This is my favourite chapter so far 😍
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Chapter Fourteen
Sweet Pea walked out of the house, his eyes tired and his hair messy. He had immediately woken up and had a cup of coffee then stolen some of the mint gum Fangs was obsessed with. Then he realized that both Jughead and Talia weren't there. He assumed Jug took her home, then saw him standing outside. He walked over to Jughead, standing by him as he stared down the road.
"So, just curious, but what the hell are you looking at, Jones?"
"She left," he said quietly.
"What?" Sweet Pea said, his eyes widening a little. "You mean Talia?"
He nodded. "She... She doesn't think she's good enough for us. What if she doesn't come back?"
"What do you mean, she doesn't think she's good enough?" he asked, his tone harsh.
He instantly felt anger forming in him. Who the fuck said that?
"It's Lydia," Jughead said, rubbing his hands over his face. "She said that she wasn't good enough for Lydia to decide to stay; in Lydia's mind, Talia wasn't worth it to stay alive."
They were both quiet for a while, before Jughead turned and walked to his bike.
"I'm gonna go after her," he said. "She's in a rough place right now."
"No," Sweet Pea said, stopping him in his tracks. "I'll go. You mind if I borrow that? Mine's still at the Whyte Wyrm."
Jughead blinked, then shook his head. "Go right ahead."
Sweet Pea took the helmet from Jughead and climbed on, when Jughead called his name again. He turned to Jughead and saw a look on his face that he recognized.
It was that same expression he had given him the night they went looking for Talia. It was an expression of understanding.
"Look after her, okay?" Jughead said. "'Cause if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you."
Sweet Pea smirked. "You can try, Jones," he said, then the smirk faded to a serious face. "I won't hurt her. I swear."
Jughead nodded, grinning wickedly as rain began to fall from the sky and onto the two boys. "Good. Because Toni would kill you twice."
As he rode away, Sweet Pea felt his anger rise once again. He would show her just how valuable she really was.
*
Talia managed to stay calm on the ride home, though her thoughts raced in circles in her head. She gave the taxi driver what he was owed and left the car, bolting to the house. It was pouring rain and she was soaked on the way there. She was surprised that it wasn't snowing, giving the time of year. Christmas was only a month away. Her mother would have killed her if she had seen her dripping all over the carpet, but that would have involved her parents actually being home.
They had likely gone to work, having no idea that she wasn't there. They always assumed she was in her room. Even if she hadn't been, they wouldn't have cared.
She had her back against the front door as soon as she had gotten inside before she felt the tears coming to her already aching eyes. She hadn't ever cried that much, but maybe she had to. Maybe it was best to do so after all she had been through the day before.
Talia didn't cry the day that Lydia died. Not until a week later, actually.
She hadn't cried at the funeral. Lydia's mom had called her cold and unfeeling as she sobbed and cried until her eyes were permanently red for days afterwards. Talia didn't even cry at that.
It was as if her mind had assured itself that she would not be alone. She had assured herself that Lydia was still there. It was, most certainly, a form of denial. She was denying that there was something wrong because it was so much easier and much less painful than accepting that her friend was dead and that Talia hadn't been enough to make her stay.
At the time, Talia couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with her. Now she wished nothing more than to be emotionless because that meant she would feel safe again. Emotions made her vulnerable and pain made her weak. That was what she knew, it was what she had always known.
Her heart was racing and her lungs were burning. Her throat ached and her cheeks stung from the tears which had fallen down them. She imagined she looked terrible. She rarely ever wore makeup so that wasn't a concern of hers, but she still would have a red face and bloodshot eyes.
She pulled her knees to her chest and kept on crying, hearing thunder outside her door and the sound of pouring rain on the porch steps.
Her hair dripped and her clothes chafed as they dried. She eventually got up and went to her room, where she changed from her soaking wet clothes and into a pair of sweatpants and an extra Pop's t-shirt she had lying around.
She stayed in her room and cried a little more as she thought of Lydia. She also thought of her friends and what she would do if she didn't have them. Or rather, what she wouldn't do.
She wouldn't have taken any chances without them. She never would have taken any risks. But she wondered if a life without risks, without possibilities, was even a life worth living at all. She needed them.
There was a sudden loud knock at the door. Talia sat up in her bed, contemplating whether or not she should go to the door. Then the knocking became louder, and much more desperate. She went downstairs.
She went downstairs and to the door, feeling her heart racing. She didn't want to talk to anyone but knew that her parents would kill her if it had been someone important and she hadn't let them in.
Talia opened the door, and to her surprise, it wasn't a friend of her parents. It was Sweet Pea who was standing there.
He had clearly been in the rain for a long time, with his hair dripping in his eyes and his clothes soaking wet. At least there was an overhang so he wouldn't get even wetter.
His eyes were narrowed ever so slightly, and his lips were parted.
He took one step forwards, placed his soaked hands on her neck and jawline, and his lips were on hers before she could stop him. The moment she felt it, she didn't want to stop him.
Her eyes closed, and she relaxed into him.
Sweet Pea was a gang member, and he was aggressive and impulsive and willing to fight at any moment. But that fight in him went to his heart as well. It made him want to fight for what he wanted, and that was what he was doing.
He kissed her like she was the only thing giving him life. His right hand went from her neck to her waist, and pulled her closer to him. He wanted to make sure she didn't run so he could tell her what he wanted to say.
He pulled back, but only slightly. His forehead rested on hers for a moment before he spoke.
"I don't know who the hell made you think you weren't but you are good enough. You're more than good enough; you're fucking perfect. Stop thinking anything else and listen to that, okay?"
She didn't say anything, and only felt the tears rushing to her eyes. He wiped them away as they fell, and then her hand was on the back of his neck and she had pulled him down to kiss him again and again.
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Back To Life ✧ Sweet Pea (DISCONTINUED)
Fanfiction"The first time she saw Sweet Pea was the night she pointed a gun in his face." ----- In which the Northsider with a gun didn't know she was dying until he made her feel alive.
