Unlikely - Sweet Pea

Chapter 4.0

Suddenly, Betty received a call from Alice and Archie received one from their dad, telling them to meet at the station.

As parents scolded their kids about the jingle jangle, Andy stood with her dad since she wasn't even at the party in the first place. She listened to their parents talk trash about each other's kids and then to Veronica talk trash about Betty for a while until Reggie admitted that he got the JJ from a Southsider. As Veronica stood up for him, blaming Nick, Sheriff Keller clarified that Cheryl had no case against Nick because every witness still had jingle jangle in their systems.

Andy was pissed. These idiots took a drug to make them seem cooler in front of Nick and now look where it got them. Nick turned out to be a rapist and they couldn't even do anything about it because of that drug. She would have to talk to Kevin and his dad about it, see if there's any way that he could still be punished.

As Andy predicted, when the mayor found out Josie took JJ, she went off the rails. Andy had expected her to yell and be upset and ground Josie for ten years, but she didn't expect what the mayor did next.

She ordered a raid on Southside High.

Andy and Archie immediately threw themselves into their car and Andy floored it the whole way to the school, ready to rip Jughead out. Archie wasn't aware, but Andy wanted to warn the other Serpents too, since she knew the Serpents weren't the Jingle Jangle dealers.

Archie spotted Jug first as they ran through the halls and snagged him, frantically explaining Mayor McCoy's plan.

The double doors of the high school shot open as the mayor, Sheriff Keller, and a couple officers marched into the hall. Jughead called for Toni Topaz, who Andy had only seen a couple of times, hanging out with the Serpents. On a whim, Andy latched onto her arm and yanked her along with them, out the steps of the school.

As she glanced back through the window one more time, Andy watched in horror as Sweet Pea was shoved against the lockers, pounding his fist in protest. She turned her back, as Toni pulled her down the steps. They all piled into the twins' car and Archie sped off towards Pop's.

"Okay someone had better tell me what the hell is going on," Toni demanded, her eyes flicking between Andy and Archie.

"McCoy got pissed because a Southsider gave Reggie some JJ that her daughter Josie took so she ordered a raid on Southside High," Andy answered blatantly. "We floored it here to get you guys out."

"We floored it here to get Jughead out. You weren't exactly part of the plan," Archie muttered.

Toni gave him a look through the rearview mirror. "Damn, okay, I've never done anything to you. Calm the hell down, alright Carrot Top?"

Archie sighed. "Yeah, whatever."

Toni rested back against the seat, kicking her feet up on the back of the passenger seat. "Well, I guess I'm honored to have been pulled out since I wasn't part of the plan. Thanks, Andy."

Andy looked at her in confusion. "You know my name?"

Toni glanced at her and looked her up and down, slightly smiling in amusement. "You're surprised?"

At this point Archie and Jughead began having their own conversation in the frontseat.

"I mean, yeah, I don't know. I just . . . I'm usually not very memorable. And I don't mean to sound like a lonely sad teenager when I say that. People just don't usually notice me until I do something . . . noticeable."

Toni looked at her with a little laugh and mumbled to herself. "Well, Sweet Pea certainly noticed you."

Andy coughed, startled at the mention of his name, but immediately calmed herself down. "Um, well, yeah, I guess I kind of forced him into a quick conversation with me the other day."

"Sweet Pea needs to be forced into conversation to be honest. The boy doesn't talk to most people, definitely not to Northsiders." Toni drawled. "But you seem alright, so force him into conversation all you want," she added, smirking a bit at Andy.

Andy gave a little smile back at her. Unless she was reading this wrong, Andy just made a new friend.

They pulled up to Pop's and hopped out. Jughead and Toni were freaking out about their friends. Juggie paced in the aisle while Toni tapped her long fingernails on the table.

Archie explained to Jughead that he needed to talk to Betty but soon Jug and Toni had to go. They both bounced, stating that Tall Boy wanted to meet with them.

--

When they returned, they told Archie and Andy about how Tall Boy wanted to join forces with the Ghoulies and sell Jingle Jangle. Archie suggested going to talk to FP Jones and so the boys headed there while Andy drove Toni to the station to wait for Sweet Pea's release.

Toni suspected they had a very long time before Sweet Pea was released. It would take a while to search every student, but Sweet Pea would hopefully get out pretty fast since he wasn't guilty of selling Jingle Jangle. After confirming a suspected timeline with Sheriff Keller, Andy got back in the car with Toni and they decided what to do next.

Since they had so much time, the girls headed back to Pop's for shakes.

"So . . . how's life on the Northside?" Toni asked jokingly, flipping her hair and sipping her shake.

Andy gave a small smile, stirring her chocolate drink. "Currently not so great considering there's a murderer on the loose that shot my dad."

Toni gave a small, sarcastic laugh.

"Yeah, I suppose that's a bit of a downer. You seem to be handling it a lot better than your brother though." Toni raised her eyebrows, taking another sip of her shake.

"I think it's because I wasn't there. I wasn't in Pop's that day. I didn't have to watch my dad get shot and then have a gun to my head like he did. He's gone a little insane over it." Andy cast her eyes down into her shake.

Toni was silent for a moment. "Yeah that's pretty traumatic . . . Hope he regains his senses soon."

Andy gained an appetite fast. "Hey, Pop, could we get some fries please?"

"Sure thing, Andy," Pop replied, smiling his usual smile and waddling off to put in her order.

She turned back to Toni. "We're gonna be here a while, might as well eat." She moved to the side of the booth and kicked her feet up, resting her back against the glass.

Toni laughed. "You know, I think I like you."

Andy smiled. "Feeling's mutual. Which is good because we have spend the next few hours together."

The girls got into some pretty nice conversations generally about anything at all. What Riverdale High is like versus Southside High. What dye Toni used on her hair. The awesomeness of motorcycles.

"Can I ask you a question?" Toni asked, stealing a couple fries.

"Of course. I'm essentially an open book," Andy answered, finishing up her shake.

"You went with Archie to break up with Jug for his girlfriend Betty . . . which is fishy. I'd like to know why she broke up with him. Don't tell me it was just because he's a Serpent because if that's why . . . then Betty is . . . the worst."

Andy took a breath. "Betty's been . . . going through some very traumatic stuff at the moment. The breakup was necessary to . . . keep them both safe. I wish I could say more but it would put Betty in danger and I can't do that. The truth will come out soon."

She nodded slowly, and stirred her drink. "I understand. You're protecting your own. I can respect that."

"Soon, we'll be able to tell people. Jug will be the first to know. Just know that, she didn't want to break up with him. She didn't want any of this. And, Jug being a Serpent . . . Betty still loves him. No matter what."