Christmas is over, and that means it's back to school. But not just any school, no, the Serpents are being transferred to Riverdale High, and now it's time for everyone to decide which hill they're willing to die on.
Chapter title is from Fight Like a Girl by Emilie Autumn
Note: huge shoutout to Darknight and V0rtexFM for talking to me about this fic *constantly* and not only enduring, but encouraging my bullshit, and helping me come up with wonderful ideas!
WARNING: honestly I think just the normal warnings for some underage drinking and canon typical violence, this was a pretty chill chapter for me
(Cast Not Your Stone at the) Wayward Daughter
My Voice Is My Weapon of Choice
Winter break was over, and the Serpents had barely been at school for an hour before they learned that their school would be closing, and they would be transferred to various schools nearby.
Amy, Fangs, Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Toni split off from the rest of their gang to discuss the quarantine, before Jughead asked the one question that all five of them were dreading.
*"Where are you guys going?"
"Same as you," Sweet Pea said, "and you," he added, looking at Toni, "and Fangs*, and Amy. We're going to Riverdale High."
"Are you kidding me?" Jughead asked.
"What's your problem, Jug?" Toni asked.
"Riverdale High is hell, Toni."
Amy raised an eyebrow. "You think Riverdale High is hell? Have you not been here for a few months now? Look, Juggie, I know that you had a rough time there, but you have us now. We've got your back. And besides, at least we have a shot at an actual education now. That's more than any of us could have said about this place."
Jughead sighed, "Fine. So what do we do with the rest of today?"
"Well, no doubt Amy needs to plan an outfit," Fangs teased, "but other than that? Fuck around at the Wyrm, teach you some more knife tricks and maybe how to play pool?"
"That sounds right," Amy agreed. "But I can deal with outfits tonight, so Wyrm?"
The others nodded, and they climbed onto their bikes. They pulled into the Wyrm, and immediately claimed two pool tables. Amy and Fangs sat on the edge of one, while Toni and Jughead set up the other, with Sweet Pea moving behind Jughead to teach him how to play. The boys were still all in the awkward stage, blushing whenever they so much as brushed hands, but Sweet Pea was by far the best at pool.
The taller boy wrapped his arms around Jughead, pushing him down slightly and showing him how to figure out where he wanted to aim. Jughead blushed, and Amy had a feeling that he wasn't retaining any of the lesson, a thought which she quickly leaned over to share with Fangs.
"Maybe not, but we get twice the view," he whispered back.
Amy laughed, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"It's a very nice view," she added, when Toni bent over to take her shot.
The two of them continued their whispered conversation while they watched the game, rolling a ball from the other table between themselves.
Eventually the game ended, with Toni winning, and Jughead decided that he needed a break.
"From losing or from Sweet Pea pressing against your ass?" Toni teased.
Jughead blushed, looking away, "oh shut up, Toni."
"Both," Sweet Pea mock whispered.
"Fangs?" Jughead asked.
"My turn?"
Jughead nodded, pulling out his knife while Fangs did the same. For all that Amy may have been the most ruthless with a knife, Fangs was the best at the fancy tricks.
"C'mere," Fangs told him, leading him to the dartboard, "gonna teach you to throw it."
"Isn't that—isn't that dangerous?"
Amy laughed, "We're in a literal fucking gang, Juggie, danger is kind of the point."
"Maybe you're just an adrenaline junkie," Jughead shot back.
"Of course I am! But this is a good skill to have."
Fangs took Jughead's hand in his, wrapping his long fingers around the hilt of his switchblade.
"Yeah, maybe it is," Jughead agreed.
Fangs smirked at him, moving to stand behind him and guide him through the throw.
"You've gotta follow through," Fangs told him, "that's the most important part."
Jughead nodded, trying on his own. He didn't hit anywhere close to center, but he at least hit the board, so he pulled his knife out and tried again.
A couple dozen more throws, a round of pool, and an actual game of darts later, FP was returning from a shift from Pops, and the six of them settled in the back room for dinner.
"You know," Toni said, swallowing a bite, "I don't understand your obsession with Pops."
"Pops is sacred, Toni," Jughead told her.
"I mean, the milkshakes are good," Amy admitted, "but there's other food in the world."
"Okay, we don't need World War Three right now," FP interrupted, "I hear you kids are transferring to Riverdale?"
"Yeah, Southside is being quarantined for meth or some shit," Sweet Pea told him.
"There was never any meth though," Jughead said, "just jingle jangle."
