*****
"Hey babe, where were you?" Sweet Pea asked approaching me with Fangs and Toni.
I got off my bike and sighed. "I was making a deal with the devil." I said rolling my eyes.
"Jughead said y'all went to see Malachai. What deal could you have possibly made with him." Toni says with a nervous look.
"Well." I said taking a deep breath knowing that Sweet Pea wouldn't like such deal. "I challenged him to a race. If we win, the Ghoulies back down and they stop dealing in the Southside." I said looking between Fangs and Toni.
"What if they win?" Fangs asked looking at me with a worried face.
"If they win..." I said looking between Fangs and Sweet Pea. "They can continue polluting the Southside, they take the Whyte Wyrm as well as the Trailer Park, and a date with Malachai." I said looking down from Sweet Pea.
"Adalynn you can't be serious." Toni said as she looed between Sweet Pea and I.
"Was that date really necessary for the deal." Sweet Pea said shaking his head.
"Look guys I said I would do anything to protect the Serpents. This is the least I can do." I said putting my hands inside my pocket.
"Come on guys." Fangs said putting a smile on his face. He walked over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Besides we all know that Adalynn is a beast when it comes to street racing." Fangs said shaking me a bit.
I walked over to Sweet Pea and lifted his chin so I could meet his eyes. "Talk to me Sweets." I said with a small smile.
"Fine..." He says rolling his eyes and sighing afterwards.
"I just hope this don't end badly." Toni said looking between Sweet Pea and I.
"All right!" Tall Boy yelled out to everyone while clapping. "Let's do this!" He yelled once again.
Everyone begun cheering and clapping. I was leaning against the hood of Reggie's car which he peacefully let us borrow for this race. Beside me stood Sweet Pea being very protective since Malachai wasn't far away.
I looked over to Malachai and he sent a kiss my way with a smirk. I just rolled my eyes and smiled over at Sweet Pea, standing beside me.
"I really don't like this race." He said grabbing my waist.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and went up for a peck. "I love you, Sweets. Only you." I said before giving him another peck.
"Go on, race is about to start. I'll be over there with Toni and Fangs." He said twirling me towards the car. I giggled and had a quick glance at Malachai, he seemed filled with rage. Therefore to tease him I did a nice walk towards my brother.
"Adalynn, remember, don't ride the clutch, and don't let it slip between gear shifts." Betty tells me from in front of my brother.
"Got it." I said nodding and tapping my brother's shoulder. "Let's motor." I told him walking towards the drivers side.
"You're an enigma, Cooper." I hear my brother tell Betty before we both got to each side of the car.
"Let's do it." I hear Tall Boy yell out again.
All begin cheering once again. I look out to wear Sweet Pea and Toni stood by the bikes. They both cheered and clapped but Sweet Pea looked a little uneased. I sent him a smile and nodded which made him send me a smile back.
I then turned at Malachai walking towards his car. He sent me a wink and flirtaous smile. I just faked a smile and got inside of the car with my brother.
"Get these cars up on the road." Tall Boy says tapping the hood of both cars.
I started the car and took a deep breath. I drove the car up to the starting point and got out. I walked over to where Malachai stood. He extended his hand out and I rolled my eyes but shook it.
"Race over Herk Harvey Bridge to Dead Man's curve, first one back wins." I said letting go of his hand.
"Sure thing gorgeous." He said with a smirk.
I just rolled my eyes and walked back over to the car.
"Uh, I usually do the honors." I hear Toni tell Cheryl.
"Just let her be Toni." I tell her with a small smile and shaking my head.
She put up her hands in surrender and steps away.
"I was born for this moment." Cheryl says walking over to the front of the two cars.
I got back in the car and looked over at my brother. He sent me a nod and I sent it back with a smile.
"You got this Aurora." He tells me taking a hold of my hand.
I nod and placed both of my hands on the steering wheel. I begun revving the engine and looked over at Malachai. That smirk he had the whole day was finally off. He looked over at me and I could see nothing but a serious expression on his. Malachai out of all people knew my passion behind the wheel. Two years ago me and him would race with his collective cars and I'd always win, today wouldn't be a difference.
"Engines warm and ready, racers." Cheryl said from between us.
I revved the engine in response and so did Malachai. I had one more glance at my brother before I looked back over at Cheryl. The only thing I could pay attention to was that bright red flagger she had. Cheryl brought her arms and after a second brought the flagger down.
With no hesitation I took off with Malachai right beside me. I shifted gears and I felt nothing but a touch of passion every time. I felt a huge smile be placed on my face. Racing was one thing I loved, and knowing now that racing would be the savior for the Serpents, made me even happier.
I turned back through the rear mirror and saw how Malachai was starting to be left behind. I shifter the gear and accelerated but Malachai being Malachai wasn't accepting the fact that I was beating him so he bumped the back side of the car.
"Woah. Woah." Jughead said from beside me gripping the car door as the car swerved.
"Things don't change, what a cheater." I said before quickly controlling the car but Malachai quickly used that in his advantage and raced to be head to head with me. I looked over at him and he once again had that smirk on his face.
He accelerated and got up in front of me for just a small amount. I also accelerated and once again was head to head with him.
"Aurora, we're coming up to the bridge." Jughead said shaking up a bit.
