[color=lightgray][center][sub][@LovelyComplex] & [@Aces Away][/sub]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/WWWBqLr.png[/img]
[sub]TIMESTAMP || After “I Need You" with Jade/Poppy (Monday Morning)[/sub]
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[indent][indent]Immediately after her phone call with Jade, Penelope grabbed one of Charlie’s books for the trip, [i]On the Road[/i] by Kerouac, a slingshot with ammunition, and a prepared zip lock bag of snacks from Rhonda. Slipping it into her backpack, she returned to the window.  While poking her head out to re-evaluate the distance, she glanced at her wrist watch. It was approaching 10:30 AM and the summer heat invited cold drinks, air conditioning, and music. 

Maybe this trip wouldn’t be dangerous and the reservation would have all three. Part of her was debating grabbing her father’s gun but she decided against it. For all she knew, this was a red herring. For all she knew, Mitena was safe and unaware of someone threatening her life. For all she knew, this was all a practical joke and Charlie did not have a secret sister. 

Plus! 

Mordechai was coming with her, whether he liked it or not. He could be the muscle and she could shoot rocks at those that dared to start anything violent. Right in their fucking eye. Yeah. She could do that. She didn’t need a gun. She was one hell of a shot. 

Briefly closing her eyes, Penelope soaked in the sunlight, bringing joy to her skin. This was the moment of truth. How hard was this actually? She watched Charlie do this everyday when he still cared about her. It couldn’t possibly be [i]that[/i] hard. Thankfully, Allegra left the window cracked open, so all Pops had to do was… reach… for… it… and… 

Partly inside Charlie’s room, partly on the outside, she leaned her arms forward to try and grab the window. Barely reaching it, she found herself in an awkward lean and if she slipped, she’d go timber. Pushing herself back up, realizing she would have to bring the window up a smidge more, the James girl huffed in mild frustration. 

Take 2. 

With her bag now tightened on her back, she climbed out the narrow window, looked at the ground - woah - and realized she was actually pretty high up. She needed to stop overthinking though. Poppy feared nothing. Not even death itself. She got this. How hard could this possibly be? 

Not overthinking her next steps, Poppy took a daring leap and grabbed onto the stool, ramming right into her family’s house. Ouchhhhh. That fucking hurt. Still, no pain, no gain. If Charlie could do this, so could she. 

Now lift. 

Lift, Poppy, lift. 

She needed to push the window up a bit. Using her arm strength and her feet to hold herself up, as if she was climbing the monkey bars, she utilized her right hand to push the lower sash of the window. 

Fuck. This was a workout.

Sweating now, realizing Charlie’s jacket might be too heavy for this weather, Penelope saw Allegra from the otherside, shocked and amused with a curious Viva in her arms. [color=fe6f5e]“Hey, you’re dressed,”[/color] A callback for all the times that Charlie pointed out how Pops didn’t care how she looked through her window and how some pervert would throw her in the back of their van, [color=fe6f5e]“No creeps gonna’ snatch youuuuu.”[/color] Her arms were feeling the burn and her stomach ached. [color=fe6f5e]“Okay. Focus, Pops. You’re almost there.”[/color]

Pushing her way through the window, she stopped in her tracks when the window wouldn’t let her any further because of her backpack. [color=fe6f5e]“Fuckkkkkkk.”[/color] 

Take 3. 

While hanging, Pops took her backpack off and tossed it in the bedroom. Now she should fit. Officially, finally, and thankfully, Penelope plunged into the bedroom through the small window, not so gracefully went over the ledge, and found herself crumpled on the floor, face first, ass up in the air. Thank goodness she was wearing shorts under her dress. 

With all the energy she could muster, she did a forward roll that would make all the Clovers ostracize her. Also good thing she was not a cheerleader. [color=fe6f5e]“Holy hell, he did that all the goddamn time. What the shit.”[/color] 

[color=910bf4]"I'll give ya a ten outta ten for effort, but the execution needs a little work,"[/color] Allegra spoke up in a fond and teasing tone. [color=910bf4]"That little scorpion dive at the end had ta hurt a bit."[/color]

[color=fe6f5e]“I’m okay…”[/color] Penelope struggled to get up, burying the pain from the fall. 

