Sweet Pea // Poisonous veins

Chapter Eleven

It was Sunday afternoon and Angelina and Toni were walking through the streets of the town. After Jughead's 'birthday' party had ended, Angelina had called Toni and asked if she wanted to stay over. They had rolled out of bed and decided to cruise around, on the look out to buy some new clothes. 

Shopping in the Southside of Riverdale was completely different than on the Northside. Here there weren't so many shops or boutiques. Angelina had only gone to the Northside a few times, to order a burger at Pop's with her family or to sniffle around the library, yet that was enough to clearly see the difference. 

The absence of decent clothing shops  - amongst other things - were another huge difference that Angelina had noticed between this life and her previous one. There was an abundance of everything in New York; public transport, cafes, shopping malls, entertainment and the list goes on and on. It was at moments like these that Angelina missed her old life. She missed the densely populated neighborhoods, she missed how easy and comfortable it was when she went out with her friends. In the Southside, teenagers had a lack of things to do which was probably a big reason for them to join the Southside Serpents. What else were they supposed to do?

Angelina had of course heard of the upcoming development called SoDale. It was the project that Archie's father worked on in order of the Lodges. The Lodges wanted to create commercial space, which included a shopping center, a multiplex cinema as well as public parks and modern condos. On one hand, Angelina found it quite exciting that they wanted to create more life and activities in this part of town, but on the other hand, she felt angry. SoDale was the reason why the Twilight Drive-In was demolished. This caused Jughead to lose his temporary home. 

Angelina was so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that Toni wasn't walking beside her anymore. Angelina looked around confused as to where Toni went. "Hey, in here!" Angelina looked over her shoulder and saw Toni standing in the doorway of a tattoo parlor. 

Curiously Angelina went inside and studied the space. A man stood behind the counter, busy making a drawing while another man was tattooing a girl laying on her back. Both men were completely covered in tattoos and Angelina noticed the Serpents tattoo, indicating they were a member of the Southside gang. "She's in the back." The man at the counter said uninterestedly without looking up. Confused Angelina raised an eyebrow as she didn't know who the man was talking about. "We're not here for her." Toni responded. "I'm here for a new tattoo." 

Moments later Toni sat down in a chair while the man was preparing his gear. Angelina flipped through a magazine full of tattoo ideas. If she ever came home with a tattoo, her mom would go insane. Her mom had nothing against piercings but had a strong dislike for tattoos. Angelina never understood why since her mom had tattoos of her own. 

Toni decided on a tattoo of the word 'Familia' and wanted it on the side of her left arm. Angelina wondered what it would feel like to have the stabbing little needle tapping rapidly into her skin. She shivered and got her phone out of her pocket and started texting Malachai. 

"So, who are we texting?" Toni asked while keeping her gaze on the man's hands. "No one special." Angelina replied. "Don't lie to me, I know you're seeing someone." Angelina immediately looked up from her screen and felt her heart beat faster. "Is it someone you're not supposed to?" Toni asked. Shit, how did she find out? Angelina hesitated to answer. "Is it someone from the Ghoulies?" When Angelina didn't reply Toni's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "Please, don't tell me it's a Ghoulie. Who?" Angelina shrugged. "It's not a Ghoulie." Toni obviously didn't believe her. "Who?" She demanded. Angelina looked down at her lap and started fiddling with her fingers. "I'll tell you in private." She whispered, feeling like a child being caught stealing candy.