"PEOPLE OF RIVERDALE..."
Kara swallowed as her step-brother read from the paper. "I have rid this town of the drug-dealing child-killer and others like him," Caleb muttered, his Queens accent peeking through in the slightest, "Now you must choose your fate. The next 48 hours will be a test, and I will be watching you very carefully." Kara remembered Betty's panicked call the night before, where she told Kara that she had gotten the Sugarman (a teacher from Southside) arrested, but somehow, the Black Hood still managed to kill him, even inside the prison.
"Show me you are pure of heart, and my work ends. Continue to sin..." Caleb sighed as he finished. "And I will pick up the sword again." Kara glanced up at him, only to find his eyes cast down at the kitchen island they sat at. The Black Hood has left the note for the Register to publish, establishing the Black Hood's challenge.
"It's going to be okay, Kara. No one is going to let him get to you, not again," her mother spoke, placing her hand on top of her daughter's.
Kara nodded thoughtfully, giving her family a small smile. She wanted to say it was just an empty threat, but she knew it wasn't. When the Black Hood said he'd take up the sword, he would take up the sword.
"Kara, your friend, uh, Jughead is waiting outside," Kara's father announced as he entered the kitchen. Standing and placing her empty spaghetti bowl into the sink, Kara nodded. "See you after school," she smiled, grabbing her phone off of the counter.
Kara met Jughead outside, who greeted her with a smile. "Hey, Red," he said, kicking up the kick-stand of his motorcycle, "I need a favor."
Kara swung a leg over the side of his bike. "Yeah?"
"I need you to borrow your mom's car and meet me at Pop's later," he asked, handing her the extra helmet. Kara made a noise, sliding her arms around his waist. "I can't. My mom hasn't let me borrow the car since she found out about the whole... drug thing," she muttered, as Jughead revved the engine.
"Crap. Okay, I-I'll have to ask someone else, but you're coming with me," he told her firmly. Kara was about to ask why he needed her mother's car, but they had already sped away.
They arrived at Kara's school, and she frowned when Jughead stepped off of his motorcycle as well. "Jug? You're gonna be late if you don't leave now," she told him, placing the helmet under her arm. Jughead shrugged his shoulders. "I need to talk to Archie. Come on."
Kara's heart flipped. She didn't want to see Archie, not quite yet. Admittedly, he was the one who had gotten angry in the first place, but she was too prideful and stubborn to let his childish behavior by that easily. How dare he think he can control her, she was the only one who could control her.
Nonetheless, Kara trailed behind Jughead into the school to where Archie stood next to his locker, looking helpless. He spotted them, his brow furrowing hastily. "Jug? What are you doing here?" His green eyes flicked Kara's way.
Suddenly, a red-nailed hand pressed into Jughead's chest and shoved him aside roughly the opposite hand pushing Archie into the lockers, Cheryl announcing loudly, "Out of the way, Bert and Ernie."
Kara rolled her eyes slightly. She loved her half-sister, but God was she annoying sometimes. "I need your help, and you owe me because of that stunt you pulled with Keller and the Ghoulies."
Archie nodded his head, much to Kara's surprised, and agreed immediately. "Whatever you need. Name the time and place, and I'm there." Jughead glanced at Kara. "It's tonight; I need you both there," he muttered, his gaze returning to Archie, "And we need to borrow your truck...
"No questions asked."
-/-
KARA BIT NERVOUSLY ONTO HER FINGERNAILS.
A heavy thud shook the Andrews' truck, and she glanced back at where Archie and Jughead lifted the ominous looking crate into the truck bed. Jughead has told her what they were doing- a favor for Penny Peabody, in order to help his father get out of prison faster. She made him swear on his father's life not to drag Archie too far into this; he swore whole-heartedly. Penny was super shady- slippery, like a snake.
"I will see this through... but where does it end?"
Archie's gravelly voice snapped Kara from her thoughts of the blonde Serpent, her eyes focusing on his long fingers curled around the steering wheel. Jughead shot him a humorous look from the other side of Kara. "115 Derby Street in Greendale."
Kara sighed, inching away from Archie and closer to Jughead. "Come on," Archie said seriously, "I mean, how does being a Serpent end?"
Kara tensed. That dreaded question. She knew Archie would never support this life- for Kara or Jughead both. As long as she was in this, he would be pestering her to get out.
"I don't know," Jughead muttered, much Kara's surprise. She expected him to claim it never would- Serpents for life. "I'm just kind of living minute to minute here."
A small laugh bubbled in Archie's throat. "It's just... I had this stupid idea- stupid," he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Kara had always loved the way his red hair fell across his forehead when he shook his head, or threw it back in laughter. She always loved the gleam in his eyes or the rosy blush dusting his cheeks when he got embarrassed.
"That, a-after graduation, instead of going to college, we would move to New York," he said absently, shrugging his shoulders, accidentally nudging Kara in the process, "Jug, you were this amazing writer, and I-I'd be this musician. We'd both live in like, the East Village or something." Kara eyed him curiously. "And Kara, you'd live with Betty and Veronica a few apartments down, but just close enough so we could all get together and listen to Jug's newest story, or listen to Veronica complain about her parents or something."
Kara's heart melted right then and there, her eyes locked on Archie's handsome face. She had always stuck to the present, the then and now, never lingering too much on what the future would bring, but it was nice to hear Archie confide in them about the future. It was nice to know that he thought of her as part of his future.
"Pretty sure the East Village doesn't exist anymore," Jughead grinned sarcastically, ruining the sweet moment. Kara coughed herself from her reverie, looking away from Archie and back out the front window quickly.
"No, but seriously, if you stay on this path," Archie said, "You could end up in jail, or maybe worse." His eyes met Kara's, expecting her to respond.