[color=dc143c]"From experience, havin' tried ta follow him through that window before, it's a pain in the ass,"[/color] Mordechai joined in from the opening of the bathroom, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth as he spoke. Sober but still plagued by nightmares and guilt, Mordechai was leaning against the doorframe as he brushed his teeth. While his muscle mass and weight had improved, his mental state had only really met him halfway, and dark bags under tired eyes betrayed that fact as he stared at one of his best friends trying to get herself up off the ground. [color=dc143c]"Y'know this is becomin' a habit, why don't I just build a bridge between the windows for ya?"[/color] He offered, only half joking. He could definitely use the distraction between being sober and almost being something of a family man. Somehow.

The Ex-Serpent had been woken up at five in the morning when Chai had started crying, startling his father out of another spiraling nightmare and prompting him to stay awake until the infant had fallen into his own blissful slumber, safe in his father's hold. The lucky little fuck. Mordechai hoped his son would be dreaming of nothing but rainbows and sunshine for as long as possible. He hoped the kid never touched anything stronger than some weed, never got the taste for anything that kills you as much as it makes you finally feel alive. He never went back to sleep, holding his son and staring at the face of innocence the same way he had as a child holding his sleeping baby brother. They looked almost the same, except Chai had a more olive complexion as opposed to Danny's pale and gray tone. Chai also shared the same deep brown irises as his parents, whereas Danny had always had the same pale, piercing gaze as Benjamin Boaz. But everything else was there, and every early morning Mordechai spent alone with his son had him desperate to do more. To not fail him like he'd failed Danny. 

He'd been thinking about his Serpents lately, and about how with everything he did wrong for Danny, giving him that family wasn't it. Every Serpent that came across Danny Boaz had practically adopted the boy on sight, and Mordechai's crew took special care with the boy to make sure he felt safe and included of course, but also happy and carefree. Something that the two Boaz boys hadn't had any chance of being before. And while he knew it made sense to stay away and get his head a little straighter while he got sober…well, he [i]was[/i] sober now, and he really missed his brothers and sisters in the Serpents. Loathe as he is to admit it after his breakdown over a month ago, he misses ReyRey too. As fucked up as everyone was, they were still Family to him, damned how ReyRey felt back. If that meant sucking up his feelings a bit then so be it. He just knew he needed all of them in his life too.

Realizing he'd fallen into his own thoughts, Mordechai shook his head and brought himself back to the present, moving forward and holding a hand out to Poppy in case she needed a little extra help. Just in case she’d said something, he threw in a, [color=dc143c]"Sorry, I zoned out, didn't catch anythin' ya just said."[/color]

Not refusing the assistance, Poppy grabbed onto her best friend’s hand and was pulled up into a standing position, sweat trailing down her forehead. [color=fe6f5e]“Thanks,”[/color] She grinned at Mordechai before looking over at Allegra, [color=fe6f5e]“I’ll fucking take that score. Like shit. That’s not easy,”[/color] She wanted to say never again but knowing her dumbass she would indeed try again. 

Letting go of Mordechai’s hand, Poppy grabbed her bag and took a seat on her old bed. [color=fe6f5e]“I didn’t say much, yet.”[/color] Intensely, Penelope gave her friend a look that warned him that what she had to say may not be something he wanted to hear, but she needed him and she hoped he’d stay and listen. Instead of going into her explanation, the James girl looked up and stared at her glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. She thought about how she’d go about telling him, how blunt she should be, [color=fe6f5e]“Just… finish up, and I’ll tell you why I’m here.”[/color] 

Mordechai nodded and went back to the bathroom, finishing brushing his teeth and rinsing it all out with mouthwash before returning to the room with a guarded air, having caught on to Poppy's serious undertones. He crossed over to the bed and grabbed his worn out Docs, shoving his feet into them before focusing on tying his laces instead of looking Poppy in the eye. 

