I found a place to belong so I went all in,
I walked right in the mouth of it and never looked back again,
The only thing that remains through the loss and the pain,
As for me there was no other choice,
I'm married to the noise.
-Married To The Noise by Stick To Your Guns
Avoiding Betty was easier said than done.
Every time Jughead saw her at school, he would quickly duck into a classroom or behind a group of students, effectively keeping as much distance between them as possible. Classes together were much more difficult. But he was stubborn. And while Archie promised not to get involved in the tense atmosphere between his two friends, he kept dropping subtle hints that Jughead should talk to her.
Like that was going to happen!
She'd made it clear she didn't want to be with him anymore, via their favorite redhead, which only made it ten times worse. At least he and Archie had been able to strenuously repair the damage between them. First he had tried to help with the street race against the Ghoulies (though it was a disaster), then delivering Penny's mysterious package to Greendale. Archie had even miraculously managed to convince Cheryl to appeal on FP's behalf, resulting in him being released on time served.
Things with him and his dad were still rocky, but Jughead figured they could discuss parental rights and everything else once his dad was back amongst the Serpents, where he belonged.
"Hey Jones, glad to see I'm not the only one skipping," Toni said as she approached his booth at Pop's, breaking him out of his thoughts.
Jughead gave a noncommittal shrug. "Didn't feel like school today."
"I heard your dad's being released tomorrow...I figured you'd be ecstatic," she said. "Sweet Pea and some of the others wanna throw him a party."
"Sounds like a lot of work for a guy who didn't allow me to visit him," he grumbled. "I don't even know if he'll get his rights reinstated so I can move back home or what he's planning since he won't talk to me."
"It sounds like you need the party as much as your dad does. Show him how well you fit into this life, ease his worries about you becoming a Serpent. Everything else will work itself out," Toni stated matter-of-factly as she helped herself to some of his fries. Pop's wasn't busy yet, considering they were both skipping. But once school was done for the day people would start pouring in. Possibly even Betty.
"I should go," he said, wanting to make a quick exit. He wasn't ready to face the girl who'd broken his heart.
At that moment Archie walked in the door, spotting Jughead and heading straight for him.
"Can we talk?" He asked, glancing at Toni.
"You kids have fun," she teased, grabbing her bag and leaving. Reluctantly Jughead stayed where he was. He just hoped a certain blonde wouldn't be showing up any time soon.
"Hey man, you really need to talk to Betty."
"Why?" Jughead asked, looking at Archie. "What does she have to tell me that's so important?"
Archie stared at him before taking a deep breath. "Okay, she should be the one to tell you this but...the Black Hood has been threatening her. Made her get in a fight with Veronica and break up with you. Real twisted stuff to control her."
Jughead leaned back, too stunned for words. For a moment both of them were silent as he tried to process the information he'd just been given.
"Jug?" Archie asked, breaking the silence.
Jughead took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Things have been awful ever since my dad got arrested. Every day I ask myself what he would do, if he were here. And I know the answer but...it terrifies me."
"What would he do?"
"He would use the Serpents to go after the Black Hood. He would also tell me to leave, to get away from this whole mess," Jughead replied. "But I ran the gauntlet. I'm a Serpent, I have to stay. I can't abandon them."
"Jug..." Archie began, looking worried.
"There's a party at the Whyte Wyrm for my dad. I have to convince him to give me his blessing so I can help keep the Serpents safe before the town implodes," said Jughead, ignoring the concern rolling off Archie in waves.
Archie sighed. "The Serpents can't fight the Black Hood. Remember when I tried it with the Red Circle, do you remember what you told me?"
Jughead stared out the window, already knowing the answer. But that couldn't deter him. His path was clearly laid out before him.
"You told me we can't fight the darkness alone," Archie said. "And if you think bringing the Serpents into a war with that maniac is going to help anyone, you're wrong. We'll catch him...but not by fighting him. That gives him exactly what he wants : more victims."
Jughead looked at his best friend, unsure of what to say. Archie was so earnest and sure-footed, while he felt like he was standing on a steep embankment that could slide off into the abyss at any moment, taking his dad and friends as it went.
"You should come to the party tonight," he suggested. Maybe Archie was right and it was time to talk to Betty.
"Hail the king!"
The crowd parted and FP was suddenly standing in front of Jughead, a beer in one hand and an unreadable expression on his face.
"Hey dad," Jughead greeted as his dad pulled him into a hug. It was the first time they hadn't been separated by bars in nearly four months.
