diamond //sweet pea//

//twenty//

"Who do you think took it?" Dallas asked, head bent over a notebook and textbook. 

"Took what?" Sweets scratched at his own notebook, only half listening to whatever his girlfriend was talking about. 

Dallas sat back on the couch from her spot on the carpet and put down her pencil. She tucked in her knees and huffed. He wasn't listening. She knew that. Truthfully she didn't want to bother him. Ever since the move to Riverdale High, he'd been interested in school. He was doing homework, acing tests and overall being a good student. Dallas theorized that the stuff on the Southside had been too easy for him, because he had been transferred to her pre-calc class and her advanced English class. He was brilliant. Not that she thought otherwise, but at least now it showed on paper. 

"Picken's head? Forget about that already did you?" She crawled over to where he was, still working out the last few math problems. 

He sighed and set his pencil next to hers. "No, I didn't forget." He mumbled something under his breath, something about a notice but Dallas didn't catch it. 

"You seem stressed. Why don't we go to the Wyrm tomorrow and put the homework off until the weekend. Hmm?" she asked sliding into the vacant spot next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

"Sure. But if I don't finish that essay I'm blaming you."

_____________________________

Dallas parked the car right outside the trailer and dashed inside. A quick trip inside to change before heading off to the Wyrm for the night. She ran through the door almost missing the note taped to the door. She back tracked and ripped off the tape. EVICTION NOTICE was spelled out in very clear block letters. Her stomach churned. She ran down the porch and noticed that several other trailers had the same letter. She stormed inside and flung open every drawer she could get her hands on. When she found nothing she tore through the bedroom and buried under the bed were three other notes, all with the same warning. 

Bingo. It was now very clear why Sweet Pea had been so stressed. He was dealing with this alone, and lying to her about it. Dallas grabbed a handful of the notices and jammed them in her jacket pocket. She  hurried to her car but decided that her adrenaline alone would get her to the Wyrm. She sped walked the entire way there, pulling the jacket tighter and tighter around her. She was blind with fury when she entered the old bar, coincidentally it seemed everyone else was mad. 

She saw her dad in the center of the room holding up a piece of paper, identical to the ones she had stuffed in her pockets. Dallas squeezed through the crowd, people moving when they recognized her. It seemed everyone was receiving the evictions, and it was Hiram Lodges doing. 

"We all got the eviction notices, but I swear to you no one is goin anywhere. But the heat's been on us since Picken's Day and they're using that damn statue as an excuse to turn it up. But if we're gonna fix this, I gotta ask; Is anyone in this room responsible for cutting off Pickens' head?" FP asked the restless crowd. Dallas stayed back, just out of sight. 

"Why don't you ask your son what he has to say?" Tall Boy questioned taking a step toward Jughead. 

"What is your problem with me Tall Boy?"Jughead asked, spite lacing his words. 

"You wrote the article that started this mess! You and your posse fired the opening shot at Pickens Day!" Tall Boy spit. 

Dallas took this as her opportunity to step forward, pushing past a blonde woman who wore dark sunglasses, even in the darkened bar. 

"It was a peaceful protest Turncoat," Dallas snapped. 

"That accomplished nothing! So whats to say that you and your brother didn't go back that night with a ladder and hacksaw." Tall Boy's eyes were mean and his bark shook Dallas' core.