Night Fall | Sweet Pea (completed)

Chapter Twenty.

"Seriously why do we have to go to this assembly/pep rally? May I remind you that you're fourteen weeks pregnant? Can't we just reschedule your appointment and go during this school event?" Sweet Pea huffed as he sat on the edge of the air mattress. 

"Sweet Pea may I remind you that we actually need to graduate? We have the entirety of summer to go to as many scans as you would like, we can relax and plan for the baby and enjoy our quiet before the baby arrives. We still have six months until the baby is here and honestly I would like to take up as much of those six months in peace rather than assemblies but I would also like to graduate this coming year." I leant down and kissed Sweet Pea on the lips softly making the both of us smile.

"I know. I know. I hate how we have to stay for the next school year because of Southside High not giving us the current criteria to graduate, what are we going to do when we have a newborn? What are we going to do when you begin to show more than one of my shirt's is going to hide?" Sweet Pea stressed only making me smile once more.

"I love how caring you are of the both of us but trust me we're going to be fine. If I get to the stage where I can no longer attend school then I'll arrange something with Principal Weatherbee to study from home, and by home I really mean to study-from-tent." I paused looking around at our surroundings, silently praying this wouldn't be the place we raised our newborn in six months time.

"You two are my everything, you know that princess, I just don't want you to get hurt or for people to be jackass's about the fact that we'll be teen parents. I'm literally 18 and you're 18 next month, are we actually able to do this thing?" Sweets stood up as he rested his hand on my stomach, sighing slightly once more.

"It's a crazy thought, it really is, the timing is nowhere near ideal. I thought us raising our baby in a trailer was insane but now we'll be raising him/her in a tent but the most important thing is that we are together and that we stick with the Serpents. Through the hard times and the good they are our family." Kissing Sweet Pea once more as a way of shutting my mind off from all of the worries and insecurities running through my mind I spoke again. "Now we really need to get to this assembly if we even want a chance of getting into colleges." 

Sighing in defeat Sweet Pea bent down to pick up his wallet and keys before taking my hand and walking to the truck. I missed riding my bike but we both decided it was best if we took the truck, it had a little bit more protection if anything were to happen. 

"You know I will never get used to the whole school-prep thing right? Seriously who needs an assembly just to hype up the end of the school year?" Sweet Pea mumbled as we pulled into the carpark of Riverdale High.

"Personally I know I'll never get used to attending a school with wifi and actual colour in it's walls that isn't from graffiti. It's weird but hey we now only have one final year to go, let's hope it flies by because I don't know how much more drama I can take." Grabbing ahold of Sweet Pea's hand again we walked through the doors of the high school and straight to the gym, taking a spot on the bleachers next to Cheryl, Toni and Fangs we all talked among ourselves. 

Jughead, Betty and Veronica  were seated behind us as we waited for Principal Weatherbee to begin what was sure to be a boring assembly. Archie was sat on the gym floor with the teachers as he was being officially introduced as the Student Body President, he caught my eye before waving slightly at me and smiling. 

I mouthed a good luck to Archie, making him chuckle silently as he just shook his head. He knew I was never one for schooling whereas he of course was the exceptional student who would soon become the head of our school, in student terms anyway.

The cheerleaders wrapped up their performance as everyone lightly clapped before Principal Weatherbee begun speaking. 

"Students, faculty and staff: before we inaugurate Archie Andrews as our new student council president, please rise for our national anthem." With that everyone stood to their feet silently, putting their right hand on their heart as Josie McCoy walked onto the stage and started singing. 

'Oh, say, can you see

By the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed'

During the national anthem Archie was looking at all of his mates, we smiled at him or nodded our heads as a sign to show how proud we were of him for what he was about to receive. When Archie looked at me I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face, the boy who I had grown up with thanks to FP and Fred was about to receive the highest title a student can get in high school. Nobody deserved it more than Archie did, despite the fact we had drifted apart over the last year or so he would always be my childhood best friend and I was always going to look out for him. He may not be a Serpent but he will always be someone I would be willing to die for.

'At the twilight's last gleaming

Whose broad stripes and bright stars

Through the perilous fight'

As Josie was singing the sound of the gym doors being pushed wide open caused everyone to stop and stare at what had caused the interruption. I saw Archie's face fall as I tried to figure out what was going on, I looked around the room rapidly before laying my eyes on the one and only Hiram Lodge. He had this type of smirk on his face that could kill anyone who crossed paths with him. I didn't know much about the ordeal between Archie and Hiram but I knew damn well that they did not get along.

My heart sunk when I saw Sheriff Monetta walk through the gym doors and straight towards Archie. I pushed Sweet Pea, Cheryl and Toni out of the way as I begun running down the stairs of the bleachers in an attempt to stop what was about to happen. I made it onto the gym floor before a security guard grabbed ahold of me and held me back.

"Archie!" I screamed out as a sign that he could try to run from all of this but it was too late.

"Sheriff Monetta what are you doing?" Archie asked as two of Monetta's officers put handcuffs on him.

"Archie Andrews, you're under arrest for the murder of Shadow Lake resident, Cassidy Bullock." Sheriff Monetta spoke with a smug tone which showcased how happy he was for arresting Archie despite the fact he knew he was innocent.

"What? I didn't kill him-" Archie tried to defend himself but there was nothing he nor I could do at this stage.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. Do you understand these rights...?" 

Anger was clear on Archie's face as he looked towards the direction where Hiram Lodge stood, making me look too. Hiram had the audacity to nod and smile at Archie as he was being taken away in handcuffs only making me scream. I tried to get out of the hold of the guards and run towards Hiram so I could punch him in the face for what he was doing to Archie but before I could even get out of the guard's grip I felt a comfortable set of arms wrap around me. 

Sweet Pea.

My anger turned to sadness as I broke down in Sweet Pea's arms sobbing.

"He can't do this. Archie didn't kill anyone, he wouldn't hurt a fly. It was Hiram. I know it was." I sobbed into Sweet Pea's chest as I couldn't bear to see the sight of my childhood best friend being taken away due to the power and money of an evil man.

Veronica's heels were heard walking down the bleachers, I heard her talking but I couldn't comprehend what she was saying nor did I necessarily care at that point. 

"Sweets we have to do something. Anything. He won't survive in prison, you and I know that more than anyone here." 

"We won't let it get that far Dani, we're going to figure this out. Together." I looked up as Jughead spoke and I saw the group that was standing around us: Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Fangs even Reggie were nodding in agreement to what Jughead had just said. 

Reggie saw the ring on my hand and his smile altered just a little, sadness was clear in his eyes as he smiled softly at both Sweet Pea and I. 

No matter what everyone's past was I knew we could put it all aside to save our mutual friend from the destruction of a monster.