Sweet for You (Sweet Pea Imagine) (Riverdale)

Chalter 28: Lodge and Apologizing

    "Veronica," You say, leaning across the bar. "We gotta talk."
   "I know," she sighed. "This is about daddy dearest. Everyone has already tried talking to me. I know we have to start, and I am ready. I promise, that I won't get in the way." She paused and pulled a glass out. "Let's take him down."
   "V," you set a hand over hers. "I'm sorry. I know that I don't understand this, but it has to be hard." She nods. "And, you can come talk to me whenever. I know we aren't close like you and Betty or Archie..."
   "Thank you," She smiled. "And, heard about your fight with Sweet Pea, is it over between the two of you? Or..."
   "I am waiting on him to decide," you shake your head as you sit. "I don't want to keep going in circles like this. Going back to the fact that I am from the north side. And, I'm not loyal... When we all know, I am. And the fact that he even tried to tell me that I am in love with Reggie."
   "I understand. And, he would be stupid to let you go," She offered you a comforting smile and handed you a drink. "He obviously loves you. I just hope he realizes that before it's too late."
   "Me too," you say. "But, until then... I think I need to throw myself into work. So, if you need anything around here done. Or up at Pops. I am more than happy to help."
   "You know, I think we can use you in both. I need a waitress upstairs and someone down here to hand out drinks. I am having a little party this weekend to gather some more cash," Veronica offered. "We could use a nice, pretty face like yours."
   "Okay," you agree. "Thanks Veronica."
   "Always," She said. "Just see me in school this week and I will give you your outfit." You nod.
    Working this week had kept you busy like you wanted. You worked at Pop's after school and later at nights you worked the Speakeasy. Of course it came with the price of being exhausted all the time. And, after getting home, you would shower and not be able to sleep. So many thoughts running through your head. Mostly about Sweet Pea. You were worried that he might not want to be with you anymore. And, that he believed everything he said. It was really starting to catch on to you.
    "Gosh," Betty sighed. "You look awful. Have you been sleeping at all?"
     "If I said yes, would you believe me?" You laugh lowly. "Just been preoccupied."
     "You're slipping into a dark pit," Cheryl crossed her arms. "I see right through your charade. We all do."
    "Seriously. We told Veronica not to let you work anymore," Toni said. "You don't look like you've been even eating."
    "I've been eating. I eat at lunch," you say. "And, I eat little things the rest of the day."
    "Why?" Betty asked sitting next you. "I think you should go talk to him."
   "No. If he wants to talk to me. He can come find me. I'm not going to go tell him what to do," you say.
    "Well... We can't let you keep going on like this," Cheryl said. "You've been moving around since Homecoming. And, you started working nonstop for a week. We know that you aren't sleeping and since you're barely eating... You're going to get sick."
   "I'm fine," You sigh. "I don't feel sick. Sure, I'm tired. But, that's all."
   "Maybe you should go home then," Betty offered. "You don't have to stay. We can go in alone."
   "What? You don't want me helping you with this?" You ask. "I want to help get Hiram out of town."
    "We know," Toni said and put a hand on Cheryl's shoulder. "But, you cant help if you're sleep deprived. So, go home and rest. We will see you tomorrow."
   "Guys," you argue.
   "Fangs... Can you please take her home?" Toni asked.
    "Fangs? You're in on this too?" You groan.
    "Come on, Sis," he sighed. "I know it's not ideal. It's for the better though."
     "Whatever," You say following him.
     "So... You gonna tell me what's up?" Fangs asked as you walked to his bike. "You can say you're fine, and I will believe you."
      "Nothing is up," you laugh and look up at the sky. "I am tired. I work now."
      "Work? Why?" He asked. He seemed amused.
      "Because it keeps me busy. I honestly didn't think I had anything else to do," you sigh. "Now, I can't work and I can't even help with the plan. I have nothing now."
     "You have me," Fangs shrugged. "Still friends. Unless that's off the table?"
     "Why would it be? I just thought you wanted to spend time with Sweet Pea. And to help get Hiram out of the town," you look at him. "It's kinda like your vengeance plan."