"I know about your deal with the snake charmer, and that delivery you and Archie took for her. That was the one thing, the one thing I told you not to do," FP murmured, still holding onto Jughead tightly.
"I can fix this," Jughead argued.
"No," FP shook his head. "Your debt is mine. I'll handle Penny, but to keep you out of this mess you're gonna stay with Fred."
Jughead pulled away, searching his dad's face for any glimpse of forgiveness. There was none. "For how long?"
"As long as it takes for you to see this life doesn't suit you," FP said, taking Jughead's face in his hands and kissing him on the forehead before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
Jughead was frozen to the spot. Everything was crumbling around him, but no one seemed to notice.
"Hey, can we talk?" Betty asked, materializing at his side. Jughead looked at her; blue top, pink skirt. Hair down from her iconic ponytail. Her beauty knocked from his lungs whatever small fraction of air he'd been able to regain since talking to his dad, and she didn't even know.
"What's wrong?" She asked, grabbing his arm. He spotted Archie and Veronica headed their way and groaned. He'd never wished to be invisible as much as he did in that one moment.
Pushing past drunken Serpents and the press of teeming bodies, Jughead didn't care if the others followed him or not. He just needed air without the smell of whiskey. And he couldn't stand the way his dad had looked at him.
Like a failure.
He careened through the side exit to the bike lot, gulping down lungfuls of cool air while surrounded by hundreds of motorcycles gleaming under the neon lights.
"Jug?" Veronica asked. He turned as she, Archie, and Betty approached.
"My dad had one chance at going straight, and I ruined it. Now he's cleaning up my mess and..." Jughead said, his throat tightening with each word until he couldn't continue.
"It's okay," Betty said. "We can fix it."
Jughead felt like screaming. "Fix it? I did something he told me not to, and because of me the Serpents are involved. How do you fix that?"
"Involved with Penny?" asked Archie. Betty and Veronica shot him confused looks while Jughead nodded.
"Whatever it is, let us help," Betty begged.
Jughead shook his head. "You don't understand. The Serpents are my one connection to my family, to the Southside, but my dad is making me stay with Fred. I'm stuck in the Northside when I should be here."
"There's more to life than the Serpents," argued Betty. Jughead laughed.
"Of course you would say that. A Northside Princess, best friends to an heiress and in love with the boy next door."
"Jug..." Archie began, stepping forward.
"I belong here!" Jughead yelled. "None of you know what it's like, growing up knowing your future is either jail or death. I finally found somewhere that I fit in, with people who do understand, and I destroyed it."
He turned away, breathing heavily. His dad hadn't said he was out of the Serpents, but by keeping him at Fred's he would have no idea what was going on. Especially if his dad told Toni and the others not to tell him anything. Yet again, he was on the outside looking in.
"Come on Betty, I'll give you a ride," Veronica said. Jughead listened to their retreating footsteps, wanting nothing more than to fix what had happened between them. But he feared after his latest revelation, he had ruined any chances he had left with her.
"We should go," Archie suggested. Jughead nodded, heading towards his bike. He would follow Archie in his dad's pickup truck through town to the Northside; away from the Whyte Wyrm and the Serpents and his dad.
It had been a week and Jughead still felt the stinging loss. He missed the raucous energy of his fellow Serpents. He missed the Whyte Wyrm, which stood as a beacon of hope for the Southside. But mostly he missed the comradery. Knowing there existed a group of people who accepted him and understood him, who he'd been separated from, hurt more than his dad not wanting him to come home.
He'd envisioned him and his dad standing side by side as they led the Serpents and the Southside out of poverty and despair. That dream had quickly vanished.
"You ready?" Archie asked, breaking him from his thoughts.
"Yah," he replied, grabbing his denim jacket before leaving their shared bedroom. He'd decided until things settled down with his dad, he would keep his Serpents jacket hanging in the closet. It also made things easier with Fred.
"Where are you two headed in such a hurry?" He asked from the living room as they pounded down the stairs.
"We were gonna go meet the girls at Pop's," Archie replied.
Fred chuckled. "Have fun."
They made it to Pop's in record time, Archie parking his dad's truck in the mostly empty lot. It didn't appear either Betty or Veronica had arrived yet, though Jughead instantly noticed the motorcycle parked near the door.
Whether Archie recognized it or instinctively felt the shift in his best friend, he quickly followed Jughead inside.
"Grab a booth, I'll be there in a minute," Jughead said, his eyes already focused on his dad sitting near the far corner. Archie nodded and went the opposite direction.
