Today was not going as planned and Veronica was irritated about that, but the determined smile on her face never faltered. The new student transfers from Southside High had arrived at Riverdale High this morning for school and a second Bulldogs vs. Serpents fight had nearly broken out as soon as the serpents stepped into the building.
Veronica had been manning the welcome committee table, an organized event she put together to help the southsiders get acclimated to their new school, including help with their lockers and classes and even good extracurricular activities they could do.
Then Cheryl and Reggie crashed the welcome, only to exercise their northsider power and try to get the southsiders kicked out. Veronica had been so focused on welcoming the southsiders, so forgot about keeping the peace between the northsiders as well.
She couldn't afford to get distracted like that again. Her family was counting on her. And he was definitely a distraction. He, being the tall Serpent she has locked eyes with that night at the Whyte Wyrm and when he had shown up to challenge Archie at his house. She hadn't seen him since she ran off the stage at FP's party, but their silent exchange had been playing over and over in her mind.
She hadn't expected him to be that close to her. But there he was, leaning over the welcome table she created, his eyes staring intently at her as she happily explained the system she created. She has flashed him a confident smile when she was done and of course, the moment had been interrupted by Cheryl.
Then when that female serpent had lunged at Cheryl, she suddenly found herself inches away from that sinister serpent that had fascinated her since the first time they met. She hadn't planned to reach out and grab him, but with both Jughead and that other serpent holding him back from Reggie, she somehow knew he wouldn't move. And if she was honest with herself, she was curious about his touch. So being that close to him, she had just reached out, the way she had with her gaze that night at the Whyte Wyrm.
Weatherbee's words had started her and Veronica had released his arm as they both turned towards his voice, effectively breaking the tension. She had busied herself with reorganizing the table and forced herself not to look back as he stomped away.
Now, it was later in the day and the serpents were hanging out with Jughead in the student lounge. Veronica walking into the room clutching her black Prada handbag with both hands and approached the group, breathing out her nerves and plastering on a happy smile.
She spotted him sitting on a couch with Kevin, but she didn't want to seem too eager to know his name, so she started with serpents on the couch opposite him.
"I don't think we've properly met," Veronica spoke as she stepped up to the nearest couch and addressed the group of new students in front of her. She was closest to the serpent girl with pink hair that had gone toe to toe with Cheryl. "I'm Veronica Lodge," she spoke assertively, thrusting out her right hand for the girl to shake.
"Of the Park Avenue, Lodges," Veronica heard Jughead tease from her left, where he sat in a plaid armchair eating chips. Of course, he's eating instead of helping. Of all times for Betty to be MIA.
The girl glanced at Jughead before sitting upright on the couch and turning towards Veronica's outstretched hand. "Toni. Topaz," she spoke, shaking Veronica's hand strongly, her face calm and neutral so Veronica couldn't gauge a reaction about her family name.
"Oh, like the purple colored gemstone," Veronica quipped with a truly surprised tone, happy to connect the name with something she was more familiar with. Toni laughed at that comment, dropping her hand and offering a shy smile.
"Love it," Veronica commented, giving Toni's whole ensemble a once over. Veronica could feel his eyes on her again and it took everything she had not to glance his way. Can't be too obvious.
"And I'm Josie McCoy," interjected Josie. "Formerly of The Pussycats. Now just Josie," she finished weakly, looking at Veronica a bit lost.
"And this is Kevin," Josie said, gesturing to Kevin so was sitting next to the tall serpent. Veronica sneaked a glance at him to find he had also looked over at Kevin, before glancing over at the other serpent she didn't know.
"What's your name?" she heard Kevin ask, which broke her from the reverie of staring at the mysterious serpent, whose name still eluded her. Veronica glanced over at the other boy, sitting comfortably in the black leather armchair opposite Kevin, with his legs crossed and a single strand of red Twizzlers in his hand.
"Fogarty," he answered smoothly. "But you can call me Fangs," he continued, tilting his head at Kevin, who offered him a small smile.
"Your last name's Keller right?" he asked, pointing to Kevin with his Twizzler. Kevin looked a bit confused, his brow furrowing at the directness of the question.
"How did you know that?" he asked slowly, genuine surprise on his face.
