Youngblood // Sweet Pea

14

"Mina, leave it."
"Sweets, you want me to fucking leave it when I'm called from breakfast to come deal with you and your girlfriend?"

I turned back to Hunter. I saw why everyone talked about her, she was gorgeous with a nasty attitude.

I looked between the two, not having a single clue what to do.

"Mina, just go, I can handle this."
"But you can't, that-"

I felt a tug on my hair. I turned back around to see Hunter.

"Can I help you?"
"Yes you can."
"Sorry, I didn't hear you, the adults were talking."

I noticed she was short, maybe 5'4. I could be the attitude out of her in a damn second.

"Can you two just please go inside. I don't want to hear your bullshit."

I walked back towards the three Southsiders. As I did so, I heard the slam of a door and the starting of a car.

I turned to see Sweet Pea standing still as the car drove off. I sat on the stairs next to Toni. Fangs watched towards Sweets lawn.

"I heard its going to be in the 90's today." I cranked my neck to look up at Toni.

I leaned back on my elbows, looking up into the sky. Sky's almost clear. I felt the breeze of the wind on my legs.

"What are you doing today, Girls?" Jughead asked. Toni turned her head towards his and began to speak.
"Cheryl and I are probably doing something, what about you Mags?"

I now turned my whole body to look at them.

"Probably going to stay here and get some work done."

They nodded, Toni pulling herself up from the step with Jug coping the action.

Toni walked towards her trailer while Jug walked into his dad's. I stayed put on the porch, still looking at the baby blue sky.

I was itching to know what else was written in the journal, what lied between the words and sheets of paper. I wanted to know it all.

I stood up, wiping my hands on my legs before walking inside the trailer Jug previously entered.

My bag sat neatly on the couch. I walked towards it. My body sweating from me sitting in the sun.

I peeled open the bag, wanting and hoping to see my laptop, but I didn't. I found the journal in the bag and the laptop on the table.

I pulled the journal out, opening it to the page that was book marked from what I had last read.

We were now setting the stage for June.

June 10th, 2002
The baby is due so soon. We are all very happy. Mac has painted the nursery pink, but I'm sure she'll end up liking Black the best.
I've also spent time investigating things that happen here in Riverdale.
I try not to, but I always rope myself back in, wanting to know more.
I've been hearing things about Mac, like he's still in contact with his old Greendale gang. He denies and claims to have cut off all ties with them before the baby comes. I have nothing else to do but believe him.
Monty keeps bringing up his mother, it hurts a lot. Just to know that he doesn't think of me as his mom. He never even knew her, I am the only mother he knows.
I'm just ranting, it's getting late.

I sighed, putting the book on the coffee table. Montgomery was a little brat. I bet I wasn't the nicest child either.

Jughead walked out of where ever on the phone.
"Yeah Archie, I'm leaving now. Yeah Archie, I'll tell her."

I watched the front door slam shut. I had no clue what I would be doing today, maybe research, maybe chilling.

I looked my phone, not having a sense of direction on what I was doing. I eventually ended up on the Riverdale library page, which was shocking to know they had one in such a small town.

I pulled myself from the couch, packing my bag and heading to my truck.

I clicked the location on Google maps and followed its direction into town, to the library.

I grabbed the backpack handle and pulled it out with me, pushing the lock down before walking inside.

At the desk stood a middle aged woman.
"Hi miss, what can I do for you today?"

"I'm doing research for work, do you happen to have newspaper articles dating back to 2012?" She nodded pointing to shelving behind me before helping an older lady.

I search for the article dated for May 17th, 2012. Once I found on in that time stamp, I grabbed it.

"Local woman found murdered"
I flipped to the page the article was on. The pictures of the hotel, people examining her body in the room.

"Marlow Gray was found on the night of May 14th. It was examined as a suicide as that led into it being ruled as a murder."

I folded the paper up neatly, shoving it in between two. I scrolled up to stuff this year.

"Fred Andrews Shot At Diner"
"The Black Hoods Sinners"
"Local Serpent Shot"

I would pick them out one at a time and read. It wasn't the best thing to be doing, but it occupied some of my time.

"Well, Well, Well, what do we have here?" I saw Reggie and his flee filled Bulldogs.

"Can I help you?" My glasses slid further off my nose as I talked.
"I just wanted to make sure our firecracker wasn't in trouble."

I chucked at his sarcasm,"I didn't know you knew how to read."

Sweet Pea, Cheryl, and Toni walked through the door. Reggies attention caught on them.

"Wow, look at our group of snakes." Sometimes I wanted to punch his face so hard, but than again, that's all I seem to be doing.

"Back off Reggie." Cheryl said walking through them to approach me.
"We were just picking fun."

"Well, pick elsewhere, asshat." I watched as Sweets pushed his way through them.

He stood beside me, hand on the small of my back.
"Oh, Mantle, nice broken nose."

He walked towards us again, standing closest to me than he ever has.
"Y'know, keep talking and I'll get you when your boyfriend isn't around."

Everyone waited for someone to say something. "I don't need a man to defend me like you do."

"Yeah, but that's not what everyone said in Greendale." I sucked in a deep breath of air.

"Just leave, I'm surprised they allow animals to roam in here." Sweets said before Reggies boys pulled him away.

I began to read the news paper in front of me. I heard Toni and Cheryl leave from my side, Sweets now slidding into the chair opposite to mine.

"I wanted to thank you for earlier."
"Don't thank me, thank Toni."

Sweet Pea nodded his head, scanning the library.

"What are you doing here?"
"Just looking, researching."

He nodded again, his eye's scanning over me. I sighed before looking back up.

"I'm surprised you left your trailer, felt like I haven't seen you in ages."
He scoffed.

"Did I get it wrong?" I asked.