    "Oh... I do want him out," He nods. "But, I can't be out there, when you are here. You really look like shit. It's been over a week... Has he tried talking to you?"
    "No... But, I thought you knew that. Guess I am useless. I can't even think correctly," you sigh.
    "He hasn't talked much. He mostly has been home and the Wyrm. He's been talking a lot with Toni lately. But, they are keeping things hushed," Fangs explained. "So, I've been kinda alone."
    "Oh." You stop at his bike and he hands you a helmet. "You know... I think I promised you a friend get away. I think we both could use it."
    "Really?" He laughed. "Is now the time?"
    "Better now than never at all," you shrugged. "Come on. What's the point of just sitting around here? We can go to Greendale or Centerville. Both."
    "What do we tell everyone else?" He laughed again. "That we decided to go on a spontaneous trip?"
     "We don't have to tell them anything," you say. "Just leave a note. Went fishing be back Sunday night." He shakes his head. "Seriously. Just say that you're with me and we took a trip. Don't even have to say where."
    "What if I say no?" He asked.
    "I'll go alone," you look up at him. "I really need time to relax. I can't do that here."
     "Fine. We can go," he gave in. "I think it is going to rain this weekend though. Pack for that."
     "Fogarty, you are the best," you smile at him. "Let's go get ready." He takes you home to get your things. "You will have fun. It's a bonding trip."
    "I think we bond enough."
     "Shut up. You want out to. I know you can't stand that Sweet Pea is talking to Toni about his problems and not telling you anything. I know you are bored because the one guy you liked is with another," you say. "Come on. Don't act like this is the worst thing ever."
    "It's not," he laughed and you smile again in victory.
    You leave a note on your bed telling whoever that you went on a sabbatical with Fangs. You explain that you are turning off your phone and won't be back until Sunday. Fangs leaves a similar note, and the two of you are off. The pressure of the town slowly lifted off of you as you neared the 'now leaving' sign. You listen to Fangs sing lowly with the radio and fall asleep. You slept most of the ride. Finally able to fully relax and breathe. You don't wake up until you hit Greendale. Which, of course, you take him to Cerberus'.
"This is the best place. It's cute and like retro. But, different from Pop's," you explain. "Everyone here is so nice." You point him to a booth.
"It seems cozy," he nods.
"He there, what can I get for ya?" Hilda smiles at the two of you. "Oh, you're that girl from Riverdale... Y/N?"
"Yeah," you nod. "I had to show my friend this place. I love it."
"Well... I am so glad you came back. You know, I think Sabrina should be coming soon as well. You two seemed to hit it off before," she said. "She would be delighted to see you."
"Really? We only met twice," You laugh.
"Some people just leave those impressions," she said. "Now, for you a Pepsi and you a strawberry shake?"
"Right," You nod and Fangs followed. "Thanks."
"We didn't tell her our order. How did she know?" He asked. You shrug, but smile. "Spooky."
      "She's very intuitive," you explain. "She always knows."
      "Who is Sabrina?" He asked looking at the menu.
      "A girl that I ran into a few times the last time I was here. I think she is related to Hilda. They have the same last name, Spellman," you say looking at your own menu. "I think that's a cool name too. Spellman. It's like witchy."
     "What's witchy?" Hilda places your drinks in front of you. "You know, Greendale is full of witch stories. We had our very own witch trial here."
       "Really? How come we never hear about it?" You ask. "Especially since we live so close."
       "Well. The witches didn't want anyone to know, so they kept it quiet. It is said that the witches still live here today." You and Fangs look at each other, trying to put together pieces. Also, trying to figure out if Hilda was messing with you. It's not uncommon for people to make fun of the outside of towners.
      "Weird," Fangs said. "Riverdale just has the gargoyle king and the black hood."
      "I'm sure Riverdale has a colorful history," Hilda smiled. "Can I get you anything else?"
     "I just want the soup," you say.
     "I'll have the wrap," Fangs finally put his menu down. "Thanks." After she leaves, Fangs gives you a look. Which you returned. "Just soup? You've barely eaten and all you want is soup?"
