ROYALTY | RIVERDALE

chapter -18

chapter 18 || 018

'a night spent in chains'

My father held onto my hand while we walked down the street. This wasn't the same way he'd hold it though. He was holding me like- like he didn't want to lose me. Like something was going to happen to me.

"Daddy can you loosen up a bit?" I ask politely and he stops dead in the middle of the sidewalk. His hand doesn't drop from mine but it does loosen up, making me feel a bit more comfortable. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry Diana- I just." He stops talking for a moment and then he looks at me. He looks at me from so far above me that i have to crane my neck to look back at him. "I never wanna lose you sweetheart."

I smiled at him. 

"You won't lose me daddy, ever. Where would I go?" I joked and pulled him with my hand. "Come on the candy is gonna be all gone when we get there!" 

"Okay Dirty Diana, we're going"

I shot up out of my sleep only to be met with wet jeans.

Right I was still here doing this protest thing. And it's still dark outside.

"Jug! Diana! I've got food!" FP's voice came from a far and I squinted my eyes to get a better look. My stomach was praying for a miracle and here he was.

"Oh my god! Pass it! I'm starving!" I shouted as he came closer to the both of us. He digged his hand into the bag and got out what seemed to be a burger. Tossing it I caught it in my hands instantly. "Thanks."

"So the last men standing." He stood in front of the two of us and watched us like a proud parent. "What ever happened to no serpent left behind?" 

I laughed as I finally bit into my burger. It felt like heaven.

"They were all claimed by the frostbite." Jughead joked- that was so not the reason. I mean maybe it was but it's not a big reason. It's an excuse. They better be back tomorrow.

I should have done that!

"Well that's two bad I've got a dozen burgers." FP lifted up the bag and my eyes went straight to the bag. A dozen burgers?! "Guess they're all yours now."

"Jughead as my commission I will take one more burger, thank you!" My mouth was full but still they both heard me. FP laughed at me as he handed me another burger form the bag. "Thanks."

Jughead wasn't taking the burger- the hunger strike thing he was doing. But come on we all know that has to break sometime. At least no one else is here to see him break it.

"Come on boy it's just us." FP put the bag a little closer to Jughead's face and he contemplated it for a moment.

 A really quick moment.

Then his hands were on that bag as quick as lightening.

It was silence of a long time. Maybe fifteen minutes.

"Do you think my mom is looking for me?" I ask FP quietly.

But we were out at the middle of the night, with no one else around. It was already quiet if anything I sounded clear.

Clear enough to hear my silent sniffle.

"I don't know how to answer that but in my heart I hope she is. Anyone would be delighted to have you as their daughter." He rubbed my shoulder a bit to comfort me as I stared into the dark scenery.

"And a sister." Jughead added from the other side of FP.

I don't want to leave them. They've become a second family to me. And if I have to kill that ghoulie kid to make sure that it stays this way then I have to do what I have to do.

-

I was resting my head against the school ramp when I heard a weird silence. It was weird I was acutely getting some shut eye when the crowd was cheering us on. But now that they weren't I was suspicious.

I lifted my head up.

Redhead and the bulldogs.

Before I could even put two and two together, he cut Jughead's chains off.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I screamed at him but he didn't even pay me any attention. All of it was on Jughead as he walked away from the school. The redhead gave him a bit of a push to start him.

I looked to around and all the serpents were getting their chains cut off, I was next. 

Of course it was Reggie.

"I hate to do this Diana." He didn't even sound convincing. I rolled my eyes at him and held my hands away from him.

He wasn't going to cut me down so easily.

"So don't! Do you even understand what's going on here? Do you even care?" I try appealing to his emotions but then I remembered. He doesn't have emotions for the Southside. Not empathy or sympathy. Nothing. "We deserve to be treated like people!"

He grabbed the chains that my hands were wrapped up in and forced them closer to his cutter. I grunted a bit at the rough action and stared at him. 

The sound of the chain hitting the floor is what did it for me. I guess you can say daddy didn't raise no quitter. 

I forcefully pushed him out of my way. "I won't let you forget what you're doing Reggie." I grit through my teeth. 

He only flashes me a smile- a fake one.

About to lunge at him, a pair of arms snake around my waist. I didn't really care at the moment all I really wanted was to make that black eye that he had a matching set. I scrambled in the person's arms to try and reach his stupid face but I was being pulled further and further away from him.

"Diana, no. You can't." FP's voice came from right behind me. So it was him who was holding me back.  "Think, Girl."

I stopped scrambling once he said that. Remember what you sacrificed. Don't go down for punching on some idiot. You can't do that to your dad. Not after what he sacrificed for you.