Joaquin

Chapter 17

The rest of the week went on just about how Mondays did but now some of the teachers wouldn't let me leave to go to the bathroom unless I wanted a tardy.  But some of them realized that there was something wrong with me and let me go.  One teacher even stopped me after the bell rang and asked what's wrong and I told him the same story that I have been telling everybody else.  

It was Jasons funeral this week but I wasn't able to go for obvious reasons but but Betty told me it was eventful.  I wouldn't expect anything less from the Blossom family.  And that Hermoine got hired by Freds construction . But other than that I haven't heard anything else.  

It was Saturday and I was in my bed with an ice pack on my ribs trying to let it rest when I got a call from Archie. "Hello?" i say "Hey Ava listen so my dads construction company isn't doing so good so me Kevin, Moose and Jughead were helping him out yesterday when Moose was attacked and beaten up pretty bad." I was shocked "Oh my god Archie I can't believe that. What can I do?" I ask "Well we think it was a Serpant who did this.  So I was wondering if you would go with us to the bar so Moose and try to identify the people that did this." he says "Archie I don't know if that's such a good idea to accuse them of that .  They are dangerous people and I don't know what will happen if you go in there." I say honestly " I know that's exactly why we need you there.  They know you and we are going with or without you." he says backing me into a corner.  "Fine. But Archie I need you to keep your cool.  Yes I know them well but that doesn't mean that I can protect you if you start running your mouth at the wrong people." I tell him trying to make sure he understands what he is getting into. "I understand Ava" he tells me with a strong voice that made me believe him.  "Okay.  I will meet you at the bar in an hour" I say as I hung up.

Archies POV 

Once I got off the phone with Ava I called Moose and he was on board with going to the bar with me and then I tried to text Jughead but he wasn't picking up.  So I made my way over to Pops where I assumed Jughead would be.  Once I walked into the double doors I saw Jugheads beanie and walked up to him up to "Dude I have been texting you.  Me and Moose are going to the Southside to find those Serpants. you in? I asked "Woah you did not say that it was the serpants who beat Moose up." Betty said looking at Jughead "Because we don't know that for a fact." he says as he looks at me.  " Well it's worth a shot.  Avas practically a part of that gang so she's going to get us into the bar where the Serpants hang out." I say trying to convince him to come.  "Wait Ava is a part of the Southside Serpants?" Veronica asked "Well her dad was one of them but is not anymore but Ava still hangs out with them a lot." I tell Veronica" If Moose spots them then we call Sheriff Keller and have these goons arrested." I stand up and started getting my weatherman jacket on "Archie, going into that bar is a bad idea even with Ava."  he says to me. "Jughead, are you coming with me or not?" I wait for an answer but once I didn't get one I knew " Thanks for having my back."  I say to him pissed as I walked put of Pops and called moose to let him know where to go and started heading towards the bar.

Avas POV 

I  carefully walked down stairs and saw my dad on the couch.  I grabbed my keys and wallet and told him that i'm going to go hangout with Veronica.  He waves me off and I was out the door.  I probably called Fp 12 times trying to tell him what's going on but he never answered.  I tried to call Joaquin but even he didn't answer so I left him a voicemail telling him to go to the bar and I gave him a rundown of what's happening.  I pulled into the bar and saw Archie and Moose walking to my car.  I slowly got out of my car and looked at them "Just play it cool.  And make sure you keep eye contact to a minimum."  I say looking at Moose knowing that he is going to be looking around a lot.  He nodded his head. "And Moose if you see the guys who jumped you we will call the sheriff." I turned back around and held onto the railing as I went up.  Once we got in everybody was staring at me and then Archie and Moose wondering why I brought them here.  I was sitting on the bar and asked a couple people if Fp was here but they didn't know.  I kept on checking my phone waiting for a response for anybody. I saw somebody walk in and I looked to see Joaquin thank God. He scanned the room and saw and started walking my way.  I was about to walk over to him but I look back at Moose and Archie and I see them staring at Mustang and then the next thing I knew they were walking up to go confront him.  I got off the seat as fast as I could but the pain was so great it took me a second and it was too late.  "Hey" Archie says as he grab the guy by the shoulder and turns him around.  "What?  You have a death wish?" Mustang asked  I walked up to Archie "Archie you need to back off." I say to him "What the hell is this Ava?" he asks me  "You like beating up teenagers?" Archie asked "This ain't the first time one of you Bulldogs came in here looking to cause trouble." then Mustang shoved Archie and I tried to get out of the way knowing that with my ribs it would be useless to try to intervene but it was too late because when Archie pushed back and then they both started going at it with one another and before I had time to get out of the way one of their elbows hit my ribs and I immediately hit the ground.  

