𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝓎-𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇

"So what if I'm not everything you wanted me to be?"

- "Like That" by Bea Miller

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The Whyte Wyrm was cramped. Pushing themselves through the crowd, Nellie and Sweet Pea made their way to one of the pool tables where Fangs and Toni were waiting for them. Giving her a wink, Toni offered Nellie a beer which the girl gladly accepted.

The Southside Serpents inside were in high spirits, laughing, dancing and smoking. Every now and then thunderous rumbles echoed from the corner of the punching bag. Sweet Pea lazily draped his arm around Nellie waist, pulling her closer.

She relished in his touch, the smell of cigarettes and aftershave that lingered around them. A hand on her shoulder made Nellie turn around to face F.P. Jones, the Serpent King.

"A word, Nellie?" he asked, his dark eyebrows rising higher in question. Sweet Pea frowned at the unusual confrontation but didn't ask any questions as Nellie followed F.P. through the crowd to the back of the bar. In this corner of the Whyte Wyrm, it was more silent and hushed conversations floated up.

"Jughead told me you want in?" F.P. said, unable to hide the displeasure in his voice. "Why? You don't need to be in a gang." He added quickly.

"I actually do if I want to prove my loyalty to you. Your son knows about my father. If I want him to trust me, this is what I need to do." Nellie replied.

"I'll talk to Jughead. He must..." F.P. started but Nellie cut him off. "I respect that, F.P., but I need to be taken seriously. If doing the Serpent dance is what it takes, then I'll do it."

F.P. shook his head. "It's not just a dance, Nellie. Once you're a Serpent, there's no way back. You will have duties to the gang, responsibilities. It's a dangerous road you're headed to..." he warned. F.P. himself didn't know exactly why he tried talking Nellie out of it. He should welcome every new member, especially since they could use all forces against Hiram Lodge. Even more, the daughter of his opponent was a great asset to have on their side, but F.P. couldn't shake off the feeling that Nellie did it for the wrong reasons.

If they ever managed to stop her father, she would be stuck here in Riverdale. He knew she wanted to get out of here, that's why she'd been setting aside money. A way out. If she became a part of the Southside Serpents, leaving would be a hell lot more difficult.

"F.P., just let me do it," Nellie asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes lingered on the tall form of Sweet Pea leaning against the pool table with a beer dangling between his fingers.

Multiple Serpents had chosen to join the gang for a loved one; a parent, a sibling, a friend or a lover. Most of the time though, girls following a Serpent into the gang were doomed for heartbreak. F.P. wondered if Sweet Pea would've convinced Nellie to join but he shook his head. The tall boy knew about the consequences. Born into the gang, he had witnessed its brutality at a very young age. Sure, Sweet Pea wouldn't approve of this.

"What does Sweet Pea think of this?" F.P. tried one last time. As if shocked to hear his name, Nellie turned around in confusion. "He agrees with me." she lied.

"Alright," F.P. shook his head. "Then let's get this over with." He patted her as an encouragement before he climbed up on the stage. The music stopped and all Serpents turned around to meet F.P. He took a proud stance, taking the microphone the girl at the bar offered him.

"Good evening, my fellow snakes!" The Serpents roared in agreement. "Tonight, I have the very honour to introduce you to a new member of our family! Please give her a warm welcome, Nellie Hearst!"

At the mention of her name, Nellie froze. She didn't dare to look in Sweet Pea's direction although she felt his gaze burn in her direction. As the crowd roared and cheered, Nellie got pulled up the stage by F.P. "Good luck, kid" he whispered a last encouragement before leaving her alone on the bright stage.

Nellie squinted into the light, seeing nothing but dark shapes behind it. She heard the screams and whistles but most of all she heard the beating of her heart. The organ seemed to want to escape out of her ribcage. Never before had she been so nervous. Her thoughts momentarily flickered to her mom. Dahlia Hearst would be outraged if she knew what her daughter was about to do. 

The deep drum of the song awoke her senses, brought her back to the reality of it all. She needed to do something, she remembered. Slowly, she strolled to the centre of the stage. As the voice began to sing, her fingers wound around the knot around her waist. She ignored the trembling as she slowly undid it. Her eyes were focused somewhere in the back of the bar where she knew the pool tables were.

She couldn't see him but she knew Sweet Pea was looking. At the beat, the flannel dropped next to her black heels. As she had practised in the bathroom, Nellie turned around, showing her back to the crowd. Without hesitation, her fingers grabbed the hem of her dress, pulling it over her head in one swift motion as if ripping a bandaid of a wound. 

She wasn't sure if she had imagined it but it felt as if the crowd took a simultaneous breath as she slowly turned around to face it. Her hands ran over her sides, caressing the deep red velvet lovingly. She imagined she was alone with Sweet Pea in their trailer.

She let one finger roam over her stomach, across the edge of the high waist panties. Slowly she caressed her sides, letting her hand cover the matching bustier. She imagined him following her touch with his stare. Clenching his fist as he couldn't help but want to touch her. 

Her hand ran through her hair before she decided to grab the pole in the centre of the stage.Nellie twirled around it once, not wanting to overdo the act. She slowly bent down, careful not to tumble over her heels. Somewhere in the crowd, Sweet Pea was looking at her. It was the  thought that kept her going. Getting back up, she heard the encouraging shouts from the crowd.

The enchantment of her illusion was shattered to pieces when the song drew to an end and F.P. suddenly stood next to her. Her clothes were piled underneath his arm. With one hand he lifted her hand in the air. "Congratulations, Nellie Hearst, and welcome to the family!" he shouted and the crowd started clapping and whistling.

With trembling legs, Nellie jumped off the stage, eager to put her clothes back on. She had barely managed to pull the dress over her head when two strong hands wrapped around her upper arms.

"What the hell, Nellie?!"