River's Edge

Chpt.3

After school, Honey and Jughead walked out to see huddled around a table.
" Uh-Oh. What happened now?" She said, as they approached them.
" Nice article your girlfriend's mom wrote." Sweet Pea responded.
" Yeah, I saw. Dilton said he was jumped and stabbed by one of you guys."
Before Sweet Pea could answer, Honey answered.
" That Dumbass stabbed himself. There was a fight, Bulldogs vs Serpents."
She said.
" And you see this." Sweet Pea pointed to his black eye," Your boy Archie gave me this. Just before his girlfriend shot a gun up into the air."
" Wait what happened." Jughead asked.
" And of course Northsiders get off Scott-Free, the rest of us get hauled in by the police. It's payback time." Sweet Pea says, looking at the papers below him.
" What are you talking about." Jughead notices the papers," What is that? Is that a pipe bomb?"
" Fogarty's cousin was in the army. And, he's gonna build us something."
" Oh my god, you are actually insane." Honey states.
" We'll do it after hours." Fogarty says," It'll shut down the Riverdale Register once and for all."
" And you think blowing up a building is gonna make it all better."
" Can't get any worst."
" Dumbass, yeah it can." Honey says, taking her brother's side.
" Let me talk to Archie, Let me figure this out."
" Man, that's your answer for everything! Talk and more talk." Sweet Pea says, leaning on the table." And we don't even know who you stand with. Us? Or them? You can't be half a serpent. At least your sister wears the jacket. With pride."
He glared a Jughead then storms off.
Honey follows after him, and yanks his arm, making him face her.
" Listen. I get your angry, but don't let that blind you. You guys aren't in jail, but if you blow up the building, you may end up in prison. You hate it when people call the serpents thugs, so don't give them a reason to."
*********
Honey sits on the counter, Jughead next to her.
" I think we should join them." Honey says out of the blue.
" What? Why?"
" What else is left for us to do? I agree with Sweet Pea, we can't keep walking down the middle line of Southside and Northside. We can't keep being Half serpents."
Jughead thinks a while, then looks at Honey.
" Let's do it."
Honey jumps up, and Jughead hold his hand up.
" No matter what, we have to stick together."
Honey smirks and cups her hand in his.
" Always."
************
Honey and Jughead walk into the whyte wrym. The sound of pool balls knocking into each other and rock music filled the air.
" I think these Northsiders are lost." Sweet Pea says, when he noticed the two walk in.
" Oh, shove it Sweet Pea." Honey snaps.
" We're not. I'm over being half a serpent." Jughead states.
" Same here!" Honey yells.
Sweet Pea gets up from the table and walks over to them," Wow. You'll do anything to protect your Northside buddies." He shoved himself between them, and walks to the other end of the table.
" Our father was a serpent. He led you. We wanna stand with you." Jughead says," Tall boy is the one who gave us these jackets. Honey wears her's. It's about time I wear mine."
Tall boy walks over to the siblings," So you wanna be Serpents, huh? Let's see if you survive the initiation."
Honey and Jughead share a look mixed with excitement and concern.
***********
That night, Jughead takes the bed, Honey on the floor next to him.
" What the fuckery is this?!" Honey shouted, standing up.
" Your initiation starts now. With you assuming guardianship of the beast." The tall one in the snake mask says.
Honey gives them a look, then a dog, the size of an infant, jumps on the bed. Honey gasps, and grabs the dog, hugging it.
************
Honey shoved some books into her locker, then jumped seeing Sweet Pea leaning against the lockers when she closed it.
" Dude!" She shouted.
Sweet Lea chuckled, and stood up.
" What do you want?" She asked.
" I want to know what you think of the beast?" He asked, following Honey as she walked to class.
" Oh, The dog? He's amazing! I love him." She says," Jughead doesn't seem to like him, but he does most of the work."
" Well you survived the first part. I'm only worried about the serpent dance."
" Serpent dance?" Honey stopped and looked up at Sweet Pea.
" It's a dance all girls who want to join the serpents do. You get up on stage, dance on a pole, then, boom, your a serpent."
Honey gives him a look, Then continues walking.
" So, in order for me to become a serpent, I have to throw away any dignity I have left, and pole dance in front of a bunch of old perverted men?" She asked.