"You sure you're not just getting caught up on that to avoid the real reason that you don't want to go back there?"
"What reason would that be, dad?"
"Betty," FP said. "Look, I know that you kids have been doing whatever it is you do—and I don't want to know what that is—but you're not over her, Jug."
Jughead refused to answer that so Amy, ignoring the growing knot in her stomach, spoke up.
"You know, Fangs, maybe you should try to seduce Kevin. He's not bad looking, and he clearly has a Serpent kink."
Fangs laughed, "I'm surprised you aren't suggesting we compete for him."
"He's pretty gold star gay," Amy shrugged, "doubt I could even get a kiss."
"Well, we'll see how it goes."
"You're both so thirsty," Toni teased.
"Yeah, and hot," Amy told her.
"No one is arguing that—"
"I'm going to cut you off now, Topaz," FP said, "I don't need to hear wherever this is going. Why don't the five of you head out and get sorted for tomorrow?"
"I mean if you were getting tired of us you could have said so," Sweet Pea laughed.
"Fine, I'm tired of you, get out," FP offered.
Amy gasped dramatically, holding a hand to her heart. "Well if you really feel that way. You're right now, I need to figure some shit out. Let's go?"
Her partners nodded, and the five of them made their way to the Jones trailer, where they had taken to spending most of their time.
Amy immediately set to work on her outfit, pulling out her favourite lace up shorts and black bra, tossing them onto the bed.
"Are you sure they'll let you wear that?" Jughead asked.
"Toss me a flannel and they will! I asked Veronica for a copy of the dress code and these shorts have an inch to spare."
"Of course they do," Sweet Pea laughed, "now come on, doll, one last night before we go to war?"
"My dad could be home any minute," Jughead objected.
"Your dad has work until close, Jug," Fangs told him, "he just wanted to spend his break with us."
"Oh. Okay, sounds good then," he agreed.
He blushed when Sweet Pea held out a hand, but took it eagerly.
"You know, the blushing virgin act was really cute when you were a virgin, but I don't know how you still get so embarrassed. Don't get me wrong, it's adorable, but how the fuck does everything still seem like your first time?" Amy asked.
Her words were harsh, but the kisses she pressed to Jughead's face softened them, and he grinned.
"It's a talent," he teased.
"And here I thought kissing was your talent," she argued.
"Oh my god," Fangs groaned, "can you two stop with the flirt-fighting just long enough for the rest of us to get in on this?"
"Nope," Amy told him, popping the 'p'. "If you want something, you have to take it."
"Well, if you insist," Fangs said, lifting her off of Jughead's lap and pulling the boy in for a kiss.
FP was grateful that, although there was no questioning what happened, at least one of them had thought to make sure they were all dressed before he returned to the trailer. He opened the bedroom door nervously, but saw that they were all dressed and asleep, and set an alarm so that he could make sure they got up for school—usually Amy or Toni would handle that, but he didn't want Amy to panic if they'd forgotten.
He was somewhat surprised that when he awoke the next morning, Amy was already up. He had set his alarm thinking that if would be at least another fifteen minutes before Amy would have planned to wake, which would have given him a buffer to wake her up if needed.
"Kiddo?" He asked, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
"Couldn't sleep," she admitted.
She sat down on the couch next to him, and he noticed that her hair was wet—clearly she had been up long enough to shower. She was dressed, in lace up shorts and an oversized flannel, but she was wearing a towel like a cape to keep her clothes dry.
"This transfer is really stressing you out, isn't it?" he asked.
"It is," she agreed, "I mean… everyone there hates us. Like okay, that's not really anything new, but usually when people have a problem with me I can kick their asses and they'll all back off, but I can't do that here. And I'll be on their turf."
"C'mere, kiddo," he told her, lifting an arm.
She slid closer, allowing him to wrap his arm around her, and tucking her face into his chest.
"Listen to me, Amethyst, you're going to be fine. All of you will. You've never needed your fists to defend yourself; you're as brutal with your words as a knife and you know it. Besides, you'll have these guys with you. They'll look out for you, and you'll look out for them. You five are ride or die, that's what you always tell me, and a new school won't change that."
Amy smiled at him, blinking away tears, "promise?"
"Promise," he agreed, "but I need you to promise me something too. Keep an eye on Jug, alright? He had a rough time there and a lot of people, Weatherbee included, won't be happy to have him back."
"We'll protect him," Amy promised, "no matter what."
