y'all I am SO sorry this took so long! i've been rewriting the part after this like seven times (and i still hate it but whatever) and it was so frustrating that i couldn't write anything at all. since the next part takes place over christmas i'll probably post it tomorrow so i can catch up faster! hope you enjoy! please like/follow/review.
I drop the rock I was holding and wave to Toni to let her know that I'm not in danger.
"Hi, baby! It's good to see you." My mom says happily. She gets off the couch and sets her hands on my shoulders but doesn't hug me. "Oh, it's been too long." Yeah. No shit.
"I didn't know you were coming home." My mom gives me a big stepford wife smile before dropping her hands and sitting on the couch again.
"Of course. It's Christmas! Now come. Sit!" She pats the couch next to her and I sit on the edge. "We should catch up." Right. Because the only way this night could get better is for my mom to tell me about all the cabana boys she's fucked since I was arrested.
"So, who's the boy?" She asks interestedly.
"The boy?"
"Yes! The boy who came looking for you." She says, as if that explains anything. Unless...
"Wait, did Sweet Pea come by here?"
"That tall one? Oh, no. No! It was a different boy." She winks at me.
"What did he look like?"
"Handsome! But troubled. And he was wearing a funny hat!"
"Jughead?"
"Carrie, that's a terrible name to call someone."
"You're right. Sorry, mom." She smiles at my response, proud of her parenting. "Listen, I've gotta go. I'll be back later, okay."
"Are you gonna go see that boy?" She asks excitedly.
"Yup." I walk out the door, letting it slam behind me even though she hates that. If she really hated it she would fix the broken springs, right? Whatever. I have to figure out what the hell Jughead wants.
I'm surprised to see FP's bike outside his trailer when I get there. He's not known for leaving parties early but hell, maybe prison sobered him up. Jughead swings the door open before I can knock and grabs my elbow hard, dragging me down the road.
"Uh, ow, Jughead." I rip my elbow out of his grip and he stops walking, choosing instead to pace erratically in front of me. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Suddenly he stops and whirls around to stand inches away from me.
"We need to get rid of Penny." That's not what I was expecting. I don't really know what I was expecting. Betty's pregnant? Jughead's addicted to jingle jangle? But Penny? Could we really get rid of the Snake Charmer?
"No."
"No?"
"No. We need her." Jughead scoffs.
"For what? She's going to ruin the Serpents, Crash."
"Penny Peabody has been a Serpent for a decade. We put her through law school. Why do you think your dad and I are out, let alone every other Serpent that's been locked up."
"She's a drug mule!" He whisper yells. "And now she's in with the Ghoulies? Penny has Tall Boy roped into it. You, my dad. She has a video of me and Archie delivering a crate full of drugs." Of course. This isn't about the Serpents at all.
"So that's what this is about? You and your golden boy Archie can't take the heat?" Jughead's wild eyes scowl at me.
"This is about all of us. The Serpents aren't drug dealers." I scoff at that.
"You've been a Serpent for what, five minutes? Have you ever thought that maybe this is a good thing, Jug?" His face clashes with confusion and betrayal before deciding on a blank mask. "The money is good. Better than anything else we've been doing."
"At the cost of what? Lives?"
"Some of us don't have the option of morality. Some of us have to do whatever we can to survive, even if it means peddling uppers to Northsiders." I know if I look at his face too long I'll crack, so I turn on my heel and storm off before I get the chance. He's right… kind of. But I'm also right. I mean, gangs are gangs. The Serpents were founded by the Uktena and we'll do whatever it takes to keep our families alive. Are drugs the best way to uphold a legacy? No. Are they the only way I have right now? Yeah. Kinda. This frickin sucks. I wish my dad were around, he'd know exactly what to do.
I make it half-way back to my trailer before my phone starts buzzing away in my pocket. Right, Tall Boy. Drugs. ABBA. I almost forgot.
Alley behind the Wyrm 12pm
It's 12:18 where the hell r u?
Well, it's 12:24 now. Tall Boy is gonna be pissed. This sucks. Everything sucks. I want to SCREAM. I'd rather watch 6 hours of nonstop Northside karaoke than deal with anything that's happened in the last 24 hours. My life is a nightmare all I want is a bubble bath and a bottle of Strawberry Mad Dog 20/20 and maybe Sweet Pea and -
Hold up. That's not Tall Boy's truck. Thank you baby Jesus for giving me the knowledge to check dark alleys before walking down them. I pick up another rock before creeping around the corner of the Whyte Wyrm. It's too dark to see inside without getting closer so I press my back against the wall and try to blend in with the shadow before slipping further down the alley. They don't have the dome light on so either their smart or dead. Oh god what if they're dead? I can't be caught with another dead body. I'm so screwed.
"Crash?" Hearing my name makes me jump, holding back a shriek but accidentally biting my tongue.
"FP?" Shit. I hide the rock behind my back and try to look innocent.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" Dad voice: activated.
"Uh. I- I bit my tongue." I'm so stupid oh my god. A look of realization flashes on FP's face, which quickly turns to fury and reluctant acceptance.
