"Dear Diary,
The head of a man was all it took to start a war.
Yours Truly,
Roselle."
"I am a sinner, who's probably gonna sin again." Roselle sang softly to the music playing in the background as she brushed her hair, getting ready for school. "Lord forgive me, for things I don't understand. Sometimes I wanna be alone."
Placing the brush down, Roselle grabbed her bag and begun descending downstairs. Reggie was already waiting outside to pick her up, so she got dressed as fast as she could without looking too horrible.
Their almost kiss yesterday made her face flush and heart drop. She just wished the Ferris Wheel wouldn't have moved. The exact timing of its movement was an irritant she must now live with.
"Good morning Roselle." Blaire spoke out as she was shoving files and papers in her bag. Roselle stopped in her tracks, not knowing what to do or say after overhearing her's and Hiram's conversation. But then Reggie's voice telling her to act like everything's normal came into her mind.
"Mornin'." Roselle replied back, putting on her shoes. She had thought that it was the end of the conversation, but apparently it wasn't as Blaire stood in front of Roselle in anticipation. "Can I help you with anything?"
"So I was thinking, we haven't really discussed about our lives and how we are feeling." Blaire begun, making Roselle mentally roll her eyes. "So I thought a good start would be for you to invite a friend over for dinner. So I can meet them and get to know them too."
Roselle stared at her nervous eyes of her Aunt. It was a trap. In the back of her mind she knew that Blaire wanted her to invite Veronica. Because that means that their family will become closer to Veronica's family. Hiram had told her. He had told her of yesterday's events.
When she threatened him.
So Roselle nodded innocently at her Aunt before grabbing her bag from the floor and walking out of the house. She noticed Reggie's parked car, a couple of houses down hers and got in. She turned to look at him, a smirk on her face that made Reggie confused.
He wanted to know why she was smirking. But that was because Blaire hated Reggie.
"So what do you say about coming to dinner at the Parker's?"
•
It was just like any other routine. Reggie drives to school, they part ways, him going to football training in the morning while she put her bags in her locker before grabbing her books to go to the library for some early studying.
Their routines complemented each other. Although they were ultimately different routines, they went together like collocations. It was one that made them work together quite well.
Roselle's routine however had to take a massive turn when a hand came out of the janitors closet and pulled her in. As cliche as it may have seemed, Roselle lifted up her fist, ready to fight whoever had man-handled her like that. But she retracted her hand.
She retracted her hand when she saw Sweet Pea's almost watery eyes.
"SP, what's wrong?" Roselle cautiously asked, as she looked up to his eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Blue bags were prominent in his eyes that it put Prada to shame. "What happened?"
"I didn't know who to go to." Sweet Pea said as his voice cracked, making Roselle's heart do the same. "I didn't know who to go to but you. Elle I need you- I need you to do something for me."
"Sweet, you're scaring me now." Roselle whispered as Sweet Pea grabbed her hands trying to draw her attention to him only. "What the hell is going on?"
"They're taking our home. The Mayor, the police, dammit everyone is against us!" Sweet Pea let go of Roselle as he clenched his fists. He brushed his long hair back as he paced around the already small room. "I can't- I can't let that happened. My family- everyone I can't just let them live on the freaking streets!"
"Sweet Pea, what- why the hell would they take your home?" Roselle spoke out. Sweet Pea turned to look at her, giving her a glare.
"You're little speech yesterday plus Jughead's article motivated someone to take General Picken's statue's head." He spat out before his features soften as he saw regret flooding in Roselle's eyes. "It wasn't your fault. But I need you to do something for me."
"I'll do anything, just name it." Roselle whispered out as the air got thick. She didn't realise till now how small the room was and how close the pair were. And it seemed that Sweet Pea had just noticed that too.
"Me. You. Tonight. 5pm at Pop's." He whispered to Roselle, as he stared longingly at the one person who managed to steal his heart and break it. And the same person he always went to when he needed someone to pick up the pieces. "We are going to find that head."