"That's my girl," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "now go wake everyone up, I'll cook up some eggs."
"You're the best," she told him, pulling away from him.
She entered the bedroom, slamming the door loudly.
"Wake up, fuckers!" FP heard her shout.
He let out a laugh; his girl was a spitfire alright. He knew that she'd be okay, that all five of them would be.
They came out shortly, with Toni's outfit looking as carefully planned as Amy's, while the boys looked like it was just a normal day. FP handed them all eggs, except for Amy, who just got a plate of toast.
"Figured you'd want something light," he explained.
"Thanks, FP," she said, smiling slightly.
FP didn't comment when she still only finished half—he knew that she'd always struggled to eat when she was nervous, and that her year with the Sisters had made it a lot worse. She had never explained, he didn't know if she ever would, but he knew that it had to have been bad.
They finished eating, and no one commented when Amy spent close to ten minutes making sure that her hair and makeup were absolutely perfect, not a speck or span out of place, before they finally donned their jackets like armor, and climbed onto their bikes.
They followed Jughead to the building, meeting with the rest of the teen Serpents outside of the building.
"Alright, listen up," Amy ordered, and everyone fell silent. "We're on Bulldog territory right now, got it? I hate it as much as any of you, but we need to play by the rules. Push them, by all means, but don't break them. No one wants us here, they'll take any excuse to get rid of us, but we need to stick together and make sure that we don't give them any ammunition against us. That said, don't take their bullshit. Stand up to them, but don't instigate anything. No matter what. We clear?" Everyone nodded, and Amy clapped once, "Let's go."
The teens made their way to the door; the five partners took the front, of course, with a sea of Serpent jackets fanning out behind them. As they entered, Amy fell to her usual position, front and center, with Jughead right behind her, Toni and Fangs on either side of him, and Sweet Pea directly behind him.
They stopped in front of a table, which blocked off most of the hallway. Amy saw Veronica standing behind it, clearly responsible for the little show, with Archie and Kevin standing by her. As soon as the Serpents came to a stop, Archie was pushing around the table, pulling Amy into a tight hug that almost lifted her feet off the ground. As soon as he set her down, Kevin pulled her into a –less enthusiastic, but still welcoming– hug of his own.
Veronica, clearly not liking that they had interrupted what was surely a carefully crafted speech, cleared her throat pointedly.
*"Friends," she greeted, and Amy rolled her eyes. "On behalf of the students and faculty here at Riverdale High, welcome to your new school! To ease this transition, I've set up a registration desk where you can get your locker assignments, class schedules, and a list of sports and extracurriculars—" Amy watched as Kevin and Archie grimaced at each other, while the Serpents exchanged eye rolls and dry grins—"We encourage each and every one of you to drink deeply from the cup that is fair Riverdale."*
"God, Ronnie," Amy laughed, "a bit over the top? We know people don't want us here, it's fine. Besides, Jonesy here only left like—what was it—two months ago? He can show us around."
Jughead placed his hands on her shoulders, a show of support that Amy appreciated.
"Well—" Veronica started, and for a moment Amy wondered if there was more to her welcoming committee than they knew.
*"Stand down, Eva Peron!" a new voice called, as Cheryl Blossom descended the stairs, followed by Reggie Mantle and a group of girls in cheerleading uniforms.
"There's the school spirit I so fondly remember,"* Jughead scoffed, and Amy reached one of her hands up to squeeze his—a reminder that he wasn't alone this time.
*"Cheryl," Veronica greeted, "No one invited Fascist Barbie to the party."
"Wrong, Veronica, no one invited Southside scum to our school."*
"I mean, technically yeah they did," Amy pointed out, wishing that she could just pull out a knife and get this over the top bullshit over with—Veronica's and Cheryl's both.
*"Listen up, Ragamuffins," Cheryl continued, "I will not allow Riverdale High's above average GPA to suffer because of classrooms that are overcrowded with underachievers. So please, do us all a favour and find some other school to debase with your hardscrabble ways."
"Why don't you come over here and say that to my face?" Toni demanded, and her partners shifted immediately, careful slouches turning hard as they prepared to back her up.
"Happily, Queen of the Buskers."*
"Jesus fuck," Amy sighed.
*"Okay guys, everyone, can we just put our Northside-Southside differences apart and start over? A new slate?" Archie asked.
"You don't speak for the Bulldogs, Andrews," Reggie told him, "And need I remind you, these greaser-snakes showed up at your place trying to kick your ass."
