Adoration || Sweet Pea [2] [DISCONTINUED]

||TWENTY-ONE - PROTECTION||

Jayda's POV

I slid the Glamoré Egg across the table, over to Veronica and Reggie.

"Well done, Hermosa." Veronica praises me, picking up the egg.

"It cost me one of my best friends to get that ugly thing back." I inform her. "So make sure you put it to good use."

"Oh, don't you worry, I shall." Veronica replies. "And in the meantime, you and the Serpents have your first assignment."

"You ever hear of the Gargoyle Gang?" Reggie asks me.

"Oh, believe me, I've heard about it a lot." I respond, without hesitation.

-----

Later that same evening, I was still sitting in Pop's in that same booth. I was going over the night's events, and that two of my best friends were no longer in the gang.

I heard the Pop's bell ring, then someone slide into the booth opposite me. I had my head on the table, so I didn't see who it was, until they spoke.

"Jay, are you okay?" He asks. I look up, and see my boyfriend sitting there.

"I guess." I shrug.

"Why did you kick Toni out of the gang?" He asks me, and I sigh.

"I didn't want to, believe me, but I had to. She needed to learn a lesson that she shouldn't just follow her girlfriend around." I explain. "Ever since she started dating Cheryl, she's been acting different, and I know that you've noticed it too."

"What are you going to do about Fangs?" He asks after. I sigh again, and fold my arms over my chest.

"I have one idea." I admit. "But, I'm not sure if it'll work."

"Well, what is it?" Sweet Pea questions.

"We could use the fact that he'd no longer in the gang to our advantage, and his connections to the Gargoyle Gang." I answer. "He could go undercover, which would mean we had direct access to the gang, and can find out who the Gargoyle King is."

Sweet Pea smiles at me, his cute smile which I absolutely love.

"I think that's the most amazing idea you've ever had." He compliments, making me blush slightly.

"What about my idea when we were in middle school?" I ask. "With the matches?"

"You mean the one that got us arrested, and set the school on fire?" He questions. I nod. "It wasn't really one of your good ideas." We both chuckle at the memory.

"Let's not do that again. I think my dad would kill me if I get arrested again." I say. "You guys went along with it though."

"I don't know about Toni and Fangs. But, I only did it because I was desperately in love with you at the time--" He cuts himself off, and his eyes go wide at the thing he just admitted.

"You were in love with me, when we were 12?" I question, surprised myself.

"Since, like, 4th grade." He admits, not looking at me in the eye.

"So, you've been in love with me, for 8 years?" I question, looking down at the table, then up at him.

"Yeah." He nods, then finally looks at me. "And, I'm still in love with you now."

"Good, because otherwise I would have to dump you." I tell him, and he laughs softly.

"Please don't." He says.

"Don't worry, because I'm in love with you too." I sigh, and he frowns at me.

"You say it like it's a bad thing." He says.

"Well, there are some bad things about it, like your incredible amount of jealousy." I respond, and he looks down. "But, I still love you."

He looks up, and kisses me over the table.

-----

The following morning, I sat with Jughead and Dad in our kitchen.

"What about this deal with the Lodges?" Dad asks me.

"It's with Veronica, it's not with the Lodges." I tell him.

"Oh. She's still a Lodge, Jay. Don't you ever forget it." Dad says.

"You know, I recall us both working for the Lodges before." I say. Dad turns around to face me, and Jughead looks at us both with a surprised look on his face. "Does trashing the Drive-In ring any bells?"

"I told you not to mention that ever again, especially to your brother." Dad snaps, and I raise my hands up in defeat.

"Sorry." I say.

"Now, I want you to be a better leader than I was, make us players instead of pawns." Dad responds.

"That's what I'm trying to do, Dad." I sigh.

"Put me in." Dad demands. "I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines. I'm not made for it."

"Okay." I smile.

So, later that day, we sat in the back of the delivery truck that Reggie was driving, which supposedly had cargo in it.

However, all that the Gargoyles will see when they open the back, would be a bunch of Serpents ready to ambush them.

We felt the car stop, and waited for the back to open.

"Trash the cargo. All of it." The Gargoyle leader, I presume, says.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Reggie warns. As soon as the curtains open, the Gargoyle is met with the bottom of my boot into his face.

He stumbles backwards, and we all jump out the back of the truck.

"Come on! It's an ambush!" One of them yells, and they start running.

"Get them." I shout. Some of the Serpents run after them, while others stay with me.

"I tried to tell you." Reggie reminds the Gargoyle on the floor.

"Pick him up." I instruct. Sweet Pea and Dad grab each of the teenager's arms, holding a tight grip so he doesn't run away.

"I want you to go back to your Gargoyle King, or your Man in Black, or Hiram Lodge, and I want you to tell them that Veronica Lodge is now under the protection of the Serpents, and that Riverdale has not fallen." I say to the masked Gargoyle. "Now go."

I shove him backwards so he starts running away from us.

-----

That night, I stood with Jughead, Dad, Sweet Pea, and most importantly Fangs in Fox Forest.

"Fangs, I need your help." I say. "You know I didn't want to kick you out the gang, and we've agreed to give you another shot."

"What are you thinking?" Fangs asks me.

"I want you to go undercover. Join the Gargoyle Gang. We need a man on the inside if Hiram Lodge's drug operation so we can take him down." I explain to him. "Are you in?"

Fangs quickly glanced around at everyone in the group around him, before turning back to me.

"It would be an honour, Jay." He answers.