"What do you mean the have Hotdog?" I ask, looking around the pool for Jug.
"They took him, I saw him chained up!" I nod, grabbing his hand, sending shivers down my spine as I pull him to find Jug. "Jughead!" He shouts, pulling from me and running to our friend.
Jughead scrunches his brows. "What's up?"
"It's the Ghoulies, Jughead. Those bastards have Hot Dog."
I stand next to Cheryl and Toni as Sweet Pea, Betty, Fangs, and Sweet Pea join us in an old room of Thorn Hill. "Are you absolutely sure that this was Hot Dog?"
"Hundred percent man." Fangs stands up straighter. "They must've snatched him on Riot Night." He looks over at me. "He looked skinny, I don't think the Ghoulies are feeding him enough." Sweet Pea stands next to Cheryl, causing me to move towards fangs, who wraps his arms around me.
"Hot Dog." I sigh sadly.
Sweet Pea speaks up. "We're lucky those animals aren't slow-roasting him in a grill." He mutters. I look up at him, our eyes meeting, causing me to look down awkwardly.
"What do we do Jughead?" Toni asks, removing the attention from me and Pea.
"We'd be going behind enemy lines, outnumbered, open to attack from all directions," Betty shifts on her feet from Jugheads words. "and risking another gang-war."
I stand up straight, walking in circles. "No serpent left behind, right? That includes our spirit animal." I say. Cheryl smiles at me, nodding.
"Okay, were going to deploy after dark." Jughead begins. "It's gonna be a stealth mission. It's gonna be quick."
"Jug, last time you and Emmy have went into Ghoulie territory, you were both beaten to within an inch of your life." Betty mumbles. I bite my lip nervously. My baby girl, gone. Sweet Pea sucks in a breath, scuffling his feet.
Cheryl steps in. "He'll have backup this time."
"And we're gonna be quick, Betty." Jug tells his girlfriend. "They won't even know we were there."
Betty nods. "Well, then I'm coming with you."
"Me too." I add.
"No." Jughead agrees.
Betty cuts us off. "No. Don't you dare tell me
it's too dangerous, Jug. The Serpent Queen is a warrior queen, and Emmy is more stealthy and quick than all of us."
"So if you're on the frontlines, so are we." I say, standing my ground with my dear cousin. Toni looks at me in approval, Fangs smirking at me as Sweet Pea turns away.
"Okay." Jughead finishes. "Let's bring Hot Dog home, shall we?"
I walk out of the room, making my way back to the party. "Emmy." I turn around, Sweet Pea jogging up to me. "Wait up, please."
"Wait up for you to brag about your new pussycat? No thanks." I reply coldly, strutting even faster.
His hand wraps around my wrists as he pulls me towards him. "Please, Emilia." He pleads.
I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. "What is it, Sweet Pea?" I scoff at his name. "The irony." (an; if you get where that's from you're a true og)
"I know we both went through hell and back this summer, and I know you're upset about me and Josie." I sigh, becoming impatient. "But for our friends, Emmy, can we please work on becoming friends?" I look up at Pea. He was my first real love. My first time. He was the father of my baby. He blamed me for something I didn't do. He left me for my friend. But his pleading chocolate eyes make me melt as I look up at him.
I purse my lips, refusing to make eye contact. "We can be civil." I reply, he lets out a smile and I slap his chest. "Don't expect us to be making charm bracelets anytime soon." I snap before stomping away.
"It's been an hour and no sign of anyone." Toni says. We've been watching Hot Dog for a while now.
Jughead, who's eating chips, says, "Alright, Sweet Pea, here you go." He hands the chips to the serpent. "Keep a look out." Jug grabs the bull cutters, I wave to Betty and Cheryl before following close behind the Serpent King.
"Come on buddy, let's get you out of here." I hum.
"Hold Hot Dog." He mumbles. I kneel down next to the sheep dog, petting him as Jug cuts the chain.
"Good boy." I whisper, Jughead grabs the chain like a leash and we begin to walk away. Suddenly, the lights switch on.
"Hiya, Jonesy." We look up to see Penny Peabody and Malachi. "Welcome back to the Southside." I grab tighter to Hotdogs leash. I look back at my friends. Cheryl holds back Betty from getting involved. "I thought this mangey mutt might get you to show up." Ghoulies crowd around me and Jughead as I pick up Hot Dog, whos not light, comforting him as much as I can. "We need to talk."
"No, we don't, Penny." My best friend since kindergarten snaps back. "We're here for the dog."
"If you didn't want trouble, why have you been sending spies all summer, including little red riding hood over here who got some senses knocked into her." Penny growls towards me. "Back off, unless you want a replay of a Riot Night."
Jughead looks at me, then back at the rival gang. "Yeah, I've been sending scouts. I was looking for Hot Dog." He pets our furry friend. "Now that we've got him, we're good." He pats my back and we begin to walk away.
"Not so fast." I roll my eyes, turning around to face Penis Peebody once again. "Your jacket. Southside isn't yours anymore. That means you're no longer the Southside Serpents."
I set down Hot Dog, Jug grabbing the chain. "Really? A jacket? You're having a crying fest over a name? Listen here Penny-" My mouth is cut off by Malachi, who wraps his arms around me, pulling me from Jug, cupping his hand around my mouth.
"We could always just take it off your limp dead body." Penny shrugs towards Jug. "Or hers, her mouth has gotten her quite popular over here." She smirks. "Oh I also heard Ponytails a Serpent now, your Northside queen. Maybe we'll go after her too."
I struggle against Malachis body, screaming as loud as I can. "Let me go, you pig!" I shout, struggling for air as his hand moved to my throat.
"Fine. You can have my jacket as long as you and the Ghoulies stay out of the Northside."
