"What's FP doing here?" Fangs asked.
Sweet Pea sighed as I pulled away from him. "Sorry, but I left my crystal ball at home," I said sarcastically. "Looks like I won't be reading anyone's minds today."
"You're pretty good at reading my mind all the time," Sweet Pea said with a smirk.
"Man, I thought you two were bad when you first got together," Fangs groaned. He grabbed hold of my foot as I went to kick him, and I pulled the other one up with it. "Make yourself comfortable, why don't you?"
"I already did," I said with a smile. How could I not be though? I was sitting on my boyfriend's lap with his arms around me and my feet in our best friend's lap. "What happened to you and Keller? Last I saw, you two were getting pretty close."
Fangs looked down at his hands, sighing. "We were. But uh, he's been spending more time with Evelyn and the rest of the Farmies recently."
"Yeah, I noticed that," I said, thinking back to the other day in the Blue and Gold with Betty. "Promise me you won't even consider joining that cult," I said to Sweet Pea.
"I swear, I won't join them," Sweet Pea said with a small smile. "But Fangs here wants me to join him in the school musical coming up this year."
"Aww, look at the two of you, showing some school spirit," I teased.
"Whatever. At least we still go to school here, unlike you," Fangs retorted.
"Wait, you don't go here?" Colton asked. I'd forgotten he and Landon sitting on the couch across from us.
Fangs and Sweet Pea shook their heads. "Nope," I replied.
"How did you two not know that?" Sweet Pea asked. "You've been following Abigail around the past few days when she's not with us."
Colton shrugged. "I don't know, we just kind of assumed she was skipping class."
"I did do that a lot," I acknowledged. "But no, I didn't finish last year and have no plans to come back."
"Then why are you here so often?" Landon asked.
"Someone has to keep these two in line, and I suppose you as well now," I said. "And Jughead wants me at all the meetings of the Swords and Serpents now."
"Speaking of, we should get there," Fangs said, pushing my feet off his lap. "I'm telling Jones it's your fault if we're late."
I raised an eyebrow at him as I stood. "How would it be my fault? One of you should have been watching the time."
"We just got here, we thought you knew it was almost time to go," Colton protested.
"How was I supposed to go anywhere with you sitting on me?" Sweet Pea asked, standing behind me.
"I didn't hear you complaining," I said, looking up at him.
"Oh, God, don't start again with that," Fangs groaned, causing us all to laugh as we walked down the hall.
In the classroom, Sweet Pea, Fangs, and I took seats in the back of the room, away from Kurtz who was in the front row, glaring at FP. Colton and Landon stayed nearby, making it clear they were aligned with us before Kurtz.
"I know what this is about," I said quietly, looking at Jughead. So much for the heads up he was going to be giving me about when we were doing this.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Kurtz spat out, not taking his eyes off FP.
"I made the invitation," Jughead answered.
"Why?" Sweet Pea asked.
Jughead glanced at his father before answering. "Kurtz boasted that the Serpents need him more than he needs us. I disagree. But one thing is true, the Serpents are rudderless. We lack identity and focus." Sweet Pea and Fangs both gave me questioning looks but I stayed silent, letting Jughead have his dramatic reveal. "We're better and stronger when we're task-focused. That's why, with the help of my father, Serpent Emeritus, we've come up with a plan to deputize the Serpents. To become partners with the Riverdale Sheriff's office."
"For real?" someone asked.
FP nodded, stepping forward. "You'll work for me. Help me with investigations, be my eyes and ears in the community. In return, you'll get paid and receive school credit to help you apply to colleges."
Jughead looked around at the grinning Serpents. "This is about bringing order, ensuring our survival. But this is gonna be a grand-new chapter for the Serpents, and we can't be divided by it. So let's put it to a vote."
"If it's not unanimous," FP began, his eyes sweeping the room before coming to a stop on Kurtz, "there's the damn door."
