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"Who were you on the phone with last night?" Veronica asked Carson as they walked into school.
"Oh, you know, just the most attractive man ever besides Shawn Mendes," Carson said, practically drooling.
Veronica came to a stop, taking ahold of Carson's wrist, "Sweet Pea?"
"Who el–" Carson turned to see some serpents and bulldogs in a fight, "Shit."
♕
Carson sighed, standing in between Jughead and Veronica.
"You all have a week's detention for fighting," Weatherbee said before turning to Jughead, "But I made myself clear to you, Mr. Jones. Take off that jacket, right now, or you're suspended."
"Please, Jughead, ju-" "Shh."
"Then I guess I'm suspended," Jughead nodded before walking out of the room.
"The rest of you. Leave."
Carson waited for Sweet Pea outside the room, shaking her head when he walked up to her, "What the hell happened?"
"Reggie attacked Jughead," Sweet Pea shrugged as they walked down the hallway.
"No serpent stands alone," Carson recited.
Sweet Pea smiled at her, "Exactly."
♕
Carson stood in the doorway of her father's office, hearing what Veronica was saying to their parents.
"Weatherbee told McCoy who told us the integration is not going well. Reggie's just being Reggie, but he has made gang-wear a flashpoint. The Southsiders need to start looking the part. So I propose a charitable donation to help out the fashionably misguided," she proposed.
Carson sighed and made her way into the room, "Baby sis, you don't understand. They wear the jackets out of pride and honor of the ones that came before them. Not only that, but the jackets are the skins of the serpents. A serpent can never shed their skin. Those jackets make them who they are, Ronnie."
Hiram and Hermione looked at their eldest daughter with both confusion and curiosity.
"How would you know?" Hermione asked.
"I'm best friends with two of them, mom. Jughead and Toni," Carson said, "I helped Jughead memorize the rules for part of his initiation. I've listened to him rant about that life. I know what I'm telling you."
"Has Sweet Pea told you anything?" Veronica asked, raising a brow at Carson.
Carson glared at her younger sister. "Yes, He has. He's told me that the reason he fought today was because our own bulldogs went after one of them first. No serpent stands alone. Mom, dad, it's not the serpents that cause the problems anymore. It's our own people. Their wardrobe has nothing to do with anything."
"It has their gang symbol," Hiram said to his daughter.
"So if they wear their jacket that automatically means they're doing gang activity? What if they were simply reading, or writing?" Carson asked, thinking of Jughead and Toni.
"We appreciate you sticking up for your friends, mija, but some things you can't change," Hiram said sternly.
"I'm not the one trying to change who they are," Carson glared at her younger sister before turning on her heel and walking away.
♕
Carson and Sweet Pea slid into a booth at Pops, Carson letting out a sigh.
"So I tried my best," Carson said, looking down at the table.
"At what?" Sweet Pea asked.
"Trying to convince my parents that your clothing, specifically your jackets, reflect who you are and is apart of y'all. But of course they took Veronica's side. She's the perfect little angel in their eyes so they always take her side," Carson complained, looking up at Sweet Pea, "Always."
"Well why don't you look stressed, Miss Lodge," Pops said as he walked over to their table, "Chocolate milkshake?"
Carson looked up at him and nodded then glanced at Sweet Pea and smiled, "Two."
"Extra sprinkles on yours?" Pops asked.
Carson nodded, "Please."
Pops nodded then walked back to the kitchen, Carson turning back to Sweet Pea.
"Extra sprinkles?" Sweet Pea mocked, raising a brow.
Carson rolled her eyes, "Shut up. Like I said, I'm not all that bad."
"Tell that to the girls that keep looking at you with fearful eyes," Sweet Pea smirked, nodding backwards.
Carson looked at where he had motioned to see two girls immediately look away.
Carson chuckled, "That's because I'm with you."
Sweet Pea raised a brow, "With a guy?"
"With a serpent," Carson mimicked any other girl, Sweet Pea smiling.
"I'm being serious, everyone is terrified of serpents, and if 'the most dangerous girl on the north side' is with one? Shit happens," Carson shrugged.
