~♛~
gracie's pov:
[https:/riverdaleregister.com]
the riverdale register
article publisher: alice cooper
the statement below was sent to my residence this morning,
confirmed by the police department to be written by 'the black hood'.
'this is the black hood. i am the man who shot the adulterer at pop's.
i killed the child predator in greendale.
i shot the drug and sex-addicted teenagers at lovers' lane.
riverdale is not innocent.
it's a town of hypocrites, degenerates and criminals.
my wrath is the price of your lies, your secrets, your sins.
i will not stop.
i cannot be stopped.
i am the wolf. you are the flock.
this is the blood-letting.
you will hear from me again.'
~♛~
i coughed, inhaling lots of dust from the cardboard boxes.
jughead swept open to curtains. "well, it's no new york times." we peered around the office for the red and black.
"but, hey, kudos on finding your safe space, snowflake." toni shrugged, dusting off the table.
"yeah, all i need now is a photographer with an amazing eye and a hunger for social justice. and i'll be set."
toni smiled at him, as he was describing her.
"alright, break up the love-fest, toni's mine." i joked, putting my arm around my pink-haired best friend.
"topaz. let's bounce." sweetpea said, entering the room with a bunch of the other teenage serpents. "joneses, wanna come with?" he crossed his bulky arms. "we're going to the quarry."
i was about to agree, but jug spoke first. with sarcasm. "uh, i don't have my beach bod, yet."
"what? you'll ask for help from the serpents but you won't hang out with us? don't come crawling back to us hat in hand, when some ghoulie decides to earn his stripes by taking out fp jones' kid."
"duly noted, thanks, sweetpea. i appreciate what you and the serpents have done for me, gracie and my dad. i do. but i'm done, okay? no more favours coming your way."
sweetpea rolled his eyes. "let's motor. gracie, you comin'?"
i looked back at jughead and then back at him and toni. "i think i'll pass right now, sugarsnap." i nodded, a nickname for his nickname. "another time."
although i wanted to hang out with my friends, i would feel bad for leaving jug behind. especially since i had already left him at lunch.
sweetpea nodded, not wanting to start an argument with me.
"catch you later, jones." toni winked.
"who did she wink at? you or me?" i asked, after they left.
"you."
"you."
we both spoke simultaneously, thinking she was winking at either of us. we laughed at eachother, until my phone buzzed.
~♛~
3:07 pm
—————————————————————
toni🐍📸
i was winking at you btw
bestie vibes only bestie vibes only
[SEEN]
~♛~
"kev, it's fine. at this point, i'm willing to try anything." i heard betty's voice speak, as i walked into the trailer.
"what's going on in here? jingle-jangle?" i asked.
"no." jug rolled his eyes. "a crypto-fest."
"what the fuck is a 'crypto-fest'?—"
"we're trying to solve the cryptic-coded message the black hood sent to betty." toni explained.
"oh— boring." i groaned, opening the fridge and chugging some apple juice. "i'll see what cher's doing."
"we don't know if it's in english. it could be an anagram." jughead said, ignoring me. "let's go back to the basics— what do we know about him? who is he?"
"he's white male, in his 40s— like almost every serial killer ever." toni sighed.
~♛~
7:27 pm
—————————————————————
cherry bomb🍒💄
u want to hang out?
haven't seen u in a while
look who's missing me now
and i don't quite know what u mean
a serial killer is on the loose
can't we just go to ur trailer??
it's occupied
jug, betty, kevin and toni r having some 'crypto-fest' thingie
(don't ask)
crypto fest...?
who is toni??
one of ur south side associates?
aw
is cheryl jealous?
first veronica, now toni
ur infuriating
come on
u know u love me
u can keep your sad attempt
to ask me on a date.
come back to me when
you're ready to woman up
ouch.
~♛~
"you stabbed dilton doiley?" i frowned, walking up to sweetpea after hearing the news.
he shook his head.
"the idiot stabbed himself with his own knife." fangs clarified for him.
"we didn't jump him: there was a fight. bulldogs versus serpents. see this?" pea pointed at his black eye . "that andrews kid you said you knew gave it to me before some girl shot a gun in the air. the same gun he pointed at me the night before."
"what?" i exclaimed.
"and of course, north siders get off scot-free, and the rest of us are hauled in by the police. it's payback time."
"what the hell are you guys talking about?" jug frowned. he looked down at the papers they had scattered on the table— they looked like plans. "what— what is that? is that a pipe bomb?"
"fogarty's cousin served in the army. he's gonna build us something. we'll do it after hours. it'll shut the riverdale register down."
i rolled my eyes. "you think blowing up a building will make this better?"
"can't get any worse."
"yes, sweetpea, it can. let me talk to archie, figure this out." jug assured.
"that's your answer to everything. talk. we dont know who you stand with! us? or them? you can't be half a serpent."
i sighed and sat down on the bench next to toni.
"northside has been dumping on us for years. your dad tried to keep the peace, avoid bloodshed. but now that he's gone, idiots like sweetpea think there's one path and solution— violence." she explained.
"well, i for one, am done being half a serpent. this is my legacy. good or bad."
~♛~