Roselle nodded before a thought concurred in her head. They couldn't do this alone, and she knew who they needed.
"We need bughead."
"Who the fuck is bughead?"
•
"I already invited Archie, but I want you guys to be there, as well." Veronica spoke as everyone listened intently. Roselle played with her grapes, moving them around with her fork as she avoided eye contact with Veronica. "Usually these kinds of events, baptisms, confirmations are family-only, but since it's all about me and you guys are my chosen family, I pulled a few strings and reserved you a pew."
"What is the dress code?" Jughead spoke amusingly as he sat beside Roselle and Archie.
The raven haired Parker slightly flinched as Jughead touched her thigh with his. Roselle had spent three hours hanging flyers around Riverdale that had Betty's number for anyone who had seen a missing head. It took so long to hang them that her legs ached, making Jughead mutter an apology.
"Catholic chic." Veronica replied back, ignoring his sarcasm. "So, dresses for the girls, veils optional. And coats and ties for the boys."
"Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper, please report to the principal's office.
Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper to the principal's office." Mr Weatherbee's voice spoke through the P.A.
Betty and Jughead looked at each other confusedly before getting up from the couch and leaving the room. Veronica then turned to look at Roselle. "So Ree, what do you say?"
Roselle looked up from her container of grapes, the sound of Veronica's desperate voice making her heart clench. She felt guilty for blaming her dad's actions on her.
"I'd love to V, but I kinda have something planned tonight." Roselle told her, making Veronica's face drop before mumbling an 'okay' as she retreated back into her seat. Roselle felt guilty.
Because maybe Veronica didn't know what her Dad was planning.
•
Roselle sat in the same booth as Sweet Pea as she watched him eat his burger and fries. She didn't order anything because she wasn't that hungry. "Why am I here?"
"What?" Sweet Pea mumbled with a mouth full of food. Roselle rose an eyebrow as her patience was up. She felt bad Sweet Pea's home was being taken away from him, but she didn't understand what they were doing here.
"I spent three hours hanging up flyers around Riverdale." Roselle started speaking, her mouth slightly twitching. "We can't really do anything here if no one has called yet."
"We are waiting here because Jughead and Betty are coming here later." Sweet Pea spoke calmly as he continued eating his burger. "While we wait for someone to call, we can come up with an alternative plan together."
"I just don't see the point of this-"
"Why huh?" Sweet Pea put down his burger as he glared at Roselle in front of him. "Don't think I'm worth your time anymore now that you have a boyfriend?"
"What are you on about?" Roselle scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion. She didn't know why the hell the serpent was angry at her, she was only trying to be productive at finding the criminal who cut the head off the statue.
"It just ticks me off so much." Sweet Pea breathed in heavily as he clenched his jaw, ready to rant about a topic that was completely random to Roselle but what has been on his mind all week. "The only person who I love doesn't love me back. The only person who made me feel shit about myself is the same person I run to when I want to feel better. The only person who can make me feel better is the same person who doesn't want to help me."
"Pea.." Roselle whispered out as she heard him confess his love for her. To say she was surprised was an understatement. A lustful sin between two teenagers turned into a heartbroken story. "You know you can't force me to love you back. But that doesn't mean I will ever stop helping you."
"Then why aren't you helping me now?" Sweet Pea mumbled, pushing away his food as he was no longer hungry.
"I am helping you I just don't think you eating here is going to help anyth-"
"Why did you leave me for another man just like mom!" Sweet Pea yelled at her as he banged the table, making her eyes widened as she shrunk back into her seat. The only elderly couple in the diner looked at Roselle and Sweet Pea, shaking their head in distaste.
It went quiet, what Sweet Pea said finally settling in the air. It was tense, so tense that Roselle felt like she couldn't move. This is he first time Roselle heard anything about Sweet Pea's life.
