I couldn't sleep all night, so I gave up around five and went to school. I know that's probably the last place any teenager would go willingly, but that's the only place I could go and work on my archery. I was practicing for about two hours when I needed to go to the bathroom. But this place didn't have one, so I went across the football field, and into the school. One of the janitors knows I like to come here sometimes, so he leaves a side door unlocked.

I walked in, and went to the girls' locker room. When I was done, I was going to go back to the archery ring, but then I heard water running in the boys' locker room. I slowly went into the room, my hand-held cross bow in hand, and I slowly walked through the small hall until I got to the showers.

A dark-haired teenager in a towel walked out from the showers and to the sinks. He had a calm sense to him, like he had done this a thousand times before. I sighed, and flicked out my wrist, causing the bow to flick out to its full length of three feet. The bow made a thwack! As it extended, the guy jolted into the air. He whipped around, grabbing at the towel so it wouldn't come undone.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" he rushed out, holding his hands out in defense. My eyes squinted at the guy's face, and I sighed.

"Jughead? What in the unholy inferno are you doing here?" I asked, confused, adrenaline rushing through me. He sighed, and started to nervously chuckle as he turned back to the sink. He put his tooth brush back, and then turned to me. The look on his face said it all.

"How long?" I asked, as I was crouching down in a storage closet, looking at his stuff piled up in it.

"Well, since they shut down the drive-in. That's where I was living before."

"Why aren't you living at home?" I asked, as I stood up, confused. Yet, I knew why he wasn't. It was because of FP.

"The truth is, things aren't good at home."

"With your dad?"

"Yeah. He kind of fell off the wagon…after your dad fired him, to tell you the truth. Hasn't had a job since. He keeps promising he'll get his act together, but my mom couldn't take that rollercoaster anymore, so she grabbed Jellybean and went to live with our grandparents." The school bell rang; he grabbed his bag, and said, "Come on." I walked out, and he closed the door.

"Jug, why didn't you tell me? And where does your dad think you are?" I asked, trying to pretend I didn't already know all of this. When I was a little girl, I would always hang out at FP's trailer, helping Jughead study. But one night, FP was drunk, and told me all of this while Jughead was waiting outside.

"He thinks I'm couch-surfing."

"Well, forget that man, live with me and Arch."

"Look, this is temporary, Alex. I'm going to figure something out. Just don't tell Betty."

Once he said it, I started to grin like an idiot, and asked, "Betty?"

He rolled his eyes, but I saw the glimmer of a blush on his cheeks when he realized he said it. "Just forget it. Okay?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no. Tell me what happened," I persisted, fighting a smile.

He finally, begrudgingly, told me after rolling his eyes into another dimension. "We may have had a moment when you were gone," he said, slowly, like he was coming up with the next word as he went.

"Ah, Jug…" I squealed, lightly jumping up and down.

He rolled his eyes, and said, "Just, please, don't tell Betty—or anyone—for that matter. Okay?" The plea in his voice when he said her name surprised me, so I just nodded. He turned around, walking quickly to the right class.

"My mom and dad don't want to get the police involved. They don't want anyone to know that she ran away, or about her 'shameful condition'," Betty said, as we all sat in the student lounge.

Veronica asked, "Please, what decade is this?"

"Also, since she knew where Jason's getaway car was, they're afraid people might think she burned it and that if they did…" Betty didn't have to finish her sentence because Jughead finished it for her.

"She could be the murderer trying to cover up her tracks," Jughead finished, and I smiled. I knew he was a romantic, but I didn't know he had neither the guts nor the balls to kiss Betty Cooper.

"Who did burn the car, then?" I asked, sitting up in my chair.

Betty said, "Sheriff Keller says it's possible someone was following us."

"Oh, my gosh. Honestly guys, we should just move," Veronica said, sipping her coffee. I chuckled, silently thanking her, because I had been thinking that for years.

"Guys, what if Polly's really hurt, what if whoever killed Jason, is coming after her next?" Betty asked, worried. Jughead sighed and put his arm around her. She held his hand over her shoulder, comforting her. I just smiled.

"Betty, even though your parents don't want to, maybe you should go to the police," Archie suggested after an awkward moment.

Then Kevin piped up, and said, "Second it. We can talk to my dad together about how he has to be discreet."

"No offence, Kev, but your dad answers to a higher authority then God: The Blossoms. They're the first people that He would tell. And if there's anyone to keep this a secret from, it's the Blossoms. They'd twist it around, and go after Polly out of spite," Jughead said, rubbing his eye.

"How can we help? Tell us, B, and we'll do it," Veronica said, leaning forward.

After Betty gave everyone her plan, we all dispersed, and Betty, Veronica, and I went down the hall to our next class.

Veronica stopped us at a wall, and asked, "Did I just notice Riverdale High's very own Holden Caulfield put his arm around you?" Betty chuckled, instantly blushing.

