skin and bone ; riverdale ♡

eighty six ♡

The next day, I wake up extra early to do the exercise that I was too tired to do yesterday. Betty decided to wake up early too, so, once I've done all of my sit-ups, and have washed the sweat off, I end up sitting on the foot of Betty's bed, as we both paint our nails.

"You know how I'm joining the Serpents?" I ask Betty, who nods, blowing on her freshly painted nails to quicken the drying process.

She sits up on her bed, glancing at the closed door behind me. "Yeah, I didn't want to say anything but I heard Sweet Pea when you were leaving the lounge. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't you tell me when you were trying to join the Serpents?" I counter, raising a brow.

"Because I didn't want you to tell my mom," Betty replies in a duh-like tone as if it was obvious. "and you probably would have tried to stop me."

"Well, as it happens, my reason is the same." I lean my head on my palm, careful not to smudge the baby pink nail polish. "Alice would probably throw me out on the streets."

"How many times do I have to tell you? She would never do that." Betty tightens the lid on the nail varnish bottle. "I'm sure she loves you more than she loves me."

"You know that's not true, Betts." I laugh. "You know she loves you."

"Sure." She rolls her eyes. "Anyway, what were you going to say about joining the Serpents?"

"Oh, well... I have to do the Serpent dance, and I'm not really comfortable with it." I frown, looking at the bed beneath me.

"Can't you tell FP? I'm sure if you explained-"

"Everyone else has to do it? Why would I be different?"

"You're a Serpent by blood, remember?"

"So are you and Toni." I sigh. "It's just so... weird. Who on Earth decided that it was okay for underage girls to strip on stage in front of grown men?"

"Toni said that it's been a tradition since the Serpents started." Betty shrugs as there's a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in." She calls.

I expect Alice to come in, but, instead, it's Chic. "You're joining the Serpents?"

I groan. Betty glares at him. "Were you eavesdropping, Chic?"

"I was walking to the bathroom-"

"You have your own bathroom in your room." Betty interrupts him. "We were having a private conversation."

"What would Alice say?" Chic leans against the doorframe, completely ignoring Betty. "You know she doesn't like the Southside Serpents."

"No offence, Chic, but this really is none of your business." I roll my eyes.

"Alice would disagree." He raises an eyebrow. "If she didn't think the drug thing was serious enough, then I'm sure she'll think this is."

"Serious enough for what?" I ask him with furrowed eyebrows at the same time as Betty asks, "What drug thing?"

"You'll see." He smirks creepily, making me uneasy. What is wrong with him today?

What is that supposed to mean?

"Stay the hell out of my room, Chic." Betty climbs off of her bed, pushing Chic out of her room. She closes the door in his face, and I'm sure that if Alice wasn't still fast asleep, she'd have slammed it.

Betty turns to face me, "What drug thing, Olivia?"

"He found the birth control pills that Toni left on my bed, and jumped to conclusions," I repeat the fib that I had told Alice. "he told your mom, and I already explained to her."