"Sweet Pea, please listen to me." Roselle whispered as she tried to calm down her erratic heart at Sweet Pea's outburst.
"Sometimes when you love someone, they just leave. Trust me, I out of all people would know. But Sweets, I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here, as a friend. And I know to you that's not enough, because you just want them. I want my first love back. But we just can't. Sometimes whatever you want, life gives you the opposite. But if life gave us everything we wanted, we would be so arrogant."
Sweet Pea sat down slowly, his closed fists becoming loose gradually. As he took a seat, his hands went to his hair as he begun fisting it in frustration.
"I love you so much Roselle. Isn't that enough for you?" His voice cracked, making Roselle look down in guilt. Her eyes swelled up with tears as she looked up at the ceiling. A little sob left her mouth as she played with her fingers.
She never felt like this before. She's always the one experiencing the pain, not the one giving it. She didn't want to ruin Sweet Pea like Brett's death did to her. She wanted to love Sweet Pea, she really did, but she couldn't. And she would never lie about loving him. "I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry."
The door rung, indicating someone had walked in. Roselle's blurry eyes peered up, seeing both Betty and Jughead walk in. Wiping her tears, Roselle tried to make herself presentable, like she didn't just rip Sweet Pea's heart from his chest.
"Hey guys- are you guys okay?" Jughead asked as he saw Roselle's tear stained cheeks and Sweet Pea's eyes that were filled with so many emotions.
"Yeah, everything's fine." Roselle bit her lip as she tried to smile but it didn't reach all there. "So, are we going to come up with ways to catch the thief?"
"No actually." Betty spoke, a excited glint in her eyes. "Someone called us when they saw the flyers that Roselle put up, saying they got a tip."
"Then lets go." Sweet Pea got up, finally speaking after what seemed like forever. "Let's catch the guy that made our families go homeless."
•
"You the kids looking for a head?" An old man called out as the four teenagers walked up to him. It was dark and eerily quiet, nothing but the whistling wind being heard.
"If only we lived in a town where the answer could be no." Jughead joked as he stopped to stand in front of the man. Roselle stood back behind Sweet Pea as she watched the scene unfold.
"We are and you called to say that you have it?" Sweet Pea spoke out, his voice strong and hoarse.
"I got nearly ten acres of scrap out there, and I come across weird stuff all the time." The man spoke out, before walking over to the dumpster, picking up a bag. "But this is the first time I found a bronze head. It was stashed in an old refrigerator.
He unzips the bag, revealing the statue head of General Pickens. "You didn't happen to see who dumped this? Has anyone suspicious been around here?"
"Well, I get scavengers all the time, but there was a guy come in last week, I'd never seen him before." The old man started, making Jughead more intrigued. "Claimed he wanted to get some bike parts, but he didn't buy anything."
"Well, did you get his name?" Betty spoke out, as she crossed her arms at the cold weather. "What did he look like?"
"Low-life type." The man said before pointing at Sweet Pea's and Jughead's jacket. "Had on one of those jackets."
Jughead scoffed before shaking his head. "By any chance, was this gentleman tall?"
"Sure was."
•
It was so quiet, nothing but plates clicking together and the smell of freshly baked lasagna revolving around the room. The dinner table creaked every time someone moved just the slightest, making this even more awkward than it already was.
Blaire sat across the teenagers, glaring at the one who was too close with her niece that it made her eyebrow twitch. She didn't like him at all, and she made damn sure he knew that. "When I told you to bring a friend, I didn't expect you to bring home an addict."
Roselle's nose scrunched up in anger at her Aunt's comment. "No, you expected me to bring home your sugar daddy's child."
Reggie held her arm, signalling for her to stop. He then faced the angered Aunty with a smile on his face. "Ms Parker, I know you're not fond of me. But I believe we got off on the wrong foot."