"These past couple of days I haven't been in a great place, emotionally, and Jughead was really there for me," she said, slowly, cautiously.

Veronica's eyes popped, making an 'O' with her mouth, and said, "Oh, my gosh! Swoon! Okay, in that case, if he helped my girl navigate some turbulent waters, well then…" She dramatically swept her hair out of her face. "Veronica Lodge approves."

Betty shrugged, smiling like she was the happiest girl on Earth and I said, "Thatta girl."

Then we all chuckled and Veronica said, "Come on, let's go find your sister."

Veronica and Betty hooked elbows, and Veronica grabbed mine, and said, "Get in here, girl." We all laughed, walking down the hall to go look for Polly. We rounded a corner, and Kevin ran around another corner up ahead, sprinting to us.

"Oh, my gosh you guys."

"What?" I asked, worried.

"Cheryl just tweeted #PollyCooperKilledMyBrother, #NowhereToHide, #SharpenYourPitchforks," he read them off, rushing through.

Betty took the phone, and said, "Oh, no. We need to find Polly before the Blossoms do."

"Ok. The Sisters of Quiet Mercy are due north," Betty said, as she pointed behind us. "The getaway car stashed on the old route 40 was due west," then she pointed to the left.

Then Jughead said, "The closest bus station is east, headed towards Sweetwater. If Polly wanted to leave Riverdale without anyone seeing her, she probably would've left through—"

"Right here, Evergreen Forest." Then we all followed Betty and Jughead as we started to call out to Polly. An hour later, I was walking in the middle of nowhere. And to make the situation worse, I was walking along side Reggie Mantle.

"So," Reggie started, as he leaned into my air space to duck a tree branch, "why are you all the way out here? I thought you and Polly weren't even close." His patronizing voice was grating on my nerves, and I was this close to holding a pillow over his head until he stopped kicking. But I merely closed my eyes as I sighed.

"Because, you half-wit, Betty and I are close. Why are you out here? Oh wait, I know: because you want to what? Get extra brownie-points so you can finally get off the naughty list?" I asked, as I stepped over a downed tree.

"Ha-ha. But no, I don't want to get off the naughty list. Not even for a second," he licked his lips, looking me up and down.

"Yeah? Why's that?" I asked, monotone and sarcastic. He then stopped us, looked around for anyone, and put on a look that made me want to slap him.

"Because, Sugarplum, I like it here." My mouth fell out slightly at that, and without even thinking, I reeled my hand back, and sent it flying across his face. I made sure to let it have a loud slapping noise to it, the kind that makes anyone cringe when they hear it. His head was sent flying to the left, and his hand went to his jaw, rubbing it as he groaned. He looked to me with a confused yet amused expression.

"What was that for?"

I merely shrugged, lightly smirking, and said, "For you being a culo pervertido." I then turned and walked away. As I walked the trail, I saw a red blur to my left. I looked, and saw the Blossoms, and tons of others walking the trails, trying to find Polly. I quickly caught up with the rest of everyone, only to see the Coopers and Blossoms at a crossroad by a covered bridge.

"Alice Cooper. Where is she? Where's Polly?" Mrs. Blossom said, as they came to a standstill.

"You think if I knew that, I would be out here with the mosquitoes?" Alice asked, rhetorically.

Cheryl, by her mother's side, piped up, and said, "Face facts Mommy Dearest, Polly killed Jason." She glared at Alice, and I rolled my eyes.

"She's escaped from the asylum once; that's to say she didn't before, say, the day Jason got murdered?" Mr. Blossom said, looking over the crowd of people. I stepped forward, but Archie caught my wrist and didn't let me budge.

"The noose is tightening around your murdering daughter's neck. I know it, Sheriff Keller knows it—" Mrs. Blossom said.

"Hold on, now," Keller tried to protest, but she kept talking.

"…And I promise you, when we find her, and we will find her, the entire town of Riverdale will know, too."

XXX

Later that night, I walked into my room and made a b-line for my closet. I walked in, turned on the light, and started sifting through my clothes. I stopped dead in my tracks once I found the leather section and saw my target. My hands were shaky as I slipped the jacket off the hanger; I just stared at it for the longest time. My fingers went across the green stitching on the back and my heart rate started to increase just by holding it.

I left the closet and wiped off the makeup on my arm, revealing my tattoo. I grabbed the Jacket from the bed where I had tossed it, and slipped an arm in the sleeve. The leather felt cold against my skin, shooting Goosebumps down my arms. I then put my other arm in the sleeve. Without hesitating, I pulled the black leather onto my shoulders with a smirk. Then I pulled my hair out of the back, and situated the jacket as butterflies flew around in my stomach.

I slipped out my window, and made my way to the Whyte Wyrm. I stood outside the bar, gazing up at the sign. This was it. I've wanted to do this for so long, but standing here, in front of the Wyrm, it was…unsettlingly unfamiliar. Like I was sneaking down the stairs at 2:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve, and tried to steal one of Santa's cookies, only to be caught by my mother.

