𝚂𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚂𝚔𝚒𝚗// 𝚂𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝙿𝚎𝚊

𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢

"Cheryl, I'm so sorry I'm late. I was at the register with Betty. Is everything okay?"

"All you missed was my abdication. The Vixens are in the gym awaiting you, their new directrix."

"What?" I asked confused.

"And I wanted to give you this." She hands me her HBIC shirt and I give her a confused look.

"Your HBIC shirt?"

"These last few days have put things in perspective."

"I understand. But if you personally need anything..."

"I'm fine. Thank you for keeping your word. Besides I've shed my tears for the Blossom men." Cheryl grabs her bag and walks out of the locker room leaving me to go into the gym.
***
"It was chilling, Toni. I'm telling you, there's something dark going on at Thornhill." I eat my fries as I talk to Toni at the bar.

"Well, not just at Thornhill. Town-wide. The Mayor and police are going after us like we're the ones who are selling drugs. We don't even sell."

"Yeah, I know. The town is just trying to blame someone to hide the truth from what is really going on."

"It's been hectic in the Serpent community too. Ever since FP got arrested nobody wants to step up to be the leader. Tallboy is doing his best to settle the Serpents down but they don't want to listen."

"The Serpents need a leader to be confident and to keep them in line. It's hard being a leader." My phone rings and I answer it.

"Yeah, I'll meet you there." I hang up and get off my bar stool.

"Hey, I have to go down to the station, tell SweetPea I had an emergency, and for him to call me."

"Okay, I'll see you later." Toni smile and I leave the Wyrm.
***
"That place is no joke."

"If there's a deal on the table, Mr. Jones, you've gotta take it," Archies says and I shake my head.

"It tears me up, Red, but the Serpents are my tribe. They're also innocent, not that anyone in this town cares."

"We care, believe me. But...Nobody wants you and my dad to go to jail for years, especially not me and Jughead."

"These kid knows what's what. They know you can't betray the folks that stand by you. Who got your back." My dad says and Archie sighs.

"And that's the Serpents?"

"When the time comes, they'll step up. Hey, Jughead, Anna, and Nick are tough kids. Scrappy. Survivors. They'll make it. Especially if you're looking after them." I fist bump Archie and he chuckles.

"And Jug will try to pull away from you, he'll try to disappear into himself. He needs his friends. That's why you, Anna, and Betty, gotta stick with him. No matter what. He's got some darkness in him." FP says and we both nod.

"We'll be back later." I smile and we leave the station.
***

I get home and put my keys in the key tray. I sigh and my mom walks out of the kitchen with a glare on her face.

"Where did you go after school."

"I went down to the station to talk to dad and FP. Archie said that Jughead was moving in with a foster family on the southside. Why didn't you offer to take him."

"I did and they said no. I don't know why, but they did." I sit down at the table and pull out my homework. Nick walks in and sits down across from me.

"So what are we going to do now," I ask.

"Nothing, we go on with life. I have to leave for work in an hour so I'm gonna go get ready." My mom leaves and goes upstairs to her room.

"Well, I'm gonna go to bed. I have school in the morning." I get up and start to walk to my room.

"Anna" Nick calls me and turn around to look at him.

"Yes, brother."

"I know you were closer to dad than I was but if you need someone to talk to I'm always here."

"I'm fine." I smile and go back up to my room.
***
I walk down the hall and I notice a huge sea of people crowded around mine and Betty's lockers. I push through everyone and see the newspaper on our locker. A fake snake was pinned to my locker and a betty doll to Betty's. The words were the things that freaked me out the most.

Go to hell Serpent Sluts!

Were painted on in big bold red dripping letters.

Betty and I stared at it and Nick walk over with the rest of my friends.

I go to tear down the papers and Nick stops me.

"Anna."

"It's nothing, Nick." Betty goes after it next and she fights Jughead.

"Betty."

"Hey, no... It's nothing, Jug, it's just a jerk with a can of spray paint."

"I don't think that's spray paint, okay?" Nick hugs me and turns me around so I didn't have to look at the locker any longer. We walk away and go outside and I cry on his shoulder until I was ready to leave.
***
I sit on the stairs and listen to my mom and brother's conversation.

"Archie just informed me that it was pig's blood, Mom. Where do you even get pig's blood? I wanna slam whoever did that through a wall. Betty and Anna are getting threats. Jughead is being thrown away like an outcast, and we can't do anything to help them. We're getting our asses kicked."