Roselle mentally snickered at Reggie's fake personality. He wasn't a formal guy. He never sounded formal. And he almost sounded british that it took every ounce of her not to just start cackling like a maniac.
"It wasn't the wrong foot Reginald, it was the whole body. It's you. You're not fit to be friends with my daughter." Blaire scowled at him. Roselle clenched her jaw, getting up.
Reggie put his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. This however was debunked when Roselle pushed his hand off her out of coursing anger.
"And Veronica is?" Roselle yelled at her Aunt. "The day that you tell me who I can and can't be friends is the day when you listen to me and finally tell me what it is you do for Hiram!"
"I already told you, I'm a shareholder of his business!" Blaire got up while crossing her arms. "And don't you dare raise your voice at me!"
"What is this business!" Roselle cried out in frustration. Reggie sat there awkwardly in his seat, playing with his fingers. "Just please tell me what this business is!"
"Why are you even interested? Huh?" Blaire called her out. Reggie slightly widened his eyes, getting up before grabbing Roselle's arm. "You never gave two shits about what I did with my life until now!"
He didn't want Roselle to ask anymore her Aunt anymore questions. Especially the part why Hiram said he presumably killed her mother. Because Blaire would most likely run off to Hiram and tell him everything, ruining the duo from finding out the truth.
"Roselle Stop." Reggie whispered, but Roselle shrugged him off.
"I started caring when more questions were being thrown than answers!" Roselle screamed back. "I just want to know the truth! The truth how the secret- the one thing only you knew got to the black hood-"
"Roselle Stop." Reggie whispered to her. But he was ignored once again.
"Why everything bad that goes around here comes back to you and Hiram! Why you have a birth certificate of a girl named Monica who you still haven't told me anything about! And why-"
"Roselle stop!" Reggie exclaimed, making Roselle close her mouth at how loud his voice was. It was very close. What she was about to almost slipped out and she was glad that Reggie had stopped her. "Please, Just stop."
"That's one thing I can agree on with him." Blaire spoke more calmly this time. "Roselle you need to stop. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. I don't want you to get- I don't want you to be involved. What me and Hiram are discussing and doing shouldn't include you."
Blaire looked conflicted, like she wanted to say more but there was an invisible ghost that was choking her. Roselle didn't trust her Aunt enough, but she couldn't do anything about what her Aunt was going through if she didn't know what it was. "Stop before you hurt yourself. Before you lose everything ."
"Mum died when I was out celebrating my engagement. Brett died because of me and my arrogance." Roselle whispered out, her voice cracking. "What more can I lose Blaire? How much can I lose before everyone decides I had nothing in the first place?"
Blaire bit her lip, shaking her head. "I can't do this anymore."
Roselle watched confusedly as Blaire's eyes started streaming down tears before walking up the stairs and slamming her door shut. The dining room was quiet, adrenaline still coursing in Roselle's veins. "What a dinner, huh?"
"Rose this isn't funny. You need to give your Aunt a break." Reggie spoke out. "It's obvious Hiram's got something on her. She isn't going to speak, but you need to know that she does care."
"How the hell am I supposed to help her Reggie." Roselle groaned out before sitting back on the chair. "How am I meant to help her if she doesn't let me know what's going on."
"Like I said before, he has something on her." Reggie begun, sitting down next to her and sighing. It's been five months since this rendezvous between Roselle and Reggie had started and yet, they haven't made any connections between anything at all.
"And if she's willing to lie and threaten your life with it, it's something worse than death itself."
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I'M SO SORRY! IM SORRY FOR THE VERY SLOW UPDATES WHEN YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT AMAZING TO ME!
Senior year is so stressful and y'all just have to bear with me. I'll try to write more often but you guys need to understand that there will be hiatus' like these.
Thank you so much for the 30K reads and the almost 900 votes, you guys actually blow me away. My notifications were going crazy.
P.S- For some reason it won't let me upload a gif so imma just put it in the chapter from now on
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