Chapter Two: Fragile Family.
The next day at Riverdale High was the start of something that would tear the High School ecosystem apart.
Eleanor strutted down the halls in her serpent jacket, black shorts, and fishnet tights. The heels of her combat boots clicked against the tile floor of the cafeteria, past the serpents table and to two girls sitting alone together in the corner near the trash.
"'Cus, why are you back here? Come on, you're better than this. You may not be an official serpent but you're still part of this family, come sit with us."
One of the girls, Amanda, looks down. "That's okay, 'Cus, Kasey and I don't mind sitting back here. Besides, the serpents don't want to sit with or even talk to me."
Eleanor furrows her eyebrows. "You're a serpent by blood. Your father's decision isn't yours." She looks back at the serpent's table where Toni smiles at her before sitting down with Amanda and Kasey. "But if that's how you feel, fine. Let's raise some hell over here, show them you're still a real serpent."
She takes out a switchblade. "Trust me?" She raises her eyebrows and shoves the handle of the knife into her cousin's hand.
"Ellie, what are you doing? I don't want to get in trouble."
"Just trust me," Eleanor assures her.
Amanda hesitates but nods. And Eleanor kicks her shin under the table, causing her to stand up and yell. While she stands, Eleanor forced Amanda's hand forward in a swift stabbing motion. She then pretends to catch and deflect the swipe and pins Amanda to the table.
"What the hell?!" Eleanor yells at her cousin, keeping up the act.
Jughead stands from the serpent table and glares at them. "This is why you sit with the serpents!" He scolds Ellie.
"Well, how was I supposed to know she was going to attack me?" Ellie glares back at him. Amanda subtlety checks out the other serpents faces and sees most are impressed by her attack. She smiles slightly. "Look, it's fine now. I handled it." Ellie says, raising her hands by her head and releasing Amanda but keeping the knife. Kasey tries to hide behind the two of them, knowing that if The Sheriff found out she was sitting with whoever started a fight there would be hell to pay.
"Your actions reflect on all of us!" Jughead says. "You think anyone's going to see this as anything less than a serpent starting a fight?!"
"You think anyone will even care? Since when do you shy away from protecting yourselves?" Eleanor says as she steps towards the serpents. "Are you all wimps now or something? Maybe Penny was right to leave. Maybe you should have left with her, that way at least our leader wouldn't be a pussy." Jughead and Ellie become locked in another state off. Betty resists the urge to stand from her seat by digging her nails into her palms and Toni begins to stand but Cheryl grabs her arm to stop her. "Your dad was more of a leader than you are," Ellie adds.
That's when Jughead snaps. He punches her on the side of her face. Eleanor grabs her face and then looks back up at him with real anger this time. Suddenly, she brings the knife up to his cheek, starting a fight. Chanting begins and Betty rises from her seat to defend her man.
Teachers try to get to the two but are blocked by the sea of students that have circled around them.
Jughead pins Eleanor to the ground and beats on her, holding down her arm that has the knife with his knee.
"Jughead stop!" Toni pleads.
"Let him kill her if he wants." Cheryl crosses her arms.
"Why?! You can't tell me that wasn't at least a little true!" Toni argues. "Yeah it was a jerk move but she's paid enough." She turns her attention back to Jughead "stop! She's down, you won!"
Jughead doesn't stop.
Amanda watches on and finally can't anymore.
"Amanda don't get involved…" Kasey pleads, holding her arm. But too late, Amanda marches up to the fight and attempts to push Jughead off of her cousin. Before she can Betty blocks her.
"Move. That's my cousin." She says. Betty is about to say something back when her eyes lock with Amanda's. She must have seen something behind Amanda's eyes that day because her face softened.
"Juggie that's enough." Betty puts her hand on Jugheads shoulder and looks down at him, he breathes heavily and stops.
Eleanor spits out some blood but doesn't move from where she's laying. "W-Welcome...home…" she mumbles and slightly laughs which turns into coughing.
Finally, a teacher gets through the blockade and pulls Jughead up. "We're gonna need the nurse!" The teacher calls to the others. He looks back down at Eleanor and grimaces. "Or maybe just call an Ambulance!" He glares at Jughead. "And the cops." He adds.
Amanda bends down next to her cousin and tears up. "Sorry." She says. Kasey looks at her friend but doesn't join her, instead she stays where she is. A bystander. Innocent. Not involved. At least, that's what it would look like to Sheriff Keller.
"W-Why...y-you...sor-..." Eleanor passes out.
"Eleanor?" Toni says. "Ellie?" She looks more worried than Cheryl thinks she should be.
And thus, a spark was lit.
Amanda became more respected by the gangs in the south side, Toni and a few others that remembered Eleanor from when they were kids were considered traitors, and Eleanor became a wedge between the serpents. Some, like Betty, fell on the line that separates Ellies fans and critics, but most either fell in line with Jughead or agreed with her like Toni.
Unluckily for the serpents, the Ghoulies were there that day too, and they knew the chaos this would cause. They knew this was their best opportunity to rid themselves of the serpents once and for all.
So we have decided that we will post every Tuesday and Thursday from now on
Also, we are pretty much done with our "First Season" and are curenty taking any ideas as to what you guys might like to see in our "Second Season"