"Happy to finish what was started," Sweet Pea offered, pushing through the group towards the Bulldogs.
"God, I am so over the toxic masculinity in this hallway right now," Veronica said.*
Amy scoffed, loudly, "Do you fucking rehearse these things?" she asked, voice cutting easily over the crowd. "You guys don't want us here, we don't really want to be here, it's fine. But, we are here, and for the record, Blossom, we were invited, so why don't you all chill the fuck out and let us get our schedules and then spend the rest of our academic careers ignoring each other, hm?"
She grabbed the pile of schedules, handing them out to her Serpents without a problem. She was sure that Veronica wouldn't appreciate her taking over, but her gang came first, and she wasn't going to let any of them suffer because of some Northside power struggle.
Sweet Pea was still tense, she noticed, but before she could do anything Jughead had a hand on his back, disguised as pushing him away from the Northsiders, and he immediately relaxed. Not entirely, he wasn't an idiot, but enough that Amy could keep her focus on the rest of her gang. She directed everyone to their classrooms, remembering the map that Jughead had made for her the day before, before finally regrouping with her partners.
Their first day passed uneventfully. It was a pain to have to interrupt their teachers before they could even use their full names, to give them the names that they preferred, but they managed. Soon enough, they were leaving their class, thankfully at least two of them shared every one of them, and Archie was dragging her into a classroom—the music room, by the look of things.
"Did you know, Ames?"
"I know a lot of things, Red, I need you to be specific."
"Nick St. Clair. That he tried to assault Veronica?"
"She told me that he tried to 'get with her' and that she was worried about what might happen. I didn't know it was assault, I thought it was just that he hit on her and she shut him down."
"Cheryl just told me. I can't just… god, Ames, I can't just do nothing," Archie sighed.
"Then you don't. We can always kill him," she suggested.
"Ames—" He was interrupted by the door being pushed open.
"There you two are! Come on, everyone is in the lounge. I thought we could do with a proper round of introductions with your four and all of us," Veronica told them.
"Literally everyone knows me," Amy pointed out.
"But no one else really knows anyone. We all only met them at the hospital."
"Well, Kevin knows them all, and so does Archie—"
"He does? Wait, Archiekins, you do?"
"We all spent Christmas at his place," Amy explained easily, "The six of us, Fred, and FP. Look, I don't know what kind of power play you and Blossom are caught up in, and I don't really care, but my Serpents won't be in the middle of it. We can sit around and play nice, but we're not your charity case of the week, alright?"
"That's not—"
"I don't know exactly what your motives are," Amy admitted, "but they're not altruistic."
She pushed past the two Northsiders, making her way down the hall to the lounge. She was, again, incredibly grateful for Jughead's map, and resolved to thank him properly when they got out for the day.
She was momentarily amused to see Kevin and Sweet Pea sharing a couch, although very far on opposite ends—she had expected Fangs to be more his type, but, she reminded herself, he was definitely into Joaquin's dominant streak, which was more of Sweet Pea's thing—and then scoped out the rest of the room. Toni had claimed an arm chair, while Jughead and Fangs shared a couch, sitting closer together than Sweet Pea and Kevin, and the only other Northsider in the circle was Josie McCoy, who was standing.
Amy immediately took a seat on Fangs' lap, tossing her legs over Jughead's. She felt him set a hand on her calf, even as she kept an eye on Veronica, who had just dragged Archie into the room.
*"I don't think we've properly met," she said, surveying the room, "Veronica Lodge."
Jughead leaned in, "Of the Park Avenue Lodges," he whispered conspiratorially.
"Toni. Topaz."
"Oh, like the purple-coloured gemstone. Love it."*
Amy and Toni exchanged a glance, trying not to laugh.
"Amy Adams," Amy told Josie, the only person she hadn't formerly met.
*"Josie. Formerly of the Pussycats, now just Josie. And this is Kevin."*
"We've met," Fangs said, smirking at the Northside boy.
*"You guys!" Weatherbee called, stepping into the room. The circle of teenagers looked at each other, confused. "Yes, you, come with me."
They followed him into the hall, where Reggie Mantle stood smirking over a, frankly terrible, graffiti snake.
"Now! Which of you defaced our school seal with this graffiti?"
"This is what they do, Principal Weatherbee. They tag their turf."*
"Oh my god, dumbass, we're literally all wearing our jackets right now, our snake doesn't look anything like that," Amy informed him.