" Pretty much. Topaz has been trying to get rid of it, but hasn't had much luck."
Honey sighs, then enters her next class.
*********
" What's the fourth law?!" Tall Boy yells at the two. They're surrounded by serpents in the whyte wyrm.
" No serpent left for dead!" Honey and Jughead yell back.
" What is the sixth?!"
" In unity, There is strength!"
" In unity, There is strength!" All the serpents around them repeat.
" Well you know the rules. It's time for the next trial."
He gestures towards the pool table, where the serpents move revealing two glass cases holding rattlesnakes. Both with knives in them.
" Retrieve the knife."
Without think, Honey walks up to the one on the left, and grabs the snake by its head, grabs the knife, and quickly lets go of the snake.
********
Jughead and Honey walk to their trailer, and spot a certain redhead outside their trailer.
" Archie?" Honey ask as they reach him.
" We gotta talk Jug." He says.
" Nows not a good time, ok.You need to leave, ok? You gotta go." Jughead tried to get him to leave before the rest of the serpents come.
" Why, what's going on?" Archie asks, just as Sweet Pea and the others arrive.
" What the hell do we have here?" Sweet Pea asked, walking behind Honey.
" Just leave him, alright." Honey commands.
" Wait, your friends with these thugs?" Archie asks.
" It's not what you think." Jughead says.
" Are you guys joining the serpents?"
" If they survive, and go ahead, call us thugs one more time."
He starts to move but Honey steps in front of him.
" Sweet Pea, back down." She says quickly.
" Jughead, Honey, these are the guys that attacked me. Attacked Reggie, Veronica, Dilton, Your friends."
Honey scoffed.
" Is that why your here. To warn us?" Jughead asked.
" No. I came here to tell you to stay away from Betty."
Honey gasped, and looked at Sweet Pea.
" Did not expect that." She said quietly to him.
" She doesn't want to see you anymore." He finishes.
" Screw you. I saw Betty yesterday. She was fine." Jughead's voice softens.
" No, dude. She's been wanting to break up with you for a while. She's been agonizing about it. Since you've crossed the dark side. She couldn't bring herself to do it."
" So she sent you? She would never do that!" Jughead yelled.
" This is the best tea that's happened since Jason's funeral." Honey mumbled to Sweet Pea.
" Call her! Feel free to tell her your serpents now! I'll bet she'll love that. She saw where you where headed, Jughead. We all did. And she knows you can't with them and her. Come on man, you know it."
Jughead's sadness turned to anger.
" Tell Betty I got the message."
Archie turns to Honey.
" She doesn't want you either."
" Good. I don't want to be her friend anyways." Honey snapped at him," Same goes for you!" Archie's face dropped, then he walked away.
Jughead turned to face the serpents.
" What? Enjoy the show?" He snapped.
" The show hasn't started yet."
**********
Honey stood by Sweet Pea, the serpents lines up, at the end, Jughead.
With each step, earns him another punch. Honey flinched, watching him limp on.
When he finally reached Sweet Pea, he look up at him and said," That all you got?"
Sweet Pea smirks, then punched him as hard as he could, using brass knuckles.
Honey looks at her brother, worried. He finally stands up, and Sweet Pea puts his hand out to shake Jughead's.
Toni hands him a jacket, then turns to Honey.
" Ready?"
" Nope."
********
Toni handed Honey a shot glass full of Vodka.
" To ease the nerves." She said. Honey downed it quickly.
Honey walks up on stage, and leans on the pole.
When the music starts, she pulled her shirt up, revealing a black laced bra. She let the shirt drop to the ground, and walked around the pole.
She had no idea what she was doing, she googled easy pole dances before she got there. She does a few more moves, then the music stops.
Tall Boy hands her a serpent jacket, as she puts her shirt back on.
***********
Sweet Pea finished up her tattoo on her upper wrist and wipes it clean.
" There. Your now officially a serpent." He says.
" Thanks." Honey said, admiring it.
" You weren't as jumpy as I thought you would be." He says.
" Yeah, well I have a high pain tolerance, that's why I have so many piercings." She said.
" Do you have any other piercings?" He asked. She smacked him.
" Don't be a perv!" She half yelled at him, making him chuckle.
" I'm joking."
Honey rolled her eyes, and grabbed her stuff.
" Thanks for the tat." She said," See ya!"
*********
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