I let a shaky breath leave my lungs and I felt a surge of power rush through my veins as I made my way to the door. I walked in, and instantly I felt like every pair of eyes were on me in a second. I walked in about ten feet, but then Tall Boy came from the bar, stopping a few feet away.

"Alex? Is that really you?"

"Yeah. It's uh, it's me." He smiled a huge smile, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, bringing me further in. "Hey, uh, is FP around? I need to talk to him." Then, almost on cue, FP emerged from the crowd, grinning.

"Hey, kid."

"Hey."

"What brings you out here? Huh?"

"Before I was forced to move, you said 'once a Serpent, always a Serpent'. Does that still stand?"

FP and Tall Boy exchanged glances, and then FP smiled, saying, "Of course it does, kid. Always." I smiled, stepped closer, and he hugged me. Then I was led over to the bar, where I saw Toni smiling down at me as she handed me a shot glass of what I assumed was whisky. I downed it without even thinking of it, feeling the sharp burn as it slid down my throat. I was home.

The next morning, I woke up and my phone beeped at me, letting me know I had a text.

Fangs: Hey, I heard the news. You're official!

Me: Yeah, yeah.

Fangs: Does this mean you can wear your Serpent jacket in public now?

Me: Sadly no. But it does mean that I can show my face at the Wyrm without looking like a Northsider. So, that's a plus.

Fangs: Oh, I know. What are you doing tonight?

Me: Probably archery. Why?

Fangs: Oh, nothing. Just Toni, Sweet Pea, and I are going to be playing beer pong tonight at the Wyrm. Thought the reigning champion would like to join. ;)

I scoffed, rolling my eyes at his text.

Me: Don't even joke, Fogarty.

Fangs: ¯\_()_/¯

I just chuckled, andgot myself showered. I chose a wine-colored, scoop-neck tank and dark jeans with my—normal—leather jacket and ankle boots.

It was the middle of the school day. When I went to my locker to exchange books, I just sighed. My eyes closed, and I let my head fall on the locker with a hollow thump. Not a minute later, my phone buzzed. I looked, and saw Archie was calling. I sighed, but answered, anyway. "Archie? What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be taking a science test?" I asked, as I punched in my combination.

"Yeah, and that's why I'm calling," he said, whispering. I sighed while I put my books back, and changed my phone from hand to hand.

"Oh, do explain."

"What's the difference between a neutron and a proton?"

I stopped dead in my tracks at the stupid question, and sighed. "Arch, you're almost sixteen, you should know this," I stated, as I started to grab another book.

"Yeah, I know, but—"

"But nothing. Just try your best and I'm sure you'll do just fine," I said, as I ended the call. I had just gotten my books in my hands when my phone buzzed. "Archie," I warned, annoyed.

"What are the longest cells in the human body?"

"Archie, I can't help you, you're taking a test." I ended the call again, huffing. But then my phone buzzed almost instantly. "I'm not helping you cheat!" In a burst of utter annoyance at Archie, I slammed my fist into my locker, causing it to fly shut, making almost every student in the hall stop and look at me. I blew it off, and then quickly made my way to Math.

Mr. Kaine was in the middle of muttering a formula to a math problem as he wrote it down on the chalkboard when the bell rang. He sighed, and then said, "Well, I guess that's it. I hope to see everyone on Monday, and don't forget to do your homework." He was shouting it over everyone's scuffling and private conversations as everyone was pushing and shoving to get out. I don't blame them, it was the end of the day, and everyone was tired, but me? I didn't want to leave.

I waited until the last person on my row was gone, and made to get up. "Hey, Alex," Marybeth said, as she made her way to me.

"Marybeth, how's it going?" I asked, smiling. She smiled back, chuckling to herself as she glanced over her shoulder. I followed her gaze, and grinned to myself. Doug and Skyler were walking out of the class when Skyler turned back around, and waved her goodbye. "You're really falling for him, aren't you?"

She sheepishly tucked her head in, and blushed. "Yeah. I think so. Hey, we were going to go to my place for a study session. Want to come?" she asked, giddy.

"'We' being you and Skyler?" I asked, amused. She blushed even harder, and I laughed. "Relax. I won't tell." She nodded her thanks, and then we headed for the door.

"So, you'll come?" she asked, hopeful. I sighed, thinking.

"Sure. I'll go. What time?"

"Maybe…four?" she suggested, as we walked out to the parking lot.

"Sounds good. I'll be there," I said, as I backed up, pointing at her. She laughed and nodded as she walked to a car, a few slots down. The passenger's window started to roll down, revealing Skyler in the driver's seat, smiling. Marybeth laughed, got in, and playfully shoved his head to the side as he started up the car. I chuckled, and made my way home. I needed to change and grab my books before I went to Marybeth's.