hello again! thank you to the person that reviewed and to the people that favourited/followed. if you haven't already, please do!! I know it's not all Choni yet but I want some small build up to get to it but I promise that I won't drag it out. this chapter is longer than the other one and I know it's all going to end up a tad cliché but I'll try put a spin on it. :)
Everyone experiences change in their lives. The world is constantly adapting to meet current affairs so it's impossible to stay stationary. Of course, there are moments that are more frantic than others but nonetheless, it's important to always be alert. We have to be ready for both curveballs and beautifully blossoming experiences. Today was one of those days that caused conflicting emotions. Weirdly, it pushed boundaries that needed to be broken but on the other hand, the unknown territory was petrifying.
Chemistry class.
As children, we are taught the basic atomic structures of molecules, such as how the water molecule is devised of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms. We learn that hydrogen and oxygen latch onto each other in order to complete and share their outer shells of electrons. The polarity, the opposite needs of wanting to give and take away are what attracts the components to each other. The two separate entities combining themselves for completion and survival are what makes them stable when they're together.
Right now, I felt like the physical embodiment of a lost atom, which was ironic considering the class I was in. While our teacher drew structural diagrams on the whiteboard, I could not help but let my mind wander. Naturally, the change in schools was a mental process that I was still undergoing, both socially and academically, so it was normal to not feel at home. Part of me believed that if it was just me as a new pupil, I probably would have been more of a wallflower as I would have been less noticeable. Regardless, joining with a community that was basically family calmed my nerves immensely. However, being one of the new students definitely attracted an array of positive and negative attention.
When there's tension in a classroom, a teacher either tries too hard to fix the issue or pretends that it doesn't exist. Either attempt can lead to the atmosphere feeling like a kettle that's about to spill out water because it's been overfilled.
Our teacher, Mr Williams, decided to attempt to resolve the issue between the Serpents and the Bulldog-Vixen clan. His solution was to pair us with them in group work. As you can imagine, the majority of the room was far from thrilled.
One of my classmates, Reginald Mantle vocally called out with an accusing finger, 'It's a shame that these guys only dish out chemical compounds rather than make them in science lessons.'
'A distribution that occurred for the services of Bulldogs such as yourself,' Jughead retorted. He stared at Reggie with an annoyed expression, which only caused Reggie to smirk as he carelessly leaned back on his chair.
Mr Williams ignored the remarks and continued to explain his idea, 'I understand that there is a concern that these groups could threaten grades. However, I can assure you that I will be there to give guidance when appropriate and sanction any pupils that choose to rebel,' His gaze fell on Reggie and Jughead, 'The task at hand is to produce and present a poster related to a chemical process in a group of three or four. Whether you choose a more complicated substance is between you but I will not mark anyone down for simplicity as long as it is well described. You will have a month to complete this in which everyone will explain what they have done in front of the class.'
Unsurprisingly, the first group consisted of Reggie, Jughead and Jughead's best friend, Archie Andrews. The dynamic was logical. Since Archie and Reggie were star players for the school's football team, their friendship was a competitive yet strong one as they were able to communicate with each other effectively. Archie was also Jughead's childhood best friend, practically brother, so Archie would be the mediator for the boys if an argument were to arise. Afterwards, Mr Williams proceeded to match Sweet Pea with Fangs, Kevin and Moose. Meanwhile, I looked down and fiddled with my fingers.
'Toni, please go sit with Cheryl and Veronica.'
Of course. Cheryl and Veronica. I remembered that when we first entered the school, Veronica greeted us with a welcoming but almost fake smile while Cheryl dramatically expressed her distaste. The fact that Mr Williams chose this selection made me question how fast gossip spread and stuck around the school.
Swiftly, I gathered my belongings and moved to sit around a desk with the two other girls. Much like before, Veronica tried to be friendly but without the excessively big smile plastered across her face this time. Cheryl, on the other hand, did not make much of an effort to speak. Her scarlet lips were pouted slightly, showing clear disinterest. For me, her silence was a relief. Whether she chose to act like this due to resistance of the pre-determined groups or indifference towards chemistry was a reason I couldn't decide on though.
Veronica reached into her handbag and pulled out a pristine chemistry book. There were different coloured post-it notes sticking out of the pages, suggesting that she studied often in her free time. After that, she flicked through the book and skimmed across it with a very concentrated look on her face. Her eyes were squinted and her mouth was slightly ajar. I had previously noticed that when she completed important tasks, she often looked this focussed and wore thick framed black glasses. Everything about it screamed 'do not talk to me or distract me' so I waited silently before she proposed ideas. Her suggestions involved talking about the properties of magnesium and its reactivity with other substances; cold water, boiling water and acid. She enthusiastically spoke about the blinding light that it released. I tried to give her my undivided attention but Cheryl's glare unsettled me. I could feel her chocolate coloured eyes staring through my skull. Her presence forced me to gulp as I continued to nod at Veronica.
