"uh, now isn't really a good time, arch." i said, trying to shoo him away.
"you need to leave." my brother agreed. "you gotta go."
"what's going on?"
"we're serious."
"what do we have here?" sweetpea asked, coming towards us with the serpents.
"he was just leaving." jughead assured.
"you're friends with these thugs?" archie asked incredulously. "are you joining the serpents?"
"graceie's already in." sweetpea answered for us. "she's proved herself already. jughead will be too. if he survives initiation. and go ahead and call us thugs one more time!"
"these are the guys who attacked me!" archie yelled. "who attacked dilton, reggie— your friends!"
"no, archie!" i shouted. "they're your friends. not mine, not jughead's— yours. the serpents are my friends."
archie scoffed. "i came to tell jughead to stay away from betty. she doesn't wanna see him anymore."
"screw you. i just saw betty yesterday. she— she was fine!" jug shook his head.
"no, dude. she's been wanting to break up with you— she's been agonising over it. since you crossed the dark side. she couldn't bring herself to do it."
"so she sent you?" he frowned. "betty would never do that."
"if you don't believe me, call her. feel free to tell her that you're a serpent now. bet she'll love to hear that. she saw where you were headed— where both of you were headed. we all did."
jughead swallowed. "tell betty i got the message."
i turned around to the serpents, who were all staring intently. "what? you enjoy the show?" i snapped. my phone buzzed from my jacket and i took it out, seeing it was veronica calling. "i gotta take this."
~♛~
"if you hadn't come when you did—" cheryl sniffed.
