CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It was like any other normal day in Riverdale.
Nothing screams "Everything is normal!" like coming downstairs to find your brother and his girlfriend at the kitchen counter reading the local newspaper with headlines like: People of Riverdale, I have rid this town of the drug-dealing child-killer and others like him. Now, you must choose your fate. The next 48 hours will be a test. And I will be watching you very closely. Show me you are pure of heart, and my work ends. Continue to sin, and I will take up the sword again.
"Cool," I said. "That's basically an open letter telling everyone to stay the fuck home, right? Well guess I'll go unpack then-"
I turned around to head back to my room when Archie says, "Kenna, you're still going to go to school."
I grunted and turned to face Archie. "What if while walking to school I sin and get shot in the chest like dad?"
"I'll walk you to school then," replied Archie.
I pursed my lip and looked at my brother. As sarcastic as I was, I was actually genuinely scared. I've never done anything that sinful but I was still afraid. I've been on edge ever since that day. I've been feeling the same way I did after the shooting, that butterfly in my stomach gut feeling.
"Can I not, Arch?" I asked.
"No," he said flatly.
"Ew you're ugly, Archie."
I accepted defeat and walked to school with my brother and his girlfriend. Not gonna lie though, I did feel safer. Since that day onwards it has just been paranoia to the maximum and that death threat from the Black Hood was not helping.
Even though coming to school was a daily occurrence, it felt foreign to me. I've been hanging out with the Serpents a lot lately, I mean, it was my job but I've also been hanging out with them outside of work. Unlike the friends I had in school whom I only hang out with in school. Every waking moment I spent in school the more I yearned to hang out with the Serpents.
I wasn't able to pay attention in class. Being outside of the comforts of my own home was as if the Black Hood was breathing down my neck. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be around my friends. I wanted to feel safe.
But I had band practice after school so that was a no go. I wasn't exaggerating when I said this school was a shit show. These people were competitive, shallow, no soul. To think these were the same people who condemned the Southside. Please, the Southside is definitely better than these people.
Speak of the devil. There was a repetitive knocking on the door of the band room. I turned my head to find Lzzy waving wildy at me through the small window on the door. I got up and went to the door, excusing myself from the glares of my section mates.
I opened the door and closed it behind me and found myself standing face to face with Lzzy, Sweet Pea and fangs. How did Sweet Pea and Fangs get here? Nevermind that, my saviour was here. "What's up?" I greeted.
Lzzy had her arms folded across her chest, "What's up is you're getting your ass out of here cause' we're going on an adventure." She added a little smile at the end of her sentence.
"Are you suggesting we skip school?" I asked.
Lzzy gave me that look like I was an idiot. "Yes, dummy, or would you rather continue with band practice?"
Obviously fucking not, I would love to get the fuck out of here. "Give me like five minutes," I answered.
"Yes!" They cheered in a hushed tone. "Meet us out back," says Lzzy as they turned to walk out of the school.
I went back into the band room and started dismantling my clarinet and packing it into my case. The section leader persistently asked what I was doing but I ignored him. I'm getting the hell out of here that's what. Surprisingly, no one stopped me. I lunged my clarinet case out the door.
I went 'out back' and found the three of them leaning against their motorcycles. Lzzy took one look at my clarinet case and said, "Nerd."
I scoffed, "Says the drama girl."
Lzzy pulled a cheeky grin and spread her arms out in a dramatic fashion, going into a Shakespeare monologue, "Oh Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?"
I joined in, "Deny thy Father and refuse thy name. And I'll no longer be a Capulet!"
We burst out laughing but Fangs and Sweet Pea didn't understand our inside joke and stared at us silently.
"So where are we going?" I continued to ask.
"It's a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see," she replied, putting on a motorcycle helmet.
Lzzy nodded to Sweet Pea. I turned my head and met eyes with him but quickly darted away. I guess that nod was that I was riding with Sweet Pea because Lzzy was getting onto Fangs' motorcycle.
Sweet Pea handed me a motorcycle helmet which I took but I was still avoiding eye contact with him. I don't know why it was awkward between us. All he did was witness that. . . I didn't want him to feel like I was avoiding him because he was the only person who knew about it. Yet, that was what I was doing.
