I told Sweet Pea and Toni to stay outside while I picked up my transfer papers, I really didn't want to draw any more attention to myself more than absolutely necessary.
It was just after lunch, the start of 4th period, when I walked into the prestigious halls of Riverdale High. I went to my locker first. I figured emptying it out wouldn't take too long and I could make a hasty exit right after obtaining my papers.
The halls were mostly empty and I thanked my lucky stars. I continued to have good luck as I made my way towards the office. Every hall deserted.
"Hi, Grace, do you have my transfer papers ready? I called ahead this morning about them." I asked the secretary, pasting on my patented Betty Cooper smile.
"One moment, Miss Cooper, I've had other things on my plate." She snarkily replied, giving me a once over for good measure.
I was taken aback at the formality, and honestly just shocked at the open hostility. As I nodded my head and took a seat on an office chair I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass door.
Short cropped black top, tight distressed jeans and converse…okay, not my usual style, but not ungainly either…the hair and face though…
My hair was all kinked and wavy, still down and partially wet, and I definitely didn't do a great job of washing my face this morning. The mascara and eyeliner I'd worn last night were smudged and ringed my eyes pretty heavily.
It was a party look if I'd ever seen one. Add that to my recent transfer to Southside High and I could sort of understand the looks Grace was giving me.
The old Betty Cooper would have shrugged it off, realized that you can't please everyone and that she probably deserved what was happening because of how out of sorts she looked. The new Betty Cooper, however, had a steely glint in her eye and a word or two to say about the way she was being treated.
"Look, Grace, I understand how taxing working as a receptionist for a high school can be," I started, laying on the sarcasm pretty thick, "but when I called this morning the secretary, you know the one who works here the first half of the day because it's too much work for you? She assured me that she had it all printed out and ready to go. So if you could kindly move your swollen up hand with the fake-ass claws over three inches and kindly retrieve it for me, I'll be out of your hair." I finished with a saccharinely sweet smile.
Grace looked flustered and her mouth kept gaping open and closed, though her hand made no move toward the envelope clearly marked COOPER.
I jumped up and reached over the desk, grabbed my envelope and turned on my heel, intending to put as much distance between myself and this stuck up school as soon as possible.
It was not meant to be however as I promptly ran into Archie and Veronica on my way out.
"B! We've been looking all over for you and oh my god, what happened to you? You look like a sad biker babe hanger-on cliché!" she threw out, just talking all over any response I could have given, "Never mind, I have some spare clothes in my locker, couture, obviously, but nothing that a comb through and some makeup remover shouldn't fix."
"Betty, I've been texting you for ages, Let's get you changed and then you can tell us why you look that and where you've been." Archie added, completely oblivious to the murderous looks I was sending their way. They continued to talk over me, dragging me in the general direction of the girls' locker room. I couldn't get a word in, not that they were listening, and I'd just had enough. True friends wouldn't treat me like this.
I wrenched my arm from their grips and backed up a few feet. Pulling my phone from my pocket I shot off a quick text to Toni, asking for back up in case these two couldn't accept anything I had to say.
"Nothing happened to me, as you say, and no, I won't be going to change or following you two anywhere. I don't go to this school anymore and you guys don't, especially not you, Lodge, tell me what to wear and how to act." Veronica looked like she had something she wanted to say, but I cut her off.
"No, V, it's time for you two to get your heads out of each other's asses and listen to me for once! I joined the Serpents, just like my mom and her parents before her. It's my birth right and I'm going to take it. They have been more supportive and more of a family to me than you guys and my own flesh and blood combined."
Archie's face started to turn as red as his hair, but I continued, feeling stronger than I ever had before. I heard the door behind me open and shot a quick look over my shoulder only to see Sweet Pea approaching. I shot him a smirk and continued my little speech.
"I live on the Southside, I go to school there and I don't want to hear any more bashing or belittling of my club and my family. They are mine to protect and I take that charge very seriously." I said as Sweet Pea slung his arm around my shoulder.
"These north siders bothering you, Legs?" he asked, looking them up and down as if they were the ones lacking.
"As a matter of fact, no they are not. Not anymore."
"You know what Betty? Fine, just don't come crawling back to us when your criminal, Jughead replacement sleeps with you once and then tosses you aside!" Veronica shrieked.
I could only smirk as I replied, "Maybe you should talk to your ginger boyfriend about how that works, seeing as he was my first, V."
I turned my back and walked away. I could hear Archie spluttering as Veronica demanded to know what I meant by that.
Uh oh, Archiekins, looks like your dirty little secret is finally out.
We'd slept together once last year. He was my first and I thought I was in love with him. It was the one time my resolve to join the Serpents had waivered. The way he treated me afterwards though had broken any illusions I'd had of the kind of person Archie Andrews really was. He wanted to pretend like it'd never happened. He didn't want to ruin his chances with Ronnie and this was a mistake.
There was no thought towards what I wanted or how I felt. It was all about his life, his future…come to think of it, not even the sex had really anything to do with me…it was all about Archie there too.
As much as it had pained me then, it didn't bother me now. I never had to have that awkward encounter again and it was excellent fuel on the fire of Archie's relationship, not to mention I could lord that over Veronica for the rest of her life if she so chose to confront me again.
Walking out of the school I was so stuck in my own head that I didn't notice Sweet Pea still had his arm around my shoulders, or that people were poking their heads out of classrooms to see what all that god awful screeching was about.
My exit from Riverdale high became infamous and not at all the quiet exit I had hoped for initially.
But really, could you get any better cred than that when starting at Southside?