The Other Lodge

Tenacious Ronnie

I wake up and enter the living room. Dad and Ronnie are already here and my sister has a weird smile on the face.

"I've been thinking..." she says.

"Oh boy" comments my dad.

I walk behind him and pat his shoulder understandingly.

"I want a more active role in Lodge Industries." I chock on my orange juice. "I'm a shareholder, am I not?" She smiles.

"That's an honorary title, Veronica." Oh oh dad doesn't approve.

"Let's make a real one, Daddy." She confidently suggests. "I want to get my hands dirty. I wanna be in the room where it happens. Just like Jade."

I look at her disapprovingly.

"Unless there is a reason why I shouldn't get involved. Get a peek behind the curtain?" She looks at both my parents then to me.

"No. None at all. Of course you should be involved!" My dad says.

What the hell dad? No. Absolutely not.

"You're a Lodge after all." He concludes.

That she is. But please don't ruin at youth with that.

"Are you sure V?" I test her.

"Absolutely." She smirks.

Before I can say something else, my phone buzzes.

Sweet Pea 🐍 : First step done. Ghoulies' magic worked. I can handle it now.

I smirk at my phone and leave the Pembrooke.

At school

"Reggie!" I yell at him. "The Red Circle? For real? What does this even mean? Do you want to lose all you have? Football, scholarship....?"

"Okay I know it is insane but we need to defend ourselves Jade! There is a murderer on the loose here and god knows who is next..." he looks at me. "If it's me or even you, I want to be able to kill him before he does."

"Okay, I understand this but there is a sheriff and some very competent people to do that here, don't go kill yourself handsome." I hit his shoulder and he hugs me.

"Such a protective best friend I have here." He chuckles.

"Take care of you Reg, that's all." I say truthfully.

"I will." He kisses my cheek and leaves.

"You guys are cute." Say Cheryl coming from nowhere.

"No we're badass." I smirk.

"Hm" she fakes a deep thinking time "no just two big softies." She chuckles.

"You're lucky you are such a beautiful piece of art, because usually, I would have fight for less than this, baby." I kiss her.

"Such a flirt." She kisses me back. "Anyway did you see my T-shirt?" I look at it.

"What it is? A red circle?" I frown remembering Archie's thing. "Are you into that too?"

"Well actually no but your sister asked me to help her distribute them so I accepted and wore one." She smiles.

"Oh so you're helping my sister now?" I smirk and hold her by the waist.

"Yes!" She puts her arms around my neck. "I am making efforts." She smiles and kisses me.

"That's something I love to hear."

"You know" she says suddenly and stops kissing me "sometimes I wish I wasn't that a bitchy person but..."

"But What Babe?" I smirk.