[color=dc143c]"So where're we goin',"[/color] He asked without any more hesitation, tying the first boot off and reaching for the other's laces. He'd seen her backpack, and contrary to popular belief he was far from stupid. Allegra sat next to him and set Viva down between them, eyes clocking Chai in his crib before settling on Poppy over the man’s back so she wasn't just staring and talking to the top of Mordechai's head. [color=dc143c]"And what for?"[/color]

Drumming her fingers on her thighs, Poppy absentmindedly motorboarded her lips. When she was finished procrastinating, she looked at Allegra, who met her gaze briefly, and then at Mordechai who was putting on his shoes, [color=fe6f5e]“Blue Hill Reservation… someone’s in trouble.”[/color] And by someone, she meant Charlie’s sister that no one knew existed but baby steps. She could ease into it before dropping that bomb.  

Mordechai sighed and looked up to his side at that, gaze curious and assessing as it caught on to Poppy's form. She was definitely holding things back, easing him into the information like she feared it would harm him in some way, but still determined to get him to be a part of it. How silly. Regardless of how he felt, if Poppy needed him then he would be there for her. Throwing a hand through his hair to push it out of his face, Mordechai dropped his elbows on his knees and clapped his hands together in front of himself, turning to fully face her and matching Poppy's gaze to show her he was ready for what she had to say. Or at least, he couldn't be more ready than he currently was. He didn't need to waste his words with Poppy, the two of them meeting each other's gazes- when they could meet people's eyes at all- could usually get a large portion of the message through. Sometimes no words were needed, and he couldn't help but love that connection.

Biting her bottom lip, looking away from him, the sadness creeping up like it did when she talked to Jade, Penelope focused her attention on her shoes.[color=fe6f5e] “Charlie has a sister…”[/color] Everytime she said it outloud the more it hurt. Gritting her teeth, she glanced back at Mordechai, the pain written all over her face, [color=fe6f5e]“I don’t care if he never told me but now these fucking letters are threatening her life. She has nothing to do with this town, Mordechai. Why drag someone into all this bullshit? I… I don’t want to have another regret.”[/color]

Lips shaking, Poppy brought her attention back to the floor, [color=fe6f5e]“And maybe, maybe part of me feels like I need to meet her. For closure. It’s selfish, really, but maybe Charlie…”[/color] Her right leg bounced as she talked, [color=fe6f5e]“Maybe Charlie told her something…”[/color]

[color=dc143c]"So we're testin' my sobriety that early,"[/color] Mordechai said humorlessly as he processed Poppy's words, knowing it wouldn't really get any laughs. [color=dc143c]"Jesus we should have a club for the living half of dead siblin-"[/color] a slap across the back of his head stopped the dark thought from finishing as Mordechai threw an irritable glare at Allegra. The younger woman didn't look up from her intense gaze on her phone, and if Mordechai didn't know her incredible ability to multitask he could almost believe she'd fully checked out of the conversation. Viva giggled between the two and stood up on the bed, throwing herself over Mordechai's back and shoulder.

[color=da9df4]"Y'know mama don' like you all cloudy-"[/color]

[color=910bf4]"Gloomy, baby girl, not cloudy,"[/color] her mother cut in, eyes still glued to her screen. [color=910bf4]"Daddy Mordechai needs to learn that some thoughts need to stay in your head. Otherwise, he could really hurt someone's feelings for no reason."[/color]

[color=dc143c]"Thank ya both,"[/color] Mordechai responded, voice dry as a desert. He leaned forward until Viva tumbled over his shoulder and he caught her as she fell, shrieking in delight at the playful action from her usually tired and sore father. He deposited her back on her spot between her parents. [color=dc143c]"I was just sayin'-"[/color] 

[color=910bf4]"Nothin' morbid,"[/color] Allegra cut in again, laying back across the bed and tapping away at her keyboard. She allowed a narrow eyed glare to slide across Mordechai's profile as he rolled his eyes before returning to her task. [color=910bf4]"Continue."[/color]

[color=dc143c]"Right. Pops, ya know ya got me already. I'm sick of these fuckin' letters and I'm sick of all the goddamn secrets in the town, but it looks like we're all destined ta play in a mystery game until this sick fuck is taken care of. If playin' along means keepin' you and others that need it safe, then I guess there are worse roles ta follow, ok?"[/color] Mordechai grit out, clenching and unclenching his fists as he spoke. Of course they would keep getting roped back in, of course this sick fuck hadn't had enough heartache and trauma. What a coward's move, bringing in someone who has no presence in Edenridge, exposing her to the town's toxic miasma of corruption that eventually replaces the oxygen in your lungs and marks you as its own until you can't stay away.

