Chapter 4.

                                    

                                          
The kicking finally stops and the four men run off. I use the last bit of strength that I have left to get myself to off the ground. I feel a sharp ping of pain rush up my side but I ignore it; running down the road.
                          
This is not how I imagined my second to last day of the long weekend break going.
                          
I run to the Sunnyside Trailer Park and feel the pain growing stronger. I knock on the door and no answer 
                          
Shit, FP, where could you be?
                          
The Whyte Wyrm.
                          
* * * *
                          
I run into the Serpent filled bar and go up to the first person I see. "H-hi, I'm looking for FP."
                          
"He's over there" he replies, nodding to a table where FP is sitting, not even taking a glance at me.
                          
I carefully make my way over there while trying to hide my pain. "FP..." I mumble and I see his back tense.
                          
"What the hell are you doing here?" FP asks, turning to me; his eyes scanning around like he's trying to make sure no one is paying attention to him talking to me.
                          
"I-I went to your trailer and you weren't there, I just wanted to know if I could stay with for a while," I say, scared of what his response will be. FP grabs my arm and tries to escort me out of the Whyte Wyrm. "Rosalie is back now and I don't want her and Gigi to see me like this."
                          
"I don't know, Karis-" FP stops once he sees the pain on my face and he realises his hand is covered in blood. "What the hell happened?" I burst into tears and FP pulls me into a gentle hug.
                          
"I-I got attack by a group of guys as I was walking around town."
                          
"You can stay with me but I can't leave just yet. I'll get someone to take you back to my place... SWEET PEA!" My heart stops for a second as I hear that name. I haven't heard from Sweet Pea since the night at the drive-in last week. The loud footsteps of Sweet Pea's boot hitting the old, wooden floor come towards us, so I look down at the floor, letting my hair fall over my face to hide from Sweet Pea. "Take her back to my trailer and stay with her until I get back," FP orders then walks away.
                          
It wasn't until Sweet Pea and I are outside that he noticed it was me. "Karisma, what the hell happened?" He asks, realising that I stopped walking, and rushes to my side.
                          
"Nothing, can we just go? Please."
                          
* * * *
                          
We arrive at FP's trailer and Sweet Pea helps me off his motorbike. We go inside and I lay down on the couch, immediately regretting it as pain bursts throughout my body. I groan in pain and Sweet Pea stands at the end of the couch.
                          
"Take off your shirt" he demands.
                          
"I'm sorry, what?" I lift my head to look at him, eyebrows scrunched together.
                          
"Take off your shirt, I need to patch up your wounds" Sweet Pea demands, again, and I do as he says. I sit up and slip my shirt over my head, exposing every bruise, mark and cut on my upper body. "Who did this to you?" Sweet Pea asks, starting to clean my wounds.
                          
I wince in pain as the rubbing alcohol touches the bleeding cut on my side. "A group of guys, I didn't see their faces," I say. "But you're not supposed to care, remember... I'm a Northsider."
                          
"Shut up" he groans and I roll my eyes. 
                          
"I'm honestly surprised you didn't leave me to the wolves in the Wyrm car park when you found out it was just a Northside in distress," I say, putting my blood-stained shirt back on.
                          
"Shut up."
                          
Geez, no need to be a dick. God damn.
                          
"I'm taking a shower," I say.
                          
"Are you serious? I just cleaned you up" Sweet Pea replies annoyed, and I shrug, walking off to the bathroom.
                          
* * * *
                          
I walk into the lounge area buttoning up the flannel shirt that I stole from FP's dresser. I sit down on the couch next to Sweet Pea, leaving a small gap between the two of us. "I'm sorry."
                          
"For what?"
                          
"Being stuck with me" I say. "You can go if you want, I'll just tell FP I wanted to be alone. You must be sick of seeing me all the time."
                          
"Shut up," Sweet Pea says, again.
                          
"Can you stop telling me to shut up? I'm trying to give you an out here. I don't want you to dislike me more than you already do."
                          
"What makes you think I dislike you?" he asks, his eyes soften as they meet mine.
                          
"Well, the fact that we're from two different sides of Riverdale," I say, sighing heavily from what I'm about to say. "And because you never texted or called me, so I figured that I scared you away somehow."
                          
Sweet Pea's P.O.V
                          
As Karisma talks, all I can think about is what FP told me earlier this week.
                          
"Karisma doesn't date, she doesn't want to put herself through unnecessary pain."  Those words replay in my head, "she said if she ever found someone she wanted to be with, he'd be her needle in a haystack."
                          
"No," I say, looking at Karisma. "I just realised that our worlds are too different and we're walking on a fine line."
                          
Karisma's P.O.V
                          
I sit there on the couch and all my emotions hit me at once. I grab Sweet Pea's face and kiss him. I feel him tense up, but he kisses back not long after. His hand make their way to my hips and he pulls me onto his lap.
                          
"Don't ever think that there is a world so different I wouldn't want you in it, Sweet Pea" I say.
                          
Before Sweet Pea can reply, FP walks through the front door of the trailer, and Sweet Pea gently pushes me off his lap and onto the couch area next to him. FP looks at me with fake annoyance and hangs up his Serpent jacket.
                          
"Really? Every time. You always wear that flannel shirt" FP says.
                          
Thank god that's what he noticed.
                          
* * * *
                          
FP goes off to bed and I lay on the bed in the spare room, while Sweet Pea is sitting on the end of the bed getting ready to leave.
                          
"Sweet Pea?" I say, not looking at him, and he turns to me. "Can you stay?"
                          
"Is that what you want?" I nod. He takes off his shoes and lays down beside me. I move closer to him and lay my head on his chest. "I'm never letting you go."