i swear i'm not forgetting about this i'm just so out of ideas
--
Pop's felt different, homier almost, with Jughead back by my side. The two of us were sitting at our usual booth waiting for the arrival of the one and only Betty Cooper. I hadn't been able to talk to her about everything that happened while she was at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, but apparently, she managed to round all of those being held there to escape before riot night and they were all currently living in the Cooper house, unbelievably.
"Wow, am I glad to see you guys," Betty's voice arrived before I saw her as she slid into the booth next to me. "My life has been absolutely crazy. You have no idea."
"Glad to have you back, Bets," I welcomed as I slid a plate of pancakes towards her. "How's everything been since... you know?"
Betty sighed and asked Pop for water before folding her hands in her lap. "A whirlwind, Vanna. Every inch of my house is taken by a sleeping human that I helped escape. I barely make it an entire night without being woken up by one of them. Mom's seconds away from chopping my head off," She sighed and took a bite of pancakes before continuing, "The only good thing that came out of this was me being back home and finally getting some answers."
"What about the Fizzle Rocks? Did they say anything about that at all?" Jughead asked.
Betty nodded, "Surprisingly, yes. Hannah woke me up screaming this morning because of a nightmare and I found a pack. Turns out, they said they're getting them from an unnamed Serpent."
I shared a look with Jug, both of us puzzled. "An unnamed Serpent dealing Fizzle Rocks? Are we sure he wasn't lying? That sounds more like a Ghoulie thing to do."
Betty shrugged. "If it was a lie, Tyler came up with it pretty quickly."
Jughead groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. "A Serpent dealing Hiram Lodge's drugs like we're one of his gangs. This is my fault. I was gone for too long. I left the Serpents high and dry. I left all of you."
"Jug, no," I shook my head as Betty agreed with me. "You were protecting Archie."
"Yeah, and while I was protecting the Red Paladin, Hiram made a play for the entire town and he got it. Fizzle Rocks are everywhere, Weatherbee's running Riverdale High like a police state, we don't even have an elected sheriff yet, the quarantine."
Betty pointed at Jughead as she remembered something. "About that. Why would he want the town quarantined? It can't just be because he wants to expand his candy business and make more money, can it? Hiram was paying the Sisters to test out his drugs on patients there."
"What?" I interrupted as I faced her. "Are you serious? How can he get away with that?"
Betty shrugged. "Your mom's in the mayor's office. Attorney McCoy and I are trying to get Sister Woodhouse and the rest of her nuns to rat him out, and we're close, I think."
I shook my head in disbelief. It's possible that Hiram's drug testing started when I was at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, and based on my experience, I could only imagine what Betty had gone through. "Unbelievable. Could you imagine a day where Hiram Lodge finally pays for all of his crimes, brought down by a testimony of nuns? They're working side by side. It'd be hard to get them to confess."
"I know," Betty admitted as she thanked Pop for her water before drinking it. "It's proven to be a hard case so far, but I'm hoping maybe one of them might cough something up that we could use to our advantage."
Jughead reached across the table to grab the remainder of my bacon. "Well, if they do, maybe that means Archie could come home. Wherever he is."
Breakfast was soon complete and the three of us agreed to walk to school together. I had missed Betty's presence while she was gone. Our relationship was definitely weakened by everything we had going on, and it made me sad to not be as close to her, but I was going to make sure to change it.
"We need to pull together the Serpents for a meeting," I said as we stepped off the steps of Pop's and headed towards Riverdale High. "I have a feeling that nobody's going to come clean right off the bat but it's worth a shot if we can at least have everyone aware."
"Agreed," Jughead said, "I'll call Dad and see if he has any ideas he can offer about this whole situation. Until then, let's see if we can survive another day of high school."
--
Sure enough, FP was right by Jughead's side as we all gathered around the remains of Sunnyside Trailer Park where the Serpents now resided. My boyfriend was currently seated in a fabric recliner as both his father and I stood at his sides.
"It's come to my attention that one of us has been dealing Fizzle Rocks," Jughead addressed everyone as the noise quieted down. "Slinging dope is not what Serpents do. So from this moment on, we're going clean. There will be no selling or doing drugs. No crime of any kind will be tolerated."
My eyes wandered the hundreds staring back until they landed on Cheryl and Toni, who were looking at each other. I continued my circle until ending on Betty's shoes next to me as Jughead continued, "Anyone that breaks the Serpent code will be exiled. Permanently."
"I think it's pretty ridic that you vanish for a month on some vision quest with your bestie, only to return and lecture us about responsibility," Cheryl interrupted.
