So this is the start of Tower Over Me, version two. If you haven't read that and find this concept interesting I'm including a summary at the very bottom of this chapter of what happened in the original story leading up to the start of this story.
This is a continuation of Tower Over Me that takes place in season three, I had two very different ideas and this is the one that didn't make the cut. However I fell in love with the idea so I'm continuing it. There is a new addition to my story, an OC I created named Angie, you will meet her shortly. This is a w/w paired story, with a planned alternate ending with Lane and Sweet Pea.
I. You're so gorgeous I can't say anything to your face, cause look at your face. And I'm so furious as you for making me feel this way, but what I can I say you're gorgeous
On the table set up behind them a phone lay buzzing unheard over the loud cracks of gunfire. Lane stood with unbridled rage just barely evident beneath her blank façade taking shot after shot at the target, whose faceless form took on so many identities in her mind. The one she circled back to the most was Hiram Lodge.
With her clip emptied she felt a soft tap on her shoulder and she set the gun on the bench in front of her before turning to the girl with a fairytale face that waited patiently behind her with a sweet smile. She extended the phone to Lane who saw she'd missed a call, and she stepped out of the shooting range and pulled out her earplugs. "Hey Cher, you guys back yet?" Lane asked when Cheryl answered.
"Oiu mon ami, and we're hosting an epic end of summer pool party of which you must attend because I need to see you desperately. Also Toni says hi."
Beside herself Lane almost smiled at Cheryl having said that all in one breath. God she'd missed her. "I say hi back," was her vague answerless reply.
There had been many an occasion Cheryl could never get Lane to attend but she always turned her down the same way, immediately. So a wide feline grin spread on her red painted lips. "Does this mean we can expect to be graced with your presence?"
"Yeah," Lane answered with a sigh. And she turned to the window separating the shop from the range catching a glint of yellow hair. "And I'm bringing a new friend," Lane told her with a faint smile etched on her mouth.
…
Cheryl and Toni stood back admiring their handy work as they watched the scantily clad teens enjoying themselves either in the pool or milling about. "A great end to a perfect summer," Toni said raising her cup to Cheryl who in turn raised hers. Instead of taking a drink they leaned forward sharing a kiss.
"Oh heart of my heart," Cheryl breathed when she caught sight of the two girls that'd just arrived. The unknown blonde walked like a radiant ray of sunshine in a white bikini, beside her was Lane in a dark highwaisted one piece that dipped low over her chest and more shockingly was her once long hair now cut just below her chin.
Rushing forward Cheryl threw her arms around Lane squeezing her tight enough to cut off her breathing. For several long seconds the two stood holding each other, but Lane raised an arm toward where Toni was standing and with a wide grin she stepped forward joining them. "Don't think I missed your stunning new friend," Cheryl said as they pulled apart. "Cheryl Bombshell, but I'm sure you already knew that."
Reaching a hand to shake the one Cheryl offered she answered, "Lane's been good about telling me everything. I'm Angie." She glanced at Lane with a small smile. "We moved in next door at the start of summer."
As their eyes met in a surprisingly heavy stare Toni and Cheryl shared a questioning look. "You know what you need," Cheryl posed linking their arms, planning to get as much information out of the girl as she could, "a tour. Go mingle Lane, we'll bring her back when we're done."
Lane watched Cheryl swoop Angie away, who turned back casting Lane a sweet grin. And then Lane looked to Toni, who was watching her with a knowing gleam in her eye as she squeezed Lane's arm and followed Cheryl. It wasn't but a few seconds of her being alone that an arm was thrown over her shoulder and she looked up seeing Reggie holding a cup in offering. She let him pull her over to a group of friends she wasn't entirely happy to be apart of, refusing to notice Sweet Pea sitting at the poolside only a few feet away also refusing to notice her as he instead looked at Josie.
"Hey," Archie greeted when he saw Lane with Reggie. He hadn't seen much of her in those past three months, four since the accident happened a month before school ended, no one really had. "Betty told me you've been helping with my case, I really appreciate it. Thank you," he told her with such sincerity it had him reaching a hand to her arm.
