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Chapter Twelve: Monday Of Mourning
The following day was a day that Riverdale High wouldn't forget.
Ellie had been avoiding Toni all day and pretending not to hear her when she called her name down the hall. She knew that eventually lunch would come and she would have to face her, but she wanted to put that off.
She had also made sure that Toni and the others couldn't see the back of her jacket. Man was her back killing her from slamming into so many lockers to avoid being seen.
But lunch was now here. Now she had to make a choice. She could no longer hide her Ghoulies jacket from her friends and wouldn't be allowed to speak with them to explain herself.
She strolled passed them in the cafeteria, avoiding eye contact.
"Hey! Ellie!" Toni grabs Ellie's arm to stop her from walking passed, but Ellie pulls her arm back and continues on. "What the hell, El?!" Toni grows angry at being ignored. However, when she sees the Ghoulies patch on the back of Ellie's jacket, she gets angrier.
Pretty much every serpent at Amanda and Kacey's table instantly got up and went to sit with Jughead, including Black Eye and Veridian.
Ellie sat down next to Sharkbait at the Ghoulies table. He wraps one arm around her shoulder and nuggies her head with his other hand.
Toni was so furious that Kacey was sure steam was about to pour from her ears. She stands with her tray.
"Toni, please." Kacey pleads. "Stay. I'm sure Ellie can explain this!" Toni leaves to go sit with Jughead leaving Amanda, Kacey, and Betty alone.
"I think I better go too." Betty says, looking at Amanda.
"Why? You're with Amanda now, just break up with him already." Kacey mutters.
"You know?" Amanda asks, shocked.
"I set it up. Jughead deserves better than you." Kacey replies, directing that second half to Betty. Betty doesn't say anything but stays seated.
Jughead watches Amanda, Kacey, and Betty before turning his sights on Eleanor.
"I can't believe she used us." Toni growls, glaring at Ellie while stabbing her meat slab with a fork.
"I can." Jughead turns to Toni, breaking her gaze. "I told you this would happen. I'm just glad none of us got hurt."
"Still strange that she switched sides out of the blue." Black Eye grumbles.
"It's not out of the blue. I kicked her out." Jughead responds, shaking his head. "But I never told her to join the Ghoulies."
"What?!" Toni's anger switches sources. "Why?!"
"Her mom came to my trailer to pick her up yesterday." Jughead says, smug. "Guess who it was?"
"A Ghoulie?" Black Eye responds.
"Penny." Jughead clarifies.
"No. You're wrong, she told me she doesn't associate with her mom anymore." Toni tries to convince herself more than anyone.
"You knew?" Jughead glares at Toni.
"I knew who she was not that Ellie was talking to her!" Toni yells.
"Want proof?" Cheryl cocks her head and takes out her phone. "I have a video." She shows Toni the video and Toni's eyes fill with a mix of confusion, anger, and sadness.
"If she was in with them all along then…why did she…" Toni trails off.
"Sleep with you?" Jughead cocks an eyebrow.
"What?!" Cheryl gasps and looks at Toni. "Tell me you didn't touch that creature!"
"She came home wearing Toni's shirt the morning her mom got her." Jughead tells Cheryl who promptly crosses her arms.
Toni glares at Jughead Then looks sorrowful at Ellie. "No way she used me. There must be another reason she's sitting with them." Toni turns back to Jughead, pissed off. "Like the fact that you kicked her out of the Serpents."
"Yeah, because she was going to be living with a Ghoulie!" Jughead argues.
"You left her alone in the southside! She was probably just trying to find some protection for herself!" Toni stands.
"Where do you think you're going?" Cheryl eyes Toni, worried but trying to hide it.
"To find out what the hell is going on and to tell Ellie you were joking about kicking her out." Toni responds.
"The hell you are! Sit down!" Jughead orders. Toni ignores him and starts to walk to the Ghoulies table. "Toni! Get back here!" Toni ignores him, hyper focused on only one thing - Ellie.
"El-" She starts, before instantly getting hit in the stomach by Sharkbait with a lunchtray. The Ghoulies all laugh as Toni grabs her stomach in pain but Ellie stays silent.
Jughead and Cheryl start to follow Toni to the table, leading the other Serpents with them.
"Are we gonna have a problem here?" Sharkbait stands, signaling the other Ghoulies to do the same, including Ellie.
"Not unless you hit her again." Jughead warns.
