CHAPTER SEVEN
" I want someone with secrets that nobody, nobody, nobody knows "
Lzzy and I parted ways with Ghost after our breakfast at Pop's. He headed towards the Southside while we headed for Riverdale High. We strolled back the same path we took to Pop's.
We were about to pass my house when a dozen people started pouring out the front door of Betty's house. It was Archie and his gang and their parents. The mayor and the sheriff were also among crowd. What mess did my brother get himself into this time?
We stopped in our tracks to watch the mayhem unroll.
"Looks like your brother got himself into yet another trouble," Lzzy commented.
Archie was running towards our general direction. The others didn't seem so concerned as to whatever he was doing. It looked like they had their own problems to worry about.
As he got closer to us, I reached out my arm to stop him. "Hey, where are you going? Why did the Mayor just come out of Betty's house?"
"Can't talk right now," He tried to get out of my grasps but I gripped his arm tighter.
"Um, sure you can. Spill," I said.
Archie looked at Lzzy then back to me warily. "Mayor McCoy is about to raid Southside High, I have to warn Jughead," Archie explained.
"Wait," says Lzzy, taking a step closer towards Archie. "Why is she raiding Southside High? What did you do this time that the Serpents are being blamed for?"
Archie didn't reply immediately. He was wondering whether or not tell us about the trouble he got into. "There was a party two nights ago at Nick St.Clair's and there were," he paused. He turned to look at me with guilt in his eyes. "There was jingle-jangle and Mayor McCoy thinks that the Serpents are the ones dealing. I have to go right now."
Archie pulled his arm away and slipped out of my grasp and went back to sprinting his way to Southside High. His body grew smaller as he got further away from us and eventually disappeared from our sight.
"Serpents don't deal jingle-jangle," Lzzy said with panic in her tone, "I have to tell everyone. C'mon."
★ ★ ★
Southside High was much more worse than I thought. Like I've heard things about the school being shitty and all but that is not even close enough to the actual thing.
There were actual metal detectors and bag scanners at the entrance like the ones at the airport. Lzzy was in no way perplexed about it, she must have been to this school before. Either that or she was too busy texting the Serpents about the trouble arising to notice.
"Kenna, you shouldn't be here," Archie whispered to me as he emptied his pocket into the bag scanner.
I did the same. "Archie, there are people in this school- innocent teenagers that are going to be arrested for whatever YOU got yourself into."
Honestly speaking, I have no idea why I'm here. I only know one Serpent in this school, Ghost, the same guy I didn't know about until about an hour ago. Whatever, didn't feel like going to school today anyways. Oh the irony!
Right past the metal detectors I caught a glimpse of students doing Jingle-Jangle. Damn, these security measures are useless.
"This school is perfect for you, Arch," I said to Archie. "Look at all the drugs, I bet the temptation is high right now."
"It was one time," he replied.
"One time to destroy yourself when you put that poison in your body," I said passive-aggressively. "I worry about you Archie, you can't seem to stay out of trouble."
Archie stayed silent. Shame was written all over him.
Once past the metal detectors, we were finally inside Southside High. How is this even a school? Feels more like a prison. Graffitis and stickers cover every inch of the walls and lockers like it was a public toilet. Wow, the school's toilets must be much worse, huh?
I mean I heard that the school was bad but I did not know it was that bad.
Archie was ready to split and bolt for it but Lzzy quickly grabbed onto his wrists. She was squeezing his wrists so tightly I'm afraid it would leave a mark.
Lzzy looked Archie dead in the eye and said sternly, "Don't think you can get away with it this time, Andrews."
Archie nodded before snatching away his arm, breaking free from Lzzy's grasps.
Lzzy immediately went towards a group of Serpents nearby and started warning them about the drug bust. I just trailed behind her like a lost puppy.
"I'll go look for Ghost," I told Lzzy, who was more concerned about warning her fellow Serpents to listen.
I broke away from Lzzy and started scouting the school. It was like a maze in this place. Every hallway had the same dull colours, the only thing that was different were the graffitis. Everyone in this school looked as though they have not seen joy in their life. Whoop, those are students doing drugs right at the end of the hallway.
I turned around the corner, keeping my head low and ignoring the students doing jingle-jangle. I ended up in a hallway that looked the same as the one that I walked out of, it was like I never left.
Only this time, I finally saw someone I recognised, Sweet Pea. Should I tell him? I walked past a bunch of Serpents coming here and but told them nothing.
Sweet Pea was standing by his locker. He slammed the locker door shut and turned his head towards my direction. "Andrews-"
"Shut up," I interrupted him. "The Mayor is raiding your school, we have to go right now." I urgently grabbed his hand to drag him away but there was a loud 'bang!' of the doors slamming open and Mayor McCoy starts marching in. "Too late, lets go!"
Sweet Pea and I, hand in hand started running for it. I have no idea where I'm going, this is the first time I've been in this school.
"Here!" Sweet Pea tugged at my hand and now he was leading, dragging me towards the exit.
"Not yet," I halted, "I'm looking for Ghost."
