When we arrived down at the banks, Cheryl and I broke away from Jughead to hide in the woods. To my amusement, and shock, Cheryl showed up geared with a bow and looks to kill. I managed to snag Jughead's extra pocket knife so I didn't show up completely empty handed.
"There she is," Cheryl whispered as we crouched behind the bushes and trees surrounding the area. Sure enough, Penny was sitting by a fire, Toni near her with her hands bound in her lap.
"What a bitch," I mumbled as I watched Jughead approach the two.
Penny smiled at my boyfriend's presence, the light from the fire casting shadows on her face. "Hiya, Jones."
Jughead ignored the comment and turned towards his friend. "Toni, are you okay?"
Toni looked up at him, fearfully. "Jughead, she's not alone."
As if on cue, glass shattered nearby as none other than Malachai revealed himself from within the darkness. He smirked at the expression on Jughead's face as he swung a baseball bat back and forth. "Surprise," The Ghoulie taunted as he neared the fire.
"You said it was just going to be the two of us," Jughead repeated as he held his switchblade out in front of him.
Penny chuckled. "I never go anywhere without back-up anymore. Not after what you did to me. Besides, we need to talk, all of us." Various other Ghoulies crowded behind her, making my heart pound in my chest. Please not him.
"There's nothing to talk about. I'm taking Toni and we're leaving," Jughead demanded.
Malachai shook his head and walked closer to Jug. "Not so fast. I've been waiting to see you again for a long time." As if our luck couldn't get any better, a taser sparked to life in his hand, just a few feet from Jughead.
I smacked Cheryl's arm lightly as the two of us jumped through the bushes, weapons out in front of us.
"Get back, you hobgoblin!" Cheryl raised her bow, aimed to kill. Malachai and Penny looked at the two of us, a tad shocked at our appearances.
"I brought back-up, too," Jughead's demanding tone didn't falter, "Like I said, I'm taking Toni, and we're leaving."
Cheryl took a slight step forward, keeping her aim. "Untie her, you Serpent hag."
Penny scoffed and motioned towards Toni, "Take her, then." Malachai took a few steps back to free Toni as Penny continued to rant. "Now, remember, when all your friends are dead, I tried giving you a chance."
As soon as she was free, Toni ran behind Jughead to quickly join Cheryl's side as I moved towards my boyfriend.
"Why do you keep coming back? What do you want?" Jughead asked as his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back slightly as Penny stood up.
"The Southside," She answered simply. "There's money to be made here in The Town with Pep. Especially if you're not afraid of getting your hands dirty."
Jughead nodded slightly as he followed her plan. "So you're partnering with the Ghoulies to sell drugs on the Southside?"
"Bingo. So here's the offer I want you to take back to your dad and your tribe. The Serpents ship out tonight, or it's a showdown with the Ghoulies at Pickens Park at dawn. I'm fine either way," Penny shrugged.
Jughead exhaled before turning on his heels as the four of us began to leave. I heard Penny and Malachai laugh behind us before it stopped and was replaced with some yelling.
"I'll be damned if my baby's walking away from me again."
I froze mid-step, making Jughead run into me slightly. I shook my head as I turned back around, a sarcastic laugh leaving my mouth. "God, I knew I was going to have to deal with your ugly face again soon."
Paul Marrows stepped around his Ghoulies to stand in front of the fire, a few feet away from us. "Sorry to break it to you, sunshine. You can't get rid of me that easily."
"Obviously," I muttered underneath my breath as Toni and Cheryl joined my other side. "What do you want now?"
Paul shrugged. "You know, I've been asked that a lot, lately. A few weeks ago, it was you. It's been you for a while, really, but recently, that's changed."
I chuckled as I crossed my arms, the pocket knife clenched tightly in my palm. "So you've moved from trying to abuse your child for the second time in her life to what? Drugs, again?"
He chuckled as he took a few steps closer. "No, no. That's always been a constant. No, this time, I recruited an insider, someone who could tell me how to break you inside and out. You know them pretty well. Spilled all your secrets to them. Do you want to meet her?" I clenched my jaw at his taunting but it just seemed to edge him on. He smirked at my annoyed expression. "Come on out, sweetheart."
My eyes shifted from the man in front of me to see familiar platinum blonde hair escaping the shadows as Felicity Parker came to stand next to my worst nightmare. My heart dropped in my chest as I realized what she did.
"No," I mumbled as tears threatened to spill over. "How could you?"
Paul laughed at my reaction as he wrapped an arm around Felicity's shoulder. "It was a great idea, right? That's how I knew where to hit you hard. She told me everything, especially about your little boyfriend. I knew just how to get you to play into my favor."
Jughead tensed next to me at the mention but my mind wasn't on him. Everything made sense. It all clicked.
"You were the one backstage," I connected as I walked closer to him. "You sent the threats. You're the one who gave me second degree burns!" My voice grew in anger as I walked closer to him.
He nodded, amused at my reaction. "You're catching on for once. Good. And I'm assuming you found my newest hobby as a photographer interesting?"
"You sent those pictures?" Jughead butted in as he started to connect the pieces. "You stalked us, all of us!"
"Bingo, Jones." Paul closed the gap between us, his face inches from mine as he whispered, "If I can't have you, I'll take what you love the most, starting with that boy."
I gritted my teeth as I fought the urge to smack him. "Burn. In. Hell."
"Oh, sweetheart," He chuckled as he grabbed my chin roughly. "I plan on it."
I kicked my foot out, nailing him in the shin before I spun on my heels and took off from the scene with the rest of my friends behind me. Toni and Cheryl agree to head back to the Whyte Wyrm to attend the meeting with FP, but I had other ideas.
"Jug," I whispered as we watched the two girls walk away, hand in hand. "I-I...can you just take me home? Please?" I glanced over my shoulder fearfully. Whatever adrenaline I encountered minutes before had completely disappeared and now, the weight of what had occured settled in.
Jughead's hand cupped my cheeks before his arms slid down my back and pulled me into a hug. I squeezed him tightly, taking in a deep breath of his t-shirt as I did. Pushing me back, he wiped a stray tear from my face before kissing my forehead. "Come on. Let's get you home, baby."
--
as my aunt likes to say...
evil.