Sweet Pea had spent the night that night but he didn't stay for long as Jughead called him, saying something about needing his help.
That was three weeks ago and Sweets hadn't spoken to me since. I hated to admit it but waking up alone felt unusual and quite boring.
Before I had much time to think I had a look over at my phone on the bedside table, reading the time and realising I was already running late to school caused me to dive out of bed and into the shower.
I knew I was already late and I knew that the staff at Southside High didn't exactly care but I still liked attending classes, some of them were actually quite interesting and with only having a year to go I wanted to make the most of it all.
I rushed around the house in a towel as I tried to sort out my hair, settling on a messy top bun and having the rest of my hair naturally dry I applied a small amount of makeup to make myself look better than I felt. I don't know what it was but I'd been feeling incredibly sick over the last few weeks. It was probably just due to the stress and worry I was experiencing from Sweet Pea pretending I didn't exist and the usual tension of being in a gang but it still had me worried.
Considering I had put a little bit of effort into my hair and makeup I decided to throw on a cute traditional denim skirt, a white cropped long sleeved top and a pair of black heeled boots with roses on the side paired with my Serpent jacket before I rushed out the door.
I didn't bother checking my phone as I got in my car and drove the short five minute drive to school so it was quite surprising to see everyone rushing out the front doors considering it was only 10am. I decided to pull up at the doors and quickly hopped out of the car staring at everyone in confusion.
"What's going on did someone blow up the science labs again?" I asked Fangs making him chuckle.
"Good afternoon to you too Dani" Sweet Pea smirked before walking over to my car, leaning his hand on the roof of it. Confusion was 100% the only emotion I could feel in that current time.
"Dani!" I heard Toni yell interrupting the moment as I looked up and saw her rushing towards me, Jughead in tow.
"Toni! What's happened to our wonderful school?" I laughed as she wrapped her arms around me in a giant hug, almost as if she hadn't seen me in years when it had only been a few weeks, yeah I hadn't exactly been attending school because I'd been so sick.
"Something to do with the school being too dangerous or whatever excuse they would like to use to shut this hell down."
"Who cares?! We're all getting transferred!" Sweet Pea stated with a giant smile on his face, gosh how I missed that smile.
"What where?" I was still trying to process the information about our school closing down as shit of a school as it was I had spent so many years there and I thought I'd be spending my last year there too. I was also trying to comprehend Sweet Pea's sudden happiness towards me after he'd actively been ignoring me.
"We're all going to Riverdale High, time to show the Bulldogs who run this town." Sweet Pea replied, his signature smirk appearing on his face as Fangs cheered and fist pumped him.
"Oh gee..." was all I could possibly say as my stomach started to churn causing me to feel a little dizzy as I rested against the car.
Was I excited that all of us were attending the same school still? Of course.
Was I looking forward to the war that was going to heat up between the North and Southside? I had mixed emotions towards it that's for sure. I didn't mind putting the northsiders in their place but I didn't want to see Sweet Pea get hurt despite how he'd been treating me recently. That's probably the moment I realised just how much I cared for that boy.
"Okay so are we just going to stand around at our old school all day or can we go and get food because I'm starving" Jugheads voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I looked between the group making sure nobody noticed me zoning out.
"Jug when are you not hungry?" Toni asked as we all began to laugh at how true her question was.
"Shes right man how do you manage to eat all those burgers and not gain a single kilo? It's a mystery to us all!" Fangs commented making me laugh more.
"Please let's not talk about Jugs high metabolism and let's just go and get ourselves some food, I am starved!" I stated as I hopped back into my car, watching everyone head towards their bikes and take off towards Pop's making me sigh as I hoped Sweet Pea would try and talk to me yet he was the first one to leave.
Shaking my head I took off towards the diner. I thought about what I felt for Sweet Pea along the drive. I thought about where I wanted it to go and whether he felt the same way I did about him. I wanted to know whether what we had was more than a fling to him, whether it was just the excitement of the last few years all leading to this moment or whether he genuinely liked me the same way I liked him. More importantly I wanted to know why he had done nothing but ignore me over the last three weeks.
***
The five of us had been at Pop's for over an hour and yet there was not a single comment made about Sweet Pea and I, in saying that he sat completely opposite to me and was only talking to me when we were in a group conversation. I don't know what had changed in him but I had had enough of it.
"So Sweet Pea, excited to kick some Bulldogs ass?" I asked making sure to aim the question directly at him giving him no choice but to answer along with earning the attention from the rest of the gang in the process.
"Yeah sure." He replied without even looking at me. The others picked up on his attitude as Fangs spoke up.
"Dude what's gotten into you?"
"Nothing bro. I'm gonna head home. See you later." With that Sweet Pea stood up and headed for the door, no second look at me, hell not even a first look at me.
"What's going on with you two?" Jughead asked knowing he'd have to answer to Fangs and Toni as he asked it.
"I don't know but I'm about to find out." I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair and headed straight out the door after him, annoyed and determined to get some answers.
"Sweet Pea!" I yelled as he hopped onto his bike pretending to not hear me "Sweet Pea! Don't you dare act like you can't hear me!" I yelled at him once again causing him to drop his foot onto the ground before waiting for me to approach him.
"What is it Danica?" He asked as I got closer to him, acting as though nothing had ever happened between us.
"What is it?! What is it?! Are you fucking kidding me right now! You spin some shit about wanting to date me, you tell me how much you care about me and you let me fall for your act, allowing me to open up fully to you and then you shut me out like I'm nothing?! If we weren't friends before all of this shit then I wouldn't care but do you seriously think that little of me to not even send me a text saying we were done?! Do I not deserve that?!" I yelled out at him, tears streamed down my face as my voice broke towards the end.
I didn't know why or how I got worked up so quickly but there was no way I was leaving this parking lot without getting Sweet Pea to tell me what was going on.
"Are you fucking kidding me Dani?! Is that what you think of me?! That I would just use you to sleep with and then leave! We've been friends since the start of year seven and yet you think I would drop you that easily? Are you stupid! That night I left you I got a call from Jughead telling me that Penny Peabody was back and threatening him! He told me to bring you along as he knew I was with you yet I argued otherwise! I wasn't going to let you get caught up in her mess so I took the blame. I've been gone these last few weeks doing deals for her to get her off YOUR BACK. I don't know what it is about you but she only wanted you to do her deals, said you were the best one out and when I told her that wasn't going to happen she sent me on a wild goose chase for the last three weeks just so I could keep you out of the picture. Loyalty is EVERYTHING to me but the love I feel for you is so much more than that." Sweet Pea stopped talking, his eyes swelling up and yet somehow in this heated argument he had managed to hop off his bike and step closer to me.
"Y-you dealt with Penny... for me?" I couldn't comprehend what he had just said to me. He put himself in the hands of the snake charmer just to keep me safe and yet I'd spent the last few weeks hating him. Suddenly everything became too much for me as tears flooded out of my eyes and I ended up crying once again.
"Yes because I love you. I'm IN love with you Dani and I hated how I never told you what was going on. I didn't want to drag you into this mess so I ignored you, that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Sweet Pea wiped the tears from my eyes, putting a gentle hand under my chin and lifting my face up as my eyes met his own. Without another minute passing by he pressed his lips against mine, they were full and precious yet filled with so much love and comfort.
This boy I had just spent weeks hating had actually been protecting me all along. As much as I wish he had told me his plans I knew that it was safer not knowing things like that in our world. The only thing I knew at that time was that I was unconditionally hopelessly in love with Sweet Pea and somehow he felt the same for me.