𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

𝒻𝒾𝒻𝓉𝓎-𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒

A Serpent never shows cowardice. 

+ + + +

Nellie clutched herself to Sweet Pea as they raced through the chaotic streets of Riverdale. Everywhere they looked, destruction reigned. Trashcans were lit on fire, windows shattered and houses were plundered. Every now and then a gunshot echoed through the air sending shivers on Nellie's arms. 

It's still dark outside when they arrived at the hospital. The night seemed to last forever. Reluctant to let go, Nellie stayed seated behind Sweet Pea for a moment. He noticed, slowly clasping his hand over hers. They stay seated like that, in silence as the world around them crumbled to pieces. 

He never wanted anything of this but it was only a matter of time before the North and the Southside would crash. Nellie let her chin rest on his shoulder, thankful for his soothing touch. 

"Please, stay," she whispered. 

Sweet Pea tensed beneath her touch, his thumb stopping in its track across her skin. "You know I can't." he admitted, finally letting go off her intertwined fingers.

Nellie sighed. In one smooth motion, she stood next to the Harley Davidson whilst Sweet Pea remained seated. The helmet was carefully tucked between her arms. "I don't like this, Sweets," Nellie whispered, afraid to look up at the tall boy. The thought of him vandalising the city and roaming the streets on a dangerous night like this, didn't settle with her. 

"I know." he said, but he didn't make any effort to change her mind or defend himself. Without looking up, she pushed the helmet back in his arms, annoyed that Sweet Pea was as stubborn not to see the dangers of heading out tonight. 

Before she could leave, his hand wrapped around her wrist and he pulled her closer to his side. His lips touched her tenderly, unlike the rage that had encouraged him to seek out a fight earlier that night. It was hard not to give in and Nellie surrendered to the loving touch. 

"Take care of Fangs," Sweet Pea whispered when they finally broke apart. Nellie only nodded and watched as the engine came back to life and the Serpent disappeared. She shook her head as she walked towards the entrance of the hospital. 

When she entered the waiting room, she almost bumped into Toni and Cheryl pacing around. 

"Finally!" Cheryl dramatically exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Never formally introduced to each other, Nellie only squinted at the redhead, too tired to really care all that much. Instead, she shot her attention towards Toni who was already putting on her leather jacket. 

"We're headed to the Whyte Wyrm," Toni explained, smoothing the sleeves. 

"Why?" Nellie asked instead, wondering why the two had such an urge to leave when their friend was still fighting for his life. 

"Instructions of F.P." Toni explained. "All Serpents should be headed that way." 

Nellie rolled her eyes. "I kind of am one too, but I didn't get the message." 

Toni froze for a second, speechless. "What are you doing here anyway?" Nellie could sense Cheryl's impatience as the Blossom girl sighed deeply before tapping her long red nails against the sides of her arm. 

"Sweet Pea asked me to keep an eye on Fangs." Nellie admitted. 

Toni let out a sigh. "Great, see, everything works out," she said, more at Cheryl than at Nellie. "You stay here, do what Sweet Pea tells you. We'll let you know should we need you." 

Before Nellie could even complain about being left alone and not invited to any Serpent business, the two girls left off. Too tired to put up a fight, Nellie took a seat in one of the cheap chairs. As time passed by, her eyes vacantly followed every single troublemaker in need of stitches as they entered the hospital. All victims of the same rage filled riot outside. 

Slowly, her eyes fell shut as her head stumbled against the wall. 

+ + + +

At the Whyte Wyrm, the Serpents were even more riled up than before. The Ghoulies had decided to show their ugly faces and caused trouble at Pop's. It was only a matter of time before the two gangs would meet each other in a bloody fight on the streets.

Sweet Pea was sharping the blade of his knife, as the other Serpents remained indecisive about whether or not to confront the Ghoulies or let them come to the Wyrm. His body was itching to fight. After everything that had happened, the thought of planting his fist on Malachai's face was almost enough for him to confront the Ghoulie. How he would do anything to cut the slick smirk of the gang leader's face. 

"Where's Toni?" he asked Cheryl, without looking up from his knife. The Blossom girl shrugged and looked at the staircase leading up to the parking lot. "She got a call before we entered," Cheryl said, averting her gaze back to the young Serpents around them. It was the first time the Riverdale Vixen had entered the Whyte Wyrm. Instead of the occasional unease, it seemed like the redhead managed to blend in with the rowdy crowd just fine. 

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes when he heard Jughead talk. Preaching to wait, the younger Jones was trying to keep Sweet Pea's men in tow. The tall Serpent smirked. The Serpents smelled blood and now they wanted a taste. It had been a while since something as big as tonight had occurred. 

"It's better we attack them." He finally stated, standing up from his bar stool. 

Jughead frowned. "We need to stay here, at the bar. Where we are safe." Jughead said, his dark eyes fixing on Sweet Pea. The tall boy leaned back, letting his height work for him to intimidate the other Serpent. His arrogance irked Jughead even further. 

"The Ghoulies will be dealt with once my dad returns." Jughead pointed out, making sure to address his remark to Sweet Pea. A muscle in his jaw tensed as all the rage that had kept him going for the night, returned. "We are supposed to listen to you? You let Fangs get shot." 

The Serpents around them howled out their complaints. As they roared, Sweet Pea hissed: "Don't take the lead if you can't handle the responsibility." Jughead's eyes rounded but none of the other Serpents had heard Sweet Pea's jealous remark. 

When the first round of shouts diminished, Sweet Pea turned around to face the others. "To make matters even worse, the Ghoulies are back, thirsty for our blood. Especially after that drag race you started." An accusing finger pointed in Jughead's direction. 

Sweet Pea relished in the feeling of power. For weeks he had to watch as Jughead tried to take his place amongst the younger Serpents. Now, he was back, ready to question his leadership and to take back his role. 

"One hour, Sweet Pea. That's all I ask," Jughead said, his head down in defeat. "If we don't have a plan by then, you get the lead." 

And that was all Sweet Pea had wanted to hear from Jughead.