Fangs stood up to join in as well, "We've got no money coming in, Jug. I mean how are we supposed to eat, survive?"
Jughead bit his lip in hesitation. He didn't know, it was clear, but he also had to give them an answer. That was his job.
Luckily, FP stepped in to help. "We'll figure it out and get back to you, Fangs. All of you," He said. "In the meantime, in unity, there is strength."
"In unity, there is strength," The group chorused in response.
Cheryl continued to glare at Jughead for a while longer, her eyes briefly flicked to Betty and me before she turned on her heels and left with the rest of the group. With a sigh, Jughead stood from his seat. Betty gave each of us hugs before departing to go back home.
"Well, that could've gone better," My boyfriend huffed with disappointment.
I hummed as I wrapped his arm around mine and leaned into him. "Maybe, but it could've gone a lot worse too."
"Thanks for stepping in," Jug nodded towards FP who returned the motion.
"We need to figure this out, boy. Sooner than later," FP ran a hand through his hair before settling them on his hips. "Why don't the two of you come inside and we can talk about it?"
The Jones' trailer always held a sense of home to it, especially since the remainder of the park had been burned down by the Ghoulies.
"You guys hungry? Thirsty?" FP flicked the lights on as he moved about.
I settled in one of the kitchen chairs as Jughead stood behind me, his fingers gently rubbing the skin of my shoulders. "We're good, FP. Thank you."
"Dad, what are we going to do? There's no way we can provide for everyone with barely any work being offered our way," Jughead's frustration was beginning to get the best of him.
FP sighed and slid a glass of water my way despite my request. "I know that, Jughead. I'm trying to come up with anything but nobody wants to hire a bunch of unreliable teenagers with a bad rep in their history."
I tapped my nails against the glass lightly. "I know what you're gonna say, but what if until you guys get back on track I-"
"No, absolutely not!" Jughead cut me off before I could even finish my sentence.
"You didn't even let me finish!" I grunted as I pouted my lips.
Jughead flicked the back of my head. "You know how I feel about you picking up my slack."
"That's not what I'm doing!" I defended myself as I crossed my arms and looked up at him. "I'm offering my assistance for a family that I belong to!"
FP watched the two of us interact, his eyes flying back and forth based on who was speaking as we continued arguing. "Enough!" He interrupted as his hand hit the table. I jumped in my spot, my mouth instantly shutting as I spun back around in my seat to face him. His eyes weren't on me, as had happened so many times before. He was instead glaring at Jughead. "Let her talk."
I looked up from my lap to face the elder Jones as Jughead remained silent behind me. "I was going to suggest I cover expenses until there's enough work going around to keep you guys on your feet."
FP paused for a moment as he swirled the ice in his glass.
"You seriously cannot be considering this!" Jughead protested at his father's lack of refusal.
"Jughead, I will smack a piece of tape on that mouth faster than you can say Pop Tate," FP hissed as he glared again before looking at me. "Savanna, I appreciate your proposal and offering, I really do. However, you aren't the only Serpent with enough money to assist the rest of us, therefore I'm not about to put this on your shoulders."
I bit my lip. "Are you sure? I really don't mind helping and-"
FP held up his hand. "I understand. And I'm grateful, don't get me wrong. Between you and Cheryl, I'm sure we could leave Sunnyside in the dust, but that's not what we're about. We're going to earn our share, but, I will keep your offer in mind for the future."
"That's all I ask," I agreed as I sat back in my seat just as my phone started ringing. I glanced briefly at the screen before sliding my finger across the glass. "Hey Betty, what's up?"
"Vanna, are you with Jughead? He wasn't answering his phone."
I glanced up at the boy in question. "Yeah, I am. Is everything okay?"
"Put me on speaker."
I set my phone on the table and followed her request. "Okay. Jughead and FP are both here."
"You guys won't believe what just happened. I walked into my house and found Polly and Evelyn offering all of the escapees from the Sisters a place at the Farm. Turns out, the kids were too scared to speak to me since I was a Serpent so they told Polly that Fangs is the one dealing."
I watched in slow motion as FP's expression hardened. "Did they tell you anything else?" I asked, not wanting to leave her in silence.
"Not yet. I'm still reeling over the fact that they got into the house in the first place. I'll let you know as soon as I find anything else out."
I sighed and pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose. "Alright, thanks Betty."
"Talk to you guys later."
Jughead was already out the door the second Betty hung up, leaving me and FP to sit and wait for his return. I groaned and put my head on the table, wanting nothing more than to sleep this week away.
