Sorry for the super long wait! I lowkey got in trouble with the cops then went on a family trip (my sister is officially a doctor!) and haven't written in like two weeks. But I'm back now! I'm almost finished with season 2 and have a plan mostly done for season 3. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter! It's getting crazy with the finale coming up and the ending. :) ;)
The air in Riverdale was thick with unrest and unease. It even wafted to the Southside. Serpents and their families were closing ranks, especially with Sheriff Keller retiring. The new Sheriff, Minetta, was convinced that the Black Hood was some Southside gang banger. He made sure we all knew too.
And if the new hourly patrols weren't loud enough, the students at Riverdale High were sure to make their voices heard too. Just thinking of their stupid rich kid sneers makes my fists clench. I'm trying to keep my cool. I don't need to make a scene by beating the smirk of a Bulldog's face. But God, do I want to. Especially Reggie fucking Mantle and his pack of tick bait jocks. At least at Southside High, having a violent offense was a reason for people to leave you alone, maybe even think you were cool. At Riverdale, it just makes the football team whisper 'killer' every time they see me alone in the hallway.
I never thought I'd be happy to go to a Swords and Serpents meeting but even Jughead is relief these days. I slipped into the meeting a little late, taking my seat between Sweet Pea and Fangs. Toni even showed up today. She still skipped most of the meetings to go to River Vixens practice but I wasn't mad anymore. I don't like Cheryl but she makes Toni happy and that makes me happy so whatever. Jughead is standing in front of the desk, giving us our daily rundown.
"War Baby called my father and I from Shankshaw. Our old adversaries, the Ghoulies, have been released. Word on the street is that they're out for Serpent blood. They're gunning for a rematch. They want war." Oh shit. I forgot about that. And Tina.
"They want you, Jughead. And Andrews." I explain. Everyone gives me looks of varying confusion.
"How do you know?" Jughead asks.
"A few Ghoulies found me in the quarry. I just… forgot." I explain awkwardly. I really did forget!
"Ghoulies cornered you in the quarry?" Sweet Pea asks worriedly, grabbing my chin softly to look for bruises. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I forgot! It wasn't a big deal. Just Tina and her friends." I wave him off.
"What exactly did they say?" Jughead asks.
"Uh… watch your back because Jones and the Northsider are… something. And something about Malachi? Maybe. It was Tina! I learned to tune her out when we were in juvie." Jughead sighs. I can tell that he and Sweet Pea are about to give me some talk about responsibility and being safe or whatever but it's cut short but the Bulldogs barging into the room.
"Which one of you reptiles was screwing Midge Klump?" Reggie Mantle asks, leading the pack. Wait, someone was banging Midge? Get it girl. RIP.
"What the hell is going on? This is a private meeting." Jughead explains. Reggie ignores him, obviously looking for someone to pick a fight with and it's not like Jughead is an even match.
"I'm guessing it was you Sweet Pea." Hold up. Sweet Pea rolls his eyes, pushing Jughead out of the way to stand toe to toe with Reggie.
"Reggie, that's enough." Archie tries, putting his hand on Reggie's shoulder to try to calm him down. I don't know why he didn't try that before they crashed our meeting and accused my boyfriend of fucking Midge but whatever.
"You ass. I didn't even know Midge. But yeah, I get why she wouldn't want fleas from you mangy bulldogs." He jokes. Reggie pushes Sweet Pea and in a second every Serpent is out of their seat and ready to fight. Jughead and Archie wedge themselves between Sweets and Reggie, pushing them apart and ending the fight before it really gets started.
"Just calm down!" Jughead shouts. Reggie and Sweet Pea glare at each other but Sweet Pea knows if he gets in another fight he'll be expelled and Reggie will get off scot free.
"Great. So, we're all on the same page. Sweet Pea didn't fuck Midge. Reggie is crazy. And you and your mutts can get the hell out of here before Principal Weatherbee decides to get you fixed." I suggest, mainly to Archie.