I reluctantly got onto the motorcycle anyways despite the awkwardness. We drove out of the school zone and towards the road leading out of town and to Greendale. We got off to push the motorcycle off the road when we were at the Sweetwater River bridge. I then followed the three Serpents into the woods (which honestly is starting to sound like murder). They lead me deeper into the woods and we eventually stopped at a body of water.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"A hidden quarry," replied Fangs, "Not many people know about this place. Strip."
"Excuse me?"
"C'mon!" said Lzzy who was already down to her bra and underwear.
I raised a brow. I looked around me and everyone else was also stripping so I did as well. Once I was down to my bare skin, I clambered down the jagged rocks unlike the others who leapt into the quarry.
I couldn't feel the floor of the quarry and was struggling to stay afloat. My head was barely bobbing above the water. Out of fright I exclaimed, "Holy shit it's deep!"
"Here," Sweet Pea quickly came to my aid. He held me by the waist and I gripped onto his shoulders. We were uncomfotably too close to each other. My stomach was pressed against his chest. My face was inches from his and I felt his breath on my skin each time he breathed out. It took me a while to realise that I was staring deeply into his eyes.
I cleared my throat. "Thanks," I said. "Is your feet touching the floor?"
"Yes," he said.
"Huh."
"Woohoo!" Lzzy cheered. She was only a few metres away from us and she was splashing around in the water with Fangs. "Stop exaggerating, Kenna, I'm only slightly taller than you." Her head was fully above the water, her arms moving to keep her afloat.
"Fuck you," I cursed.
"Well come on then pussy!" she swung her arms and splashed water in my face.
I yelped. Water droplets hit my face and touched my lips. It tasted like nothing. Why did I expect it to taste salty?
I turned back to face Sweet Pea. He was laughing at my demise. I still can't get used to his smile. "Ahem," I cleared my throat and excused myself from him. I swam out to join Lzzy and Fangs.
The quarry was like something out of a fantasy novel. There was a random tree that sprouted in the middle of the quarry. The water was murky and I could barely see my feet. It'd be expected of the water to taste disgusting but it was tastless. The evening sun bounced off the surface of the water giving it a nice glow. The gleeful smiles on my friends' face just made the moment perfect. I was practically drowning but it didn't seem to matter as the quarry was so beautiful.
This was the first time in a long time I felt at peace. Like I could let go of all my worries and stress and be free. I could die here.
We spent the entire evening splashing around in the quarry. It was easy to lose track of time here when we didn't give a damn about the world. We got out of the water as the sun was about to set.
"God, I'm starving," said Fangs as he shook his head to wring the water out of his hair, like a dog.
"We should head to Pop's later," suggested Lzzy as she pulled her shirt over her head.
I drew in a sharp breath.
"Can we go somewhere else?" said Sweet Pea. I snapped my head at him and he was looking straight at me. "I've had Pop's for three days straight. I'm kinda sick of it."
Lzzy gasped dramatically, "Sweet Pea what kind of blasphemy, explain yourself. Who in Riverdale would ever get sick of Pop's?"
I gave a tiny chuckle but internally I was still trying to pull myself together. I took deep breaths in while hiding my face away from Lzzy and Fangs.
Sweet Pea was still looking at me. I smiled and gave him the 'ok' sign. This is precisely the reason why I was avoiding Sweet Pea, I did not want him to feel responsible for me.
I went over to the pile of clothes that we threw together just now and dug for my clothes. Sweet Pea stood across from me and dug for his shirt as well.
Damn, he looks good shirtless. Holy shit I'm staring, stop staring it's creepy.
I looked away and put on my clothes after I had found them.
Lzzy and Fangs sat on a nearby fallen tree while waiting for us. Lzzy had a cigarette in her hand. I joined her and took out a cigarette from the pack in my pocket. She helped me light the cigarette and I sucked in a breath. I went and sat next to her.
The entire day I've felt scared about the whole black hood thing but at this moment I just felt calm. Like I had nothing to worry about. Maybe it was the cigarette or maybe it was because I felt safe with my friends but. . . I should be scared, why am I not?
"Whatcha thinkin' about, Ken doll?" asked Lzzy.