Soon after, the school bell rang, which signified that the lesson was over. I stuffed my notebook into my satchel and approached the desk in which Fangs and Sweet Pea had worked at. Kevin pulled Sweet Pea into a half-hug and pat him on the back. Much to their delight, they all seemed to converse appropriately thus befriended each other. On the contrary, a grumpy Jughead hung around the exit.
Lunchtime followed this lesson. The areas that pupils situated themselves at were the canteen, the common room and the outdoors when the weather was warmer. As today was a gloomy day, I doubted that many people would choose the latter, meaning that the inside areas would be busier than usual. To my knowledge, Archie's friends usually sat in the common room, on the sofas near the vending machines. In contrast, us Serpents usually ate in the canteen then hovered around in the common room afterwards. Typically, Jughead would use that time to talk to Archie and sometimes Betty when she wasn't avoiding him.
As usual, we all ate our meal in the canteen. Proudly, our matching Serpent leather jackets were displayed on the other side of the room to the blue and yellow bomber jackets of the Bulldogs. While we had a snake symbol with the words 'Southside Serpents' embroidered onto our backs, a massive R was stretched across the left side of their chests. We discussed our forced socialisation from the hour before.
'Reggie tried his best to provoke me but quickly ended up talking to Archie about the upcoming match. As Reggie's captain, he forgot that we were in chemistry class and it was all about football positions and training.' Jughead commented and then chewed on his sandwich, 'I need to go find Betty to discuss our latest lead on our current project.' He proceeded to stand up, food still in hand, and leave.
Fangs laughed, 'You know, for the Sheriff's son, Kevin is a pretty cool guy. He told us about the things he's found when he goes on these midnight runs in Fox Forest when he can't sleep. One time he spotted an abandoned car with a funny number plate. Kid's got nerve to be wandering around that area with all the stuff that's going on at the moment. How was Hiram Lodge's daughter and facist Barbie?'
Rolling my eyes, I observed a somewhat nearby Cheryl, who was surrounded by Vixens that I hadn't bothered to learn the names of. All of them swooned over her with such fascination.
'Anti-climatic. Veronica seemed to be pretty invested with the project, almost as if it was her idea. Cheryl? Well, she didn't bother to open her mouth.'
'That Cheryl girl is an enigma,' Sweet Pea said, 'You never know what she's thinking or what she's going to come out with. I wonder if she's actually got a heart under there.'
'Sure she's intimidating and cold-hearted but she's been through a lot,' I defended, 'Both her father and brother are dead and Penelope Blossom doesn't seem to be much better. Plus, her house burned down.' I related to her struggles of loneliness within family. The fact that her brother was dead and her father was his murderer must have been excruciating for Cheryl but I was unable to say the reaction was similar for her mother. In a way, Penelope Blossom almost seemed relieved about his passing. The boys agreed but argued that despite her hardships, her life had been full of financial luxury. Regardless of what she'd been through, she always had a roof over her head and her father's maple syrup business was one of the things that outsiders knew Riverdale for. They were right. However, emotionally I knew it would have been complicated.
Unfortunately, homelessness was a state of being that I was used to. At a young age, my mother disappeared from Riverdale and my father had never really been in the picture. Thankfully, I knew of my grandfather's existence within the Southside. Our family had always been connected to the Serpents. In fact, my grandfather Thomas Topaz was one of the founding members of the Southside Serpents. He descended from the Uktena who had disintegrated from existence after their land was stolen by General Pickens and Barnabas Blossom. Needless to say, we maintained a healthy relationship but I understood and learned that it was important that I was independent away from him within the gang. He was a lot older to begin with and enjoyed his solitude and privacy.
'I'm going to see what Jughead is doing.'
When entering the common room, I noticed that Archie's crowd occupied the main area of the common room. Veronica's head leaned on her boyfriend's shoulder, memorised by every word that he spoke, causing her raven black hair to contrast with his bright ginger head. They both came from such different backgrounds. While Veronica was the daughter of a criminal and originally from New York, Archie was a kind-hearted soul with an upbringing filled with labour and modesty that was born in bred in our very town. His family had lived here for generations. Their paths crossing was almost beautifully tragic as I had a gut feeling that they were made for each other but also not meant to be. Betty, Jughead and Kevin sat on a different sofa to the couple. Unlike Archie and Veronica, they sat apart and Betty avoided looking at her boyfriend.
Soon after, lunchtime came to an end. Although we were matched into conspicuously dramatic groups for our project, my mind lingered on what would happen next within this for the rest of the day. After all, I perceived Cheryl and Veronica to get along well but to also clash. Both of them were used to having a high role in a school's hierarchy, were from wealthy backgrounds and weren't afraid to speak their minds. Cheryl was the Ice Queen whereas Veronica's speciality was definitely fire. Me? In comparison to them, I would be the Queen of the Buskers. My title wouldn't have even made it onto the list of elemental goddesses. Well, their similarities was what made them work perfectly well when they did. Only time would tell how it would all end up for me. Maybe I would be able to get them to open up and truly see beyond our differences.