ROYALTY | RIVERDALE

chapter- 26

chapter 26 || 026

'smells like new beginnings'

The last few days have been weird.

I had surgery preformed on me to heal me up. Apparently the bullet went right through me. And after that it was on me to recuperate. 

Especially after the wild tales that Toni told me about what happened while I was recovering. Apparently Jughead almost died. And Fangs was pronounced dead but it wasn't true. And the serpents went to war with the ghoulies- they lost. 

The southside trailer park was set aflame. And the serpents were able to spend a few nights at the Andrews' place? Still weird to me.

But now we're here.

I pulled up in my new bike, a gift from a 'friend' apparently,  to the new serpent grounds. It was weird. The wrym was like the first place in Riverdale that I stepped into. It's where the madness all began. And now it wasn't ours anymore.

Hiram Lodge bought it.

Just like he handled my medical bill.

I have a feeling that's going to come to bite me sooner or later.

For now, it was a celebration.

Me and Fangs didn't die. Or Jughead.

I put my helmet- courtesy of Sweet Pea- on my bike and parked it. 

Walking past a few familiar faces and greeting them I walked over to the three boys.

"Diana! How you doing bullet buddy?" Fangs joked hugging my side while I did the same. He made the joke as soon as he saw me at the hospital, he won't let it go.

"I'm doing fine you big idiot. But what's this whole shebang for? What's up?" I openly asked the three of them and they all shrugged. Okay so this was something that the three of them didn't know about. Weird.

A whistle makes all of us quiet down and I see FP on top os a makeshift stage.

"Listen up now!" He gathers the attention of some of the serpents over the music but not all of them. " Hey, listen up!" The music finally cuts and he's got all the attention now.

"Some 60 years ago, the very first serpent meeting took place on these same river banks. It makes sense that this is where we gather now, where I.." He trails off and I look to Jughead as he looks at me. He shrugs his shoulders at me making me pay attention to FP again. "Where I say my goodbye. Jughead, would you step up here, son?" 

I watch as Jughead hesitantly gets up and stands next to his father. 

"i'm retiring from the serpents. For real this time." He announces and everyone behind me goes into a frenzy. I kind of understand it. I mean he's out on parole now, he can't be doing the gang stuff he used to do. And he's got a family to look over. "Woah. But my boy.. My boy had never stop fighting for this crew. Hell, he almost died for it. That's why I'm giving you the mantle."

Almost at once everyone starts clapping for Jughead. I clap along with everyone until I see Sweet Pea hit fangs a little to close where he got shot. My hand instinctually smacks Sweet Pea's arm to retaliate. 

"And now as your first official duty as Serpent King.." FP trails off as Toni walks over with a duffle bag larger than her and hands him a red leather jacket. FP then takes the jacket and hands it to Jughead. 

We all cheer him on as Jughead takes the jacket and FP walks off the stage. 

"All right. All right." Jughead spoke softly "All I can say is... I love you, Dad. And the Serpents will not die out. Not on my watch."

I watch as he extends his hand and- Cheryl Bombshell literally walks on stage to join him. When did this happen?! How much did I miss?! 

He helps her put her new skin on and she does so with that familiar hair flip.

I cheer her on loudly. She didn't have to do the dance either and i'm pretty sure if she found out that it was tradition, she would riot. I have a feeling I was gonna raise hell with that girl and Toni. It was gonna change up the Serpents.

People around us start conversing again. And I have to sit on the crate that Jughead was using and lean against someone's car so my bullet wound wouldn't keep hurting me. The party started up again and everyone else started talking again.

Except us. 

Me, Fangs and Sweet Pea.

"Oh so I had a question. Fangs said something when we were chained to the school about something-" I snapped my fingers trying to remember the exact words he said. I also want one of them to spit it out already. "Something after I went out with Reggie."

"I'm gonna go get a refill." Fangs said all too quickly as he winked at Sweet Pea. 

I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I can't remember what he said can you?" He asks in a very silent voice. Like he's scared or something. Why would the big bad Sweet Pea be scared? Of a few words?

"Sweet Pea can totally.. You can totally what?" I had a little clue about what was going on here. Fangs was not low with his winking and his sudden disappearance. He was acting like a wing man. 

Sweet Pea ducked his head low for a few seconds before sipping the last of his beer and looking me in the eyes. "He was talking about how I could totally take you out on a date if Bulldog Reggie could do it."

I smirked and nodded at him. "So you think you can totally take me out on a date huh?" I question him and he shrugs his shoulders at me while looking at anywhere but me. "You should prove it sometime. If you're not chicken."

As soon as I called him chicken he laughed and looked at me. "I'm not chicken."

"Oh-" I raise my hand to my ear "I don't hear a time and a place? Or the exact words? Seems like a chicken!"

He shakes his head jokingly towards me and stands up straight. I clear my throat as I stand up with a little wince. 

"Diana, meet me at Pop's dinner tomorrow at seven for our date." He spoke very clearly and very boss like. Huh. Maybe I didn't need to wipe that smirk off his face with a punch.

I chuckle at his tone, "Bossy chicken. I like it."