BAD IDEA ► SWEET PEA

― o n e. Bad Idea

CHAPTER ONE
" a kiss with a fist is better than none "

It would be an understatement to say that my older brother, Archie Andrews is a fucking idiot. His constant need to be a hero has landed him in an abundance of mess.

I will never understand why he would not just leave it to the sheriff to find the Black Hood and instead thought it was a good idea to hunt him down himself. Does his evergrowing ego think that just because he solved Jason Blossom's murder, he can solve another mystery again?

I understand his hunger for justice but his recklessness has led him to making stupid decisions. Like vandalising the Southside for example. As if a can of spray paint would do anything but intimidate the Black Hood. Because of his actions, it led an angry mob of Southside Serpents to come knocking on our front door (literally).

Dad left for the town hall meeting while Archie and I stayed at home. In the middle of doing my homework, engine revving could be heard outside my bedroom window.

I headed downstairs to find the Southside Serpents right outside our doorstep engaging in a heated debate with the Bulldogs. At that moment, all I could think of was: that's what you get, Archie.

The Southside Serpents and the Bulldogs have taken their business to a nearby parking lot of few minutes ago and Veronica has been worried about Archie since.

"He's your brother, we have to do something," said Veronica with a sense of panic in her tone as she paced around the living room.

"He deserved it, honestly," I replied. "If he hadn't bothered the Southside Serpents, this wouldn't have happened. This one is on him."

"We have to at least stop them from killing each other!" She exclaimed.

"What are we even going to do when we reach there?" I stood up from the couch and walked towards the stairs. "If you want to stop Archie from getting hurt then be my guest but I'll be in my room minding my own business."

"Wait. I have an idea," said Veronica before rushing to her purse. Not even seconds went by and she reappeared again in a flash with a gun in her hand.

"Whoa," I took a step back, "that's not a good idea."

"We're just going to scare them," Veronica explained.

I stared at the gun in her hand and said nothing. I wouldn't lie and say that I was quivering in my knees. It was bringing back trauma from the shooting.

"Fine," she continued to say when I didn't respond. "You can stay here while your brother gets beat up but I'm going."

"Actually, I'm coming," I snapped out of the daze. "I wanna see the show."

★ ★ ★

It was raining heavily when Veronica and I arrived at the parking lot where the fight between Bulldogs and the Southside Serpents was going down.

"Oh, Archie," I heard Veronica mutter.

The view in front of us was Archie curled up on the ground getting kicked repeatedly in the stomach by a Southside Serpent.

Veronica pulled out the gun and stared at it. She seemed uncertain about the plan of scaring the Southside Serpents. I was too. Anything involving a gun since the shooting at Pop's has scared me.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Positive," she said, not looking up from the gun.

Veronica exited the car and I followed. Raindrops were falling rapidly from the sky and I was immediately drenched in the rain. I don't think that the raincoat was giving Veronica any protection from the rain at all. I should have just stayed in the car and watch Archie get his ass kicked.

But I couldn't bear to watch my brother get beat up. I know Archie deserved it but that Serpent needs to lay off of him. It was just so infuriating standing there watching the Serpent beat up my when I could do something. He is my brother and I will defend him, even if I do not necessarily support his actions.

In the heat of the moment, I did something incredibly stupid. I followed the footsteps of my brother's recklessness. Well least it was better than stupidly standing in the rain getting drenched from head to toe.

I bolted straight towards the Serpent beating up my brother and body-slammed into him. Surprisingly I was able to knock him over despite the fact that he was twice my size. His body cushioned my fall when I fell with him. I got on top of him and went to town with throwing punches across his face.

It was hard to tell what I was doing with the rain practically blocking my field of vision. The whole situation was a blur. The guy I was beating up was stunned at first when I started punching him but once he regained consciousness he started trying to shove me off of him.

I raised my fist to land another punch but was interrupted by a gunshot going off in the distance (That must have been Veronica). I cringed in response to the gunshot.

Before I was even able to process anything, Archie grabbed me by the arm and pried me off of the Serpent that I was beating up.

★ ★ ★

"What were you thinking?" asked Archie. He was leaning against the kitchen counter, groaning from the injuries he obtained from the fight.

"A little 'thank you' would be nice," I folded my arms across my chest.

"Thank you? You could've gotten hurt!" He raised his voice.

"But I didn't," I argued.

I saved him from getting beaten into a bloody pulp and he has the audacity to yell at me. His ungrateful ass.

Archie sighed, "Please don't do anything stupid like this again."

"Don't worry, I won't," I replied. "I am never putting my life on the line for you again, Archie. Next time, you can save yourself by not making such idiotic decisions in the first place."

"I know," he said. "It's my fault for everything that happened tonight. You could've gotten hurt for defending me. Thanks for having my back, but please never do this again."

Damn right I won't.

My clothes were still clinging onto my skin uncomfortably so I went to the upstairs bathroom to change. The ends of my hair and the tip of my fingers were still dripping rainwater. Forming small puddles of water everywhere I went.

I looked down at my hands and welts were starting to form on my right knuckle. I must have hit that Serpent pretty hard. I mean, that is what you get for beating up my brother.

I pulled the soaked shirt over my head and examined myself. Other than the bruising on my knuckles, there was not a single mark on me from the fight. I don't know why Archie was being such a sissy about me getting hurt.

Whoever I was beating up must have looked a hell lot worse.