Collateral Damage ▻ Riverdale [1]

2.14

THE AFTERMATH
CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"I don't get why we're doing this, Jug," Queenie told her younger brother as they walked up to their father's trailer. Jughead had called her just an hour prior, telling him that Fred Andrews offered to give FP his job at the construction site back, "It's not like Dad is actually going to take the job back. You know this."

Jughead scoffed at her as they walked up the small set of steps together, "How would you know?" He questioned her.

"I just do," Queenie replied as she went to go turn the doorknob, "Beware, it's pretty messy in here." She warned him and Jughead frowned.

"What do you me--" Before Jughead could finish asking, his question was answered when Queenie opened the door to reveal the trailer they formerly lived in with their family was trash. There were numerous beer bottles everywhere, their father clearly stopped cleaning up after himself.

Queenie wondered to herself, what had gotten her dad to be such a hardcore drinker? She never remembered him to be that way.

The two siblings walked into the trailer and closed the door behind them. They continued to glance around until they heard someone cough. Queenie turned to see it was her father walking down the small hallway, into the kitchen with a glass of alcohol in his right hand. He looked worse than the last time she saw him.

"The prodigal son returns, with Queenie by his side," FP commented when he noticed his two children before them. FP sighed as he placed his glass down, "How you doing, Jug? You look good."

"Hanging in there," Jughead answered quietly.

"Yeah?" FP replied before he went to put away a bottle of liquor that was near him.

"We came by to ask if you would consider going back to work with Fred Andrews," Queenie informed him and FP gave her a puzzled look.

"Yeah, he called me and I said no. He fired me, Queenie. What kind of man would I be if I went back, hat in hand?" FP asked her and Queenie groaned.

"For starters," Jughead replied in a calm tone, "A man with a job., trying to fix his family."

"Talk to your mom, Jughead," FP commented as he angrily slammed one of the cupboards closed, "She's the one who gave up on us. She took your sister."

"Can you please, just go see Mr. Andrews? He's willing to give you a chance." Jughead begged him in a pleading tone.

FP laughed at this, "Oh, he's willing, huh? That's generous of him. After all the crap he pulled on me."FP remarked as he walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat.

Queenie and Jughead followed him over as Jughead began to speak once again. Queenie didn't bother trying to persuade her dad into the taking the job, it was no use. He wasn't going to.

"Dad, don't you want to see our family back together? Mom and Jellybean could come home. Queenie and I could come home." Jughead pleaded with his father.

  "Last time I checked, I offered for Queenie to come home. She refused. She said she'd rather live with Sweet Pea." FP argued with him.

Queenie sighed as she placed a hand on Jughead's shoulder, "It's no use, Jughead. Don't even bother pleading with him, he's not going to take the job." She whispered to her younger brother, but FP clearly heard it.

This made FP feel guilty. Queenie didn't even believe him anymore, she didn't even bother to. She lost hope for him. Queenie and Jughead glanced at their father one more time before leaving.

They closed the door behind him and Queenie had a frown on her face, "When did Dad start drinking so heavily? I never remembered him to be that way. " Jughead turned his head and gave Queenie a sympathetic look, "What? What am I missing?" She asked him confused.

Jughead sighed, "Queenie, He started drinking like that after you supposedly 'died' at Sweetwater River. It hit him terribly hard after hearing that terrible news." He informed her and Queenie was utterly shocked.

She was the cause of his drinking?

_____

"Okay, the Sisters of Quiet Mercy are due north, the getaway car was west on the old route forty." Betty began to explain to Polly's search group.

  Jughead insisted on Queenie going. But Queenie didn't know that this whole thing was basically just a test to see if she would fess up and tell them where Polly really was. They knew that Queenie knew exactly where Polly was, they just wondered when she would finally confess to them. They hoped that it would be before the search party started, but Queenie never cracked, much to their dismay. Queenie wanted to have everyone looking everywhere but the Southside. And that's what was happening.

"The closest bus station is east, headed towards Sweetwater, " Jughead added into Betty information, "If Polly wanted to leave Riverdale without seeing her, she would have probably left through--"

"Right here." Jughead and Betty stated in unison.

"Eversgreen Forest," Betty told the group also.

As they walked through Eversgreen forest, Queenie rolled her eyes when she saw that Reggie was snapchating it. He was taking a selfie as he made a fake sad face, "Are you serious snapchating this, Mantle?" She scoffed and Reggie put down the phone as he looked at her.

"Oh, hey, Queenie. Welcome back to the land of the living." He greeted her with smile and Queenie just groaned as she walked away from Reggie's dumbass.

Queenie was walking along the path when her eyes suddenly locked with the Blossoms. They arrived in the forest area, making an entrance, as always.

They had a whole group with them; Sherif Keller, some deputies, people with bloodhounds, and even a few others that tagged along to help. The only difference was, that the Blossoms were here to catch Polly so they could throw her in jail.

"Alice Cooper," Penelope greeted the blonde with a cold stare, "Where is she? Where is Polly?"

Alice took a step closer to the redhead, giving her a glare, "You think if I knew that I would be out here with the mosquitoes?" She asked her with attitude.

"Face facts, Mommie Dearest. Polly killed Jason," Cheryl argued, causing Queenie to let out a sigh.

"She escaped from the asylum once, who's to say she hasn't before? Say, the day Jason got murdered." Clifford added in, causing Queenie to roll her eyes.

Alice scoffed at them loudly, "You're here, blaming my daughter when there's still a visible suspect around us all," Alice spoke up, causing everyone to frown.

  Alice suddenly turned her head and pointed over at Queenie, who was standing beside Jughead and Betty, "Queenie Jones. She's a Serpent for heaven's sake. She was the last person to see Jason alive, yet she supposedly can't remember a think. The wound on her head could have even been self inflicted. Jason probably left her when he found out she was pregnant with his babies and Queenie wouldn't let that happen so she and her Southside Serpent associates shot him in between the eyes and dumped him in--" Before Alice could finish her sentence about Queenie, Penelope lifted her hand up and slapped Alice across the face with full force.

"How dare you talk about Queenie and my unborn grandchildren like that. They may have Serpent blood, but at least they're not psychotic bitches like you and your daughters." Penelope angrily snapped at her and Queenie placed a hand over her mouth to stop her from both gasping and letting out a laugh.