(Jughead arrives to the Ghoulies' turf alone. As Tall Boy is making his play for power, Sam arrives. Her boots thump and jingle, and the leather of her jacket squeaks. She stands next to Jughead, her presence somehow filling up the room.)
Sam: Excuse me, Tall Boy? Did I hear you call yourself the "de facto leader"? Last I checked, FP Jones and I were partners who led the Serpents… TOGETHER. You being his right hand didn't make you a leader. What's wrong, don't want to take orders from a girl? You've been doing it for three and half years.
Tall Boy: I was FP's right hand.
Sam: And I was his boss. I signed his paychecks. And yours.
(Silence as Sam stares down Tall Boy. He stands up, intending to square up with her, but Jughead puts himself in between them.)
Jughead: Why are we here?
Tall Boy: We're merging with the Ghoulies.
Sam: No, we're not. Or do you not recall one of our laws being that we don't deal hard drugs? Malachai is only after my money. I'll die before a dime of my money goes into his pocket, or the pocket of any Ghoulie. And if I die, my money no longer goes in YOUR pocket. You see the position you're in here, Tall Boy?
Jughead: The Ghoulies are the reason our members are in jail! Them and their jingle jangle!
Malachai: Chaos is how we thrive, baby. Better get used to it.
Sam: Get used to my foot up your ass and my fist down your throat first.
Malachai: That how you like it? Kinky!
(Sam rolls her eyes.)
Jughead: You're not gonna do this to my dad.
Tall Boy: Your dad ain't here to call the shots. The Northside declared war today. Things are changing, Jones. Either you change with 'em, or you suffer the consequences.
Malachai: Evolve or die, baby. Evolve or die.
(Sam loses her temper, kicking up the table between her and Tall Boy. A lit candle flies into his face, followed by the table itself. Malachai laughs. He's attracted to her, but she's grossed out by him. Tall Boy lunges at her, but she catches him by the neck, slamming him down on the table. Her hand squeezing his neck to the point of his airway being blocked, she nearly growls at him.)
Sam: You do this, I cut ties. No more cushion, no more protection from the police, no more lawyers on retainer, no more favors. No more roof over your head, no more food to feed your family. Anyone who goes with you suffers the same. You were blessed the day I came into your life. You'll be cursed the day I leave it.
(Sam slams Tall Boy's head against the table, knocking him out. She stands up, looking up at Malachai.)
Malachai: Damn, you're hot. You sure you don't want to merge with us?
Sam: Over my dead body.
Malachai: Your dead body would be a waste. Much better to have your body alive. (looks her up and down) Damn…
(Jughead begins to step toward him, but Sam stops him.)
Sam: Forget him, Jug. He's doing it to taunt us. Let's go.
(Malachai stares at Sam's ass on their way out.)
Malachai: Hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave! Mmm!
(Jughead and Archie visit FP in jail.)
FP: Listen, Jughead. You HAVE to be careful. The safest place for you is wherever Sam goes. Tall Boy knows that if she's dead, the money stops for real, and the money in dealing Jingle Jangle will NEVER be as good as Raines money. Malachai will never risk taking a shot at her and missing. If he hit you, Sam would destroy the whole town to destroy him and every last Ghoulie that exists.
Jughead: What about at school?
FP: Stay out of school right now. It's a shark tank and without the Serpents around you, you're vulnerable.
Archie: Maybe you should come hang at Northside.
Jughead: No, Archie. What if a Ghoulie follows me there? I can't risk anything happening to you guys. No, I'll just hole up with Sam at The Hollow. I'm sure she'd love the vacation. Maybe… maybe I can do homeschooling like she does.
FP: Hey, Archie, give me and Jug a minute? (Archie walks away) Hey, Jug, just um, you know… be careful with Sam.
Jughead: What do you mean?
FP: It's just, she's… Well, you know she's got a lot of baggage.
Jughead: And I'm a perfectly well adjusted teenage boy?
FP: What I mean is, she has a lot of rage, Jughead. Just be careful she doesn't go somewhere she can't come back from. You know what I mean?
Jughead: You should have seen what she did to Tall Boy. As soon as she realized Tall Boy had double crossed you, she went insane. Bashed his face into the table and choked him almost dead. Wait, are you telling me she could be dangerous for me?
FP: Oh, my God, no, Jug. She'd never hurt you. She'd die before she let you get hurt. I'm saying… other people. When she snaps, she doesn't always care about collateral damage. I'm talking about your friends… the people you love. You don't want them getting caught in the crossfire.
Jughead: Should I be worried about how far Sam will take this?
FP: Do what I said and win, and it'll call Sam off. Keep the Ghoulies off her back and Tall Boy away from her. She doesn't take too kindly to betrayal, and especially not those who betray me. If Tall Boy turns up dead, don't mourn him.
Jughead: Oh, I wouldn't. But she wouldn't…
FP: To avenge Tall Boy screwing me? Don't be surprised. She sees me as some weird father figure, and she's unbearably loyal. She's not as innocent as you think, and she's more than capable. Please don't forget, Jughead, I know that side of her better than you. And if she thinks you're in danger…
Jughead: I know.
FP: You can do this, Jughead. You're so smart. I know it's overwhelming and it's a lot. But you can get through this.
Jughead: Thanks, Dad.
FP: And about joining the Serpents… it's survival. I get it. Just, you know, be careful.
Jughead: Dad.
FP: Yeah.
Jughead: What do you mean, she's not as innocent as I think?
FP: You've been in love with her since you were 10, Jughead; you see her through rose colored glasses, son. She's not perfect, far from it. She wanted me to kill her cousin. She backed off it quick, but it was her original request. I'm no killer, no matter what anyone says, okay?
Jughead: I know. She knows. But can you blame her for wanting her cousin dead? I mean, he raped her for years.
FP: That's not all, Jughead. A few years back, we got in deep with some money problems. Turns out one of our guys was skimming off the top from us. All the money goes back to Sam, so it was her problem. She didn't dump her money into us so someone could steal it from us. It made her angry. That guy… he disappeared. I had nothing to do with it. Neither did Tall Boy. After he disappeared, she never mentioned him again. A month or so later when the confusion died down, she sunk the exact amount the guy had taken into a new project for us. I can't say with any certainty that she killed him, but you should know the person you sleep next to every night, Jughead.
Jughead: So do you think she's dangerous?
FP: Given the right circumstances, yes. Sam carries a lot of rage and pain. But know this, Jughead: as dangerous as she could be, she would NEVER hurt you. But if someone else hurt you, or pushed her hard enough, I think she'd be dangerous.
Jughead: Okay. I'll handle her. Thanks, Dad. I mean it. Really.
FP: Also, please don't be hurt that you don't know that side of her. She never wanted anyone to see it.
Jughead: The one thing I've learned about living in Riverdale, Dad- everyone wears a mask. Sam is no different.
FP: You can do this, Jughead. I know it's a mess you never wanted, but you can do this.
Jughead: Thanks, Dad.
