Always and Forever

Chapter 34: Judgment Night

Jughead, Dad, and I took Fangs to the hospital while Sweet Pea and the young serpents took off somewhere. 

"Help us!" Jughead yelled. 

"We need a doctor," Dad shouted as he and I were holding Fangs. 

"Ma'am," I said. 

"Wait your turn, please," the lady at the front desk said. 

"He was shot!" Jughead hissed. 

"I need you to step back--" The lady began. I let go of Fangs and went over to Jughead.

"He's dying!" I yelled as I banged my fist on the desk. 

"Hey, what's going on here?" a doctor said as he came out to the waiting room.

"My friend was shot right in the stomach," I told him. 

"Hey, get me a gurney," the doctor sounded. Fangs groaned when they put him on the gurney. "Let's go." 

"Hang in there, hang in there," Jughead said. My eyes started to fill up with tears, I turned to dad and he opened his arms. 

"Come here sweetheart," Dad said as I ran to him and started to cry into his chest. "He's going to be okay." 

"Daddy, what if he dies," I cried. "What if he doesn't make it? I can't lose him. He's one of my best friends."

"I know," Dad kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back. "I know. He's going to make it believe me. Fangs' a fighter." We then looked over at Jughead who was walking down the hallway. "Jug, where do you think you're going?"

"To find the guy who shot Fangs!" Jughead stated. 

"You're not going out there," Dad said, he tried to grab Jughead as we walked down the hallway. "Not with people rioting. Look, you're angry, you want justice. So do I. But you've got a fallen soldier here, boy, and we need to talk to his family. It's part of being a leader." 

"Some leader I am," Jughead said. 

"Don't go down that road," Dad said. "Alright come on, come on." Later I was called Sweet Pea and he wasn't picking up. 

"Damn it," I hissed. Dad and Jughead both looked at me. "Sweet Pea isn't picking up. I bet he's looking for the person who shot Fangs. I'm going out there to stop him and the others." I left before Dad or Jughead could stop me. I was walking around looking for everyone when I found Reggie behind a dumpster and not far behind him was Josh. They looked like a complete mess, a bit unrecognizable. 

"Reggie, Josh," I gasped as I sat next to Reggie. 

"Josh didn't shoot him," Reggie told me then I looked at Josh. "He didn't shoot Fangs." Tears were threatening to spill out of his eyes, both of them. Josh and Reggie Mantle never cried in front of people. 

"Did someone put you two up to this? Was it by chance Hiram Lodge?" I asked they both nodded. "You need to call him now." Reggie took out his phone and called Hiram. 

"Mr. Lodge, it's me, Reggie," Reggie informed. "I need your help. Someone shot Fangs. It wasn't me. But I was there and now the Southsiders think I did it." 

"That's unfortunate, Reggie, but I'm afraid I can't help you," Hiram apologized. He then hung up the phone. 

"That dick," I hissed. "We need to get you somewhere safe, Reggie. I could care less about you Josh." 

"Where can I go?" Reggie asked he was clearly scared. 

"Pops," I answered. "We need to move now, quickly."