DESPERADO | SWEET PEA [2]

8

 After going to visit Joaquin in Juvie, only to be told he wasn't allowed visitors, Izzy was fuming with anger. As she arrived at FP's trailer on her motorcycle, she immediately dialed Sweet Pea's numerous, only to have her phone die while it was in the middle of ringing.

 She sighed in frustration before turning off her bike. She walked into the trailer and headed for the bedroom, where Izzy's phone charger was plugged into the wall on the side of the bed. She turned the knob to the door and entered, only to gasp in shock when she saw FP and her mother in bed, a single thin sheet covering their bare bodies.

 "Oh, my God! My poor eyes!" Izzy gasped out, quickly covering her eyes as she walked over to where her charger was plugged in, "I just need to get my charger and I'll be out of your hair."

 As she walked toward her charger, Izzy ended up bumping into the hamper, causing her to knock it over, "Oh, damn it!" She cursed under her breath, quickly pulling her charger out of the wall before walking back over to the door, not even bothering to pick up the knocked over hamper. She didn't want to spend more time in that room than she needed to.

 FP and Alice were shocked, not uttering a single word to Izzy after they had been caught by their daughter. Before leaving, Izzy peeked her head back in the bedroom, still closing her eyes, "Just so you know, your secret's safe with me." She reminded them before leaving the room and the trailer.

_____

  After Izzy had interrupted the two, FP and Alice decided to get dressed before going their separate ways. Before leaving, Alice let out a small sigh turning to FP, "You should know, FP, Izzy needs to be back living with me. I've let it side for almost a week, but she needs to come home and quit her temper tantrum. She'll listen to you, tell her to come back home." Alice insisted and FP shook his head in disagreement.

"It's Izzy choice. She'll be turning eighteen in less than four months. If she wants to live with me, that's fine. After all, I am her father." FP argued with her.

"And I'm her legal guardian and mother." Alice argued back, "She should be living with me."

 Before FP could snap back, Alice left the trailer, slamming the door as she did so. FP sighed before turning away from the door, walking back toward his room.

______

Now that Veronica owned Pop's, she had opened up a club-like area in the basement of the local diner. After being asked to help Veronica get everything for opening the night, Izzy and Reggie walked down the stairs and toward Veronica with boxes in their hands, "These were sitting upstairs for you," Reggie informed Veronica as he and Izzy set the boxes down on a nearby table.

"Hopefully it's the last of the deliveries," Izzy commented as she rubbed her arm with her hand, "My arms are starting to hurt."

"Excellent," Veronica smiled at the two teenagers as she took one of the boxes from them and brought it over to where she was formerly standing, "Thank you, Izabella. Thank you, Reginald."

"Please," Izzy pleaded, holding up her hand, "Don't ever call me that again."

"Will do," Veronica replied with a smile on her face, only to have it fade when she opened one of the boxes to find it filled with a large stash of Jingle Jangle, "Wait, what the hell?"

 Reggie's mouth gaped in shock when he saw what filled Veronica's box. Izzy frowned, furrowing her eyebrows in concern.

  Both Reggie and Izzy shared a worried glance with each other before opening the boxes in front of them, which they found to also be filled with Jingle Jangle, "Dude," Reggie spoke up as he lifted up a handful of Jingle Jangle to show Veronica, his eyes wide, "This is a serious stash of Jingle Jangle."

"Yes, but it's not mine." Veronica argued defensively, "I don't know how--"

"Fucking Ghoulies! Are you kidding--" Izzy began to complain, only to be cut off by the phone rang.

The three teenagers all turned to look at the phone, all of them looking nervous. As Reggie and Veronica shared yet another glance, Izzy sighed, "Well, is somebody going to get the phone or are we just going to let it ring?" She asked annoyed, breaking the silence amongst the group.

Listening to what Izzy had to say, Veronica rushed over to the phone and answered it, "Hey, Pop. What's up?" She asked concerned, "Sheriff Minetta's upstairs?"

Both Izzy and Reggie turned to each other worriedly, knowing neither of them could get caught with the drug, both for different reasons. Veronica covered the phone with her hand as she began to speak to Reggie and Izzy, "We've been set up." She whispered to them.

"I can't get caught with this stuff!" Reggie whispered shouted to Veronica, "My mom would kill me!"

"Neither can I!" Izzy added in a harsh tone, "I'm on probation, I could get sent to actual prison for up to ten years."

"Um, tell them I'll be right up." Veronica told Pop on the phone before hanging up and turning to Izzy and Reggie, "I'll stall, but both of you, get rid of it. Now."

 Once Veronica went upstairs, Reggie and Izzy were quick to pick up the boxes. As Reggie did so, he ended up dropping the straws of death all over the floor, "Shit!" He cursed. 

 Izzy sighed, kneeling next to him as she took off her backpack and opened it up, "Put them in here." She insisted and Reggie hesitantly listened. 

 The duo packed all of the jingle jangle inside Izzy's back just in time. Reggie and Izzy walked behind the bar counter before Izzy placed the straps of her bag on her shoulders.

 Sheriff Minetta came down with Veronica soon after, "Sup, Sheriff." Reggie and Izzy greeted their least favorite sheriff in unison.

Looking down at the boxes on the table, Sheriff Minetta seemed a bit confused when he saw them filled with napkins, "Looking for something in particular?" Veronica asked him curiously.

 Sheriff Minetta sighed, placing the napkins back in the box, "Anything illegal." He replied in a calm tone, turning to face Veronica, "Also, I'm collecting donations." He informed Veronica, who seemed a bit confused.

"Donations?" Veronica asked, a confused look on her face.

"That's right." Minetta confirmed, "For Riverdale's underfunded Sheriff's department."

"Hmm." Veronica hummed in response, "I see. So this isn't a shakedown?"

 Turning back to face Veronica before leaving, Sheriff Minetta spoke up once more about the donations, "You can make the donation in cash. I'll come back to collect after your opening event. Break a leg."

As Minetta left, Reggie couldn't help but do a mock salute, causing Izzy to shake her head, trying her hardest to let out a small laugh because it was a horrible time to do so, "How much do you want to bet those drugs were a present from Penny Peabody?" Veronica commented as she scoffed, "This is ridiculous. First the Ghoulies, then Sheriff Minetta."

"Do you think it's a coincidence they both work for your dad?" Reggie questioned curiously.

"Of course not, Reggie," Veronica replied, "My father's clearly trying to bait me into some kind of confrontation, but I'm not going there. At least not until I'm properly armed."

"Well, if you're looking for a partner in crime..." Izzy trailed off, causing Veronica to instantly look up, hoping that Izzy would agree to partner up with her to shut this whole thing down, "I say go for Toni and Cheryl. They're the next best thing because I'm off to my mission of figuring out what the hell goes down in this farm cult my mother is in."

As Izzy began to walk away, Reggie spoke up, "Good luck, Blake! You'll probably need it." He commented.

Izzy smiled, turning to face Reggie, "You're right, Mantle, I will." She replied before finally leaving.

AN: I'm sad there's little no Izzy and Sweet Pea scenes this chapter. Also, I'm doing one more chapter for 3x04 and then I think I may do a few chapters for the flashback episode. And I will add Izzy's adopted parents, who were friends with Alice and FP during high school.