The area surrounding the Sheriff's Station was full of chaos and violence. Hundreds of people were packed on all sides, some shouting to avenge Midge, others protesting Fangs' imprisonment. Signs were waving in the air as people advanced towards the doors in anger.
I stood back from the outer edge of the crowd, knowing better than to try and shove my way through. My fingers twitched at my side, itching to do something instead of just standing around. I shifted my weight back and forth as the rain started to pour down, as if the mood wasn't already dark enough.
My attention was pulled away from the shouting as the station doors were pushed open to reveal a group of Serpents surrounding Fangs. Jughead and FP were in the front and started pushing their way through the mob of people. Toni was acting as a barrier on the side, not holding back from smacking anyone who got too close to her.
My eyes met Jughead's for a split moment, both of us in an unspoken conversation. He wanted me to leave, no doubt, but I wasn't. I had left too many times before and I wasn't about to leave when I needed to support them the most.
Despite what it seemed, the Serpents had become almost like a second family to me. Sweet Pea and Fangs were the annoying older brothers that gave me a hard time no matter what. Toni had fit in perfectly as my second sister, guiding me through the unknown and crazy world of the Serpents. FP seemed more of a guardian to me than either Hiram or Paul and I had only had a handful of conversations with him, yet he still looked out for me as a father would a daughter. I had no leather jacket tying me to the Serpents and yet, I still felt like I belonged with them.
My gaze moved away from Jughead as I noticed familiar red hair above the crowd. Archie Andrews pushed people aside as he fought to get through the crowd. From the other side, a distraught and revengeful looking Reggie Mantle dodged protesters left and right as he set his course right towards the pack of Serpents making their way through the crowd.
I took a few steps back to separate myself from the growing mass of people as Archie took off running towards Reggie. The Andrews teen pushed his friend to the ground, both of them smacking against the concrete.
A gunshot pierced the chaotic noise, effectively sending everyone into silence. Somewhere in the crowd, a woman screamed. Signs dropped to the ground as people began to run. Tires screeched as cars from the streets took off, people attempting to get away from the scene. Somewhere else, a teen screamed for her friends, her boyfriend, and took off into the fray of people.
That teen, was me.
Instead of running towards the Pembrooke like I should've, I went straight towards the group of Serpents who were ducking down in reflex at the sound of the gun. My eyes weren't paying attention to that though. My eyes were on Fangs, who was looking straight at me. His solid gray t-shirt began turning a dark color as his hands moved to touch it.
"No!" I almost tripped as I jumped over Archie and Reggie, landing inches from Toni's side as Sweet Pea and Jug caught Fangs and lowered him to the ground. Various hands grasped at the injured teen's shirt, spreading the blood further. My hand met Toni's on Fangs' stomach, the two of us putting pressure on the wound.
"Savanna?" Jughead's hand grabbed my arm. Even over the noise, I could hear the shock in his voice, the disbelief that one of his friends just got shot inches away from him.
Ignoring Jughead, I moved my attention to FP only to find him staring right back at me. He gave me a subtle nod before pushing his son aside and wrapping one of Fangs' arms around his shoulders. Jughead was quick to take his other side, leaving both Jones men to start the journey to the hospital, two blocks away.
Toni's hand grabbed my own as she stepped back, her eyes on the ground where the puddle of blood formed. I shook my head, squeezing her hand slightly.
"Topaz. Topaz, listen to me." I shook her arm as I tried to redirect her thoughts. "Toni!" She finally looked up from the ground, her wide eyes meeting mine. I shook my head slowly. "It's going to be fine, okay? Don't let go on me just yet."
Her head nodded just the slightest bit but it was enough of an answer for me. Keeping my grip on her hand, I pulled her away from the Sheriff's Station and towards somewhere I knew we wouldn't be questioned.
Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe was empty thanks to the threat of the riots. Luckily, Pop wasn't out front just yet which gave me enough time to shove Toni into the bathroom, locking the door behind us. She pressed her back against the wall as she let out a shaky breath, staring at her reflection in the dirty mirrors.
"Come on," I mumbled as I nudged my head towards the sinks. I pulled my rings from my fingers and set them on the sink before drenching my palms in soap. The water turned a dark, murky color as we washed the blood from our hands in silence
The pink-haired girl paused for a moment after drying her hands with paper towels. I pulled her in for a hug, feeling her arms loosely wrap around me in return.
I didn't know what to say to make Toni feel better. I knew it wouldn't do justice coming from me, either. What she needed right now was someone who could hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Who she needed, was Cheryl.
We made our way from the bathrooms and gave Pop a smile as we neared the door. I squeezed Toni's arm comfortingly, only to realize something felt off. Looking down at my fingers, I noticed I was missing something.
"Shoot. I left my rings on the sink. I'll meet you outside, okay?" I waited for her to nod in understanding before she pushing open the door. I made my way back into the restroom and secured both pieces of jewelry on my fingers just as my phone rang in my pocket.
I groaned, taking the object from its spot and answering it without looking at the contact. "Hello?"
"Miss Savanna? Where are you at the moment?" It took me a second to recognize Andre's deep voice on the other line.
I bit my cheek as I searched for a decent answer. "Um, out with some friends. Why? Is everything alright?"
"Certainly, miss. It's been requested that I bring you and Miss Veronica straight home so I need to know your current location."
"Can't you-" I stopped mid-sentence as I realized why Andre couldn't find me. After the suspicious comment that Daddy made after my room was broken into and destroyed, I never shook off the feeling that he was watching me a little too closely so I turned off my location services for both my parents and Andre. "Um, my phone's going to die so-"
I pulled the device away from my ear and ended the call, instantly flipping my phone to silent so I wouldn't hear his calls. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror before briskly exiting the diner. To my surprise, Toni was nowhere to be seen in the parking lot. It was one hundred percent empty. I blinked twice before shrugging it off. She probably took off to the hospital find out how Fangs was doing.
I started my walk, this time alone, as thoughts circled in my head. There was one thing I couldn't shake off. That feeling, the one of the impending danger, was still swirling in my stomach. It hadn't gone away. If Fangs getting shot wasn't the dreadful event I was feeling, I didn't know if I would be able to handle the real one.
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yayayayay on to my FAVORITE EPISODE!!!!
YAY!