      "Not feeling well. It's allowed," you laugh. "I got my milkshake didn't I? That's enough calories for a meal."
     "No it's not," he scoffed. "So, are we staying here for the night? Or going to Centerville?"
    "Doesn't matter to me. We can find a little motel," you say. "I've only camped here with Sweet Pea. So, I am not quite sure where to go."
     "Ask Miss Hilda," Fangs said. "She seems nice enough. Or that Sabrina girl. If she ever shows."
     "We can," you nod. "I mean we can definitely camp here. It's so nice. We got my car, so we can stay in it."
     "Stay in your car? Oh, Chica, you've never been on a trip with me. I come prepared for anything. I got myself a tent a while ago. We can stay in that," he said. "I don't feel like trying to sleep in your car anyways. That would be extremely cramped."
    "You're a true hero Fangs," You laugh taking a sip of your milkshake. "So, talk to me. How are you? Any new love interest? Or new annoyances? Anything going on with the Serpents?"
    "No," he shook his head. "Everything is the same. I don't need a relationship, I have fun the way I am. My only annoyance at the moment is Hiram. But, things that bother me... That list grew. And the Serpents have been hanging low."
    "Go on."
     "Well... Toni hasn't told me anything about Sweet Pea, who has basically shut me out. I don't see him at all unless it's at school. Toni blows me off when I ask. It's super dumb. The last thing I even talked to him about was homecoming when everyone told us to have a threesome." You forgot about that. "Since Toni and Sweet Pea are obsessed with each other right now, I have been set in a bored mood. Then, when things start happening, with Hiram, I worry about you. Who hasn't been doing great either. Let me tell you. If this is what it's like to have kids. I'm not down."
   "You'd be a great dad," you laugh. "You would be over protective for sure, but great... And, you do not have to worry about me. I am fine."
    "Yeah. That's what I said when I was shot. You know what happened then? I almost died. Then, I faked my death," he rolled his eyes. "So, can we stop with that shit already."
    "Fine. I'm not fine. I'm exhausted. I haven't been able to sleep. When I do, it's past breakfast. Then I eat lunch at school. And I work past dinner. I eat like small things at work... like a few fries here and there. I got the job because I couldn't take sitting around being worried over something I can't control." You sigh. "And, even after working both Pops and La Bonne Nuit... I still couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about Pea."
"It's understandable," he tried to make you feel better. "Sweet Pea is a very complicated guy. Who knows how he's been coping with all of this. I mean, I have feeling he's doing worse than you."
"Well..." you pause. "That doesn't make me feel any better."
"I know. It kinda makes me feel better though. I'm his best friend, so when he feels stuff other than anger. I just applaud it," he laughed and you join him. "So... This is where you ran off to over the summer?"
"One of the places. I stayed in Centerville in this real nice motel... Centerville is so peaceful. There was barely any people and from what I seen, it was so pretty." He nods and takes a sip of his Pepsi. "The room I was in was actually clean too and reasonably priced."
"You came back early though," Fangs examined. "Why? Sweets had been sick before. He could've fended for himself for another few days."
"I know he could've. I wanted to be the one to take care of him for a chance though. He always is doing things for me. Like carrying me home when I was drunk. Or kicking the shit out of Chuck Clayton. You know, I don't like being the one who everyone has to take care of," you try to explain.
He laughs, "I would suggest not being so clumsy then. Most of the time we are trying to make sure you don't fall." You roll your eyes and give him the finger. "I'm just saying."
"I am not that clumsy," you argue. But, you knew you were. You just didn't want to hear it. "You know who is clumsy? Sweet Pea. When he is drunk. God, it's like trying to walk a giant noodle." You both are laughing now. "And he is so weird! Like one minute he's like I love with everyone and the next he's like sad. Then he's horny and then he passes out."
"Well he doesn't show his emotions sober. So, it has to be exhausting for them to all come rushing out like that," Fangs chuckled. "So, I guess I can tell you now... Theres another reason why they didn't want you there today."
