𝐕𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐑 || Sweet Pea ✔️ || REWRITING

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙊𝙐𝙍

𝐄𝐙𝐑𝐀 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒

The bright living room of the Cooper household turned Ezras stomach when she woke up on their couch, Alice's face being right in hers also didn't help the initial shock.

"Wake up, young lady. Your little friends and their parents will be here soon for a meeting." The blonde spoke, handing the teen a glass of water as she sat up.

A confused expression made its way onto her face as she chugged from the glass, ignoring the 'Ezra!' scold that came from Alice "Friends?"

"Those hooligans that were at Nick St. Clairs party." Alice explained "You all deserve a proper talking to after what Betty has told me."

"I wasn't even there, I didn't even know that St. Clair asshole existed until last night." Ezra stated matter of factly, disposing of her glass in the kitchen sink.

"Nonetheless, you should stay, afterward I can drive you home."

So, she stayed and stood beside Reggie Mantle while Mayor McCoy, Sheriff Keller, Fred Andrews, Alice and the Lodges interrogated the teens about the party she wasn't even at.

"Well, I for one would like to know who brought the Jingle Jangle to the party." Mrs. Lodge spoke up, interjecting before Hiram and Alice continued snipping at one another.

There was a brief silence before a woman, who Ezra assumed to be Reggies mom, spoke up.

"I'm not usually one to cast stones, but there is one person here..."

"Here we fucking go." Ezra scoffed, eyes rolling so hard she worried they might be permanently damaged.

"I brought — "

"It was me." Reggies sentence was cut off by Ezra who awkwardly shoved her hands in her jeans pockets as she spoke "I got the JJ for the rapist."

Her peers, and Alice, looked at her in disbelief. Each of them knew that she wasn't at the party, so why she was admitting to not only being there but supplying drugs too.

"Ezra —"

"What, Keller? I mean, you all knew that right? Archie can vouch, he caught me dealing at Pops."

"When you were fourteen!" Archie scoffed "Come on, E."

"It's true." Ezra finished with a shrug "We can condemn me for it after Nick St. Clair is arrested for roofieing Cheryl and trying to —"

"It's his word against yours." Sheriff Keller sighed, hands on his hips like how he'd stand when he lectured her "And if you're admitting to dealing Jingle Jangle the court will believe the word of a St. Clair over the word of a drug dealer."

Ezra laughed, not because it was funny, more of a reaction of anger "He is a rapist, who cares if he's fucking rich."

Fred Andrews had opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again soon after.

"I saw him! He drugged her, he tried to — he was going to —" She struggled to complete the sentence, she felt as if she said it out loud her experience would be real "Why isn't anyone believing her?!"

"It's not a case of us believing her or not, Ezra." Kellers tone remained serious, though his features had softened "Its about what a judge would believe."

"So then what's the fucking point of reporting it? What motivation is that to come forward if you're not even going to believe us? This is such bullshit!"

With a kick to the Coopers coffee table, she stormed out. Not that she made it far, she sat on the third last step of the house's driveway and scratched at the cement with a stone.

She'd never spoke about what happened, she didn't think any cop would believe a teen gang banger and todays impromptu meeting just confirmed all her fears.

Blue and yellow appeared in the corner of her eye, the colours of the Riverdale High Varsity jacket of the one Reggie Mantle.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

There was no elaboration, she knew what he meant.

"Nope."

"Wanna go to Pickens Park and throw rocks at the statue?"

Ezra couldn't help the small laugh that escaped "Why do you throw rocks at the statue?"

Reggie shrugged "Don't know, the dude seems like a racist."

"As good a reason as any."

They never actually made it into the park, instead they sat on a bench a couple blocks away from it and talked about stupid things neither cared about.

"Why did you cover for me?" Reggie questioned, feet poking at the loose stones on the pavement.

She shrugged, slouching back in the bench "It's expected of me to be a fuck up, no point ruining your future with a criminal record when I already have one."

"You're not a fuck up." Reggie tutted "And I'm pretty sure I'll screw up again pretty soon, not that I have much of a future to screw up, can't be denied the family business."

"Please." Ezra scoffed, bumping his shoulder with her own "You go to a good school, you're probably going to get into a good college on a sports scholarship —"

"As if."

"I've seen you play, and don't interrupt me." She faux-scolded "You'll probably get some decent degree, a decent job, marry some model and have the American dream bullshit everyone wants."

"A model?" Reggie jokes with a grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows "Well, if you're so certain you're a psychic what's your future?"

She thought for a second before shrugging "In an ideal world? I somehow get into Harvard, become a big shot lawyer, start a family and maybe get the fuck out of this hellhole."

"In the real world?"

"I'll probably be dead or in prison before graduation." She laughed "Best case scenario I'm serving up rancid burgers in Pops."

His eyes widened and he sat up slightly "You don't like burgers!?"

Another laugh escaped her "That's what you took from that? But, no, I don't really eat that stuff."

"Then what do you eat?"

"Nothing from Pops, that's for sure."

"So does that mean I can forget about asking you to Pops?"

"Reggie —"

"I know, I know." The male laughed, raising his hands in surrender "Just thought I'd shoot my shot, again."

Ezra smiled, rising from her seat and awkwardly patting his shoulder "The Lord loves a trier, but I think you should start trying on girls worth your time."