I was in my room getting ready for school when my grandmother came in
"Yes avo?"
"The head of general Pickens was decapitated" I turned to face her
"Really? Hmmm" I turned to face the mirror so I can adjust my earning
"Mija did you?" My eyes widen and turned to face her again
"Why Nana of course not I mean sure I was angry but if I wanted to do such a thing I have Daddy's men do it for me I would never want to get my hands dirty" once I was dressed we go downstairs for breakfast I sit next to daddy who was reading the newspaper like always when Xavier came in
"Mr. And Ms. Cruz the sheriff here."
"Let him in Xavier." Dad spoke and he let him in
"Keller what can we do for you?" Daddy asked him while mom served dad his coffee
"Sorry to bother you Eric, May but where was Celeste when general Pickens head was taken off?"
"Celeste was here with us eating dinner right my love?"
"Of course my baby eat along side us we had steak with mash potato green beans corn and gravy along with her usual apple martini." Spoke mom placing her hand under my chin kissing my forehead
"Plus Mr. Keller a small girl like wouldn't be able to do such a man job seems useless and such a hassle." I said twirling lighty my orange cocktail at school
"I already invited Archie, but I want you guys to be there, as well. Usually these kinds of events, baptisms, confirmations are family-only, but since it's all about me and you guys are my chosen family, I pulled a few strings and reserved you a pew."
"What is the dress code?"
"I was gonna asked the same thing" I asked
"Catholic chic. So, dresses for the girls, veils optional. And coats and ties for the boys." Then Betty and Jughead get called to the principal office I walked over to the gold and blue to chat
"What happened?"
"Well thanks to speaking out Mr. Logde lawyer wasn't happy so they kick us out and off the paper"
"Typically you express yourself out on the papers and then they shut you down such injustice" I said sitting on a desk
"I'm so sorry, Betty. I don't care if they harass me at home or school, but you... You don't deserve this heat."
"Who's harassing you at home?"
"Sheriff Keller. He has no proof, but he suspects one or more of the Serpents, probably me, decapitated the statue of General Pickens."
"Oh please your not the only one being asked that my grandmother asked me the same thing and believe me if it was me I would have put it on display for all to see" I tell them while looking at my nails
"And did you?"
"Betty, how... Why would I decapitate a bronze statue?"
"Maybe the same reason you wrote that article. To avenge Toni's and Celeste's grandparents. I mean, you and Celeste are close."
"Sure. We're pals."
"Close pals. I saw you guys at Pop's early one morning, in the middle of the Black Hood attacks. You were having breakfast, and you seemed like more than pals. And I know it's not my place to ask, but did anything ever happen between you two?" I stay quiet looking at Jughead who looked
"Yeah. The night of the Gauntlet, after you sent Archie to break up with me, Celeste stayed over. She gave me a... Tattoo. And we did some stuff, but not everything."
"Uh-huh."
"I promise you bet is true what he saying." I spoke
"But since you brought it up, have you done anything with anyone since we broke up?"
"No. No. Of course not." Why do I find that hard to believe back home daddy got a call from FP mom and dad got dressed in their old Serpent clothes
Xavier took us to the South side bar and we walk in hearing
"But if we're gonna fix this, I gotta ask: Is anyone in this room responsible for cutting off Pickens' head?" Said FP
"Why don't you ask your son what he has to say?"
"What is your problem with me, Tall Boy?"
"You wrote the article that started this mess. You and your posse fired the opening shot at Pickens Day."
"It was a peaceful protest, Turncoat."
"That accomplished nothing. So what's to say that you and your boyfriend didn't go back that night with a ladder and hacksaw"
"Hey! We didn't do it. Hell, Tall Boy, you're the tallest guy in this room. You wouldn't even need a ladder."
"Hey!" Shout dad everyone turned to look at our direction
"Well looks who's here"
"Jughead... Tall Boy, the last thing we need right now is to turn on each other." He said
"Hey... We'll find a way out of this." Ended FP then I get a call from Veronica asking her dad wants a chat with me so I go over and take Xavier with me once their I knock on his office door and he opens the door me and Xavier walk in an I sit down as Xavier stand behind me
"Security of yours"
"More like bodyguard of mine since I was five Xavier has protect me but I don't think that's what you wanted to chat about is it Mr. Logde"
"No I wanted to speak to you about a rumor I heard... That you paid Nick St. Clair a visit. And roughed him up a bit."
"Mr. Logde when I heard Cheryl tell Archkinss that her and Veronica almost got assaulted by that animal I wanted to simplify that he'll not hurt someone I consider a friend and I thought you of all people would have gone to the extreme to protect your own daughter. if it was my father who heard I almost got man handled by some brute well let's say he would have the entire St. Clair family out of the picture and I know Archie would have beaten the daylights out of Nick"
"And I admire the protection you had done for Veronica"
"Well she's my friend Mr. Logde and I know Archie is an amazing boyfriend he would have done the same. Any way I have to go now I have family matters to attend"
"Why of course and Celeste"
"Yes Mr. Logde?"
"My daughter and McCoy daughter will be singing at her confirmation I was wondering if you can sing with them"
"I would be honored Mr. Logde" we shake hands and i went back to seprents bar and see Jughead shocked I stand by him and see a female their I've never seen before
"Jughead Jones. Did you really think you'd see the last of me?"
"What's the Snake Charmer doing here?" Snake charmer oh this must be the wracthed woman mom told me about Penny
"Dad?"
"No, I brought her in, to help us."
"We don't need Penny's kind of help."