"I know, I got this." I said changing gears and accelerating to be in front of Malachai.
"It's too narrow for both of us, Aurora." Jughead added sounding much worried.
"I know, that is why I'll beat him." I said once again changing gears and accelerating even more.
"Aurora, we should abort." Jughead quickly said looking over at the red collective car accelerating beside us.
"And let them win?" I said eyeing my brother. I shook my head placed my eyes back on the road. "The Serpents are joining the Ghoulies over my dead body, Jughead!" I said with my voice raised at Jughead. With that being said I accelerated and the bridge came into vision.
"I'm sorry, Aurora, but I am not down for those terms." I hear my brother said.
"What?" I lowly asked confused. Right before we go on the bridge I hear Jughead pull the hand brake. The car swerved and tires started screeching. The car turned and quickly came to a stop. I looked out of the window and saw how Malachai had continued and won the race.
I quickly got out of the car and looked in the direction of the end of the bridge. I grabbed my brother by his Serpent jacket and started shaking him.
"Why would you do that?" I said shaking him uncontrollably.
He quickly grabbed my face and made me stop. "Trust me, Adalynn, you're gonna thank me for this." He said calming me down and getting me to stop shaking him.
Suddenly, police sirens started wailing at a short distance. I quickly turned and rushed towards the end of the bridge to Dead Man's curve.
"Aurora, stop! Aurora!" I hear my brother calling out and running behind me. Although I continued running. "Aurora!" My brother kept screaming behind me. "Aurora!" He once again called out before I saw the red collective car stopped in the middle of the road in front where police cars and Sheriff Keller at head.
I felt my brother tap my arm and pulled me back. "Come on. Aurora. We gotta go." He said pulling me back.
I quickly ran back to the car and got in. We drove back to the starting point where everyone awaited. I pulled into the driveway and quickly parked the car. I saw Tall Boy arguing with Sweet Pea so I quickly got out of the car.
"Come on, come on." I quickly said getting the attention of everyone. "We gotta go, right now." I said making my way towards Sweet Pea.
"You called the cops?" Tall Boy yelled passing towards me with nothing but rage. "You won't throw in with the Ghoulies, but you will with the cops?" Tall Boy said getting up in my face. "Where's the honor in that?" He added glaring me in the eyes.
"Calm down, Tall Boy." I said putting my hand in front of me to push him away from me. "You think I knew Keller was going to be there?" I said yelling back in his face.
I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder pulling me back. "We called Keller." Archie said making me face him and Jughead.
I turned my full attention to Archie and Jughead. "What the hell is wrong with you two." I said pushing each one of them. "Did my dad tell you about this?" I said out loud shaking my head looking straight at him and Jughead.
"No, this was my idea." Archie said putting his hands in his pocket.
"Our idea, to get rid of the Ghoulies, and it worked." Jughead says from beside him. "They get arrested for street racing, and now they're off the chessboard." Jughead adds looking me in the eyes.
"For how long? One month? Three months?" I quickly said loud looking between both, Archie and Jughead. "You know what they're gonna want on the other side?" I said looking between them both. "Your heads" I said pushing both of them, "On a stake!" I added before storming off to Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs. "All of ours!" I added storming away.
I quickly hopped on Sweet Pea's bike and we headed out. Right after we left out, police troopers started pulling in arresting all remaining Ghoulies in the lot.
"Hey Toni." I said sighing and walking to meet her in the hallway.
"Hey." She says joining me with a sigh. "Have you heard from your brother?" She asked me as we walked down the hallway.
"There he goes." I said rolling my eyes at the sight of my brother coming up to me and Toni.
"I'm sorry Aurora." Is the first thing he says to me once he gets to me and Toni.
"It's whatever now Jughead." I said shaking my head and patting his arm.
"Some Serpents aren't happy." Toni tells us shaking her head slowly.
"Well what do the others say?" I question as we three begin walking down the hallway.
"Some people give you props for challenging Malachai to a race and beating him, others hate that you cut a deal with Keller because it puts us in bed with the pigs." Toni says looking between Jughead and I.
"I didn't cut a deal with Keller, that was all this dummy and Archie." I said slapping Jughead's beanie.
"Hey." Jughead says rolling his eyes and fixing his beanie.
"Yeah, I know that and you two know that but some of them don't. They think you cut that deal to get revenge on Malachai for what happened two years ago." Toni said looking towards the ground.
"That's no where near true. I've moved on from what happened." I said rolling my eyes at the thought of what happened.
Suddenly we hear indistinct police chatter and radios coming from the corner of the hallway.
"Oh, no. Is this another raid?" Jughead said turning towards the corner where the two deputies walked and grabbed my arm with his hand.
I sighed and shrugged out of his grip. "Oh, Juggy." I said tilting my head in the direction of the deputies.
"Didn't you hear?" Toni says from beside us.
I get sight of Mr. Philips and I shake my head moving in closer to Jughead to be out of the way of the deputies.
"They caught the Sugar Man." I said faking a laugh as I saw how Mr. Philips was being taken out of the school in handcuffs. Being led by two deputies and held by Sheriff Keller.
I turned over to my brother and he had a complete shook expression on his face. I chuckled a bit and tapped his shoulder.
"Everything comes to be known here in the Southside. It's just a matter of time Jughead." I said faking a smile to him.