*"Effective immediately, no gang behavior of any kind will be tolerated at my school. As of this moment, no more Serpent jackets—" protests rose from every Serpent in the hallway, but Weatherbee continued—"No more Serpent jackets! All tattoos are gonna be covered. Possession of any gang paraphernalia whatsoever will lead to immediate suspension. Are we clear?"*
Amy didn't wait for him to dismiss them, before turning towards the crowd of Serpents.
"You heard him, no jackets. Guess we all need to leave until we're wearing something more appropriate," she scoffed mockingly. "Whyte Wyrm, thirty minutes, spread the word."
She pushed past Veronica, Reggie, and Weatherbee, storming out of the building with her partners close on her heels. She could already see many of her fellow gang members doing the same, and knew without a doubt that they would all be at the Wyrm.
She pulled in, heading to the bar for a shot of whiskey, before climbing onto the stage. Most of the adults weren't around in the day, so she wasn't worried about their input on the situation.
"Alright, Amy, what are we going to do?" Ricky asked, once all of the teen Serpents had gathered around the stage.
"This isn't the hill we're going to die on," Amy told them, "We can play along—Sweet Pea, you're the only one with a tattoo that can't be covered with clothes, I'll take care of that for you before school. Look, guys, this is absolute bullshit and we all know it, but like I said this morning, we're not giving them an excuse to get rid of us. They can't stop us from being Serpents, just from looking like it. Tomorrow, dress as Southside as you want, just don't wear your jacket on school grounds. I'll send out a copy of the dress code tonight, memorize it, follow it, fucking weaponize it. Toe the line as much as you want, quote the dress code at them if anyone gives you shit about it, alright? Cheryl fucking Blossom thinks we're underachievers? Let's show her, and Mantle, and Weatherbee, exactly what we can achieve when we put our minds to it. Now, the adults will tell us that it's bullshit—either the policy or our reaction—so we're going to handle this ourselves, alright? Clear out before they start arriving, and we'll meet same time and place tomorrow morning to make sure that everything is good."
Everyone cleared out, as per her orders, until it was just the five teenagers.
"Are you serious, Amethyst?" Jughead demanded, once everyone was gone.
"I am, Juggie. Look, it fucking sucks, I know, but Riverdale High is the best shot any of us have of ever getting out of here. And honestly, I'd rather give up the jacket for eight hours a day than risk them splitting us all up."
"It's bullshit!" He argued.
"You're damn fucking right it's bullshit, Jones, but we're doing it anyways. And you're too fucking frustrated to realize that I'm right."
Amy took his arm, dragging him to the bathroom. As soon as the door shut, Jughead was slamming her against it, pressing his mouth to hers. Amy quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, trusting him to not drop her, and dug her fingers into his hair. One of his hands wrapped around her ponytail, pulling until she tilted her head back and he could reach her neck, and the other went under her legs to support her weight. With an almost too tight grip on Jughead's hair, Amy pulled him back to her mouth, biting at his lip. Jughead moaned, loudly, and barely a second later there was a loud knock on the door.
"Can you two keep it in your fucking pants for five minutes?" Toni called, "adults are showing up and we have a shift, Amy!"
"Fine, be out in a minute," Amy agreed, dropping down from Jughead's arms.
She looked in the mirror, the limited space not covered in graffiti, and quickly fixed her lipstick, deciding that everything else was good enough. She wiped a smudge of red off of Jughead's mouth, before the two returned to the bar.
"Looks like you two had fun," Toni teased, "the boys left for their shift.
"We were having fun—until you interrupted us," Amy said, "and it was just getting good."
"I'm offended at the implication that any of it wasn't good," Jughead told her, taking a seat at the bar to do his homework.
The evening passed uneventfully, with Toni and Amy using their break to do homework, until Fangs and Sweet Pea returned from their shifts, and Hog Eye showed up to take over from Toni and Amy. Jughead returned home, and the others returned to the Fogarty trailer, quickly changing into pyjamas and getting into bed.
Amy woke early, and set about getting ready. If Weatherbee was going to ban the jacket, she would need to remind everyone of exactly who she was. She pulled on a pair of fishnet stockings, a black lace up bodysuit which she knew wasn't technically against the dress code, and the same shorts that she had worn the day before. Her necklace, the snake tooth that she'd worn every day since she was seven, sat on the bedside table, and she quickly pulled it on, along with the rest of her usual accessories. Remembering that she couldn't have her shoulders, or the tattoo on her back, visible, she grabbed a green and black flannel which she thought might have once been Fangs'.
