His Sleeping Beauty

Chapter 7- Silence Is Deafening

Jughead and Toni have been planning their big protest for Pickens day on Saturday. Today is Friday, it had been two days since the theft and vandalization of the beloved Sweet Pea's bike. Along these past couple days, he hadn't seen Jess at all. She wasn't in class, and she skipped out on choreographer the show choir. Yes, Sweet Pea was out a week ago, but he went in to find her only to be extremely disappointed.

Today, however, was a new day, maybe she would be here and he could at least see her. Maybe even shove her in a broom closet and figure out why she had been gone for such a long time. He walked through the halls in this early morning to do a quick sweep of her locker. Which was fairly close to his anyway, but it doesn't matter. As soon as he turned the precious corners of the school he spotted her. Her hair was tied up for the world to see the face he cared so much for.

He walked cautiously to his locker, trying to act as non-conspicuous as possible. He didn't want her knowing and then leaving again for a longer time. All spies, unfortunately, hear things that they don't want to. Things about people they care for that they don't want to know.

"Hey, Atkins! You're back!" Reggie Mantle, one of the lead opposers to the Southsiders, had come to see a certain Sleeping Beauty.

"Not for long, I am working on a huge project a came to pick up my school work." She looked into her locker and started grabbing books out. 

"That's fine, what matters is I have a question to ask you."

"A question? Like for homework or something?" Her eyes didn't stop from the sheer focus of rummaging through her locker.

"No, umm, so as you know the Lodges are doing this Carnival thing for Pickens Day, and I was wondering... If you would like to go with me?" He asked, in probably the most Reggie tone possible. Eying her up and down like a target he was about to hit spot on.

"Like a date? I don't know if I am even going to that. I still have a lot of work to do on this project." She whipped around and for second her eyes met Sweet Pea. He wanted nothing more but to go and punch Mantle in the face. Tell him to back off, but her eyes told Sweet Pea something. A warning maybe?

"Yeah, like a date. Can't you take a break from your little project? I can see it in you. You need to relax, come with me. It will be a good chance for you to relax and just chill out. You can continue to work on your project after. C'mon, what do you say." She looked very reluctant at his proposal.

"I don't know Reggie,"

"Is this about your little fling with that Serpent? What's his name... Sweet Pea? He's Southside trash! Let me show you a good time. At least I know home to use a fork. It's not like you'll hurt his feelings, I doubt he even cares! Let alone is coming!" Sweet Pea balled his fists, he was about ready to take action. He will not let the likes of Reggie Mantle, a Northsider, disrespect him.

"No! This isn't about Sweet Pea! You should be ashamed of yourself for talking about anyone like that! It doesn't matter about using a fork, but about having enough compassion to care for others! Or at least care about the feelings of those that are literally not even ten feet away." She told him off, the last part made him turn around.

"Aw, Sweet Pea! You don't mind if I take Jess her to the Pickens Day event, right?" Sweet Pea tried to meet her eyes, but nothing.  She refused to look at him or speak anymore.

"I'll go with you! Text me when you want to meet." She said, closing her locker and walking away. Reggie looked Sweet Pea in the eyes,  his devilish smirk met Sweet Pea's glare with not hesitation or fear at all. He swaggered off leaving Sweet Pea alone in the hallway. He slammed his locker in frustration and stomped off to first period.

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Good old Biology class, always a reliable snoozefest. Even the days the teacher decides she wants to play hooky and leaves the class to a sub with no idea what's going on.

"Just talk amongst yourselves. I need to figure out what this is." He looked into the textbook baffled by it all. Sweet Pea just sat at an empty table alone, he decided that there is no one of interest to talk to, the only one he wanted to talk to was going on a date with Reggie Mantle. He put his head down and became a victim to his own thoughts. Or at least until.

"Did you get Jess pregnant?" He heard the chair next to him move.

"What did you just ask me?" 

"Did you get Jess pregnant? It's obvious you two aren't talking and she hasn't been here in days. Not since the whole hallway drama." He looked up to face the gossip girl, of course, it was Anna. "No one knew what it was about, but then she isn't here. She's getting an abortion right?"

"Why the hell would you think this?"

"Because she's a slut. I am positive it's not the first time though. Freshmen year she got little chunky like she was starting to show, and then she just "transferred to online school" she came back at the beginning of sophomore year a complete skinny babe. I would believe that she would open her whorish legs to you. " Sweet Pea looked at this girl disgusted at her absolute hatred for Jess that she felt the need to make up a story like this.

"I have never slept with Jess. Haven't even kissed her. She's actually the opposite of what you just described."

"Oh, please! Everyone here knows that Jess is easy. It's the reason Reggie asked her out today. So stop making excuses for her." She smirked at him.

"You're a slut too, you groped me on my first day."

"That's why I know she is, takes one to know one. But my offer will always be on the table by the way." Sweet Pea stood up pushing the table in his wake. He bent down to her.

"Don't ever talk about Jess like that again. Trust me it won't end well for you." He whispered into his ears and stormed out of the classroom ready to bust another head. What is with this girl? Why does he practically gravitate towards her?

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At the end of the school day, the young Serpents would stay after for the Swords and Serpents club. It was generally a club for Jughead to vent about how the Southside is being oppressed by the Northsiders. Today he was trying to get his protest all smoothed out, he wanted to go over it a few times with the younger Serpents first to smooth it out, to get a more concrete plan before he announces it at the Whyte Wyrm.

"So, Toni what should I say tomorrow that won't offend your Grandfather?" 

"Nothing, you shouldn't say anything." She responded.

"What do you mean? I have a way with words that can make everyone feel guilty and I am very willing to chew out Hiram Lodge when he tries to silence us!"

"How do you think that's going to reflect on us! It's still going to hurt! The Uktena were silenced by General Pickens, and I get why you want to do this, but Jughead fending the flames to the fire isn't going to help. You need to be quiet."

"Oh please, Jones wouldn't shut up even if we taped his mouth shut." Sweet Pea muttered sarcastically.

"That's perfect!" Toni yelled.

"That was meant to be a sarcastic jab at him, why is it perfect?" 

"We can tape the mouths of the Serpents to represent our dead and silenced ancestors of the Uktena tribe! It's brilliant!" Jughead exclaimed practically jumping up and down at the idea.

"Okay, I just hope it works." Sweet Pea sighed if this works maybe everyone would stop harassing him and Jess for being together one day.