"What? I was just protecting my area. You can't blame me for being nervous when a Serpent walks toward my crew." Sharkbait says.
From across the cafeteria, Weatherbee watches. "If one of them even flinches, call security." He says to one of the teachers.
"Eleanor, you don't have to hang around with them." Toni says.
"She knows that. She's choosing to be here." He smiles.
"Ellie, I know you aren't like them. Please. I can protect you, you won't be alone." Toni reaches a hand towards Ellie and Sharkbait slams his lunch tray on it.
"Security. Now." Weatherbee orders. A teacher runs off to get security and the confrontation continues to escalate.
"I warned you!" Jughead steps towards Sharkbait. The Ghoulies start to arm themselves with trays, forks, and anything else they can find. A few even pull out switchblades.
"Go ahead, throw the first punch." Sharkbait says, leaning forward towards Jughead. The two get locked in a stare down before Toni throws a punch right at Sharkbait's jaw. "Ow! You little bitch!" Sharkbait lunges at Toni but Jughead intercepts, starting another fight. Amanda and Betty join in, convincing Kacey to help out too (not that she took that much convincing this time. She was damn well gonna protect her friends and the man she adored).
Ellie grabs Toni's jacket sleeve and pulls her to the ground, pinning her.
"What the hell did you just do?!" Ellie whisper-shouts, pretending to throw a punch.
"When Jughead told me he kicked you out, I knew you were only doing it for their protection. I had to do something before you got hurt." Toni tries to flip Ellie so that she's on top but Ellie doesn't let her.
"If they see your back exposed, they'll kill you. I'm your only protection from the fight right now." Ellie explains, again pretending to punch her. "You have a target on your back you know."
"So? You saved me once, I trust you can do it again." Toni fake struggles. Ellie chuckles a sad laugh.
"That's the irony." She pretends to punch her. "I'm the one that put the hit on you."
"What?" Toni forgets to fake fight and just goes still. "El, why would you do that?"
"I thought Penny was bluffing. I went over to your house to warn you but I was too late."
"You slept with me anyway?! You didn't think to mention the fact that you almost got me killed?! Jughead was right, you used me!" Toni breaks an arm free and real punches Ellie on the cheek.
"Fuck!" Ellie grabs her face and re-pins Toni's arm. "Watch it! I'm not kidding, they'll kill you!"
"Because you told them to!" Toni argues, kneeing Ellie in the stomach. Ellie flinches but doesn't let go. Toni spits in Ellie's face.
"Can we please talk about this after the gang fight?!" Eleanor begs.
"Ellie!" Sharkbait calls. "Catch!" He tosses her a knife which she catches. "End that Serpent slut!" Ellie rolls the knife around in her hand and looks down at Toni.
"El." Toni says, in a 'you're really not that insane put that down' kind of way.
"Break it up!" Security yells, pulling apart the massive fight. "Break! It! Up!" A massive security guard pulls Ellie off of Toni and another helps Toni to her feet.
"You again?" The guard rhetorically asks Ellie.
"What can I say? I'm too aggressive." Ellie jokes, shrugging. "That one though, didn't put up much of a fight. Just tried to hide before I got to her. Whimp." Ellie nods at Toni.
"That true?" The guard holding Toni asks her.
"Yes sir." She responds, eyes locked on Ellie. The guard lets her go.
"Then get out of here." Toni stares at Ellie for a second before heading off into the herd of bystanders.
"Move your feet, we're taking you to the station." The guard orders.
"You're sending two entire gangs to jail for a school fight?" Ellie smiles. "You're kidding right?"
"Anyone whose over 15 can be charged with battery and assault. Now if you want to fight the charges, talk to the judge. For now, move it!" The guard orders, forcing Ellie forward.
Another guard marches up next to them, holding Jughead.
"Keep 'em separated! Can't have another gang fight!" The guard holding Ellie orders.
"Sorry sir! I saw her tattoo and assumed they were on the same side!" The guard holding Jughead responds.
"You gotta go by the jackets. That's where their loyalty lies." El's guard responds.
The guards words rang true, at least to Jughead. No jacket, no loyalty. In his mind, El may have the tattoos but when wearing that jacket, she'd never be a Serpent. He looked around and smiled at Kacey, who had ducked into the crowd and out of the fight the second the security guards showed up. She smiled back, her lip cut but the rest of her face near pristine.