The redhead takes the rather unsubtle hint and tries to guide Reggie and his teammates out the door. It takes a little convincing and a few super intimidating glares from Reggie before he finally storms off. Jughead shuts the door behind them and turns back to the rest of the Serpents.
"So…" He claps his hands together. "Ghoulies. Uh… Be on the lookout. Let me know if anyone hears anything, Crash. And we'll meet again tomorrow morning." He ends the meeting a little awkwardly but who can blame him. Most of the Serpents filter out, leaving just me, Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea takes my shoulders gently and stares into my eyes.
"You know I didn't screw Midge, right?"
"Duh." I answer simply. Sweet Pea is nothing if not loyal. He slowly accepts my simple answer, like he was waiting for me to freak out or something and he's a little surprised when I don't. He drops his hands from my shoulders. "I didn't screw Midge either, just for the record."
"No one thought you did, Crash." Toni points out tiredly.
We get through the rest of the day without anyone bringing up Midge. A feat that I didn't realize I was grateful for until I got home from school. Sweet Pea had been on edge all day. I'd chalked it up to Reggie being an ass but when we got back to his trailer and he was still grumpy, I started to get nervous. Once he sat me down at the kitchen table I knew something was really wrong. Sweet Pea sat across from me for a second, running his hands through his hair before getting up and pacing the length of the kitchen.
"I didn't sleep with Midge." He finally bursts out.
"I know." I answer slowly. "I never thought that you did."
"But doesn't it bother you that other people that that I did?" He asks. I'm already getting lost and Sweet Pea gives me an exasperated look.
"I really think that this is bothering you more than it's bothering me."
"Why isn't it bothering you?" He asks. I feel like I'm missing something because Sweet Pea looks like we've been arguing for hours and I can't pinpoint why.
"Because I trust you." I explain, trying to make it as simple for him as it is for me. "Should I not trust you?"
"No."
"No?"
"N- Yes."
"What?"
"Yes, you should trust me."
"Then what's the issue. Don't you trust me?" I ask, confused. He hesitates. "Sweet Pea!"
"Of course I trust you. We've been friends for years but that's just it."
"What?"
"We've been friends." He explains. I still don't understand why he's upset.
"And that's a problem for you? I just- I don't get it."
"It's just… sometimes I feel like you still think of me as just your friend. Like you love me and Fangs equally or…"
"I do."
"And that's an issue for me."
"I- Equally but… but differently." I stumble over my words, finally grasping what he's trying to say.
"Are you sure?"
"Over course I'm sure. I love Fangs as a friend but I love you as a… I- I love you, Sweet Pea." And then, because annoying things come in threes… or whatever the hell the saying is, my phone goes off. Sweet Pea glares at the phone in my hand and gives me one of those looks. The shitty, dangerous, relationship breaking looks that says 'if you love me don't answer the phone' but… "It's Fangs. Something's wrong."
His shoulders slump and I flip the phone open, walking past Sweet Pea towards the door. I don't want to see his face when I leave. I don't want to see the way he looks at me when he thinks that this phone call means anything other than I have a really bad feeling that our best friend did something really stupid.
"Hey."
"Crash? I need help."
"Yeah. I'm coming." I grab my jacket off the back of the couch and slip out the front door without saying goodbye. I don't want to say goodbye. I don't want to admit that our fight meant anything or that maybe I really hurt Sweet Pea. I don't want to hurt Sweet Pea.
"Crash, I don't know what to do." Fangs voice is thick with tears. My mind is jumbled with the broken faces of the two boys that mean everything to me and I can't fucking think straight.
"Don't do anything, Fangs. You didn't do anything wrong. I'll be there in five minutes, okay?"
"Okay." I shove the phone back in my pocket and walk to Fangs' trailer. He's waiting outside and once he sees me he drags me away from his house and the prying eyes of his neighbors. I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, one I've been ignoring since the Bulldogs barged in because someone was sleeping with Midge and it wasn't Sweets.