"You look like you're getting ready for war," Toni said, as she got dressed too.
"So do you," Amy pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I guess we are, aren't we?"
"Something like that," Amy agreed.
The two girls continued in silence, and were fully dressed and made up by the time the boys awoke. The boys both opted to go with flannels as well, matching their girls, and Sweet Pea threw on a vest while Fangs grabbed a denim jacket.
Princeling: Running late. I'll meet you at school.
Princess: don't do anything stupid, juggie, see you there
"Juggie will meet us at the school," Amy reported, as the four partners climbed onto their bikes and took off towards Riverdale High.
Once they arrived, Amy took her time surveying every outfit, making sure that they all fit into the dress code.
"Alright, everyone is good. I'm going to wait for Jones, but Sweets, Fangs, T, can you guys head in and make sure that Mantle doesn't start any shit?"
The three looked reluctant to leave her alone on enemy territory, but a sharp look had them nodding anyways.
Amy pulled out her phone while she waited, checking her makeup in the camera. She looked up when she heard a bike, and sighed at Jughead's jacket.
"Really, Juggie? Really?"
"I'm making a point, Amethyst. Weatherbee is banning our jackets when the varsity jackets have exactly the same effect, but he allows those because they represent Riverdale."
"Okay, yeah, the Bulldogs are basically a gang, but are you sure?"
"I'm sure," he promised, "are you in or out?"
"I'm in, Juggie, I'm always in."
Amy grabbed his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders and her own around his waist. They were Serpent royalty, they were a team, and they needed a united front.
They pushed the doors open, stopping in the hallway to make sure that everyone saw the jacket, before turning and strutting towards the lounge—and Amy was glad that Jughead had listened to her about the importance of the right walk. She almost wished that they had music, as she saw heads turn everywhere they went. They finally made it to the lounge, and Amy immediately moved to join her partners, while Jughead went to the vending machine.
"He's making a point," she explained quietly, "I don't agree with him but I need to be on his side."
Anything that they might have said was cut off when Reggie noticed the jacket, pushing himself out of his chair and heading for Jughead.
*"Take it off," he demanded, "take off that jacket, Rat Boy."
Jughead sighed mockingly, "Oh, Reggie. I don't think you know what this jacket means. Because you have no sense of honor. Or history, or loyalty."
"That's it," Reggie spat*, grabbing at Jughead's jacket.
He had barely moved before the other four Serpents were there. Fangs, Toni, and Sweet Pea went for his lackeys, but Amy went straight to Reggie. She may have been the smallest person in the room, and possibly the school, but she was absolutely vicious, and soon had wormed her way in between the two boys. She may have gotten a black eye, and what would probably turn into more bruised ribs, but she was grinning when Weatherbee interrupted them, ordering them all to his office.
*"You all have a week's detention for fighting," he told them, "But I made myself clear to you, Mr. Jones. Take off that jacket, right now, or you're suspended."
"Please, Jughead, just—" Veronica started.
"Then I guess I'm suspended," Jughead interrupted, turning and walking out of the office.
"I've got this," Amy promised her partners, before pulling Veronica aside, "Look, Ronnie, we're friends, but if you ever tell one of my Serpents what to do again, especially in public, you're going to be taking it up with me," she warned, before turning on her heel and following Jughead outside.
He was still sitting on his bike when she caught up to him, as she suspected he would be.
"So, think you made your point?" she asked, facing him on his bike.
"Not at all," he admitted, "but my suspension will run out and I'll be back to make it again."
"No, you won't. I get it, Juggie. Weatherbee tried to kick you out when shit went down with your dad, you feel like he's trying to take away your family now, and you're pissed. But we aren't going anywhere. Ever. Jackets or not, we're ride or die, remember? That includes you. In unity there is strength."
"In unity there is strength," Jughead repeated.
"Look, why don't you go to the Wyrm, calm down some, and maybe talk to your dad about this, alright? We'll be there after school and you can see how you feel then?"
"Yeah, I guess. Ride or die?" He asked nervously, still trying it out.
"Ride or die," she promised.
She pressed their foreheads together for a brief moment before she stood and returned to the school. She had barely made it through the doors before Archie was pulling her away, towards what she now knew to be the music room.
"Red? What's up?"
"I just need you to have my back, Ames."
"Always. You know that."
"Cheryl," Archie called out.