"Something happened to you while Jug was gone," FP's comment came out of the blue, causing me to sit up abruptly.
"What?" I asked in surprise. Jughead wouldn't tell him... would he?
FP eyed me as if I would crack. "You're more cautious, guarded. I can see it in the way you carry yourself in crowds, even near the Serpents. You're watching your back."
I scoffed, "You always have to watch your back in Riverdale, FP."
He laughed and stood to refill his drink. "Well, you don't have to share, but just know you'll always have safety here. No matter what happens. I know Hiram isn't much of a protection person once you're on his bad side, but Jug and I will always be here if you need us."
I fought back the tears in my eyes as I played with the glass in my hands. "I... really appreciate that, FP. A lot. Thank you."
The Jughead's father raised his glass in response just as his son burst through the doors, practically tossing Fangs into the trailer. FP and I were on our feet quickly, joining the other two in the living space.
"If you were hard up, you could've talked to me," Jughead began once he had released his initial spout of rage. He was crouched down next to my legs.
Fangs was sitting on the coffee table, his head looking down as he wrung his hands. The young Serpent sighed, "The quarantined happened, I needed money. You were gone."
"Well then, you could've talked to me," FP stepped in. "What do you need money for?"
Fangs glanced at each one of us before shaking his head and sniffling. "My mom's sick. She's got treatments we can't pay for."
"You're like a brother to me, Fangs," I interrupted Jughead's response. "Why didn't you say anything? We could've helped you."
"I was ashamed and-"
"So you started dealing Fizzle Rocks?" FP quipped, "And where'd you get it? The Gargoyle Gang?"
Fangs ignored the harsh comment and nodded slightly. I could practically see the regret and guilt radiating off of him. "So I'm out now?"
"The punishment for breaking this code is immediate exile, however, you've had a rougher year than most," Jughead mumbled as he looked at the teen in front of him. FP turned around in somewhat anger, hitting his fist against the wall. "I'm willing to look the other way just this once, but this has to stay between us, okay? And if I hear that you're dealing drugs again-"
"You won't," Fangs assured quickly. "I'm done."
--
The chaos was never-ending, as usual, and continued the next day. Jughead and I were napping in his trailer when none other than Veronica Lodge burst through the door and scared the living shit out of us.
"Veronica!" I groaned when the initial shock of her entrance wore off. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"It's 3 in the afternoon, you lazy ass," She shot back. Her annoyance was evident in her posture and I could only chalk it up to one thing.
Pulling the blanket over my head, I sat up next to Jughead. "You look like you just saw Hiram."
"Ding, ding, ding," She responded sarcastically. "Someone broke into the Pembrooke last night-"
I scoffed, "Deja vu."
"-And stole my mother's Glamourge egg. They left a lovely bright red lipstick mark on my father's painting so I'm going to eliminate the work for you and say it was Cheryl Blossom."
Jughead shook his head before looking at my sister. "If Cheryl took the egg, why did you come to me? Why didn't you go directly to her?"
"She's dodging my phone calls," Ronnie replied, "Besides, aren't you her king?
I rolled my eyes at her comment and leaned back into the cushions. "Since when are you and Hiram aligned?"
Ronnie's eyes landed on me. "We're not. He's squeezing me, he's squeezing my business. Now, not only does he have me paying him protection, he's got me on this wild goose chase to get my mom's stolen egg back."
I glanced at Jughead and pulled my legs up to cover them with the blanket. "Goose chase for an egg. Good analogy, Ron."
"You're paying your father protection money?" Jughead asked.
Veronica rolled her eyes. "Against his very own Gargoyle Gang."
The thought of Hiram ruling Riverdale by the mayor's office was a nightmare in itself, let alone with a gang under his palm.
"What if you were to pay less money not to be in business with him?" Jughead offered as he got to his feet.
"What are you suggesting?" Veronica questioned. She was always striking deals and getting herself into a bigger mess, as usual."
"Let the Serpents come work for you," Jughead offered, "You get real protection from your father's goons and the Serpents get jobs with a steady income. This is a win-win."
Smart.
Veronica was seriously considering it, but I could tell there was one condition. "Fine. Get me that Glamourge egg back and we have an accord."
I watched from the couch as my sister and boyfriend shook hands to seal the deal. Giving Veronica a wave and goodbye, I curled back into the couch to fall back asleep. My boyfriend's presence joined a few seconds later as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
"You're so lucky I love you or I would've killed your sister," He mumbled as he tugged his fair share of the blanket on. "I'm so tired."
I grabbed his hand and held it closer. "Shut up and go back to sleep, Forsythe."