Okay so I've written and re-written this chapter like a million times and it's only getting worse. Please, please, hold tight though because in episode 6 (the next 2ish chapters) things start getting intense! I promise! It gets better lol. Anyway, y'all enjoy.
I think the sun was created specifically to shine into my eyes and give me a wicked headache. There's no other reason for it to be so fucking bright. The banging sounds and loud music coming from the kitchen aren't helping either. This is awful. I'm never drinking again. I really, really, really don't want to get out of this bed but I also feel kinda like I'm gonna barf and I don't want to puke in what must be Sweet Pea's bed. Why do I always end up hungover in Sweet Pea's bed?
I push the thought out of my mind and sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The motion makes everything worse and I have to take a few deep breaths to calm my stomach before I can stand up. Behind me the bed is empty but Sweet Pea's clothes from last night on the floor tell me that we definitely cuddled. I shouldn't really be surprised though, Sweet Pea gets clingy when he drinks and almost always whines until I sleep next to him. He's kind of a baby.
More shouting from the kitchen encourages me to finally stand, pausing only for a moment when I think I might puke, but I keep it down. I stumble down the short hallway towards all the loud noises that make my head throb. The culprits are sitting around the kitchen table, drinking coffee and eating what I think was supposed to be pancakes.
"Why are you yelling?" Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni all look up when I speak. Toni winces but Sweet Pea just laughs openly at me.
"You look awful. Want some pancakes?" He shoves the plate towards me and the smell makes my stomach churn. Before I can give him the proper bitchy retort I feel my stomach flip and I swiftly make my way to the bathroom. I say swiftly, but to be honestly I stumble and trip and barely make it into the small room before dropping to my knees and heaving up everything I drank last night. It wasn't even that much! I've just lost my tolerance while I was locked up. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and lean my back against the edge of the tub. This is so not worth it. I'm never ever ever drinking again.
I can hear them laughing at me from the kitchen. Heartless bastards. I kind of feel better now, though. I wash my hands and rinse out my mouth with mouthwash before walking back into the kitchen. Toni is the only one who bothers to try to stop giggling.
"You're all terrible people." I mumble, grabbing a mug of coffee. For some reason Sweet Pea only has three chairs. It's constantly a problem, since we have four people in our group, but he refuses to buy a fourth chair. I'm starting to think that he does it just to piss me off. I'm not going to let it get to me right now, so I sit on his lap instead of arguing about it. He doesn't protest, just wraps one arm around my stomach and rests his coffee cup on my thigh.
"Pancake?" Fangs offers, sliding the plate across the table. I take a bite of one and a sip of my coffee, waiting to see if it makes everything worse before eating more.
"Why are you all so mean to me? I'm the only cool member of our friend group."
"Uh, no." Toni disagrees. "I think the whole puking think makes you just as uncool as the boys." Fangs and Sweet Pea loudly protest and Toni raises an eyebrow and sips her coffee. I take a few more bites of pancake and start feeling better.
"It's not her fault." Thank you, Sweet Pea. "They don't have beer in baby prison." Nevermind. Fangs snorts and Toni tries not to but starts giggling again too.
"Horrible, awful, terrible people." I turn sideways in Pea's lap and bury my face into his neck. "Everyone is mean. The world is too sunny. Everything sucks." Sweet Pea chuckles but lets me curl into him and wraps his arms around me so I don't fall.
"I thought you two only cuddled when Sweet Pea was drunk?" Toni asks over the rim of her cup.
"We aren't cuddling. I'm hiding from the sun."
"Mhmm." Toni hums. We aren't cuddling. Even if we were, that's fine. Friends cuddle all the time. It's only weird when you point it out.
"I want a milkshake." I whisper, as to not shout in Sweet Pea's ear. Sweet Pea sighs and pulls his head back a bit to look down at me.
"You wanna go to Pops?" I nod. "Okay." I sit up and turn back to the table. Toni and Fangs are exchanging weird looks. Toni's eyebrows are raised and her eyes are wide, staring at Fangs. Fangs has more of a constipated look, with his eyebrows drawn together and his mouth pulled to the side.
"What the hell are you doing?" I ask. Fangs startles and I don't even try to hold back my smirk. Toni gives me a fake smile.
"Nothing. Why?"
"Yeah, what would we be doing?" Fangs adds. Toni kicks him under the table and he jumps, wincing.
"I literally saw all of that but whatever. I'm getting a milkshake so I don't care." Toni gives Fangs another look and he shrugs, embarrassed. "Sweets, can I borrow a shirt? Mine smells like beer." I sniff it a little and wince. "And like, cotton candy or something?"