    "I knew it! I'm not that bad," you cry.
    "Shut up and listen. You are that bad. But, they didn't want you there because Hiram had said something about your brother. He said he's still alive," Fangs said. You didn't know what he was trying to say. There was no way that he was still alive. You had a funeral for him. "They didn't want that getting over your head."
    "My brother isn't still alive," you say. "We has a funeral for him. It's been ten years since he died. I think I can handle someone bringing his name up."
"You can't even bring up his name," Fangs said. "So, they thought it'd be better for you not to come. And they didn't want to tell you."
"Why are you telling me?" You ask.
"Because, I didn't think it was right. If something were going on with my family, I would want to know," Fangs shrugged. "And, you can't go after them now."
"Touché."
   You sat in silence for a while, eating your food. You didn't know what to say. Of course you were mad that they didn't tell you sooner, but you also understood why they didn't. Fangs was right, you couldn't even say his name. You didn't talk about him, not that you could. Your parents always shot the conversation down. And when someone brought it up, you did the same. You couldn't even talk to Sweet Pea about Kyle.
"His name was Kyle. I'm not sure if you knew or not. He was so nice and great to me. I loved him so much. I didn't even get to say goodbye to him. I think that is why it's so hard to talk about him. When he got worse, my parents wouldn't let me see him anymore. Then one day, he just was gone. He was my best friend. My protector," you look at your empty bowl. "He would never let anyone hurt me. Most siblings with such big age gaps aren't close. But, he would never let anyone touch me. He brought me to Smith's all the time. Every Friday after I started school. He taught me how to read and all about superhero's. He used to tell me that I couldn't be with anyone, unless they treated me like Clark Kent treated Lois Lane. No one deserved me because I deserved a superhero." You laugh a little. "Since I was so young those are the few memories I have of him. I can't even remember his laugh anymore. Or the sound of his voice. I know he would be pissed if he seen me like this, though."
   "Y/N, you don't have to tell me any of this. I know it has to be hard," he said looking at you. "Please."
    "No. It's okay. I need to talk about it. I have never been able to. Ive been holding all of this back. Suppressing it because that is the only thing I was allowed to do." You let out a breath that felt like your very first. "I haven't talked about him. Like this. In a decade. And that was to my elementary school guidance counselor."
     "Well. I'm glad you feel like you can open up to me about this. I know it is has to be hard and I'm probably not the real person you want to talk to right now," he put a hand over yours. "Once he finds out, he will call. I promise you that at least."
    "Left my phone at home," You laugh a little. "I don't want him to talk to me over pity." You finish your shake. "Let's lighten the mood. I don't want to spend our get away moping and talking about dead relatives. I promised you a good time. Let's go find a camping spot before the sun sets."
   "Good idea. I will go pay. Go start up the car. It's gonna get chilly with the rain," he said. You nod and go do as told. 
    He takes you to a campsite that he usually uses, and you help him set up the tent. He brought two blow up beds and blankets. He knew yours wouldn't be big enough to keep you warm. You gather wood for the fire and he lights it. He makes you feel better by telling you some of his crappy jokes, which you honestly love. The rain begins and it pushes you inside where he continues his jokes until you laugh yourself to sleep. And you actually stay asleep, and it was peaceful for the most part. When it was finally time for you to go home, you felt relaxed and happy. Sure, there was still all of the stuff going on in your mind about Kyle and Sweet Pea, but Fangs made you feel better. You felt lucky to have a friend like him.
    "Y/N! I swear if you keep running off like this, I am going to put a tracking device in you," Betty said pulling you into a tight hug. "You left your phone at home and everything... We didn't know if it was real until Toni found Fangs' note."
    "I needed it. You guys, unfortunately, were right. I wasn't acting completely healthy. And, Fangs helped me with that. He also told me about Kyle." You felt her tense. "It's fine. That's kinda what made me realize that I was being stupid."
    "We are so sorry we didn't tell you. We wanted to find out for sure before we threw you into a loop," Toni explained.
    "I understand," you nod. "What did you find out?"