He looked at me for a moment as if deciding whether or not to leave me and exit the door to save himself but instead he let me I lead. I dragged him along as I ran around aimlessly looking for Ghost.
For some reason I was panicking, I could feel my heart about to burst out of my chest. I was holding onto Sweet Pea's very hand tightly, I think he could tell that I was nervous. There were cops at every corner we turned to.
It felt like finding a needle in a haystack. Perhaps Ghost had already been arrested or gotten a heads up and escaped. I was about to give up when I heard someone call out, "Kenna!"
I turned my head towards that direction and Ghost was jogging up to me with two other Serpents following behind him.
"Ghost! Let's go!" I said and began bolting for it again.
We tried running back to the exit but now it was blocked by cops. We turned and tried finding another way out, avoiding every cop we saw along the way. Ghost lead us to another exit, a few metres ahead of us was a rusty metal door.
A few more steps and we're out of this disaster. Oh, how I wish.
Cops appeared out of nowhere and we were trapped. Sweet Pea and I turned around to try to escape but behind us were also cops. We were surrounded. Ghost and the two other Serpents managed to slip past them and they were saving themselves.
My mind was racing with millions of thoughts. How the fuck do I escape? We were cornered and there was no where for us to run to. I would be fucking lying right now if I said I was not fucking scared.
The cops approached us and I tried to squeeze between two of them to escape, fuck I'm an idiot, they slammed me onto the ground. "Kenna!" someone screamed my name. The back of my head was throbbing, I closed my eyes and winced. I tried reaching the back of my head but the cops apprehended my hands and turned me around, pressing me down onto the ground as they put cuffs on me. FUCK, everything hurts. They pulled me up and my head was still spinning. Sweet Pea was pressed up against the lockers with his hands behind his back as he was getting cuffed.
We were escorted through the hallway which felt more like a walk of shame. Students were lined up at the side of the hall, watching us parade down the hallway. They either had the look of (strangely) satisfaction or fear. I looked up to Sweet Pea who was walking beside me and we had a brief moment of eye contact, his face was between the cross of anger and annoyance.
Amongst the crowd watching us, I could see Archie running up to me. "Kenna!" He screamed.
I had the instinct to lunge forward, to hold my brother but the cop was holding me back tightly.
"Hey back off!" said a ruff voice behind me. The cop held out his hand to stop Archie.
"She's my sister- SHES NOT A SERPENT!" Archie argued.
SMACK!
Archie fell back onto the ground.
"ARCHIE!" I screamed. I kicked and tossed around, trying to break free and run towards my brother.
"This one's aggressive," said the cop apprehending me as he struggled to control me.
"Don't touch her!" Sweet Pea came forward but the cop gave him this fierce look that forced him back into silence.
I was crying. I didn't realise I was until I felt tears streaming down my face. I have never felt this scared in my life, not since that day my dad got shot. . .
The cops forced us into the back of the police van with a few other Serpents. I sniffled and tried to stop my crying. I was scared but I didn't want to show it. Not to the other Serpents at least.
Sweet Pea and I were seated across Toni and a slightly shorter looking girl with short electric-blue-hair.
"Toni," said Sweet Pea.
"Sweet Pea," said Toni.
The engine started and we were moving.
I finally calmed down enough to recognise the throbbing headache I have. The spot on the back of my head where the cops slammed me down onto the ground was hurting so bad.
"First time?" Toni asked calmly.
It sounded like a muffle to me at first.
"I'm guessing yours isn't?" I asked.
Toni smirked. "Why are you in for?"
I didn't answer immediately. At least talking to someone was taking my mind off this stupid fucking headache. "Tried helping this fucker escape," I looked towards Sweet Pea.
He frowned. "Excuse me, we could've escaped but you decided to save Ghost."
I would've given him the finger if my hands weren't cuffed behind my back.
"Is he okay?" Asked the blue-haired girl.
"Yeah, he got away," replied Sweet Pea, "with Bolt and Flash too."
"Thank god", the blue-haired girl leaned back in her seat in relief.
Pain shot up my spine and I winced in discomfort.
"Are you okay?" Asked Toni.
I shook my head. "I have this stupid fucking headache."
"Lean forward," said Sweet Pea.
I didn't know why he asked but I did it anyways.
"There's no bleeding or anything," he said, examining the back of my head.
"Must be internal then," I randomly said.
"Shit, you might have a concussion," said Toni.
"Oh shit," said a Serpent.
I shut my eyes in the midst of the pandemonium. Everyone in the van began panicking. I could hear an uproar of fear. Someone was kicking the van shouting, "Hey, this girl has a concussion!" At the same time the cop driving the van was trying to silence us.
My head was spinning and my vision was blurring. I just feel so sleepy-
AUTHOR'S NOTE
sorry if I confused any of you who received the notification for chapter 7 but couldn't find the chapter. I unpublished it because I decided to re-write it. The original chapter that I published had Sweet Pea and Kenna escape with Ghost but I decided to change that.
Also, I'm not American so I keep referring to the police as cops. I don't know what you call them :p