"I-" Fangs starts. He pauses, rubbing his hands into his eyes roughly.
"It was you."
"I didn't kill her but-"
"I know." I cut him off, not sure if I can handle hearing the words out loud right now. Fangs looks at me, tears welling in his eyes. "We'll figure it out, Fangs. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?"
"There's a video of me leaving her dressing room. I tried to get it back but Jughead gave it to Sheriff Keller and now Minetta has it and-" Fangs throat tightens and cuts off his words. He wasn't made for this. He wasn't made for prison. And his mom and his family can't survive without him.
"No Serpent is left for dead, Fangs. We'll take care of it, okay?"
I kind of thought the Midge/Serpent thing had died down. I don't know if it was naivety or wishful thinking. Probably the latter. Especially because we all kind of knew it was Fangs. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.
"Hey, Crash." Emerald leans against the locker next to mine, phone held in front of her face. "Have you seen this?"
"If it's the video of Chuck Clayton falling out of his chair during Carrie practice, I took it." I answer boredly. She gives me a confused look and shoves the phone in my face.
"No. It's Fangs. With the Klump girl. The one who died." She plays the video and it's worse than Fangs described it. I mean, I know he didn't do it but if it were some Ghoulie in the video, I might think twice.
"Who sent this to you?" I ask, a sick feeling sinking into the pit of my stomach.
"One of the girls in my chem class. It was posted on the Register's website." Oh god, I'm gonna puke. No. Save Fangs, then puke. I leave a bewildered Emerald at my locker and run to meet Fangs. Hopefully he's by his locker. Or literally anywhere other than near Reggie.
"Crash?" Fangs is brave, don't get me wrong. But he's not stupid. I can hear the guilt and the fear in his voice from halfway down the hallway. We meet in the middle, him grabbing onto my forearm.
"We need to get out of here. Do you have your keys?" Before he can answer, the speakers crackle on.
"Attention students, this is Principal Weatherbee. I need Fangs Fogarty to come to my office immediately." Fangs grip on my arm tightens and I use it to drag him down the hall towards the backdoors. We make it around the corner before Jughead and Toni run into us.
"What the hell? That video is everywhere. How did it get out?" Fangs starts freaking out.
"We have to get you out of here, alright?" Jughead tries to calm him down.
"You're dead, Vixen Killer!" Reggie Mantels voice echoes. He and his gang of jocks stomp down the stairs. We try to go the opposite way. There's an exit in the gym. But as soon as we turn around, Fangs is face to face with the new Sheriff.
"Mr. Fogarty, we need you to come with us."
"I didn't do anything." Fangs tells him. He tries to go the way we came but the Bulldogs block his path so he tries to make a run for it past the cops. They grab him and shove him against the locker roughly. Fangs struggles against them, knocking a knife out of his pocket. The cops slam Fangs into the ground jaw first. They cuff him too tightly, you can see it on his face. They yank him up, the way cops like to that makes it feel like your shoulder blade is being ripped off. Fangs is dragged out of the school. One of them grabs the knife off the floor and drops it in an evidence bag, practically holding it up for the whole hall to see. Jughead follows after them, probably to call his dad, but I can't move from my spot.
Now that Fangs is gone, all I can focus on is the image in my head of the blade on the floor. The one that I gave him for Christmas. And now Fangs is going to get charged with a felony for something I did.
"Come on, Crash. Let's find Sweet Pea and get out of here." Toni takes me by the wrist. The first step she takes is blocked by Reggie, his band of oafs having his back.
"Where do you think you're going?" Reggie looks down at me, using his few extra inches of height to try to intimidate me.
"Reggie, get the hell out of my way." Toni's voice seeps with a rare dangerousness. Reggie smirks.