"Get in." I drop the rock and get in the truck, pressing myself as close to the door as possible. FP silently starts up his truck and pulls out of the alley. Without even looking at him I can tell you this, his jaw is clenched so tightly you can see the muscles popping out, his knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his eyes are bulging out of his head just a little bit. Okay, maybe not the last one but that's how I picture it.
I've seen this look a grand total of three times. First, when Jughead tried to burn down the elementary school and got sent to juvie. Second, when Gladys took Jellybean to Ohio and my dad and I went over to check on FP and found him staring at himself and drinking. And third, when I followed Mustang into the basement and found Jason Blossom.
"First Jughead, now you?" He starts muttering and I'm not sure if I should correct him on the whole drug trafficking timeline or not. Suddenly he slams his hand against the steering wheel and I flinch. He notices and cringes.
"Sorry. Damn Snake Charmer." He starts muttering again and sighs loudly. I wonder if he knows about the Ghoulies. Probably not. Ugh, he's gonna be so mad. And it's not like Tall Boy is gonna step up to the plate. Maybe I could slip him some valium first or something. It works for my mom. I should have just told him while he was still locked up and behind a thick sheet of plexiglass. Not that I think he'd hurt me or anything, I just don't want to see the disappointed look he's gonna give me.
Before I can muster up the courage, we're pulling up to the warehouse. FP gets out of
the truck and slams the door without a word. He storms inside without grabbing the crate. Great. Awesome. This is fine. I'm really strong and I don't need his help! Men are so annoying.
I hop out of the truck and go around the back, unlocking the hatch. I have to crawl into the bed of the truck just to be able to reach the crate. I scoot it all the way to the edge before Tall Boy walks out of the warehouse to help me.
"Finally." I say, jumping down from the truck bed. "Thanks for the heads up by the way." Tall Boy smirks. He grabs a handle on the crate and pulls it towards him.
"Surprise." Bitch. He can carry the crate by himself! But as I walk around him to go inside he grips my shoulder tightly and pulls me back, making my stumble into the tailgate.
"What's your problem?"
"Listen, kid. FP doesn't know about the Ghoulies and he ain't gonna. I know you have a big mouth but keep it shut or Penny and I will shut you up for good, got it?"
"Capiche, Godfather." Tall Boy rolls his eyes but lets go of me.
"They never said capiche in The Godfather. Grab the crate."
"You've probably seen the Godfather a thousand times." I grab my end of the crate and he pulls it out of the truck.
"I saw it when it came out."
"God, you're so old." Tall Boy loosens his grip on the crate,forcing me to take the brunt of the weight for a few seconds before grabbing it again. Jerk. I want to make more jokes about how annoying Tall Boy is but the second we're inside the warehouse all the jokes slip my mind. FP and Penny are arguing. FP looks pissed and Penny looks pleased with herself. We are so screwed. The two of them turn to look at Tall Boy and I as we set the crate off to the side. FP stares at me for a few seconds, his mouth forming a smaller and smaller line as time passes.
"Crash, go to the car."
"But-"
"Go." This sucks. I stomp out of the warehouse, not caring if I look like a bratty kid. FP doesn't even have any good CDs. He just listens to the same 3 dad rock greatest hit albums over and over again. Tall Boy on the other hand…. Has a bunch of CDs and a back window that slides open from the outside. All you need to do is press and slide and I'm in! Well, kinda in. My ass is hanging out the window but there's no one here to see and I can reach the CD case. Nailed it.
FP left the keys in the ignition. You'd think that a bunch of criminals in a gang would be better about security. Whatever. I'm listening to Fernando.
If there's one good thing about Southside High it's that no one notices if I don't show up. The downside of that is walking in on my mom and a strange man in his boxers eating breakfast in our kitchen. I did not get nearly enough sleep to deal with this shit.
"Carrie! Baby, I missed you. Come sit." She doesn't give me a second to decline before standing up, grabbing my shoulders, and shoving me into a chair next to the half naked twenty-something she's apparently banging.
"I missed you too, Ma."
"Oh! I got you something." She races down the hall to her bedroom, leaving me alone with the man. He looks me up and down once. Twice. Then goes back to his bowl of cereal. When did we get cereal? My mom runs back in and shoves a small box in my hand.
"Open it!" She looks like she's about to clap and squeal like a little girl. I wonder if she's been doing jingle jangle. I open the box and pull out the gift. A small plastic keychain with a dolphin on it. Just what I always wanted. "Do you love it?"
"Yeah! Thanks, Mama. It's beautiful." She grins at me and grabs my shoulders again, squeezing in a way I'm sure she thinks is comforting.
"I saw it in the gift shop and I just had to get it for you."
"It's perfect. Thank you. Listen, I gotta get to the Wyrm. Will you be here when I get back?" My mom smiles and pats my shoulders.
"Yup! And then it's off to Cabo." She sits on the mans lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wraps one of his arms around her waist and uses the other to take another bite of cereal.