Of course he would be one of the ones to bring it out of town to her first. Just like a good dealer.

Allegra shoved at his arm blindly and pointed to Poppy's distressed state, command clear despite the quick movement.

[color=910bf4][i]Comfort her, dumbass.[/i][/color]

Mordechai straightened up with a sigh and shifted towards Poppy, pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her, settling his chin on her head the way he only ever did with her and Danny. He held her tight against the world trying to tear her apart heartbreak by heartbreak, and he took deep breaths so that she could hear a steady heartbeat through his chest.

[color=dc143c]"When do we leave,"[/color] he asked softly, [color=dc143c]"and who do we know that has a car ta lend? Blue Hill ain't the closest."[/color]

Leaning into his hold, Penelope deeply sighed and sat there in his blanket of warmth. When he asked the question, she laughed. [color=fe6f5e]“Natalia Belmonte, I imagine.”[/color] There it was. Another secret revealed. Charlie knew the Queen Bee of their year. Wrapping her arms around his thin frame, she tightly held onto him and buried her face into his chest, [color=fe6f5e]“Turns out we got ourselves another stop. Once Jade gets here, we’re going to Scott Street.”[/color]

Mordechai's face screwed up in confusion at that proclamation, not a clue in his mind on why the hell Natalia Belmonte would be a part of the crew. Not pulling away at all, and trying not to think about just how much this was calming his nerve-tight muscles, he spoke up with a wary, [color=dc143c]"I mean I can probably ask Mika for his truck, I dunno why we've gotta go ta Puff for this…though I guess I haven't seen her since her, Creed and Jokes broke up and then the night at the school and Carlisle,"[/color] he mumbled into her hair. [color=dc143c]"Or is this another somethin' I don't know?"[/color]

[color=910bf4]"There's a lot of that with you, ain't there?"[/color] Allegra threw in cheekily from her spot across the bed, Viva laying across her stomach. Mordechai rolled his eyes heavenward and studiously ignored her lightening of the mood in favor of Poppy's reply.

[color=fe6f5e]“Puff?”[/color] Penelope pulled away from Mordechai. The disbelief washed over her before she stood up, putting space in between her and her friend. [color=fe6f5e]“It all makes sense now.”[/color] She walked to the window and looked into Charlie’s room. [color=fe6f5e]“That’s how Charlie knows her, huh?”[/color] The sinking feeling sat in her gut and her throat felt like it was closing up. She would never be good enough for the serpents. Everyone knew everyone and now come to find out, they trusted a Belmonte before they trusted her.

No matter! 

Penelope wasn’t going to let this get her down. It didn’t matter if both her and her sister struggled to fit in. Both seeking validation and acceptance in different areas of the town. No, that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Charlie’s sister was in trouble. [color=fe6f5e]“Rhonda asked us to take her. Turns out she was friends with Charlie. You too, I guess.”[/color] She kept her green gaze toward the outside, forcing herself to bury her emotions at yet another shock. [color=fe6f5e]“If Natalia was close to Charlie, then I’m sure she wouldn't have a problem driving us. So. We’re going to Scott Street first.”[/color]

[color=dc143c]"Close? I mean she's been around since I got outta Juvie because'a Mika and then the guys but Hard Times and I barely talked ta her outside of Serpent parties and drug transactions,"[/color] Mordechai assured, realizing he had done something to upset Poppy but unable to pinpoint what it was. It was one of the reasons he had barely reacted to Natalia's presence that night in front of Francis Callahan's locker. They knew each other, but they were barely on the edges of each other's circles, Decky always caught up with Sonny, or one of the hang around girls that littered the Serpent's hangouts. Puff likewise had always been with one of her own three snakes and didn't ever seem to find much need to branch out to the rest of the crew outside of the occasional quick banter. He turned to Allegra for help, face desperate as he watched her take in the scene with her keen insight. The older woman in the room sighed and removed her daughter from her stomach before standing up and moving to Poppy at the window. She draped her arms around Poppy's shoulders from behind, clasping her hands together in front of the other woman's chest as she hugged her from behind, lips right by her ear as she whispered to her.

