Second Chances [Sweet Pea x OC]

Chapter 50

I'd fallen asleep on the couch earlier, watching movies with Sweet Pea and JB, only to be woken up by Jughead calling and telling us to meet him at the sheriff's station. Once there, Jughead filled us in on all that had happened since he left to find Ricky.

Ricky had everything set up to Ascend, complete with a Gargoyle King effigy and the two goblets. According to Jughead, he arrived just in time to stop him, only to be chased through the woods by Dilton Doiley's former scouts. Seeking refuge in the bunker, Jughead had found Ethel, who was still obsessed with the Gargoyle King. Leaving the bunker, Ethel told the boys their quest was over and they could all go home. Ethel then led Jughead to the abandoned bus they'd been crashing at to find one of the missing scouts, only to be attacked by the Black Hood, who they'd trapped.

"So Ricky got away again, and we still don't know who the Gargoyle King is," I said when he was done. "You called us down here for that?"

"No, she told me who it is," Jughead said.

"Then tell us, man," Sweet Pea snapped, sounding as impatient as I felt.

"I"ve gotta call Betty, get her take on this too," Jughead said, pulling his phone out.

I leaned against Sweet Pea as the phone rang on the table in front of us. So far, I still didn't see why we'd had to come all the way down here. If Jughead knew who the Gargoyle King was, why couldn't he have just told us over the phone?

"Jug," Betty answered quietly.

"Betty," Jughead greeted. "I have Abigail and Sweet Pea here too. Are you all ready to hear the craziest thing ever?"

"Well, I think I might have you beat on that one," Betty replied.

Jughead continued, ignoring her comment. "According to Ethel, Jason Blossom is the Gargoyle King. That's not possible, is it?"

Sweet Pea shook his head in disbelief. There was no way this was real. This had to be some residual delusion leftover from Ethel's time with the Sisters.

Betty sighed through the phone. "Normally, I would immediately say no, but there's only one way to find out definitively. A way that would make Dr Curdle Jr proud."

"We're going to have to dig up Jason's body, aren't we?" Jughead asked reluctantly.

"Call me afterwards," Betty said. The line went dead immediately.

"What's the plan?" Jughead asked, looking at Sweet Pea and I.

I sighed, walking to the door. When I didn't hear movement behind me, I turned back to the pair still seated. "Frankenstein, Igor, what are you waiting for? We have a body to dig up."

"Hey! Wait a minute," they protested behind me.

Looking back over my shoulder at them, I smiled innocently. "What? I didn't say who was who." Leading the way down the hall, I half listened to them argue about who was the scientist and who was the assistant.

Sweet Pea and Jughead parked their bikes a short ways away from the Blossom estate and we let ourselves onto the property. Fortunately for us, the Blossoms weren't worried about intruders and we had no problem getting to the family burial ground.

"Are we really doing this?" Jughead asked as we stood looking at the headstone.

"Not without shovels, you're not," I replied. "There's gotta be some kind of shed around here for the groundskeepers. Unless of course, you're planning on six feet deep with only your hands."

"Come on, I saw something over there," Sweet Pea said, leading the way. The gardener's shed was fully stocked, and fortunately, unlocked.

Shovels and flashlights in hand, we returned to the grave. As they got to work, I took a seat nearby, leaning my back against the side of an old headstone. Most people had no problem walking or standing directly in front of the stones, but I always found it uncomfortable. It wasn't that I was afraid of zombies suddenly reaching through and grabbing me. It was more the simple fact that there was a body down there and it seemed disrespectful to be stepping on them.