"Or what?" Toni's face loses all of it's emotion just before she pulls her leg up and stomps down hard on Reggie's foot. And she's wearing her heavy platform boots, too. Reggie's face contorts in pain, not at all expecting the strength Toni has when she's pissed off. He grabs onto his foot like a cartoon character and Toni takes her chance, grabbing my arm and dragging me the other way down the hall. Toni's small act of violence shook me out of my spiraling… kind of. We get outside and she stops on the front steps, pulling out the keys to her bike and her phone to text the other Serpents.
"When you're mad you remind me of rattlesnake nail polish."
"What?" She's half-listening while typing and I feel completely useless.
"Like in Holes. She paints her nails with rattlesnake venom and slaps the shit outta the sunflower seed dude. It's hot." Toni gives me a weird look that eventually morphs into a smile. It drops once everyone is outside and we have to get back to Fangs.
"Jughead and FP are meeting him at the jail. They're going to find out what they're charging Fangs with and what we can do for him. There's a Serpent meeting at the Wyrm with Ms. Fogarty until we know what's next." Toni gives everyone the rundown, reading a text from Jughead to the group.
"Alright, let's go. I'll pick up his brother and sister on the way." Sweet Pea offers. Thankfully, he took his truck this morning instead of his bike.
"I'll ride with Emerald." I tell him. Emerald shrugs. Sweet Pea nods and runs off, giving me a distracted peck on the cheek before leaving. Toni gives me a confused look.
"I can take you." She offers.
"It's fine. We'll meet you there." Toni nods, the weird look not leaving her face, and everyone disperses, taking their various bikes. Emerald leads me to hers but I stop her before she starts it.
"We're not going to the Wyrm. I need a ride somewhere and Toni and Sweet Pea can't know." I explain.
"That seems like a really bad idea." Emerald says. Not a warning, just an observation.
She doesn't say 'no' though and soon enough, she parks her bike in front of a seedy motel on the edge of Greendale.
"Stay out here. I'll be back in a few minutes… And don't talk to anyone." I tell her. She nods, half worried and half bored but she does what I say.
It wasn't exactly a secret where Penny Peabody and Tall Boy ran off too. The motel had been Penny's hideout for every minor scuffle she'd gotten into since college. And well, Tall Boy has a big mouth. I knock on the door, lucky number 7, and can hear the crashing and stumbling to look out the peephole before it opens just a crack.
"What the hell do you want?" Penny asks, only her eye visible through the crack.
"I need your help."
"Jones with you? You got a knife?"
"No." She shuts the door, unlocks the lock, then opens it for me and ushers me inside. The room is disgusting. There's empty beer bottles everywhere and clothes strewn on every surface. A bundle of bloody gauze sits on the sink, God knows how old it is. Penny sits on the edge of her bed and stares up at me as I hover near the door.
"What do you need, Collins? Jingle Jangle, coke, a hit man?"
"A lawyer." Penny sits up straighter, a smirk ghosting her lips.
"I don't work for the Serpents anymore, not since your boy nearly cut my arm off."
"Jughead is not my boy. And you wouldn't be working for the Serpents, you'd be working for me. I'll pay you."
"You don't have any money."
"I'll run drugs. You know I'm good for it."
"I have other people for that now. You missed your chance, kid." She says with a shrug.
"Fangs was arrested… For murder. And he didn't do it, obviously. And he can't go to prison. Fangs won't do well in prison." I try to get her sympathy, not sure if she actually has any.
"Didn't you hear me? I don't work for you."
"What do you want?"
"The Serpents, minus Jones."
"I can't-" I clench my fists to stop myself from shaking her. "I can't give you the Serpents. I don't have any control over them-"
"You used to."
"It's Jughead now. We all have to learn to live with that."