[color=910bf4]"He doesn't understand how left out ya feel, Angel. I remember askin' him why you were never in his Serpent stories and he just went quiet like his fuckin' brain broke,"[/color] she chuckled quietly, the vibration against Poppy's back a grounding sensation. [color=910bf4]"It won't be like this for much longer sweetie, I promise."[/color] She knocked the side of her head against the fairer woman's, half a step ahead of Mordechai's thought process whether he knew it or not. She'd seen him staring longingly at his pictures of his old crew, a raw want on his face that made his future intentions clear whether he had figured them out yet or not. And Allegra would be damned if she let Poppy go forward without as much of the Southies at her back as possible. She was determined to bulldoze her way through the dynamic and forge a new one that included the Street Angel of the Southside.

[color=fe6f5e]“It seems no one understood me,”[/color] Poppy’s voice broke in response. [color=fe6f5e]“Not even Charlie.”[/color] She didn't know if she should be happy that Allegra wanted to help or sad that it’s gotten this far that none of her best friends saw her desperately wanting a family like they had. It sucked living in a town where the person that understood you better than most, better than your own parents, was the English teacher. Nothing against her ma and dad either. Her dad was always working and her mom had never been the same since Max died. But for those closest to her, Charlie, Mordechai, and Jade… they really sucked at looking beyond themselves. [color=fe6f5e]“Thanks, Legs. I’m glad you’re here.”[/color]

Once again, Penelope buried the sadness, let her embrace with Allegra last a moment longer, and proceeded to demand with an annoyed undertone, [color=fe6f5e]“Did I stutter, Mordechai?[/color]” No longer in Allegra’s grasp, she grabbed her backpack and threw it over her shoulder, [color=fe6f5e]“Rhonda said they were close. Looks like she saw more than us and she’s fucking blind.”[/color] Poppy’s stare was sharp after she said that. She needed to have answers. The questions kept piling up and quite frankly, it was pissing her off. After giving the two little ones hugs and kisses, Pops dismissed herself, [color=fe6f5e]“I’ll send you updates throughout the day, Legs. I’m heading down, Jade should be here soon,”[/color] and from there Poppy had left her old bedroom for the platonic lovers and parents to talk.  

Mordechai stared after Poppy, gut twisting at the hurt and edge that had coated her voice when she responded to him. He stumbled a bit when Legs shoved him towards the closet and high shelves where he kept most of his weapons out of the children's reach and sight. He turned to the affectionately violent woman, flinching as he caught the disappointed glare she was leveling him with.

[color=dc143c]"What did I do?"[/color] He asked his fellow streetwalker desperately. He had managed to really upset Poppy in his attempt to comfort her, and had gotten a taste of the girl's venom for the first time since she brought him back to himself at the gym that night. 

[color=910bf4]"Ya really are a [abbr= Ladino for Fool/Idiot][i]bovo[/i][/abbr], Ken,"[/color] Allegra sighed with a shake of her head, crossing to the bed to grab Viva and set her down next to her now awake little brother in his crib.[color=910bf4]"How many Serpents does Poppy know?"[/color]

[color=dc143c]"What? All of 'em. My crew, at least…"[/color] he stumbled out, brow creasing as his confusion continued. [color=dc143c]"Most of us did visitation together in Juvie, and Sonny was with Danny an' I since before I even met Pops, Jade, and Hard Times-"[/color]

[color=910bf4]"I'm not askin' how many she's [i]met[/i],"[/color] Allegra cut him off with another aggravated sigh before muttering quietly to herself, [color=910bf4][abbr= Spanish, I am this close…]"Estoy así de cerca…"[/abbr][/color] she walked up to Mordechai and grabbed his face in her hands, forcing him to look down into her eyes as she told him seriously. [color=910bf4]"She didn't become friends with them just because they were your friends already. Based on your stories and everythin' I've seen of Poppy since gettin' here, that girl has been sidelined in damn near every part of her life, [i]includin'[/i] bein' left outta anythin' Serpent, and you and her other two best friends were the worst culprits of it. Those Serpents are your family, yeah? Why couldn't they be hers too?"[/color]