"You don't get a say anymore. Since you broke Serpent law and hurt one of our own kind. Penny was about to tell your dad. Show him, Penny. Show 'em all." She placed her arm out and I saw a red skinned area
"That used to be my Serpent tattoo, until your son sliced a chunk outta my arm and left me bleeding in a ditch in Greendale." My eyes widen a little
"But I'm still willing to help the Serpents. Tall Boy showed me those eviction notices. They're legit. Luckily, I can think of about ways to stall the process. And I'm talking years."
"What's your price, Penny?"
"Blood for blood. An eye for an eye. I want back in with the Serpents and I want him kicked out. Oh, yeah, one last thing... I want his tattoo carved off. And I want to do it myself. With a dirty knife." Oh hell no I step in front of Jughead
"You dare so much as lay a finger on Jug and I'll cut up worse than you will ever imagine"
"Celeste don't.." jug whispers to me
"And who are you?"
"I'm Celestia Flores Cruz"
"Oh your Little rose kid"
"Yeah and I'm giving you a warning hurt jug and I'll be your worst nightmare you slippery eel" I sneered at her once home I see mom dad and grandma eating I take my jacket off and go eat
"I've meet Penny" I said my mother stiffened and dad as well as grandma
"Have you?"
"Yep and let's say she's going to be found in a ditch if I keep seeing her" the next day
at Veronica confirmation I sang next to her and Josie
Cause it's a bittersweet ♪
♪ Symphony this life ♪
♪ Trying to make ends meet ♪
♪ You're a slave to the money Then you die ♪
♪ I'll take you down the only road ♪
♪ That I've ever been down ♪
♪ You know the one that takes you to the places ♪
♪ Where all the veins meet Yeah ♪
♪ No change, I can't change ♪
♪ I can't change I can't change ♪
♪ But I'm here in my mold ♪
♪ I am here in my mold ♪
♪ But I'm a million different people ♪
♪ From one day to the next ♪
♪ I can't change my mold ♪
♪ No, no, no, no, no, no ♪ after we finish
"Do you, Veronica Cecilia Lodge, renounce Satan and all evil works? And do you walk in the light of the Lord?"
"I do." Then we party during the party I was with Archie and Betty who we're looking around for someones then Veronica walked over
"Betty, Celeste you two mind if I steal my man? It's time for Archie to meet my abuelita."
"Ohhh that's really important Archkinss behave" I tell him
"Of course. I'm gonna go look for Jug, anyway."
"I'll go with you bets"
"Come on, Archie." We leave to find Jughead who we find up some stairs
"Hey. It's not like Jughead Jones to neglect a free buffet." I laugh a little
"You okay?"
"No, it's the Serpents. They're meeting to decide if I'm getting kicked out or not."
"Which I totally disagree Jughead."
"What, why are they doing that?"
"I broke a code, I messed up bad. Really bad. There's this person who suckered me into delivering drugs. And my dad, too, he got roped in. So, couple of Serpents and I, we... Found her, grabbed her, and I cut her."
"Cut her?"
"The worst part is, none of it even matters. 'Cause she's back. It's like every decision I've made since we broke up, including our break up, just makes things worse and worse." Then his phone rings and he picks up
"Hello. Yes, it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're the ones who put up the flyers. Okay, yeah. We can be right there." We leave and meet up a guy in a junkyard
"You the kids looking for a head?
"If only we lived in a town where the answer could be no. We are and you called to say that you have it?"
"I got nearly ten acres of scrap out there, and I come across weird stuff all the time. But this is the first time I found a bronze head. It was stashed in an old refrigerator." He unzips the bag and their it was
"You didn't happen to see who dumped this?"
"Has anyone suspicious been around here?"
"Well, I get scavengers all the time, but there was a guy come in last week, I'd never seen him before. Claimed he wanted to get some bike parts, but he didn't buy anything."
"Well, did you get his name? What did he look like?" I asked
"Low-life type. Had on one of those jackets." He points to Jughead Serpent jacket and the dots connected fast
"By any chance, was this gentleman tall?" I asked
"Sure was." Me and Jughead knew exactly who it was I called dad up and told to come to the bar right away once their we walk in with the head of general Pickens
"Stop the damn vote. What the hell were you doing at the dump last week, Tall Boy?"
'I don't know what you're talking about." Dad grab him harsh by the face
"His talkin' about you cutting the head off the Pickens' statue and stashing it at the dump where you were seen, dumbass." He let's go
"So start spilling!"
"Why'd you do it? Someone put you up to this?" He noticed Betty
"What's the Northsider doing here? This is Serpent business, it's on Serpent land."
"She's here because she's one of us." I spoke
"You haven't answered my son's question: Why'd you do it?"
"'Cause I'm tired of seeing the Serpents goin' soft under your rule. Then Hiram Lodge came by, wanting to stir up some trouble. He said if I took the head, he'd get McCoy and the cops to swarm all over us, 'cause some chaos."
"So Hiram Lodge asked you to start a mutiny and you helped him, why?"
"I figured it'd be my chance to get rid of you, sunshine. And if I got rid of him, I could get rid of you, too, FP."
"And then, what, you'd become leader?"
"He and Penny." Me and Jughead said United
"You're a Judas, Tall Boy, and an idiot."
"You betrayed your own kind, Tall Boy. You broke Serpent Law. What should we do with this lowlife?"
"Strip him of his jacket." I started
"Exile him." Ended Jughead
"All those in favor."
"Looks like this piece of trash and I got a long ride ahead of us." After that I told dad I be staying with Sweetpea which in really I stayed over at styles house
"Damn that was pretty cool of you Little Rose"
"Yeah I'm just happy this can be over with but we still have battle upon Northside" we lay down together cuddling each other when I accidentally kissed him he kissed back and let's say it was a hot night.