Not used to such sudden displays Lane shrugged and told him bluntly, "well you are an idiot. Figured you could use any help you could get."
With a scoff of a laugh Archie nodded, seeing they were still only reluctant acquaintances. "That's our bitchy girl," Reggie said squeezing her before she pushed him away.
"Yes," she said agreeing to that. "But not your bitch." Patting his shoulder she left the two boys and made for the girl she'd actually let herself be lead over here to see. When Veronica looked up to see the shadow that'd fallen over her was Lane she sat up patting the wooden leg rest for her to sit. With her legs crossed almost elegantly Lane fixed her with a searching stare. "I'll skip the typical pleasantry of asking how you're doing." Her boyfriend was on trial for murder, Lane could figure out herself she wasn't doing well.
Raising her sunglasses over the top of her head Veronica smiled. "I greatly appreciate that, I will also not ask you how you're doing." She knew Lane wasn't okay, there was no way she could be, but she looked good. "I will, however, bring up you calling my boyfriend an idiot."
It was very small, almost nonexistent, but Lane smiled as though amused. The two talked for a few minutes, there wasn't much to catch up on since they'd seen each other frequently the last month. But it was nice to just sit and talk, and not have to think of what they'd already lost or what they risked losing.
Eventually Lane moved a little ways down the poolside where there were less people cluttered, no one really approached her because no one knew what to say, and she was honestly grateful for that. So she lounged in a pool chair with her legs propped up and her eyes closed, enjoying being out of the house without actually having to be with other people. Except the one she wanted to be around.
"Is there room for two?" came a light sweet voice.
Opening her heavy eyes Lane looked up at where Angie stood beside her, mouth curled and blue eyes shining. Lane answered with a simple, "no," even as she scooted over to make room.
Angie sat in the space beside her with her shoulder over Lane's and their hips pressed together before they looked at each other and laughed lightly. They turned on their sides and lay facing each other close enough the tips of their noses brushed raising goosebumps on their arms. "She's very intense," she said about Cheryl, who'd hounded her regarding her friendship with Lane until Toni butted in distracting her. "You two make a lot of sense."
"We get that a lot," Lane admitted, finding the grin on Angie's mouth was spreading onto her own. The way it always did when she was with her.
It wasn't but a few minutes of them sitting together before Fangs appeared out of breath as he knelt beside the chair with a hand on Lane's hip. "Emergency Serpent meeting," he told her, and then looked to where Angie lay beside her. "Good seeing you, Ange." Without waiting for either one of them to reply he scooped Lane off the chair and carried her over to where the others were gathering away from the party.
"Are you absolutely sure this was Hot Dog?" Jughead asked when Fangs had filled them in on what he found when looking for the Ghoulies.
He nodded. "Hundred percent, man," he said without any doubt. "They must've snatched him on riot night. He looked skinny, I don't think the Ghoulies are feeding him enough."
"We're lucky those animals aren't slow roasting him on a grill," Sweet Pea seethed. Lane tried to stifle the bitter thought that he was showing more emotion for a dog than their daughter, it wasn't fair anymore than it was true.
"What do we do Jughead?" Toni asked him.
He took a moment to collect his thoughts, already coming up with a plan. "We'd be going behind enemy lines. Outnumbered, open to attack from all directions, and risking another gang war," he told them, looking from Sweet Pea beside him to Toni and Cheryl and then to Lane and Fangs across from him. "No Serpent left behind, that includes our spirit animal." He looked between them seeing they all held the same resolve to do this knowing the consequences.
Except Betty, who'd been silent until she couldn't be anymore. "Jughead, the last time you went into Ghoulie territory you were beaten to within an inch of your life," she reminded him, as she shouldn't have to remind him.
"He'll have backup this time," Cheryl assured her.
It was decided, they were doing this. So Betty gave in, she'd follow Jug every step of the way. "The Serpent Queen is a warrior queen. So if you're on the frontlines, so am I."