"All in favor?" Jughead asked, raising his hand.
The Serpents raised theirs instantly. Sweet Pea cleared his throat, looking at Landon and Colton who looked to me before raising their hands as well. Kurtz slowly looked behind him, seeing that he was the only one not in agreement. Without a word, he slowly made his way to the door.
"Good riddance," FP said, watching the door close.
Beside me, Sweet Pea clapped his hands together, a smile on his face. "Sweet. Do we get to carry guns?"
"Seriously?" I asked, laying my head on his shoulder.
"Absolutely not," FP replied quickly.
"No," Jughead echoed, a small smile on his face.
After FP gave everyone more information about the training process and what they could expect, we left as a group, headed for the former Gargoyle lair Jughead had decided to clean up and repurpose as the new Serpent HQ. It was definitely not going to be a replacement for the Whyte Wyrm, but considering Tent City was slowly emptying out as the Serpents found more permanent lodging and the Joneses prepared to move into the Cooper house, somewhere new was needed.
"Abigail, Sweet Pea, wait up!" Reggie called from behind us. We stopped, waving the others on as we waited for him to catch up. "I've texted you like four times already, why haven't you answered?" he asked, looking at me.
"My screen's kind of busted and it makes it hard to do much of anything," I replied.
"Not even the best screen protectors on the market can stand up to you when you're pissed," Sweet Pea said with a small smile. "What's the emergency, Mantle?"
"I need to borrow your girlfriend."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "For what, exactly?"
"Come on, Abigail, please," Reggie pleaded. "I need someone to talk to who will give it to me straight. You're the only one who will do that."
I glanced up at Sweet Pea who shrugged. "It's your choice, come with me and the rest of the Serpents or go with Mantle."
"You mean clean out a drug-infested abandoned house or hang out somewhere much cleaner and talk to a friend," I corrected with a smile. "Sorry, Sweet Pea, but I'm gonna have to go with the second option."
"Thank you!" Reggie cheered. "I'll keep an eye on her for you, man."
"You better," Sweet Pea warned before leaning down to press a kiss against my lips. "I'll see you at home."
I watched him walk down the hall before turning back to Reggie. "So, where to, the student lounge? Unless you just really want to stand in the hall."
"Actually, do you mind going back to my place?" he asked. "I'd rather not have to keep looking over my shoulder."
A short time later I sat on Reggie's bed, watching him pace back and forth. What was with people in Riverdale? I'd never seen so many people pace around the room before talking as everyone did here. "So, you and Veronica really turned the speakeasy into a casino?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"That was actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Reggie said, taking a seat on the only chair in the room.
"Sorry Mantle, I've seen a lot of things in my life, but casinos are one thing I have no experience with," I said, shaking my head.
"No, not the casino, Ronnie," he replied.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "You seriously brought me here to talk about Veronica? Okay, fine," I sighed. "Are you finally coming to your senses about what kind of person she really is?"
Reggie scrubbed his hand through his hair. "She's not a bad person, really. She's just...Ronnie has a lot on her plate right now. But I feel like I'm being pushed off the side. We've been hooking up here and there, but I feel like I'm the only one putting any effort into things."
"It's times like these I wish I could still drink," I muttered. "How do you see that?"
Reggie's head dropped as he sighed. "I've been by her side since before the speakeasy even opened, helped get the place off the ground, taken so many risks to keep it going. I've invested a lot of time there. Being a bartender, a bouncer, a deliveryman, pit boss, you name it. I've also made sacrifices, like giving my car to Gladys. I feel like that's all I am to Ronnie. I want to be more than just her errand boy or causal hookup. I want to matter."
"So why are you telling me all this and not her?" I asked.
"Because I don't know what to say," he answered. "I've tried to keep my distance from her, keep everything strictly business, but she pulls me back in."