   "Nothing yet," Veronica said. "Still working on it though. But, as soon as we do. We will go straight to you."
    "Thanks. Guys, for having my back," you smile. "Really."
     "Hey," Sweet Pea knocked on the entrance wall of the speakeasy. You swallowed a little. You weren't expecting to see him yet. "You're back..."
    "Yeah," you nod slowly, feeling awkward as everyone around you kinda watched. "Got back half an hour ago."
    "Erm," he looked at his feet for a minute. You noticed that he looked restless. Like he hadn't been sleeping much for the last few days. This must've been what you looked like. "Can we talk? Please?" He sounded a little defeated. You nod walking towards him and the two of you sat on the steps.
    "Pea," you sigh, you didn't know if you had the energy for whatever he was going to say. You were relaxed, but you were scared about what he was about to say.
    "Wait... Before you say anything at all. I want to say that I am sorry," he pleaded. "I was such an ass. I don't even know why I even said those things. I don't believe them, at all. I know, that you aren't just a northsider. You are more than that. You take care of everyone before yourself. You don't care if you get hurt, if it means helping someone close to you. You stand up for what you believe in. Even to a pretty stupid Serpent, who've you only met once before." You laugh a little remembering his first day at Riverdale High. "You're clumsy. Which, is so scary to me. Seriously. I feel like one day you're gonna fall right on your face." He chuckled lowly. "I'm getting off topic... I can't be without you, Y/N. I have spent these days, trying to do anything. But, I can't. I've told you this before, but it's true... You make my life so much better. And, when you were gone... I couldn't sleep. My house didn't feel like home anymore. I love you, truly."
   "Pea," you say again. "I love you too."
   "Hey! Speak louder for those in back, please," Fangs shouts. You laugh a little.
     "I've missed you," Pea said.
     "I've missed you too," you say. "And, I really wanna talk to you about something super important, but not in front of all of these people."
      "Come on! We are all family here!" Toni said.
       "Yeah," Fangs agreed. You rolled your eyes and brought him out of the mock bar. He followed you outside. It was still raining and cold.
       "What's up?" He asked looking up at the sky.
       "You're Halloween costume," you say and gives you a weird look. "Gotta pick that out still... But, I actually wanted to talk about this stuff going on with Hiram Lodge. I don't know everything, but I guess they are bringing my brother into this."
     "I know," he looked down to his feet now. "I have been helping Toni." You nod. "I didn't know until recently though and you were gone."
    "It's okay. I don't care about not being told. Fangs told me at dinner the other night. I understand why no one wanted to tell me. And, I realized that I never got closure for it," you begin to explain. "I never got to tell him goodbye. I couldn't even go to his funeral, my parents told me it would be too hard. I loved him so much. It wasn't like me being eight years old and obsessed with my teenage brother. He was like eleven years older than me. He was my best friend for the longest time. He protected me from all of the bad things, which I get as a kid is monster that hide in the dark. But, he was my hero. So, losing him was like losing a part of me. The last person I even truly talked about him before Fangs the other night, was the elementary school guidance counselor. My parents didn't talk about him, unless they wanted some type of sympathy. I wanted to talk about it, but he was the only person who I talked to."
    "I'm sorry," he sighed.
     "No. Don't be. That was so long ago," you say and grab his hand. Letting the familiar feeling settle in. "But, after all of this, I am ready to actually talk to someone. I don't want Hiram Lodge to hold Kyle over my head. The only way to stop that, is to actually come to terms."
    "Have you came to terms?" He asked confused.
    "Slightly," you shrug, getting cold. "I don't think I can until we find out what Hiram knows. That's why I wanted to talk. I need to know, if he is alive somehow... You will tell me, no matter what. I know they won't. They will want to keep it a secret because they don't want to hurt me. But, I need you to promise me that whatever you find out. As soon as you find out. You will tell me. Please."
    "Of course I will," he said. "I will." You sigh in relief. "Come on." He pulls you inside. "You're soaked."
    "What new?" You laugh. "I feel like we get in this situation a lot." He nods in agreement. "So your costume..." He laughs and shakes his head.