That title was so unearned that out of nothing more than habit Sweet Pea and Lane shared a familiar blandly irritated look before they both rolled their eyes and looked away, realizing moments later it was the first time they'd really looked at each other in months.
With it settled Jughead turned to Lane, planning to pull her aside with him and Betty so they could form a plan of action. "Hey Lane," he started and was immediately cut off.
"No." Six pairs of eyes were suddenly on him and Fangs swallowed, feeling Lane's the most and it wasn't just because she was next to him.
"Why did you even bring me into this if you weren't gonna let me help?"
Raising a finger at her as though to respond he decided arguing with her would get them nowhere, so he looked to Jughead. "She just got the brain shunt removed last week, she's not doing tonight."
Hearing that Sweet Pea glanced at Lane wondering how he couldn't have known about that, or why no one told him. But Lane was looking at Cheryl, having a wordless conversation that had both their eyes shining with amused mischief before she turned away. With a hand light on Fangs' chest Lane told him, "I'll see you at home." He reached back popping her ass as she left, looking up at Sweet Pea to see his eyes dart away.
Lane got far enough away to not be overheard before a hand grabbed hers and she turned to see Cheryl. "I wanted to catch you before you went back to Angie," she said, having gathered most of her information from the other girl. "Why didn't you tell me you broke up? You know I've never thought he was good enough for you but I still would've been there."
"And do what?" Lane asked her with a shrug. "You guys deserved a good time. I had Fangs, and Reggie, and a few others that aren't as important one of which being Jughead," she admitted.
Still holding Lane's hand Cheryl swung her arm with a suggestive look. "And Angie," she said seeing Lane immediately roll her eyes. "Your new beau-vette is stunning."
"She is not whatever that is," Lane told her with a shake of her head. But she was pressing her lips together so hard to keep from smiling it felt like her teeth were cutting through.
Humming disbelieving Cheryl nodded, letting her have it for now. "You look good," she said reaching a hand to Lane's short hair, that Lane cut to keep up with the section that'd been shaved when she had surgery. Her misery was only faintly seen in her eyes, which weren't crying, her mouth was willing to do more than frown or sob. She just looked so…okay. Cheryl really hadn't known what she was gonna come back to.
Lane shrugged not knowing if she was good or not, some days she thought was or at least that she could be, others were a little harder. "You look happy."
And she was, very happy. She couldn't keep from smiling those days. "I'll text you when I know the plan."
"I'll be waiting," Lane said with a sly smirk, and raised her chin as Cheryl bent to kiss her cheek.
Parting ways Lane returned to where Angie still sat, having been approached by several people who introduced themselves. But she'd been waiting for this girl in particular. "Done with your super secret meeting?" she asked, sitting up a little as Lane sat on the leg rest next to her. Her calves warm against Lane's hip.
"Apparently our dog was kidnapped by the Ghoulies, we're gonna get him back," Lane told her with stark honesty.
"Can I help in any way?"
Her offer had been sweet, everything about her was. But she'd made her interest in the Serpents known, in who these people that'd taken care of Lane were because the connotations that went with the word gang didn't really seem to fit. "That depends on how far you're willing to go in this," Lane answered. At this rate they were gonna recruit the whole town. "And I'm very aware your father will kill me if he finds out." She didn't know what Angie told General Harper to make him okay with her, but the only thing he'd told Lane was not to involve his daughter.
"Are you willing to take that risk?" Angie asked biting her lip as she looked at Lane.
Nothing more than the corner of her mouth curled as Lane stared back. "You might be worth it," she answered softly. And the two shared a fond, too familiar, look.
…
With an arrow lodged in Malachai's shoulder and with the Jones boy surrounded, Penny had had enough. "Alright, just kill them all."
Jughead turned to where Cheryl stood in the bed of the truck holding her bow. "Cheryl, aim your next arrow right between Penny's eyes." Calculating the risk Penny threw a hand up calling her dogs off. Jughead raised a finger at her in warning. "If you or your Ghoulies take one more step she's going to release that arrow. Cheryl doesn't miss."