"Archie—I didn't expect you to call another meeting so soon, especially not with this—"
"Whatever you're going to come up with, don't waste your breath. I'm here for Archie right now, not the Serpents."
"And what does Archie need you for?" Cheryl asked.
*"I can't stop thinking about what Nick did to Veronica, and to you. Cheryl, that check you threw away, do you want another one from Nick?" he asked.
"I mean, of course I'd take it, but I'm afraid the ship's sailed on that one."
"Really? Because I was thinking of going to see Nick, and I could ask him for you. And I bet he'd give it to me."*
"And what does the snake have to do with any of this?"
"Amy is—"
"I'm deadly and I have my own moral code. I'm his enforcer," Amy said.
"I just need to borrow one of Jason's blazers, and something of yours for Amy."
Cheryl nodded, "Very well. Meet me at Thistlehouse after class."
She left the room, and Amy looked at Archie.
"So what, you do want to kill Nick?"
"No… I… I can't tell you right now, Ames, but I need you to trust me."
"I do. I'm in. We can take my bike to Thistlehouse."
Archie smiled gratefully, before the pair split off for their classes. When the day finally came to an end, Amy told her partners that she was helping Archie with something, and would meet them at the Wyrm later.
She met Archie by her bike, taking the unfamiliar path towards the mansion. Once they arrived, Cheryl opened the door, handing them two garment bags, as well as a bag with shoes.
"These should fit," she said simply, "bring them back when you drop of the check."
Amy took the bags, carefully arranging them on her bike for the ride back to the Andrews' house.
"I texted dad earlier," Archie told her, "he said that we could borrow the car as long as I drive carefully. He dropped it off at lunch."
"Perfect. Change then we'll head out?"
Archie nodded, and they took the garment bags to his room. Neither had any qualms about changing in the same room, though Archie still turned away from her to do so. He pulled on black dress pants, a white dress shirt, a black blazer, and a red tie.
Amy had no idea what to expect from Cheryl, although she was pleasantly surprised with what she found. She had given her a pleated grey skirt, a short sleeve white dress shirt, and a red blazer, and the second bag contained a pair of tall black pumps, which Amy hoped would fit. She changed quickly, deciding to tie the black bowtie that Cheryl had put in the bag into a loose bow, unwilling to completely give up her own style, and tightened her ponytail.
"Ames, you look—"
"I look like a Northside brat," Amy told him.
"I—yeah, pretty much. Ready to go?"
Amy nodded, and they climbed into the truck, heading to—well, Amy actually hadn't asked where they were going. Eventually they pulled up to some sprawling castle-like campus, where Archie parked the car. Amy followed him, silent. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she would always have his back, so she let him lead her down grand hallways until they came to a door marked 'St. Clair,' which Archie pushed open.
*"Hey, Nick. Nice dorm room."*
Amy stayed silent in the background, not sure if Nick had even noticed her.
*"What are you doing here?" he stuttered, "and why are you wearing that blazer?"
"You remember Cheryl Blossom? You wrote her a check covering 'damages'? Well, that check got lost. So you're going to write it again. Right now."*
"For double," Amy corrected, smirking when Nick's eyes darted over to her. "Hey Nicky, nice place you've got here, the casts are my favourite part."
*"That's it? Money? Checkbook's in the desk,"* Nick told them, trying to ignore Amy's words.
*"I heard you got hurt pretty bad. How'd that happen?"
"Ski accident."
"Ski accident? Wow. You must really suck at skiing, Nick. So, what, you wiped out on the slopes and snapped both your legs?"
"Yeah, I wiped out on the slopes, Archie. What the hell do you care?"
"I don't care," Archie told him, "I'm just curious. You know what's weird? You come to Riverdale, act like a jackass, try to rape Cheryl, and blow some big deal between the Lodges and your folks and then skip back down to Vail for some little ski weekend? I don't know, it seems weird."
"You're not here for Cheryl."
"Yes, I am. I'm here to get what you owe her, you scumbag."
"I don't even remember you being friends with Cheryl."
"Probably because you were high for the entire time, Nick."
"Why are you really here, Archie?" Nick asked. "For Ronnie?"
"Payback for what you did to Cheryl and Veronica."
"Payback? No. No, you know what I think? I think you're a small town hick who's beginning to realize how deep into shark-infested waters he really is. Careful, when Veronica Lodge smells blood, she'll turn on you too."*
Amy stayed quiet, watching while Archie threw a few solid punches, before she finally stepped in.
