Cherry (Blossom) On Top

11 - Sugarman, Serpents, School

Another two months passed away. We're in school, bored of the school stuff, annoyed of the high school jocks. It's March 2017 and we attend school like everyday. Jug and I are allowed to run the Red&Black, our school's newspaper at Southside High, if we don't have to do anything with gangs. Unfortunately we are the children of the Serpent King and leader, Forsythe Pendleton Jones Junior who attended and graduated on Riverdale High, far away from the Southside. As long as we aren't official members, it's okay I guess.
Another topic: There are rumors about a drug dealer with the name 'Sugarman'. The rumors go deep - he seems to be here in Southside High, either as a student or a teacher. He has dealt with those drugs (Jingle Jangle) for a long time now (it started right after New Years Eve - on the first day of school after the holidays). I don't know where these rumors come from, but these are just insane. A drug dealer on the Southside, okay, students who take these drugs, okay, but a person who deals with them on a High School. Or wait, maybe one of the Ghoulies - then it's not really insane or something like that. Drug Dealing is normal to them.
The school is dark like always, the smell of smoke streams in our faces when we walk into the school. The same people look at us, smoking their stuff.
Jug and I go into the Red and Black office, breathing in the much more better air because of the air refresher.

Suddenly there is a speech from our principal, Mr Klyde - supported by a loud banging outside in the hallway and students screaming.

„Dear students. Everyone is going to get transferred to other schools in the district  immediately. All your papers are getting transferred there right now, so you have to go there after today. The police found a huge drug lab in the basement of the school."

I open the door to check what's going on there and many gang members from the Ghoulies get arrested, but the most interesting part is that our english teacher
Mr Phillips is getting arrested too. He was the one who re-opened the school's newspaper's office for us, but I honestly am not surprised. He had been the 'Sugarman' the past months.

„...I'll read out the list of names now. To Riverdale High are going:
Antoinette Jones, Forsythe Pendleton Jones the 3rd, Evian Sean Peabody Lockwood, Fangs Forgaty, ..."

He reads out a lot of more names, but I don't continue listening. We all are going to transfer to Riverdale High, immediately, like Mr Klyde said. I turn around and look at Jug, who looks at me with a small smile. „No school today!" I yell and laugh. Together we walk outside the building. Only a few students are there - the ones who are not in a gang - so like 100 to 200 people. Sweet Pea and Fangs wait in front of our bikes. „Okay, so that we don't have school today, wanna go to Pops? You, Jughead, still own all of us a milkshake because of our Sylvester's race." Sweetie says and throws me my helmet. My brother sighs as we all go on our bikes, starting them and ready to have a ride to Pops.

„Hello Kids, it's been a while. Your usual milkshakes?" Pop Tate asks us. He has known us since we've been little kids, but still, we aren't here often. We just nod with a smile a slide into a booth which has always been our favourite. The boys start talking about something and I look out of the window. A red cabriolet parks in a parking lot near the entrance. It seems vert expensive so I want to know who's the driver. It's a tall boy, red hair, blue-yellow Bulldogs Jacket. Isn't that Jason Blossom? He gets out of the car. I look at the boys, but I hear two doors shutting, so I look at Jason again. A smaller blonde girl is walking next to him. Is that Polly? Shouldn't they be in school? Never mind, they seem to ditch - who wouldn't?
I turn around and Pop just brings us our shakes. „Here kids, and one box of fries for you all on the house! But...why aren't you in school? No worries, I won't call FP" We laugh, catching the looks of some customers. „Southside High is closed. There was..or is..a drug lab in the basement and our english teacher dealt with Jingle Jangle. We four got transferred to Riverdale High now. Today the papers, tomorrow the students" I say sipping my Chocolate-Vanilla milkshake. Pops smiles with his sweet smile and nods. „Enjoy your fries!" „We will!"

*timeskip afternoon*

We were plenty of hours at pops. Talking about how Northside school will be and how the crappy students of the school will react. Now I'm putting black lingerie on. So that I'm fifteen and some months now, dad allowed me to do the dance - not very happy about that (stripping in front of his best friends and in front of old perverts).

„...We'll have a new member today! It's a pleasure - Antoinette Jones!" Dad says, one hundred percent uncomfortable about the situation. I walk on the stage. The music starts and I make some movements. I slowly unknot my black blouse, throwing it on the stage and continuing to unbutton my hot-pants. I'm in the black lingerie now and walk over to the pole. My eyes search the room and I see Jughead, Pea and Fangs in a corner - not happy about that either. I wrap my leg around the pole and I circle it.
So I finish the dance until the music stops. The Serpents cheer and clap, some of them even throw some bills on the stage, but they get quiet immediately when FP gives them a look. He comes back on the stage. „Okay, who's for Toni being a Serpent?" All of them cheer and clap, whistling and shouting. I guess that's a yes. „All hail the Serpent Princess!" Everyone raises their beer bottles and cheer, FP holding a Serpent Jacket in front of me. I put my arms into the sleeves and walk off the stage, collecting my clothes.
I am officially a Serpent now.

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