"Hey dad," he greeted as he slid into the seat across from his father. "Haven't talked to mom or JB in a while but I figured I should check if you wanted to pretend we're a family on Christmas?"
FP sighed, leaning back as he surveyed his son. "You're angry. I get that. But someday you'll understand I'm doing this to protect you."
"I don't need protection," Jughead snapped. "What I need is a straight answer. How long do I have to keep up the charade, pretending to be happy at Fred's?"
"You're safe," FP replied. "That's good enough for right now. Besides, you're with your friends."
"Yah I'm having the time of my life, being abandoned by both my parents."
FP slammed his fist down on the table, rattling his plate. Jughead could feel the stares from the other customers. "Enough. Archie's waiting for you."
"Fine, I got the message," Jughead said, his hands shaking from repressed rage. "Turn the Serpents into Penny's bitches. Force me to live with a surrogate father. But I'm a Serpent, so whatever you do with the club affects me. Regardless of whether I'm your son anymore or not."
He quickly stood up, hurrying over to Archie.
"I'm sorry, I gotta go," he said. Archie looked concerned but nodded, handing him the truck keys.
"Thanks," Jughead sighed. No matter which way he turned he kept messing everything up. "I'll see you at home."
"I'll tell Betty," Archie said. "Be safe."
Jughead stormed out of Pop's, his dad's eyes burning a hole in his back. The roar of the truck engine was almost loud enough to drown out the self doubt as he raced towards the Old Bridge, instinctively knowing that's where he would find the people he needed to talk to.
When Riverdale was still a small community nestled in the forest, the Old Bridge connected them to the outside world. But with a growing town, a new bridge was built and the old one got less and less traffic. Then after the storm of '74, it was demolished. But the concrete anchors still stood, bedecked in graffiti and sheltering the Spot, where young Serpent members were known to congregate away from the Whyte Wyrm.
It was there, tucked away from prying eyes, that Jughead found exactly who he had been looking for.
"Jones! Welcome to the party," Toni greeted as he approached. She stood beside an oil drum with a fire lit inside, while Fang and Sweet Pea lounged on a ratty couch and a few others members mingled around.
"I need your help," Jughead said, feeling a thrill as everyone came to attention, all intently listening to their would-be prince. Helping out a fellow Serpent was hardwired into each of their brains.
"Penny Peabody has got my dad dealing drugs. And she's going to drag every single one of us in on this too."
"Man, what are you pissed about?" Sweet Pea asked, shaking his head. "I heard you're staying on the North side now. Must be nice."
"That doesn't matter," Jughead replied. "I'm still a Serpent, and I'm pissed because I don't want us to end up like the Ghoulies. And I doubt that any of you want to be under the control of a drug lord. We have to stop her."
"The snake charmer has helped some of us," Sweet Pea argued.
"For what price?" Jughead asked. "What was the cost? How many favors do you owe her? This has to end!"
In the ensuing silence Toni looked around, her arms crossed. "What is the first Law?" She asked.
"No Serpent stands alone," Fang replied, rising to his feet. "Let's do this."
Toni nodded in support. Sweet Pea stood as well, albeit reluctantly.
"I'm in."
Jughead walked in the front door of the Andrews home, the smell of pizza greeting him.
"Hungry?" Fred asked as he entered the kitchen. Archie and Fred sat the center island, two boxes of pizza in front of them.
"Starving," Jughead smiled, walking past them to the sink. He quickly began scrubbing, needing to be absolutely certain there was no blood left on his hands.
He could see Penny clearly in his mind, sitting on the ground in the woods outside Greendale by Sweet Water River. A few of the bikes still had their lights on, casting shadows over the group.
"This is your new home. I don't care what you do, but it won't be in Riverdale or with the Serpents. Not anymore."
"You stupid, cocky kid! Law says you can't betray your own!"
"Penny, it's time you learned a tattoo doesn't make you one of us. Grab her."
"No, don't! Get off of me!"
"Jug?" Archie asked, yanking him from his memories. He shut off the water and dried his hands on a towel before grabbing a stool and sitting down. If Fred and Archie thought his behavior weird they said nothing.
"Thank you for letting me stay," he said to Fred around a mouthful of pizza.
Fred nodded. "My pleasure. Archie told me about seeing your dad earlier. FP has always had demons, but I'm sorry he's treating you this way."
Jughead ducked his head, avoiding eye contact as the three of them ate in peaceful silence.