I shook my head and sucked in the cigarette, "Nothing. Just on edge, I guess."
"Because of the black hood thing?" she continued to ask.
"You don't have to worry, Kenna," added Fangs. "I mean look at his kill streak. He attempted to kill what- five people? He only successfully managed to kill like two? Honestly he sucks."
I chuckled. That kinda made me feel better but then again one of those people he attempted to kill was my dad. He was lucky to make it out alive. Why was he targeted?
"He's a hypocrite," added Lzzy. "Are you okay?"
I snapped out of thought. "Yeah, I was just thinking, he only goes after sinners right? What has my dad ever done? As far as I know, my dad is the most innocent man I know."
"What even counts as a sin?" asked Sweet Pea.
"Hmm. . . Let's see," says Fangs. "Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt-"
"-Oh," I said softly but loud enough for the three of them to hear.
"'Oh' what?" asked Lzzy.
"My dad did have an affair with Veronica's mum," I explained, the others listened attentively. "But that's not really an affair, right? I mean, my parents were separated at the time."
"Weren't your parents still married?" asked Lzzy.
"Yeah, they were, but they were already separated and their divorce was pending-"
"-Oh," says Lzzy. Our attention was now on her. She quickly took a hit of the cigarette before throwing it on the ground and crushing it with her feet as she stood up. "Yeah, uh, I have to go."
"Already?" asked Fangs.
"Yeah," she replied as she put on her Southside Serpent jacket, "Uh. . . curfew."
I stood up to join her, "You okay?"
"Adultery?" she whispered passive-aggressively to me.
I furrowed my brows in confusion before easing up. "Oh. But how the fuck would the Black Hood even know about that?" I whispered back. How did the Black Hood know about my father's affair?
"I don't know but I suddenly got the chills," she changed from a whisper to her normal speaking volume, "Fangs, can you drive me?"
"Uh, sure," Fangs agreed willingly. He got up and hurriedly went back to his motorcycle with Lzzy. They quickly disappeared from sight.
"I think we'd best head home as well," said Sweet Pea.
"Mhm," I hummed in agreement. I threw the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with my feet.
We walked out of the woods together. "Have you seriously never been to the quarry before?" asked Sweet Pea.
I looked up at him, "Yeah, never." I chuckled, "Crazy, right? I've lived in this town for all fifteen years of my life but I barely know the place."
A smile tugged on his lips and he laughed.
"What?"
"Sorry, I just can't believe you're the same person who punched me in the face when you're this nerdy girl in band."
"I can still punch you in the face," I joked.
"Not from down there you can't," he smirked.
I gasped and kicked him in the shin.
"Ow!" he laughed.
"Just know that my knee is at the perfect height to make sure that you won't have a Father's Day."
"Oo!" he cringed.
We laughed it off and continued making our way to his motorcycle.
"Honestly, what is this?" asked Sweet Pea when we reached his motorcycle.
He was referring to my clarinet case. "The instrument Squidward plays," I answered.
He chuckled.
"Shut the fuck up."
It only encouraged him.
"If it makes you feel better, I play basketball," he said. "Not as embarrassing as playing the clarinet, though."
I glared at him then looked away and smiled. "Never thought you'd be interested in anything else but. . . gang stuff-"
"-Hey, there's more to me than just being a brooding gang member."
"Well. . . " I was going to say 'I didn't take you for a basketball type' but then he did look like the type. "I mean it fits you, I guess. You being tall and all."
"That is an offensive stereotype."
"You've teased me for being short before."
"You said that, not me."
"Fuck off."
He chuckled. I can never get used to that smile. I was starting to feel comfortable around Sweet Pea. He wasn't like that asshole I punched in the face when we first met. He was actually sweet. Damn, I hate myself.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Wassupppp, I'm back from my hiatus. Gonna fully commit to finishing up writing this fanfiction (for real this time) I have a shit load of time to spare for the next few months.
Loads of things happened while I was gone. What's your hot take on the new Wattpad update? Also, season 4 is out, what's your opinion? Correct answers only.
Also! Shoutout to Zionwilsion who made this fan video!! Ahhhh, I love it!! Go check it out!!