"Joaquin and I used to hang out. He talked about you all the time," Fangs spoke easily, as Kevin quirked an eyebrow at his words.
Joaquin? What a throwback. Kevin had been so devastated by that betrayal, Veronica's heart truly felt for him when she saw the heartbroken look on Kevin's face while Joaquin spilled everything in Archie's garage.
Veronica realized that her mysterious serpent was the only one left to be introduced. She was finally going to be able to put a name with that face that had haunted her thoughts since he towered in the doorway of Archie's house.
"You guys! Yes, you! Come with me!" Weatherbee's voice echoed through the student lounge, as he angrily gestured their group forward, to move out into the hallway. "Now!" Weatherbee yelled, which was enough to get herself, Kevin, Josie and Jughead into gear, and she noticed Toni, Fangs and the other serpent rise to follow them.
Veronica went first, leading the pack, and her expression turned ice cold when her eyes landed on a smirking Reggie Mantle who was practically jumping up and down in the middle of the hallway. Weatherbee came to stop next to the smirking jock and glanced down at the school seal on the floor.
Veronica's jaw dropped and her heart sank when she took in the green serpent snake that had been haphazardly spray painted over the school seal. She heard the other serpents and Jughead move in around her, the tension in the moment radiating off of them.
"Which of you defaced our school seal with this graffiti?" Weatherbee inquired angrily, pointed down at the snake on the ground.
"This is what they do, Principal Weatherbee. They tag their turf," Reggie explained in an all too innocent tone.
"Oh my god, Reggie can you be any more transparent?" Veronica nearly laughed, mixing it with her tone of disgust and annoyance. Reggie actually nodded in response.
"Effective immediately, no gang behavior of any kind will be tolerated in my school. As of this moment, no more serpent jackets," Weatherbee explained angrily.
"What?!" Veronica heard the tall serpent exclaim loudly, which was backed up by both Fangs and Jughead's reactions to Weatherbee's words. This was getting out of hand.
"NO MORE SERPENT JACKETS! All tattoos need to be covered. Possession of any gang paraphernalia whatsoever will lead to immediate suspension! Are we clear?" Weatherbee stated loudly at the group. Veronica chanced a look at the other serpents and Jughead was trying to calm his obvious anger, while the mysterious serpent's jaw was clenched and he looked murderous. If she wasn't so pissed at Reggie she would have found that look made the serpent even more attractive.
"That's all," Weatherbee stated, the tone of finality in his voice clear, as well as the look of clear hatred on his face for the vandalism. He missed Reggie's smirk at the group, but the serpents and Veronica sure caught it. The tall serpent looked ready to pound Reggie, the anger radiating from his body, his fists clenching tightly at his sides as he huffed out frustrated breaths.
Veronica was transfixed by his presence, the anger in his appearance matching how she felt exactly, but she had never seen the raw power of it displayed so openly in front of her. As a Lodge, she was always taught to conceal her feelings, as they could made her appear weak or make her vulnerable to attacks. But watching him, Veronica felt like displaying that power would make her even more unstoppable. It certainly made him more appealing. She thought she had seen him mad that night at Archie's and later as he stood in the rain over Archie's body, the wild expression on his face. But now, this was his true anger and he let it permeate every fiber of his being, harnessing it like a power, without having to speak a word. Veronica wanted more.
She briefly wanted to reach out and touch him again, as though physical contact might connect them. But she was so taken with his fierceness she was rooted to the spot. Even as he turned to walk back into the student lounge and the others followed him, Veronica just watched. She finally understood her mother's loyalty to her father. That power she felt inside of her, that anger she harnessed and fueled to protect her family and their interests. He understood that. He felt that kind of power and used it.
After that night at the Whyte Wyrm, Veronica had managed to convince herself that their silent connection had been the product of her conflicted state, and Archie's harsh words. But deep down she knew the truth. Veronica and this serpent were much more similar, although raised on opposite sides of the tracks. They had the same family loyalty. They knew the stakes. They knew the game. They knew the knew the consequences. And they knew how to win. Together.
He could have punched out Reggie at any moment, the same way he took down Archie at the rumble, but underneath that impatient harshness and brash demeanor, he knew when to show his skin and when to shed it. Like a serpent. She could learn a lot from that. She craved it.
Now if she could just learn his name…