Fortunately, the car skidded suddenly and lurched forward, saving her from having to answer. Archie slammed on the brakes and they got out hurriedly, checking the tires to find that one had busted. Archie sighed heavily. "Of course, I don't have a freakin' spare."
Kara held onto her elbow uncomfortably, looking around the dark back-road they were stuck on. There was no one in sight. "We're gonna have to call Triple C," he muttered, but Jughead shook his head. "What? We have the crate in the back!"
Archie groaned. "Let's call Betty," Jughead suggested.
"No," Kara and Archie said simultaneously. They shared a look, and Archie continued, "Are you crazy? Betty is not an option, I'm not letting you drag her into this mess."
Jughead sent him a look, holding up his palms. "Hey, calm down. You're right..."
"We could call Kevin? He's got a truck," Kara suggested. Jughead's eyes lit up. "Yeah, do that-"
Just as Kara turned to pull her phone from her bag she left in the car, headlights shone bright in her eyes and she squinted, a dark silhouette of a truck illuminating the night. A figure got out, and from the corner of her eye, Kara saw Archie inch closer to her. "Having some cat trouble?" The tall, country sounding man spoke.
"No-"
"Yeah, we need a spare. O-or a ride to Greendale, if you can help."
Archie and Kara glared daggers into the back Jughead's head. The creepy man puffed out another breath. "Ain't got no spare, but I'm passing through Greendale," he said, peeking around to the back of Archie's truck. "What's in the crate?"
"Pancake mix," Jughead answered a little too quickly. The man scratched lazily at his beard, letting his cigar drop to the ground. "Well, I can take you, but it's gonna cost you. How much cash you got?"
Jughead glanced at Kara and Archie, but they just shrugged. Kara didn't have any money, she wasn't expecting to get a flat tire and have to pay for a ride back to town. "Eighteen dollars," Jughead muttered, counting the money in his own wallet.
"I can only take one of ya," the man countered. "Me and the crate," said Jughead, starting to walk towards the back of the truck. Archie grabbed his shoulder, speaking to him in a low voice. "You're not seriously gonna go with this guy, are you?"
Jughead sighed heavily. "We don't really have any other choices."
"Hey, we doing this or not?" The man called out. Kara looked over her shoulder at his truck nervously. "Jug, please be careful." He gave her a nod in response, and just like that, he and Archie were loading the crate into the man's truck before he and Jughead drove away, leaving Kara alone with her ex-boyfriend. Archie stepped away to call someone to change the tire.
They climbed back into the truck a little while later, sitting silently as they waited for Triple C to arrive. Kara stared out the window into the inky blackness, focusing her breathing to keep herself from falling asleep. Her eyes settled on the clock above the radio. 11:34 A.M.
"You know, I'm still mad at you."
Kara glanced over at Archie, his eyes cast out the side window. He hadn't moved an inch since she last looked at him. She frowned, almost thinking that he hadn't said anything at all. "What?"
"I said I'm still mad at you for joining the Serpents," he deadpanned, his eyes flicking to her finally, "I think you made a huge mistake."
Kara rolled her eyes, shifting her body to face the door. "Yeah, well, I'm mad at you too. I'm done trying to please you all the time, Archie."
A laugh bubbled from Archie's lips. "You seriously think this is about you 'pleasing' me?" he uttered condescendingly, "This is about you screwing up your future over something dangerous, something that could end with you in jail, or worse-"
"Well I can't undo it," Kara spat suddenly, shooting a sharp glare in his direction, "And I'm tired of you thinking that you're my dad." She shook her head; that hadn't come out right.
"What?" Archie asked, frowning deeply. Kara huffed, "You think that you control my life. You think that just because we dated it means you can decide what I can and can't do. I'm done."
Archie rolled his eyes, turning his gaze back to the road. His hands were on the steering wheel, even though they weren't moving. "I don't think that. Not at all," he exclaimed defensively, like she had just insulted him, "I just want what's best for you."
"Maybe this is what's best for me," Kara countered. She was screaming now, her blood boiling, but she didn't know why. She didn't think she was mad at him anymore- at least, not this mad. But here she was, heart thudding, face hot. "Maybe I belong with the Serpents. Maybe you're not what's best for me."
Archie's face fell. His head dipped down, and he was quiet for a moment. "So that's it?" He asked finally, his voice rising steadily, "You're just going to... to throw away all we had, f-for what? Jughead? Your new Southside friends?!"
"For a family!" she yelled, "For people who when I need them w-will have my back, p-people who will answer the phone!"
Silence. It was like Kara had fired a gunshot and this, this was the aftermath. Quiet, nothingness. A heavy blanket had laid itself over them, and only then did Kara feel the tears wetting her cheeks. She looked away from his stare, her lips pressed together. So that was it. That was the deep-down, harsh secret she'd been harboring. She was still upset that he hadn't been there for her when she needed him the most. That she still hadn't completely forgiven him for that night when the Black Hood had shot her.
There was a soft knock on the window a few seconds later, and her head snapped over to see the Triple C guy had arrived on the driver's side. Archie got out to speak to him as he changed the tire, and Kara did as well, but neither of them exchanged a single word. She wiped at the black trails of mascara on her cheeks, thankful for the darkness. Deep down, she wondered if her sentence had meant anything to him. Maybe he throughout she was crazy, or that he didn't care at all. Another part of her wondered if what she was doing really was best for her. Was being a Serpent going to ruin her life or save it?
Was Archie what was best for her?
A/N:
the riverdale promo looked so good!!! Ahh!!! I'm so excited for s3!
Okay so school is about to start back, but I hope I will still be able to update as frequently as possible :)
In the mean time, check out my Peter Parker fic Magic Tricks!