"Then I want you. In the Ghoulies, working for me." I honestly wasn't expecting that. A few drug runs, sure. Stabbing someone with a rusty knife, maybe. But leaving the Serpents? Betraying my ancestors? I could do it for Fangs. I would do it for Fangs… if I trusted Penny. But I can't. I can't trust her. And I shouldn't be here. God, I'm so fucking stupid.
"Actually, never mind." I decide. Penny's face contorts into confusion, then anger, and it's obvious to me that she's been dipping into her JJ stash more and more. I open the door but in a flash Penny slams it shut, pressing me against it with her body so I can't get out.
"Never mind?" She seethes into my ear. "You have the goddamn audacity to come here and beg me for help then what? Change your mind? You didn't used to be so stupid, Collins." She drags her hand down the door until she's holding mine against the handle.
"I changed my mind. I don't want your help, not if I have to betray the Serpents." I explain. Penny laughs lowly, her breath hitting my ear in a way that made me nauseous.
"You're gonna regret it. You and Jughead and all your little Serpents. I've moved on to someone bigger and better and when the time comes, I'm gonna cut you into ribbons in front of all your friends." She wrenches the door open, twisting my wrist hard in the process, and shoves me onto the sidewalk. Emerald glances over at us from her spot in the parking lot but doesn't move from her bike. Penny steps towards me, standing over me and pressing my chest down with her foot. "You made a big mistake when you turned your back on me. You think I've spent my time sitting around here and cowering? You have no idea what's coming for you. I'm taking the Southside and I'll kill anyone that gets in my way. Got it?"
Penny spits onto the sidewalk, inches away from my face, and smirks at me again. She finally lifts her foot and goes back into her room. It takes me a second to catch my breath but when I do I scramble up and meet Emerald in the parking lot. She waits until we've pulled out and started down the road before asking questions.
"Penny Peabody?"
"It was stupid." I admit. "I just… don't know any other lawyers and Fangs is fucked and I feel like I'm losing my mind."
"I won't tell." Emerald replies. I really don't give Emerald enough credit. She's probably seen me do the most stupid shit out of everyone and never judged me.
The crowd outside the Sheriff's station is terrifying. The amount of people that want to murder an innocent kid for what? Justice? A Southsider for a Northsider? I don't fucking get it. I have to grab onto Toni so we don't get separated by the mob on the way into the station.
The feeling inside the station isn't much better. Sweet Pea is trying to stop Fangs from having a panic attack while Jughead paces wildly in front of them.
"We can't take Fangs out the front. We have to take the side entrance." Jughead tells Sheriff Minetta.
"Crowds out there too. So pick your poison, Serpent." He tells him unsympathetically. If I weren't so concerned for Fangs I would strangle the Sheriff to death.
"What do we do, man?" Sweet Pea worries.
"I don't wanna die!" Fangs cries out. I grip onto Fangs arms and take Sweet Pea's position, trying to calm Fangs down.
"You aren't going to die. I won't let you die, okay? Do you trust me, Fangs?" He nods, tears welling in his eyes as he squeezes my forearm.
"Hey, you're not going to. Look at me, okay?" Jughead says, grabbing onto Fangs' face and forcing him to meet his eyes. "We'll stand together, so none of us falls. In unity, there is strength."
"In unity, there is strength." We echo.
"Fangs, get in the middle. We're surround you." Jughead explains. Every Serpent in the station positions themselves around Fangs, forming a human shield as best we can. Our goal is to get the hell out of here as quickly as we can, but that's quickly foiled by the crowd outside. As soon as we're out the doors, they're grabbing onto us and pulling as away to get to Fangs.
A gunshot echoes through the crowd and everyone ducks. Someone screams. But it's not until I look at Fangs that my blood runs cold. A small red patch blooms in the middle of his stomach and he meets my eyes with an almost childlike fear. Four of us rush towards Fangs at the same time. Jughead and Sweet Pea preventing him from falling while Toni and I try to stop the blood. I don't bother trying to contain the sob that rips through my body, watching another person I love bleed out in the street. I can't remember if you're supposed to press on a gunshot or not but my hands are covered in Fangs' blood anyway. Jughead screams for help. It feels like hours before an ambulance comes for him. Two EMT's put him on a stretcher while one tries to stop all the Serpents from climbing into the ambulance after him.