"She's stringing you along, Reggie," I said. "Think about it, every time something happens between her and Archie, who does she run to? You. When things are going well in her world, who does she run to? Archie, not you." Reggie pushed himself up, beginning to pace again. "You've gotta cut ties with her, completely. Get out of the business and stay out of her bed."
Reggie paced a few more minutes, thinking. Suddenly he stopped, taking a seat on the bed beside my legs. "No, I'm not going to cut bait and run. I've put too much time and effort into the speakeasy to walk away now. I may not get my time and money back, but I deserve to at least be an official part of the business."
"Wait, you're not her business partner?" I asked, sitting up straighter. "What the hell is wrong with you, Mantle? All this time you've been mooning around after her as nothing but a lowly employee?"
"Not even that," he said quietly. "I've given Ronnie all my time, my effort, and she hasn't given me anything in return."
"Damn it, Mantle," I snapped, "you're a fucking idiot for putting in so much effort for someone who doesn't even pay you." I sighed, forcing myself to calm down as he looked down at his hands. "Look Reggie I tried to warn you about this before but you didn't want to listen so look at me right now, because I'm only going to tell you this one more time. You've put the Great Veronica Lodge on a pedestal so high no can reach her, not even you. But something that tall needs a strong foundation, which she doesn't have, and one of these days she's going to come crashing down and anyone within close distance is going to be hurt. And the closer you are, the worse it's going to be."
"Okay, so how do I get her down from there?" he asked, a lost look in his eyes.
I shook my head before letting it drop back against the headboard as I thought. "I may have an idea," I said, a smile forming on my face. "Something that should get you back to feeling like Mantle the Magnificent."
Reggie waited as I pulled out my phone. "Hey, you free this afternoon?" I asked when they answered the call. "Good, we'll be there soon."
"Abigail, where are we going?" Reggie asked carefully. "I thought you were out of the drug business, and I can't be caught near the stuff."
"Just get in the car," I ordered, giving him a slight push. "We're going to see a friend of mine."
I led Reggie down the hall in the Five Seasons, pushing the door open without hesitation. "Where are we?" he asked, following me in.
"I'm somewhat surprised you haven't heard of the Maple Club," I said, watching the grin spread across his face as some of the other girls working there passed by. "Reggie, I want you to meet Laura," I said, pulling him after me into the side room. "Laura, Reggie here is hung up on a girl and needs to get over her. Think you can help him out?"
Laura looked Reggie up and down, considering. "I can definitely do something with him," she said at last. "You're not staying? I'd have thought you'd enjoy the chance to have someone who doesn't obey your every command."
I ignored the look on Reggie's face as I met Laura's eye. "As tempting as that is, I'm going to have to pass for now. I'll let you work your magic alone, or with the others if that's what it takes. Enjoy, Mantle."
Back at home, I started on dinner for everyone, seeing I was the first to arrive. "I didn't expect to see you back so early," Sweet Pea said, letting himself in the back door. "Thought you and Mantle would still be hanging out."
"No, we talked for a bit, then I took him to see Laura," I answered. "Did I miss anything with the new lair?"
"Not really. We got the trash out of the place and pulled the boards off the walls so at least we can see what we're doing. There's still a lot of work to do, the Gargoyles trashed the place before they left. No signs of the kid either."
"I don't think we'll see him again anytime soon, if ever," I replied, turning to pull a stack of plates from the cupboard. "Word's gonna spread that the Serpents are training with the Sheriff's office. He'll be too scared to come back, afraid you'll arrest him."
"I still can't believe we don't get to carry guns," Sweet Pea muttered.
I rolled my eyes at him. "You can already do enough damage without one. We don't need you getting pissed off at someone and using it at the wrong time. Then you'd be sitting behind bars and where would that leave me? Plotting your grand escape?"
Sweet Pea smiled, pulling me to him. "No, because I know you'd find some way to convince everyone you're my lawyer and get me off."
"That sounds about right," I said, wrapping an arm around the back of his neck as he pressed his lips against mine.