fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| FORTY-NINE ||

"You promised us a war," Sweet Pea began, not wasting a second before expressing his infuriated opinion to all the Serpents in the room, including Betty. "Then you're on stage looking like Buddy Holly, sucking up to the Northside?"

The conference in the school hall hadn't ended well in the Southsiders' favour, but never did Sweet Pea expect Jughead's campaign, the only one the Serpents held any interest in, to betray them the way he did.

"We need those votes, Sweet Pea. It's the only way we can affect any change," Jughead justified simply, and Sweet Pea shot a look at the Fogarty siblings who were sat together at another table. "Whoever's elected gets on the school board. That means we're inside, they can't silence us."

"You and the Northside princess, you mean?" Fangs sneered unexpectedly, and then all eyes were on Betty who felt like she was getting smaller by the second just from their poisonous gazes.

"Wait," Jughead objected, his brow furrowing. "Is that why you guys are pissed? Betty's on our side."

"Yeah," Betty agreed, thankful to have someone stick up for her. "I've helped the Serpents on numerous occasions. I helped find the Pickens statue's head. I got Cheryl to testify in court so FP, your king, could get early parole--"

"You did all that for your boyfriend," Sweet Pea cut her off, and he was well aware that he just said what they were all thinking. Torn in two, Lauryn couldn't give him the look of agreement he was looking for. "Not the Serpents."

"All right, take it down, Sweet Pea," Jughead ordered, but he should've known that it would only agitate him more.

"What?" Sweet Pea raised his voice, an outspoken, yet somewhat factual rant climbing up his throat. "It's only a matter of time before she bails on us, just like her mother."

Betty screwed her face up at Lauryn's boyfriend, waving her hands about. "Okay, so your objections aren't even about me, they're about my mom."

"Her legacy, yeah. She's an enemy of the Serpent State. Taking shots at us in the Register for years. Blaming us for crimes we didn't commit," he listed, looking down at her. "Running with the turncoat's daughter is a slap in the face, and for that reason alone, you're not getting the Serpent vote."

Being left uncomfortable and defeated, Betty glanced over at Lauryn in hope that she'd defend her, but she waited until all the other Serpents in the room were gone to speak to her. "I'm sorry, Betty."

"Look, I know we're not exactly close," Betty started, moving over to the table where Lauryn was sat. "But... could you give me some advice here? I'm running out of options, and it doesn't seem like Sweet Pea and Fangs are going to change their mind any time soon."

Lauryn shrugged as she inhaled. "Well, I'm not sure what to tell you. They're not wrong in having cold feet because of your mom."

"What do I need to do, then? Do I need to prove myself?" Betty fretted, barely able to keep her hands still while she was talking at a thousand miles per hour. "Do I need to--"

Lauryn laughed at her. "Cool it, okay? I don't know what research you've done on the Serpents, but neither of those activities would benefit you whatsoever."

"Then help me, please?" 

"I..." Lauryn paused, her eyes focused on a lost pencil sat on a desk. "I'm not sure what to tell you, but the others just need a reason to trust you. A reason which has nothing to do with Jughead, because that's all they think you're in it for."

"I won't lie and say it's not why I first considered joining the Serpents," Betty confessed quietly, worried there might be a couple Serpents listening outside. "But it's more than that now, Lauryn, you have to believe me."