Mordechai tried to keep Allegra's gaze, but found himself glancing off to the side in shame, unable to move from her grasp. Had it really been like that? He and Charlie had agreed before the other boy had even joined the Serpents that Poppy be kept away from it, hoping to keep her away from the type of circumstances that usually create more serpents and drag the unwilling into the endless pit. Danny had been different, right? The safest place for him was by the Serpents' sides because going home to their parents was never an option. But…even after he and Danny moved Northside with Beau and then the Lancasters before Mordechai found them a small apartment; even after he and Charlie found her after that fight in highschool, disheveled and bloody faced but triumphant; even after people like Natalia Belmonte and Gavriel Shomer- a Northie and an Outsider- started spending their days in Serpent territory…Poppy was still being closeted away by her three closest friends.

[color=dc143c]"We were tryin'-"[/color]

[color=910bf4]"If you say 'to protect her', Mordechai Oren Boaz, I swear ta god I'll smother that stupid thought outta you in your sleep,"[/color] Allegra's nails dug into the sides of his face as she pulled him down closer and forced him to meet her gaze once again. [color=910bf4]"Her dad used ta be a Serpent! She grew up with all of ya! She lives in the Southside and is smarter than almost all'a you fucks, with a wild streak a mile wide if ya stoked her fire a bit. Instead all you idiots were doin' was stiflin' her, and now she's findin' out your reasons behind leavin' her out were [i]bullshit[/i] because a random friend or fuckbuddy from the Northside can apparently waltz their way into a snake den without any issue! Ya showed me the video, remember? Even ReyRey acknowledged her roots, but y'all were too busy tryin'a keep her innocent when she wasn't ta begin with!"[/color]

Mordechai pulled away roughly and began packing his weapons onto different parts of his person, not letting Allegra see the angry tears in his eyes. His arms were itching like crazy, and despite knowing it was all in his head Mordechai couldn't help but scratch and rub at his forearm to ground himself, fingers running along the raised scarring of his track marks. He took a deep breath as he started into the back of the closet, closing his eyes and trying to find his verbal footing. Allegra waited patiently behind him while Viva distracted her baby brother in the crib.

[color=dc143c]"We were all just kids playin' at adults, Legs,"[/color] he said brokenly. [color=dc143c]"None of us knew what we were doin', none of us were ready for any of it. And honestly? I never wanted to risk Pops bein' around to see any punishments Charlie and I received,"[/color] he thought back to the morning after getting out of Juvie, staying on his hands and knees while glaring intently at the bloody and cracked concrete beneath him while his crew was forced to land lash after lash on his back. He had thought at the time it was because of the bad Vouch in general, but now he knew ReyRey was being personally vindictive about it. He remembered refusing to see Poppy that day, and not seeing either her [i]or[/i] Jade until he could move just fine on his own. Until he could be strong enough to protect them again. He gripped the knife Sonny had given him all those years ago tightly in his fist before pocketing it. [color=dc143c]"We were tryin'a be shields, not chains."[/color]

Allegra stared at Mordechai's back, his slumped stance, and she heard the defeat in his tone that told her she'd gotten through to him, that she could back off on the rage because he was receptive, truly receptive, now.

[color=910bf4]"Well,"[/color] She said softly, walking up to hug him from behind and put her forehead between his shoulder blades while he shook silently. [color=910bf4]"You're all adults now, and it's time ya fix some'a the things ya broke as children. There's no changin' the past but we can all learn from it to fix up the present a bit, yeah?"[/color]

[color=dc143c]"Yeah,"[/color] Mordechai whispered, turning his head to stare at his beautiful children's smiling faces. [color=dc143c]"Yeah, I guess we can."[/color]

Poppy wasn't going to be left out of anything anymore, even if it made him weak in front of her. If she got hurt he'd just have to rain unholy hell upon whoever did it and comfort her after, because if he was bringing her in it was going to be no holds barred; he couldn't half-ass secrets anymore.

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