"He's not worth it, Red," Amy told him. "But St. Clair? You ever come anywhere near Riverdale again, you ever fuck with me and mine again, I kill you. Got it?"
"You goddamn psycho," Nick hissed.
"Sticks and stones, Nicky, sticks and stones," Amy taunted, pulling Archie out of the room.
"Why'd you stop me?" Archie demanded, when the door shut behind him.
"Honestly? Because it'd be pretty suspicious of us to leave his room covered in blood. Come on, let's get back to Cheryl's so I can get out of these clothes."
"You brought spares, just change in the car," Archie suggested.
"Trying to get me naked, Red?" She asked, laughing when he blushed.
She followed his advice, though, and was soon back into her own clothes. She left the Serpent jacket in the car while they went to talk to Cheryl, and Amy held up the check.
"It's handled," Amy told her, "but if you want it, I'm on the River Vixens."
"And why would I do that?" Cheryl demanded.
"You don't like me, Blossom, fine. But I'm damn good at what I do. Or I could just keep the check for myself, of course. Besides, this will give you an up on Veronica, in whatever power struggle you two have going on—for all her talk about welcoming us, you're the one trying to make us into productive members of Riverdale High, or whatever bullshit you want to spin to make it look like this was your plan."
"Fine," Cheryl snapped, "now hand it over."
"Gladly," Amy said, giving her the check, immediately climbing back into the truck.
Archie drove them back to his house, and Amy shot a quick text to her partners, letting them know that she would be crashing there for the night.
She met with her partners outside of school the next morning, wearing the same thing that she had worn the day before. They had barely entered the building when they were being summoned to Weatherbee's office.
"Why are we here now?" Amy asked.
"It's been brought to my attention that *not every Southside student has the means to purchase Riverdale High acceptable clothing.* Therefore, an anonymous donor has graciously provided these uniforms, to help you all to fit in."
"To help us fit in?" Fangs demanded, "Bullshit."
"Watch your language, Mr. Fogarty, unless you want to join Mr. Jones in suspension."
"No, he's right," Amy told him, "this is bullshit. We can live without our jackets, fine, but you're literally just trading our 'branding' from something of our choice to something of yours. That's not happening. You want us to look Northside, give us the money you spent on these uniforms to buy Northside clothes, but we're not wearing the uniforms. Unless you want me to call my dad, Fred Andrews?"
"Fred Andrews isn't—"
"My dad? Yeah, he is. Has been since I was nine. So, we don't wear the jackets, you drop the uniforms. Deal?"
Weatherbee sighed, looking at four hard glares. "Fine," he agreed.
Their mornings passed without a hitch, before Jughead was pulling Amy into an empty classroom.
"Juggie, you're back?"
"Agreed to take off the jacket," he explained.
"So, what? You want to celebrate with an in school makeout?"
"No, Amethyst, I'm gathering the Serpents. We need to talk."
"About what?" Toni asked, as the rest of the Serpents filled the room.
*"Welcome," he said, "to the inaugural meeting of the Swords and Serpents Club."
"Which is what, exactly?" Toni asked.
"We are a gaming group. Sanctioned by Mr. Weatherbee himself. Where like-minded students can meet and concoct world-building, roleplaying scenarios, inhabiting fantastical heroes and dispatching mythological creatures."
Toni scoffed, "No, but really?"
"It's a club," Jughead explained, "for us. A safe haven where we can be Serpents, during school hours and under everyone's noses. We're not shedding out skins. We're lying low, in the tall grass."
"Alright guys, you heard him. From now on, we meet here during lunch and after school as a check point. Text the group if you can't make it."
Everyone nodded, waiting for further instructions.
"Dismissed, guys. School's over, head out, do whatever it is you want to do until morning."
They waited until everyone left, until it was only the five partners remaining.
"Well, what do you say?"
"An impressive scheme, Juggie," she told him, "maybe you do have the makings of a Serpent King."
"Oh I don't know, Amethyst," Jughead teased, "you're the ruthless, manipulative leader. Maybe I'm just meant to be your queen."
Okay yall, I made it two posts in a day so I can still say it was nine in nine days, we're good. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had a surprisingly fun time writing it!
If you haven't already, you should check out the two new fics that I've added to the series!
(Baby Please) Come Home is a prequel fic about Sweet Pea and Amy, the Christmas that Amy spent at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy
(Can't We Be) Seventeen is a canon (but fitting anywhere in canon) introspection on the teen Serpents