"Family only. Family only!" He holds his hands out, blocking the doors while they puts inside.
"I'm his sister." I push my way to the front. The EMT looks at me; hands covered in blood, eyes red with tears, brown skin, black hair. Good enough. He lets me inside. FP grabs my shoulder and pulls me back quickly.
"We'll meet you at the hospital." He tells me before letting me back into the ambulance. The EMTs shut the door and I press myself into the corner, watching helplessly as they work to stop the bleeding.
There's nothing I can do. There's nothing I can do so I just sit with my back pressed against the wall, watching them work furiously on Fangs and praying to someone, anyone, that he doesn't die tonight. Tears blur my vision but when I try to wipe them away I smudge Fangs' blood on my cheek so I stop trying.
Seconds, or maybe minutes, or maybe hours later, we finally get to the hospital. I try to follow Fangs, his eyes still holding onto mine and dripping with tears, but a few nurses hold me back from following them.
"He's going into surgery, baby. You can wait here." One of them tells me. Her voice is soothing, like she's been here a million times and knows exactly what to say, but it doesn't really help. She pushes me towards a chair, forcing me into it before walking off to deal with the next tragedy.
A few minutes later, Jughead and FP come storming into the emergency room. They run straight into the Sheriff, who I'm pretty sure is avoiding me because I'm a blubbering mess, and pick a fight with him. Because of course they fucking do. Once it's settled, Jughead sits next to me with his head in his hands.
"The boys think it's Reggie. It's not I- I saw Archie tackle him. Now they're tearing up the Northside and trashing Riverdale High, Crash. I don't know what-"
"Shut up, Jughead." I try to sound pissed off but instead I just sound tired, which I guess works too. Jughead looks up at me, red rimmed eyes and mussed hair. "This is your fault."
Jughead stares, guilt and frustration clouding his features. FP inches closer and pretends that he's not watching us and waiting for me to attack.
"We were fine before you came. And now look at what's happening. Fangs might die because of you. And the Ghoulies and Penny, we- we were fine without you, Jughead. Look at what you did." Exhaustion and hatred ooze out of my voice. He doesn't respond, which pisses me off, so I stand up and pull him up with me and shove him towards FP. "Just get out of here!"
Jughead accepts it. You can see in his eyes that he blames himself too and if it weren't for Fangs I'd probably feel guilty. I shove him again, gaining the attention of the nurses around us, and FP starts dragging Jughead away. They pass by Ms. Fogarty on their way out. As soon as she sees me, still covered in her son's blood, she bursts into a fresh set of tears and practically collapses into my arms. I hoist her into a seat and try to soothe her but she can't control her crying.
"My son. My son, Carrie, he's-" She chokes as a sob racks through her body.
It takes a while for me to calm her but eventually she's able to breathe normally again. Tears don't stop streaming from her eyes but at least she's not choking on her breath anymore. She has a death grip on my hands and it's the only reason I'm not falling apart right now. A glance at the clock over the nurses station tells me that it's been an hour and a half. It's nearly midnight and Ms. Fogarty is clearly exhausted.
"I'm going to get you some coffee, okay?" I ask. She nods weakly, slowly releasing her grip on my hands. I make sure that I'm out of her sight before shaking them, trying to get any sense of feeling in my fingers before heading to the cafeteria. I can't just sit still anymore. It's Driving me crazy.
"Crash." And now I'm hearing things. "Psssst, Cobra?" Okay, I'm definitely hearing things. The staircase I have to take to get coffee is suspiciously dark. Maybe not for normal people, but I think I'm hallucinating because I hear a shadow whispering my name. And then a sharp pain spreads through my head.