Malachi's arm wraps tighter around my throat. "Oh, you don't get to make demands." He says, tightening his grip. Suddenly, an arrow shoots through the air, hitting his shoulder. He lets out a cry of pain and I fall to the ground, gasping for breath.
Jughead spins around. "Cheryl!"
Cheryl stands there, holding her arrow in the air. "Told you I was in the mood for some hell raising." She says almost casually. I quickly get back on my feet, grabbing Hot Dog and running to the truck, Fangs grabbing Hot Dog and Cheryl helping me into the back of the truck.
"That's it." Penny growls. "Just kill em all."
Jughead looks back at us. "Cheryl, aim your next arrow right between Penny's eyes." He demands. The Ghoulies move in, but Penny stops them.
"You and your Ghoulies, and shes gonna release that arrow, bitches!" I shout from the truck. Betty gives me a questioning look. "What? I'm not wrong."
"Cheryl doesn't miss." Jughead adds.
Penny tilts her head. "Congratulations. You've just made the Northside fair game."
"Come on, Jug!" I shout. He nods, jogging back over to the truck.
Penny glares at us. "See you soon, Jonesy."
Cheryl keeps her arrow up as Fangs and Toni hop in the back, Betty and Jug hop in the cab with the dog and Sweet Pea.
I sit at the table as Cheryl hands out our food from Pops. "Thank god you're safe, Emmy." She says for the fiftieth time. "But I doubt Jughead will let you go on any more missions if you're acting like that."
"I'm sorry." I say, tossing my hands in the air. "It's just, with Sweet Pea and I trying to get along and seeing the faces of the people who hurt me and my baby again kinda set off an emotional trigger." I sigh, leaning back in my chair.
Toni sighs, looking up from her plate. "Emmy, we don't want you doing anything stupid."
"It's a little late for that." I cut in. "I'm going to bed." I say, tossing my napkin on the table.
"The jury is dismissed." The judge calls as the jury did not reach a verdict.
"Your honor, in lieu of another trial, the state is prepared to offer a deal for a lesser sentence." The persecutor says. "Instead of prison, time served plus two years in juvenile detention, if Mr. Andrews will plead guilty to the crime of manslaughter."
"Your honor-" Mary begins.
"I'll take the deal." Archie cuts. Chaos breaks out in the court room. My head is
fuzzy with what happens next.
"Mr. Andrews, the court accepts your plea of guilt. You'll be taken directly from the courthouse to the Leopoldo and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center." Veronica and I cry in each others arms. He was her boyfriend. My best friend. He was like my brother. "Where you will serve out your sentence beginning immediately. This court is adjourned."
Veronica and I stand up as the cop pulls Archie from his mom. The sound of the handcuffs clipping causes me to let out a loud sob. "I love you Veronica. Emmy." He says as he passes us.
"No, no, no. You can't take him away!" Ronnie shouts.
"He's innocent!" I shout as well, we push through the crowd, pulling on the police officer.
"He didn't do anything!" Veronica sobs. Betty pulls her best friend into her arm as I crumple to the ground, my hands squeezing my hair. I look up, Veronica and I making eye contact with Hiram Lodge. She looks back at me, our faces mirroring the others.
Cold. Dark. Hate.
I look back at Hiram.
This was war.
I walk in with Jughead to his trailer, I had a few more things left to grab for Thistle House. I look down at the table. "What's this?" I ask.
Jughead looks back from the fridge. "Oh, Dilton was here, he needed help. I told him to wait here." He looks around the trailer. "Dilton?"
I open up the rolled up paper curiously. "What the hell?" I ask quietly. Jug looks over my shoulder. It was like a witchy sacrificial object from the movies. I flip it over to see a map of Riverdale, covered in weird signs. "Jughead, what is this?" My friend takes the map from my hands, limiting it up with the map on his wall.
"This is Fox Forest." He says, pointing to a picture of a tree on Diltons map.
"Well let's go!" I shout. Jughead grabs my car keys as I grab my outfit, which I was planning to change into when I got home. "Guess I'll change in the car." I shrug. I hop in the back seat as Jug gets in the drivers, I change into my red shirt and leggings, sliding my tennis shoes on before hopping back in the front. "What the bloody hell is going on?" I whisper.
Jug looks back at me. "I don't know, Em." He sighs.
Jughead looks at the map as we walk around, I use my phone as a flashlight. "Look for a tree or something, Em." He tells me.
"Like I'm gonna know what tree Dilton Doiley was lookin at." I retort. "What did he even say to you anyway?"
The dark haired boy shrugs. "That the game he was playing was real. I don't know." We turn a corner, looking up from the map.
"Holy shit." I whisper. Jughead drops the map, creeping towards the ominous sight. A wooden sculpture just like the picture Dilton drew stands above us. Jug jumps at the sound of birds screeching. We turn back.
"Dilton!" Jug shouts. The strange markings from the map are carved into his back. There was candles, this odd blue liquid. They were doing a ritual. Jug kneels down to see if Dilton is alive when Ben shoots up, causing me to scream. Blue foam is coming out of his mouth.
"Help! Get help!" Jughead shouts.
_________
damn who knew I could write two chapters. also i'm watching the end of the episode and betty's having the seizure and the babies are flying im very fucking confused by that still😂😂
anywhore that's all this week folks tune in NEXT WEEK TO SEE EMMY YELL AT SWEET PEA SOME MORE AND PROBABLY QUESTION HER AUNT AND THE FUCKIN FARM
TOODLES
NOTE: GO CHECK OUT BEHIND THE SCENES: EMMY ON MY PAGE FOR FUTURE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT IF YOU WANNA BE INVOLVED WITH THE MAKING OF THIS BOOK AND MY OTHER EMMY BOOK BLOSSOM (season one teehee)