Sunshine (Sweet Pea Fanfic)

Chapter 6

"YES!" I scream as the ax hits the target dead center. 

"I am just too good, Sweet Pea." I brag, "You might as well just give up."

Suddenly Toni barges into the bar, with Jughead Jones trailing behind her. I take that moment to sit back down at the table and take a bite of one of my fries. 

Toni turns around to face Jughead, "You still shouldn't have published all that."

"Listen I didn't know so many people on the North side would react like that." Jughead begged. For the first time in forever, it looked like Toni knocked him off his high horse.

"You really don't get why it is so terrible, do you?" Toni explains. "My grandfather trusted me, and you betrayed us both. It could get very dangerous for him in this town now, Jug."

"Who knew the North side would take it like that?" Jughead questions, seemingly trying to grasp at strands of Toni's empathy. They drew attention, Tonée using it to bring me my burger. Obviously she just wanted to overhear the conversation, but I wasn't judging. 

"Uh, you would." I scoff. "It's not like you hang out with the most pretentious people of the North side or anything."

Jughead whips his head around, an evident expression of shock at my presence in the Whyte Wyrm. 

"She isn't lying there." Sweet Pea adds, stealing a fry off my plate. 

"What the hell are you even doing here, Demon Spawn." Jughead spat. "You're opinion is invalid, your best friend is the richest girl in Riverdale."

"He isn't lying there." Sweet Pea chuckles, watching my eyebrows scrunch together in frustration. 

"Sweet Pea," I caution. He simply responds with raising his hands up in surrender and grabbing our drinks to get refills back at the bar. 

"Don't deflect, Jughead." Toni warns, "You can't make it right."

"Why don't we protest Picken's Day then?" Jughead offers, trying to mend whatever the hell he did wrong this time. "The Serpents can protest it. We can duct tape our mouths shut, it can be peaceful."

I sit silently at the table as Sweet Pea returns, taking a seat beside me. Toni looks like she is heavily contemplating his suggestion. 

"It could work," She offers. 

"See? We can do this!" He exclaims, "I'm going to go find Fangs."

Jughead rushes out of the door, leaving a distressed Toni behind.

"What did Beanie Boy do this time?" I ask, looking from Toni to Sweet Pea. Toni and Sweet Pea seemed to be having an unspoken conversation.

"Jug posted a story about my grandfathers tribe getting slaughtered by Pickens." She sighs, making her way to our table and grabbing a seat. "I just don't know why he would write about details my grandfather explicitly said not to."

"You're telling me," I reply, dunking a fry in ketchup. "Some journalist at the Riverdale Register back in the day wrote about Pop owning a restaurant on the North side without Pop's consent and some white supremacists burned it down before opening day. He had to find the restaurant he has now, between the North and South side to open."

There was an empty silence, both Sweet Pea and Toni looked entirely shocked.

"Did I say something wrong?" I ask, suddenly becoming self conscious. Maybe I said too much? Did I do that thing where I made it about me instead of Toni? 

"No, no." Sweet Pea clarifies. "I just don't think I've ever heard that happening to Pop before."

"Neither have I." Toni emphasized, looking over at Sweet Pea with concern. 

"My mom told me the Register never reported on anything like that back then." I continued, feeling better that I wasn't overstepping any boundaries. 

"So the newspaper reported about Pop opening his restaurant but not it burning down?" Sweet Pea clarifies, the only indication of his emotion being his jaw tightening afterwards. It seemed like a common expression with Sweet Pea. It was either indifference or anger. I've maybe gotten a couple smirks out of him so far but indifference or anger seemed to be Sweet Pea's default settings. 

"It's the type of history that doesn't get reported in books, just passed down generations." Toni comments with a knowing look. "I know how that is."

"Sorry about your grandfather," I empathize, "It took a lot of courage for him to tell that story to somebody new, no doubt. I'm sorry Jones betrayed your trust like that."

"He's new here." Toni excuses.

"Meaning he's FP's son so he gets a pass this time, and Toni is way too nice." Sweet Pea finished. "If he does that shit again it's fair game, family be damned."

Toni and I burst into laughter. Sweet Pea glances back to me, blushing profusely. 

"Aw look, Sweet Pea has a crush." Toni teases, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. I sit in my chair uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to that. 

"Toni," Sweet Pea warns. 

Toni rolls her eyes in response, "Okay I'll stop insinuating you have any feelings for a girl you've been staring at since you first saw her in Riverdale High."

"Oh my God." Sweet Pea groaned, hiding his face in his hands. 

"Anyways, Jessica you should totally come to the Serpent's bonfire this Friday." Toni encourages. "It'd count as that event Ms. Cisneros talked about."

"Wouldn't that be weird?" I question. "Jughead probably wouldn't want me there."

Sweet Pea scoffs, his face still hidden in his hands.

"Please, Jughead is probably going to be hanging out with Betty on Friday anyways." Toni comments. "Plus I've invited Cheryl too. It'd be nice to have you around."

I don't know if it was because I've been sitting in this smokey bar all day, but I said I'd go. Toni left soon after, something about Jughead wanting to go over details of the protest with her and Fangs. 

"I should probably get going." I comment, watching Sweet Pea finish off his burger.

"You didn't even eat your burger, though." 

"I'm not really hungry." I assured, pushing the take out box with the burger towards him. 

"Suit yourself," He shrugged, picking up the box before standing. "You ready?"

"Yeah, one second." I fish a couple fives out of my backpack, leaving them on the table for Tonée. Sweet Pea looks at me confused. 

"What? I know the struggle." I defend. I walk off towards the entrance, but not before I heard Sweet Pea comment "huh."

Once we got on his bike, we were back at Pop's house in the North side before I knew it. The same old, small white house with red shutters stared back at me. The grass was freshly mowed, with clumps of grass littering the driveway. The same two old wooden chairs sat on the front porch and I could faintly hear Pop's music from the inside. 

"Thanks for today, for saving me from telling off Veronica Lodge." I sigh, getting off of his bike. "I know you probably didn't expect this to happen."

"Not expected, but not entirely terrible." He grins back.  "I was serious about that alliance though. We could all work together."

"I would have to talk to Pop." I dismiss, playing with the strap of my backpack. 

"No pressure," he promised. "See you this Friday at the bonfire? I can pick you up at 8."

A faint smile teases its way to my lips. "Yeah I'd like that."

On that note, Sweet Pea nodded and rode away. I rushed through the front door, leaning my back against the door as it closed. Yeah I'd like that? "I am so freaking stupid."

"I'd say." Cheryl sassed, popping a grape in her mouth and assessing me.