did when he came to her on sleepless nights like this.
Zipping up her bag, Nat tossed it into her chair, and moved to the closet, taking the chance to give him a sidelong glance. His expression was facant, like he was lost in thought somewhere else, his eyes cast upward towards the window he'd climbed through. Nat sighed, not sure what to say either, and not really awake enough to think about it. Instead, she focused on her outfit for school. She grabbed the first crop top she saw, along with a pair of black skinny jeans, and some heeled combat boots. She threw a couple pieces of jewelry in her now fairly full bag as well, leaving her hair in its sloppy bun to allow for volume when the girl finally took it out.
Biting her lip, Nat finally turned to Ty, her hand at her hip. "So, what made you suddenly so awake, and restless enough to break in?"
He shook his head, more as a refocusing act than an answer. "There's a gauntlet tonight; Toni hit me up right as I left your house. I figured after getting into it with Jay, you may not wanna go, but… I couldn't stop thinking about it, and knew you would kill me if I didn't tell you about it. Some kid named Fogerty is ready to finish his initiation."
Nat felt a smile break across her face, his long winded explanation only half listened to. "Why didn't you say something sooner? Let me change real quick, and I'll meet you at the bikes."
Breaking in new initiates was always one of her favorite things. It helped the group to keep sharp in their fighting skills, and usually ended with a bunch of the members celebrating at the wyrm or getting milkshakes at Pop's all beat up and bruised. Nat got dressed quickly, grabbing her phone from the charger and giving her cat a kiss on the forehead as he slowly moved across the mattress to take up the warm spot where her body once was. Shaking her head at his long-limbed stretches, she cracked her knuckles in anticipation and placed her bag outside the window to meet Ty.
The air still held the early morning cold, making her wrap her serpent jacket a little tighter around herself and shift her bag higher on her shoulders. Ty was ready, a button up under his own jacket, and his bike already purring under him. Nat shook her head, glad to have someone who shared such pleasures with me. Well, Dax would probably be pissed they didn't wake him, but his brother was hard on him about school. And Harley? Well, she never really saw a point in the gauntlet, having only participated in the female initiation, unlike Nat who fought for JD to talk FP into loosening the rules.
She straddled her bike with a grin, feeling it awaken under her. "Lead the way, my diligent messenger."
He nodded and they were off. The wind was refreshing in her face, waking her up in a way that was better than coffee. She always felt more alive on the back of a motorcycle than anywhere else. As a kid, Nat lived to go on rides with Jason before he gave me his old bike. As her and her friends all got the bug, he helped them find and maintain their bikes, insisting that his little sister know enough mechanics to never need anyone other than him. It was something that he got from their dad, who the young girl barely remembered. He taught JD everything he knew before his internship, and he passed it down to Nat. Riding was the best way to keep Randy Dwyer alive for me, and she would never get tired of doing it.
Unfortunately, the ride was far too short for her liking, only taking them to Sunnyside a little ways down the road. Though there were a few small condoesque trailers, there was another side of the park that had actual mobile homes, and that's where Ty had brought them. Nat wondered if it was just more convenient for the larger group or if it was where this Fogerty guy lived. She turned off her bike, shrugging her jacket and bag off before stepping off of Suckerpunch (Jason's old name for the bike which she had yet to change), with a gleam in her eye. The reason for the location didn't matter, just that she got to hit something.
Shuffling through her her saddle bag, Nat grabbed her spare set of brass knuckles and slipped them onto her hand. Ty rolled his eyes, cracking his neck as he led her between two of the trailers. Once there, the two found a group of about twelve or so other young serpents, Tall Boy, the second in command and oldest member among them, was waiting at the end of alley of bodies with a crisp new jacket in his hand. Looking around, she finally spotted their victim, standing proudly at the opposite end in ratty old wife-beater.
"Do they keep a stock of those under the wyrm specifically for the gauntlet?" She asked as they joined the line, amusement evident in her voice. "Because I'm damn sure I didn't get that memo."
There was a small rasp of laughter as he prepared himself. "Well, at that point you were already in, remember?"
Nat swatted at his shoulder with her lips pinched in annoyance. "I was kinda there for it, so yeah, I remember. I also remember you and Dax not being particularly happy that Harls and I didn't warn you when we did. Who said chivalry was dead?"
He shoved her shoulder back in response, a lopsided grin on his face. "It was more of us being mad you didn't warn us, dumby, we ended up joining a week later. That and JD was ready to kill us for not stopping you."
She scoffed, "Like he would have been able to stop us."
Whatever comment was about to be made was lost as Tall Boy held up a hand to quiet them all, Toni ready to shout out if it didn't work. The teens were all good though, seeing as Fangs took it as a symbol to just go for it. As he walked through Nat took stock of him; the guy was built. Standing at a stocky 5' 9", his torso was burley, with legs that were proportioned to match. His jaw was strong, given that Ty clipped him pretty decent and he still stood. Hell, he barely even not flinched when she uppercut him deep into the ribs with the knuckles. All of them had wailed on him pretty good, but he barely slowed, only moving with the hits, and his eyes flashing dangerously as he held down every urge to hit back.
This already earned Nat's respect. That fire, that drive, and the ability to hold it back. She had never been good at that. She was hot-headed and more apt to action than words. How she made it through her own gauntlet was a mystery. They only really got one good hit in at the initiate each, but she craved more, sometimes even sneaking into Ghoulie turf just to take the edge off. Whatever this guys secret was, she wanted it; especially with her rage rushing through her.
Before they all knew it though, he had run the gauntlet, a satisfied smirk on his face as he got a last punch from Tall Boy, who managed to get him to bend forward with the impact. Ty and Nat nodded, impressed that he was still standing, and clapping with the others as he was given his jacket. Toni came up to the pair as as everyone dispersed to congratulate the new member, or heading off with Tall Boy to get a cold one before work or school.
"Only two of the Wayward Serpents today?" She observed, tilting her head back towards their victim. "Fogarty's gonna be disappointed."
"Well you know Harley," The blonde said with a shrug. "And Dax's bro has been worse than Jay about school."
"Besides, it's like the guy even knows who we are." Ty added, blowing the comment off. Though the foursome had a rep, and even their own name, they weren't a terribly big deal except in some of the younger circles. He nodded his head in the same direction. "Harl's gonna be mad she missed on out pointing him out to you though."
"What the hell are you-" Nat stopped, taking in the tall figure that stood next to the newbie. "Oh yeah….she definitely isn't hearing about that."
"Oh, so you think, Dwyer." He leaned his elbow on her asToni walked away. "Especially when I tell her about how much you're drooling right now."
"Yeah right," she scoffed, pushing away his arm. "Unless you want me to tell her about the girl who tutored you last year."
"Careful, Natty, I know where you sleep." He stated, still holding an easy attitude. "This morning even proved that you don't lock the window. Easy pickins."
"I more than likely bruised your chest and almost concussed you with a bat. I think I can handle it." She reminded him, starting to walk towards her bike. "So I'd just be careful about making threats you can't keep, Jim."
Little did she know that there were far more dangerous, and far more real threats that she could never prepare for looming in the distance. Instead, she moved with her friend to get some grub before school, unaware of changes that were coming to the Southside.