A week after the Serpents had transferred into Riverdale, things were changing. Wetherbee had loosened his noose about the clothes we had to wear, and we were allowed to wear out own clothes, it was such a relief. I helped Cheryl with her history report, and I had to bite my tongue at what she was going to present. Toni's grandfather, Thomas, had told us the truth about the founding of Riverdale. Besides that, Betty's half-brother had shown up, and she had a picture of him for Veronica, Kevin, Jughead and I to inspect. "That's him?" I wondered. "He looks…"

"He's very fetching." Veronica said, taking the phone from Betty. "For someone who was living on skid row."

"Yeah, he's a hottie who looks incredibly familiar to me, by the way." Kevin commented, taking the phone from Veronica.

"Maybe adventures in the woods?" Jughead wondered.

"I don't know. Maybe if we were allowed to meet this hottie in person-"

"Chick is still acclimating." Betty argued, taking her phone back. "And I'm trying to get him to trust me. But, my mum is treating him like he's a ten-year-old and my dad's acting like he's the devil's spawn."

"Well, I have an amazing idea." Veronica suggested. "Bring the Omen to Pickens Day and we can all meet him. Everyone's coming, right?"

"Serpents weren't invited." I spoke up, leaning back in my seat.

"Serpents were specifically asked to come." Veronica argued.

"Yeah, to provide security." Jughead said. "Like we're all on the Snowpeircer train, but the Serpents are gonna be the ones eating the cockroaches."

"You don't have to work if you don't want to."

"The damage, as they say, has already been done." Jughead gathered his things and stood. "Talk with you guys later."

"Plans with Toni?" Betty wondered.

"Uh, yeah, I'm interviewing her grandfather for my oral history report. Oldest living Serpent." Jughead then walked off.

"I'll see you guys." I said, getting my own things.

"Where are you off to?" Veronica wondered,

"Us junior Serpents have plans." I stood and grinned. "See you 'round, Northies." I then walked off.

TIMESKIP

"'General Pickens was a murderer, and ripples from his gruesome acts continue to be felt today'." Toni read from the Blue and Gold, pacing in front of Jughead and I in the Serpents and Swords room. "'Descendants of the victims are still being displaced. So, I challenge the Northside, instead of honouring men like General Pockens and Hiram Lodge, hold them accountable. Reparations must be paid to men like Thomas Topaz who are too old and beaten down to fight back for themselves'?"

"This town is messed up." Jughead stated. "And it needs to own up to it's history."

"But using Grandpa Topaz like that?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Jug, that's just low. He isn't a broken-down victim, if you'd spend more than just one afternoon with him."

"He's not some prop for your insane vendetta against the Northside." Toni added.

"No, of course not." Jughead assured.

"Look. I get it." Toni conceded. "You hate the Northside. You hate that instead of inviting you to a party, they asked you to work it. It triggers your rage about being born on the wrong side of the tracks. But this?" Toni lifted the newspaper in her hand, shoving it into Jughead's chest. "This wasn't your story to tell." Toni then walked off.

"Toni's right." I said. "You stepped out of line, Jughead, make it right." I then walked out after Toni.

"Your brother is getting on my last nerve." Toni told me. "What right does he have to publish that article?"

"He doesn't." I said. "I can't take it back, but I can make him make it right."

"Are you going to be going to General Pickens Day?" Toni asked me. "With your Northsider…what are you?"

"That's irrelevant." I sighed. "But, no I'm not going, as much as she wants me to. The last time I went to one was when my Father…" I huffed. "Alexander dragged Paris, Chloe and I to one when we were tots. Then, Grandpa Topaz gave that history lesson and then every time Alexander wanted me to go, I would kick and scream so much that He'd eventually just let me stay home."

"Smart."

TIMESKIP

That afternoon, as I was sorting out my homework, there was a rapid knock at my door. I put my papers down and headed over to open it, only to reveal Cheryl. "Is this true?" She demanded, shoving the Blue and Gold paper in my face. I reeled back a little. I took the paper from Cheryl's hand and read it over, it was open to the article that Jughead had written. "This article, about the truth about how Riverdale was founded?"

"Yeah." I said, looking up at her. "This is all true, Grandpa Topaz told all the Serpents when we first joined."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cheryl slipped by me into the house. I closed the door after her. "While I was doing my history report, don't you think this is something I should have known?"

"You were so far in on your assignment, I didn want to throw you off." I closed the paper in my hands, setting it on the counter.

"But-"

"Cheryl." I interrupted, taking Cheryl's hands in my own. "History has always been whitewashed, we can't exactly re-write the history books."

"I'm…" Cheryl started softly. "I'm so sorry, Lia, for what my ancestors did."

"There's no need to apologise, it's all in the past." I pulled Cheryl closer and wrapped her in a hug. Cheryl's arms slid around me as we held each other tight. "Let's just focus on the future, yeah?"

"Ok." Cheryl said softly. "Focous on the future."

TIMESKIP

On Pickens Day, us Serpents were a no-show..for the first part of the event anyway. "Hand me two." I said, offering my hands for a sign,

"Two?" Fangs wondered. "Why two?"

"Just hand it over, Fogarty." I snapped my fingers. Fangs handed me two signs. I taped my mouth shut, and kept one piece on my fingers. During Veronica and the Pussycat's song, us Serpents walked through Pickens Day, all with taped mouths and holding signs. We passed Cheryl and her mother, I saw her shove a candy apple in Penelope's chest a d stalk off. She stopped next to me. I offered her the tape on my finger, and she smiled at me. Taking it and sticking it over her mouth, and then grabbed the second sign I had grabbed. Together, we stopped in front of th gazebo, with Toni and Grandpa Topaz with their mouths uncovered.

"Toni?" Veronica wondered. "Jughead? Lia? What the hell is going on?"

"We're here representing the dead and the silenced!" Toni shouted through a megaphone. "Pickens Day is a lie! General Pickens slaughtered the Uktena tribe, my grandfather's family. And this land, the land that we're standing on, the land that will soon give way to a new Southside, was stolen from them. And we can't bring them back, but we can and we must honor them-" Before Toni could say anything else, Hiram Lodge got up to the microphone,

"Hey, folks, hi." He said. "Uh... I think we can all be proud to live in a Riverdale where young people stand up for justice. Where a young woman can defend the honor and legacy of her grandfather. And where we can celebrate the living legacy of the Uktena, who contribute to the rich tapestry that is Riverdale, that is the Southside and that will be SoDale. So let's hear a round of applause for that, am I right?" There were claps ans applause from the Northsiders…but not all of them from what I could see. Jughead took his tape off and was going to go up, but Grandpa Topaz yanked him back.

"No." He said. I ripped off my tape and scowled. I stormed off, Cheryl hurrying after me.

"Lia." She called, taking her own tape off.

"Every time." I complained, pacing in a hidden area of the woods. "Every time we try to do something good, Hiram shoves his nose into our business and ruins it!"

"It's ok." Cheryl soothed, cupping my cheeks and prompting me to stop. "It's ok, Lia."

"I'm sorry." I sighed, pressing the palms of my hands into my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologise. You're feelings are valid after what I've learned." Cheryl drew me closer and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. "Just take a breath, Lee Lee." My eyes widened.

"Did you just…did you just kiss me?" I wondered, a smile growing on my face.

"I did." Cheryl said with a smirk. "And get used to it, because it's going to happen a lot more." I chuckled.

"I will be very happy if you continue." I slid my arm around Cheryl's waist and captured her lips in a kiss.