Penny was still thinking, glancing at the girl in red, considering whether she'd have enough time to duck in front of Jughead before she got her shot off. Her eyes gleamed seeing she was only half a step from using Jughead as a shield, she could make it. "She can't get us all, you're still outnumbered," she reminded him.
"You should really learn to pay more attention to your surroundings," Cheryl nearly cooed.
On cue Lane stepped out of the woods with a shotgun poised in her delicate hands, donning her jacket, with murder in her pale eyes as she took aim. And at her side stood Angie with her arm raised holding a revolver. Both guns Lane had found in a crawlspace under Tall Boy's house.
Penny glanced at the two girls armed with guns and blanks faces, who'd positioned themselves so that Jughead wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. There was no running from this. Hiram always said the Vivian girl would cause problems, and Penny had a personal debt to settle with her. She turned to Jughead with a sneer. "Congratulations, you just made the Northside fair game."
Without taking their eyes off their targets the girls moved backwards to the truck and climbed in the bed, standing with Cheryl who still held her bow notched with an arrow. As they drove off the three lowered their weapons, and Cheryl looked over her shoulder at Lane sharing a brief proud nod.
"Liar," Fangs grumbled as Lane knelt beside him.
She pushed the small window open and looked at Sweet Pea behind the wheel. "We're parked up here," she said pointing at the thin clearing she'd left her car. He noticed she didn't stick around longer than she needed him, and he wondered when that would stop hurting.
Feeling the truck slow she moved further back on the bed and waited as he stopped before hopping out. She turned offering a hand to Angie helping her down, and they stood together for a few seconds feeling their racing hearts in the palms of their held hands. But the moment passed and Lane pulled away. "You want a ride home?" she asked of Fangs who was still frowning at her not listening to him. With a growl of a sigh he stood and jumped down following her.
Jughead came around the side of the truck clapping Lane on the shoulder. "We'll talk about this later," he told her looking to the gun in her hands.
"I'm sure," she said and they both knew he wouldn't change her mind.
It's what was been needed tonight, her and Cheryl, and Lane was now as much of a loose cannon. He held her eye to let her know he was serious but in the end he let her go. "Angie," he said offering a hand to shake hers. "You're full of surprises."
With a shrug of her thin shoulders Angie grinned. "I have to keep up with all of this somehow," she said only half joking. "I'll see you guys later." All but Sweet Pea bid her a goodnight, Cheryl and Toni saying it was nice to meet her while Betty and Jughead had seen her with Lane a few times over the last several weeks.
Lane walked with Fangs and Angie on either side of her feeling both their arms brush hers, and she could almost start to believe that she might get past this.
For those of you joining the story with this update, I've got two other chapters with Angie's mock introduction, as well as some of the summer I skipped - you can find those in my One Shots if you're interested; they're not mandatory.
The titles I'm going to have in the story are song lyrics that fit the mood of the chapter or at least a part of it. And all of these songs have been covered by Alice Kristiansen, who for me is Angie's faceclaim, which is what I personally hear. The song for this chapter is Gorgeous by Taylor Swift - which, is not only my favorite cover by Alice Kristiansen but what I picture are Angie's thoughts at first towards Lane.
Summary of Tower Over Me:
After a failed murder attempt Lane is forced to seek refuge within the Southside Serpents who slowly grow to accept her as one of their own as she proves her loyalty to them time and again. While hiding within the Serpents she falls in love with Sweet Pea, finds a new family within the Serpents, and continues to play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man responsible for her father's death - Hiram Lodge. Her situation is made more dire when she discovers she's pregnant, something Hiram uses against her, but with Sweet Pea at her side she's able to free herself from Hiram's clutches. Until her car is driven off the road killing their baby, and nearly killing her as well. And in their grief Lane and Sweet Pea are driven apart. - and then this chapter starts three months later.