(Cast Not your Stone at the) Wayward Daughter → Sweet Pea & Jughead Jones

The Land of Tears

Chapter title is from The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupéry

WARNING: honestly I think just the normal warnings, as well as a few mentions of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, and discussion of the Uktena genocide

As Pickens Day rolls around, the Lodge family tries to take control of the Southside, but Hiram certainly didn't expect five teenagers with no intention of ever backing down or giving up their home.

(Cast Not Your Stone at the) Wayward Daughter

The Land of Tears

It had been just over a week since the transfer, and things were going as well as could be expected. Sweet Pea had gotten in trouble for his tattoo, but Amy quickly argued that it was technically covered—by hickeys, yes, but still covered—and Weatherbee had sighed and said that in the future that wouldn't count; River Vixens was going relatively well, Cheryl didn't like having a Southsider on her squad, but she couldn't deny that Amy was too good to get rid of; Toni was just happy to have a school that actually taught her something; Fangs, usually the most level-headed of the group, was trying to keep his more volatile partners and fellow Serpents out of trouble; and Jughead and Betty had come to some sort of understanding and were back together. Amy didn't seem to be happy about the latter, and had yet to call Betty by her name, but Jughead had given up on trying to get her to come around.

Yet it was Veronica Lodge's, clearly fake, desire to bring the North and Southside together that had Amy sitting on the top of the stairs inside the Andrews house.

"I don't know what they're up to, sweetheart, and I don't want you getting involved if you don't have to. But the Southside is somehow involved, so I think you deserve to be nearby if the plan is bad," he had told her earlier.

As much as Amy wanted to be there for the entire thing, she knew that Fred had a point. If Amy was there from the start, it would look like Fred had planned for her to oppose the plan, and she knew that he couldn't be seen as opposing his partners—technically his bosses—but if she just happened to be there, and since it was technically her permanent address she had every right to be there, and overhear, then no one could blame Fred if she got involved.

She had her phone out, but was entirely focused on trying to pick up everything that was going on; even with her hearing aids on full volume, it was a challenge that required her full attention. She moved closer to the bottom of the stairs when she heard Veronica mention the Southside, and fought the urge to rush in. Their plan was absolute bullshit, and she was sure that was the reason that Fred wanted her to be there. Hire the Southside as security? Serpents were always looking for work, of course, and she knew that many other Southsiders were as well, but to hire them for a town event was an insult. Their plan wasn't to include the Southside, on what was supposed to be a day for all of Riverdale, but to alienate them under the guise of inclusivity. She'd told Veronica before, but their friendship was secondary to her Serpents.

*"I'm sure you had your reasons for closing down Southside High—"* she heard Fred start, and knew that it was her best chance to step in.

"But they were bullshit and this will only push us further away," Amy interrupted, "would probably take even less time than those dumb uniforms or your fucking raid," she added, glaring at the mayor and Sheriff Keller.

"You think?" Fred asked, somehow seeming genuinely surprised by her opinion.

"Oh, definitely—"