Asher hadn't gone to school the next three days.
She was terrified of what Cheryl would do. Her life was destroyed, she knew that much. Everyone would hate her once Cheryl was done with whatever cruel payback she had thought up. Asher couldn't deal with the possibilities, so she just hadn't shown up. Her friends had called and she had ignored, she didn't want them to ask her questions about what happened.
She had dreamed of the Serpent last night again. This time though it was scary, they were together at first. In her red silk covered bed, she was under him, his mouth on hers as his hands moved down her sides. She felt pure warmth, pure ecstasy. Asher wasn't scared at all.
He pulled his mouth back as he gave her that same deep smirk, "What do you want, Princess?"
Before she had the chance to answer though a bullet went straight through his head, blood and brain matter covered her in seconds. Once his head had fallen out of her sight the black hood was in her line of sight. She couldn't scream, it was as if she had no voice.
Asher had woken up in a cold sweat, frantically looking around her room.
She took the dream as two messages. Stay away from him and start talking before you can't anymore.
The day had wasted away until it was around 7 o'clock, a car horn blared outside her window. When she hopped to her balcony she immediately recognized Fred Andrews blue pickup truck.
Archie stuck his head out, "I need your spray paint!"
And that is how she ended up with Archie driving down the streets of Riverdale, her whole collection of red spray paint shoved into his backpack. She was still dressed in basically PJ's, black booty shorts with lace trim and a small, tight black tank top with a matching lace trim. Archie hadn't given her time to change, much less brush her hair.
She tugged it out of the pony tail it had been in for the last two days. "So? Gonna tell me what happened?"
Asher could see him glance to her bruised knuckles.
"Cheryl didn't say anything?" She was surprised.
"Cheryl went on some trip or something, hasn't been in school." Asher didn't know whether to be relieved yet or to continue to worry that once she got home the war would be on.
"I- Archie, Don't be mad." They both stepped out of the truck at some big doors.
He started spray painting. "Wait- What are you doing? Red, are we on Southside?"
Archie didn't look back as he continued defacing a wall with a bold red circle.
"Archie! Knock it off!" Asher yelled tugging on his arm.
"Stop! I have to do this!" She shook her head at the boy.
"You're going to get killed! That's what's going to happen, Archie." Asher couldn't help but snap, anxiety was wrapping itself around her throat, begging her to let it take over and constrict to silence.
"You should listen to your girl, Northsider. You're gonna get hurt." Asher didn't even hear the snakes appear.
Asher recognized them immediately though once she looked up, she looked at the tall one with sadness. He looked her over for a long moment, Asher had to fight her feet not to move over to him.
"This isn't for you." Archie snapped at them, Asher looked to him in surprise at his tone.
"Archie.." She almost whispered, starting to feel very uncomfortable with the rising hostility.
The three looked at each other as the tall one let out a laugh, "Who's it for then? Don't tell me it's for the Black Hood." Asher visibly stiffened at the mention of the serial killer.
"Red, I want to go home. Right now." She quickly spoke, holding onto her own arms. She felt exposed, vulnerable in her lack of clothing. Yet she wasn't worried about the three boys she didn't know.
"You made a mistake coming here. Take the mute home." The tall boy snapped giving me a glaring once over look.
His insult was followed by pulling out a switchblade. The noise woke a part of her up, suddenly it's as if she was running through the woods again.
"Who made a mistake? Who made a mistake!" Archie whipped out a pistol, she was knocked out of her trance at the sight of him holding a gun to that Serpent's face.
For once again this week, she didn't hesitate. Asher's pretty face was in front of the barrel of that gun in moments of it being out.
"Archie, back the fuck down before I take you down!" Her voice hadn't been so loud in over a year.
It struck something in Archie though, it's as if he was just seeing her again, with a gun at her head. A gun he was holding.
"I-I'm so sorry, Ash." He dropped the gun away from her face, hands shaking.
She turned to the three serpents who looked at her in shock, tall boy staring at her in awe. Asher shot her head in a motion behind them and waved them off.
"Nah, I'm not leaving you with this psycho." He was quick to speak but his friends both pushed him back. "Sweet Pea, she's fine. We gotta go."
Sweet Pea backed up a few steps watching her before he turned to run with his friends.
"C'mon, let's go get some hot chocolate." She slowly took his hand in hers and walked them to the truck.
Archie was the silent one on the way back to her house. Once inside her bedroom he finally looked at her, tears shone in his eyes.