Everything started getting white because the pain was too great I knew that somebody was above me because my vision was starting to clear and he was looking down wondering what is wrong with me.  I couldn't breathe right so my breathe sounded more like a 90 year old man who lost his voice and is without his oxygen tank. "That's enough Mustang let him go." I hear Fp say.  "Fp get down here it's Ava. " Joaquin says. " I'm fine" I say to him but with my 90 year old voice it doesn't sound too convincing.  I try to get up but Joaquin pushes my shoulders back to where I couldn't.  It was getting harder and harder to breathe and the pain was not going away. "What's wrong with her?" Fp asked no-one in particular. "I don't know, I accidentally elbowed her and then she went down but I didn't think I hit her that hard" Archie told Fp. "Alright let's get her on the pool table." I see Archie and Moose clear off the table and then Joaquin and Fp carefully lifted me up and I screamed then they did it but I instantly regreted it because the screaming also hurt. But once they put me on the pool table Fp came to the side of me "Ava, I need you tell me right now exactly what's wrong." he says with a worried look on his face.   "There's - nothing - wrong - I - just - got - the - air - knocked- out - of - me." I say between breathes because I can only take a couple at a time.  I try to sit up but they both stop me. "Bullshit Ava you need to tell us what happened or it's only going to get worse." Joaquin says while looking at me. "You - guys - don't  - understand" I say "We don't understand what?" Fp asks but I couldn't answer.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" Fp yells. "No!" I say as loud as I can and groaned and held my side. I regreted it as soon as I did it because Fp noticed and lifts my shirt up and revealed all my bruises on my side.  Shit.  I could hear a couple people gasp when they saw it. "Oh my god." Joaquin says when he sees it. "I'm - fine" "I'm - fine" I keep telling Fp trying to convince him even though involuntary tears were running down my face.  I'm trying to convince him to call off the ambulance. "Ava I need you to tell me who did this and I will call off the ambulance." I started crying I can't tell Fp but I sure as hell can't go to the hospital because wheres there is a hospital there are cops.  My dad always told me that if I ever told anybody what he's doing to me he says that I will get a beating unimaginable and I believe him. "Please- don't" I almost whisper to him; I look at Fp and you can see his mind is racing a 100 mph but I knew I had to tell him. I close my eyes unable to look at him while I saw it.  The tears were still rolling down my cheeks as I told him "My dad." I say just barely above a whisper I open my eyes and Fp closes his and puts his head down and is leaning on the pool table.  

Suddenly he leans off the pool table and reaches for a chair and throws it at the wall behind us and the next thing I know he I walking out of the bar.  I try to follow him with my eyes but I couldn't so I try to sit up but Joaquin tries to stop him but I just push him to the side. "Fp you can't " I scream as loud as I can but it doesn't go very far because of my voice I groan in pain as I screamed but I didn't care how bad it hurt.  I look at Joaquin. "you can't let him go." I say sobbing  "Ava look at what your father did to you." He tell me as he points to my ribs. "he can't just get away with this." he says to me but none of them understands whats going to happen to me when he finds out that I told people. "You don't- understand-" I say trying to muster up all the energy I have to tell him "He will-kill me" I tell Joaquin and his eyes gets a little wider and he puts his lips on my head and kisses my forehead.  "Ava I promise I am not going to let anything happen to you" he tells me as he leans back up. I am sorry Joaquin but that isn't going to be enough. I try to get off of the table but Archie and Moose stopped me. "Archie you- have to stop the ambulance. I can't- go to the -hospital." I say crying. 

 I should have known that nobody was going to call of the ambulance but I had to try.  All of a sudden I get this tightening in my chest and I couldn't hardly breathe.  Archie noticed that something was wrong "Ava, what's wrong?" he asks but I couldn't talk they quickly laid my back on the table and I look up at Joaquin " I-I can't breathe."  Joaquin was freaking out "Where the hell is that ambulance?"  my chest left like it was getting tighter by the second.  I looked over to Joaquin and grabbed his hand and looked at him I was beyond worried.