"That's great." I stand up, no longer hungry. "Hey, would you mind paying some bills while you're here? We're behind on rent." My mom is too busy sucking on the guys neck to listen to me. She unlatches herself long enough to say-
"Sure thing, sweetheart." Before the two of them start making out at the table. It takes me about three seconds to get dressed and book it to the Wyrm. Unfortunately it takes about two seconds for my mom and her new beau to get hot and heavy in the middle of the kitchen. I've gotta buy some bleach next time I go to the store.
Practically every inch of the Whyte Wyrm is covered in glitter and wrapping paper. I think everyone's version of Christmas should have tequila and glitter. They go together like… like… tequila and me! Whatever. They work. And it's always nice to see the Serpents being cheerful and giving back, even if the junior Serpents are the ones who are forced to wrap everything. Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea are already half-way through when I show up. Sweet Pea ignores me, big surprise.
"Hey, Crash." Toni hands me a toy to be wrapped and Fangs scoots down to make room for me at their station.
"Hey, Topaz. Do you like dolphins?"
"Uh. Yeah? I guess. Why?" I pull out the keychain and hand it to her.
"Happy Holidays. Courtesy of Alabama Wentworth-Collins." Toni holds it up to the light before shrugging.
"Cute."
"You can keep it." She puts the keychain in her pocket and we go back to wrapping presents.
"What is all this?" Jughead asks, walking into the Wyrm.
"It's a Serpent tradition." Toni explains. "Every year we give back to the South side. Toys for Tots. Meals on Wheels. Kids and old folks living alone."
"The Hells Angels do it." Fangs adds.
"I'm always down for charitable works. Hey, have you seen my dad?" The man in question comes down from the office with Tall Boy close behind.
"Why aren't you in school?"
"It's a half-day before break."
"Well in that case, you can hold down the fort here, Jug."
"Or I could come with you guys." Suggests the kid who was practically hyperventilating the last time he saw Penny.
"Nice try, the answers no."
"We do need another set of hands, boss." Tall Boy points out.
"I'll go." I offer quickly. Screw Tall Boy and his weird agendas. I'm need propane money. It's freezing outside.
"Let me pull my weight." Jughead says. FP ignores him.
"Sweet Pea, you're with us."
"What?" I protest. FP gives me a hard stare before looking back at Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea stands up, abandoning the toys he was wrapping. "FP, I can go. It's not a big deal."
"He said Sweet Pea." Sweets says, pushing past me to join FP and Tall Boy. Tall Boy smirks at me and the three of them leave the Wyrm. This is such bullshit. I mean, honestly! What the hell? I didn't even do anything wrong! This sucks. This is all Jugheads fault. I don't know how but it is! I've decided.
"Way to go, Crateface." Jughead glares at me before storming out of the Wyrm. I attempt to wrap a present for a few seconds before giving up.
"Fuck this. I'm going home. I'll see you guys on Christmas." I tell Toni and Fangs before storming out too. I've said this before and I'll say it again, the Serpents are experts at being dramatic.
"Hey, Ma." I flop on my moms bed and watch her pack and repack her suitcase. "You're packing early."
"Well, dear, us Wetworths are early packers. Your grandfather was a doomsday prepper, did you know that?" I never really know what's true and what she made up in her head but at least this one is entertaining.
"I'm not a Wentworth, I'm a Collins." I remind her. She freezes.
"Right." And puts her yellow bikini back in the dresser. She pulls out the red one.
"What do you think of this?" She holds the red bikini up and looks at herself in the mirror.
"It matches your hair." She smiles and nods before folding it up tightly and putting it in her suitcase. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"That boy?" She stops packing and smiles at me.
"No."
"Oh." Her smile drops and she goes back to her closet.
"What did you do with Mustangs body?"
"Who?" I flinch.
"Your brother, Ma. Mustang. My uncle." She pulls out a pair of cork wedges and examines them in the light. "When he died, they said you paid for his cremation."
"Oh, right." She decides to forgo the wedges and grabs some heels instead.
"What did you do with his ashes?" She sighs, dropping the heels on the bed and going back into the closet.
"Who cares, honey? That was months ago. Now," she grabs a blue dress and holds it up to herself, spinning around for me to see, "what do you think of Cabo?"
"Did you pick up Uncle Mustangs ashes?" She sighs and rolls her eyes at me.
"They probably threw them out." She tosses the dress in her suitcase as well. "What about Bora Bora?" I swallow hard and force a smile.
"Bora Bora sound great. When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow." She tells me, excited that we're talking about her again.
"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve."
"Oh, it is? How exciting!" She loves me. She loves me. She loves me. She loves me.
"Can we get some groceries before you leave?"
"I'll write you a check." She puts on a straw hat and models it for me.
"Thanks." I can't take this anymore. I slip off the bed and go to my room, shutting the door and leaning against it. She loves me. She has to. I want to scream. Instead I press the heel of my hands as hard as I can into my eyes to stop from crying and I sink to the floor. Maybe she didn't love Mustang. Maybe she didn't love my dad. But she has to love me. I'm her daughter. Somebody has to love me.
In unity, there is strength. Right?