"That's a Baby Bottle Pop." Fangs informs me.
"When did I buy a Baby Bottle Pop?" I wrinkle my nose. I really should learn to pace myself.
"You didn't," Toni snorts, "you stole it from the gas station but the guy behind the counter was so entertained by you and Sweet Pea being idiots that he let you have it." Well, that does sound like me. I shrug, getting off Sweet Pea's lap and putting the plates in the sink. I could go for some candy right now.
"Did I finish it?" Toni shakes her head no solemnly.
"You spilled it all over yourself and dropped it on the ground."
"What a waste." Fangs nods in agreement. "Let's go." The three of them slowly start standing up and grabbing their shoes and jackets. I go to Sweet Pea's room and grab a shirt. At least my bra smells clean… clean-ish. I pull the shirt over my head as I stumble down the hallway towards the living room.
"Let's get to shakin'."
There's something about Pop's that can make the world seem like an okay place, even when everything is going to shit. Maybe it's the food, or the atmosphere, or just Pop Tate himself. Whatever it is, it makes Pop feel like home. Or at least your cooler, richer, preppier friends house where their mom like, bakes cookies and shit for an after school snack before going home to your trailer. It's a breath of fresh air when the rest of Riverdale feels like it's been doused in mustard gas.
But like all good things, it must come to an end. Unlike all good things, this end is only because we have to go beat the shit out of Jughead for the last phase of Serpent initiation. From one good thing to another, right?
Just before sunset the Gauntlet Group banded together in Sunnyside Trailer Park to gather Jughead. We aren't called the Gauntlet Group, but we totally should be. One thing the Serpents are lacking is a decent naming system. We showed up the Jones' trailer just in time to catch Archie Andrews and his angst parade. These Northsiders and their emotional issues, man. Why can't they just suppress them and cover them up with petty crimes and games of pool like the Southside?
"What the hell do we have here?" Sweet Pea asks, sauntering up to Jughead and Archie. The rest of us stand behind Sweet Pea, mildly interested in whatever drama Jughead is causing now.
"Just leave it, alright?"
"Wait, you're friends with these thugs?" Rude. Only I'm allowed to call us thugs.
"It's not what you think." Yeah, we aren't friends.
"Are you joining the Serpents?"
"If he survives." Sweet Pea answers Archie. "And go ahead and call us thugs one more time." Damn, we're so in sync, we should start a boy band.
"Jughead, these are the guys who attacked me. Who attacked Reggie, and Veronica, and Dilton. Your friends!"
"Wait, is that why you're here? To warn me?"
"No. I came here to tell you to stay away from Betty. She doesn't want to see you anymore." Daaaammmmmmnnnnnnnn, dude. That's cold.
"Screw you." You tell him, Jug. "I just saw Betty yesterday. She- She was fine."
"No, dude. She's been wanting to break up with you for weeks. She's been agonizing over it since you crossed to the darkside. She couldn't bring herself to do it."
"So she sent you? Betty would never do that!"
"If you don't believe me, then call her. And feel free to tell her you're a Serpent now, too. I bet she'll love that. She saw where you were headed, Jughead. Okay? We all did. And she knows you can't be with them and with her. And come on, man, you know it too."
"Tell Betty I got the message."
"Yeah." Archie storms off. Jughead turns towards us, stretching his neck and trying to look angry instead of heartbroken. I don't even like Jughead and I feel bad. I almost feel like I just got broken up with.
"What? Did you enjoy the show?" He asks furiously.
"The show hasn't even started yet." Sweet Pea tells him with a smirk.
Minutes later we're all lined up. Five Serpents on each side, popping their knuckles and waiting for Jughead to take the plunge. He steps forward, immediately getting punched in the gut twice. He makes his way down the line once, then back. When he gets to me I give him a good punch in the eye and a second one in the kidney. Sweet Pea hits him one last time and he drops to the ground. This is the real test. Can he get back up and keep going? Will he abandon the gang when it gets too hard for him? Is he willing to die to join us? Jughead stands, blood dripping out of his mouth, and faces off with Sweet Pea.
"Is that all you got?" Pea grins, holding out his hand for Jughead to shake. Toni congratulates him, putting his official Southside Serpent jacket on his shoulders. Jughead reaches for my hand to shake and I grab it, whacking him hard on the back in congratulations. He winces.
"Ready for your first gang tattoo, Jug?" He nods, limping along as we lead him to the tattoo parlor.