She brushed her hand through his hair, "I understand."
Immediately one of her best friends burst into sobs as she held him to her.
She tried her best to sooth him but he had finally fallen asleep by 2:30am. She shot Fred a text, apologizing for keeping Archie and that he had fallen asleep. Also stating she wouldn't let him be late for school.
The next morning she didn't wake with a nightmare, she woke up feeling safe. Archie's arms were wrapped around her.
She pulled away from him slowly and went to shower. Archie and her had multiple sleepovers in their twelve year friendship, but they had never woke up cuddling like that. It made her stomach twist.
By the time she was showered with her hair and makeup done he had awoken, with a squint to his eyes he looked at her. "Good morning."
She couldn't help but smile at him, "Good morning, sleeping beauty. Why don't you get ready?"
Asher changed while Archie was in the bathroom, she still felt bad about last night. Asher wasn't sure why she felt so guilty but a part of her blamed her sick feeling on knowing her friend was upset.
When he walked out of the bathroom in a spare set of clothes he had at her house she sighed, "Okay, c'mon. I'll let you drive the Fastback."
Archie gaped as mouth dropped, "Ash, don't play with my emotions like this."
The girl rolled her eyes as she began heading out of her grand bedroom. Archie hot on her heels as they ran down the winding staircase.
Archie yelled basically the whole way to Riverdale High, the fear she held while he drived was worth the smile he gave her.
"Can we stop by Jug's? I wanna gloat!" Asher had laughed and nodded to him before he made a sudden U-turn before heading to God knows where.
When they pulled close to a large building she recognized it as South Side High, where she had been weeks prior with Betty. Her mind screamed Sweet Pea in bold flashing lights.
Archie drove in full confidence, "Do you even know where he-" Her out loud thought had been interrupted by Jughead himself.
"She let you drive the Stang?" It was a jealous yell as they about passed a row of motorcycles.
Jughead quickly looked to me, "C'mon! You let him drive it before me? What happened to loyalty? I let you lick my Ring Pop!"
Asher let out a loud laugh at this claim. When they were in the 5th grade Asher had made the poor boy pinky promise to always give her first dibs on the things he had, same for Asher. But when it came to Daddy's cars, it was a huge no.
"She did what to you, Halfblood?" A loud voice interrupted their joke as Asher immediately looked to see him.
"Something you'd only dream about, Sweet Boy." Asher was surprised by her own voice but loved the small rush that followed. Mute no more.
Archie looked at her in pure shock, even Jughead followed.
"I wouldn't doubt that, Princess." He gave her a seductive smirk through the car window.
"Back it up, snake boy!" Archie rolled his eyes at the tall boy.
"I'm not talking to you, Carrot Top! I didn't forget you putting a gun in my face. Your time is coming, don't rush it." His brown eyes glared hard at the driver before he looked back at her.
It felt like he was pulling her in, she didn't understand it at all.
"You gonna let me drive it sometime, Princess?" It's almost like she couldn't convince herself not to nod.
"Maybe I could ride yours?" With a slight tilt of her head she smiled at him. God did she want to, sure he was huge.
Asher could see the boy gulp but she noticed his eyes glaze over slightly, they glanced to her chest and then back up to her eyes. She couldn't help but squeeze her legs together slightly.
Never had a boy made her so ready without ever touching her. A blush rose to her cheeks as Sweet Pea licked his bottom lip looking up from her clenched legs.
"Not happening, Red! We're late, bye!" Archie snapped before putting the car back in drive.
"What the hell was that? You into that Snake?" Archie yelled over at her from the drivers seat.
For a second she allowed herself stare out the front windshield, "I-I don't even know, Red. It's like somethings calling me to him, wants to be near him."
"What does that even mean? Asher, you can't sleep with a Serpent." Archie looked over to her in confusion.
Asher rolled her eyes as she threw her head back against the seat, "It's not just- I don't know how to explain it, okay? I feel drawn to him, like I'm supposed to know him, be with him."
"Did you not sleep or something? Obviously you're delusional!" Archie gives her even more of a shocked look.
This insult made Asher clamp her mouth shut and refused to speak to him or anyone else really all day.
Asher didn't feel like she could talk to her friends about anything. They would call her crazy or tell
her that she only felt a certain way because of the "trauma" she had endured. Asher didn't want to be a victim anymore but that was hard to do when nobody would stop reminding her of it. Nobody would stop reminding her that they thought she was crazy.