Sweeter Than Fiction (RIVERDALE)

𝚃𝚠𝚘

CHATTER FELL TO EERIE SILENCE as the door to the Whyte Wyrm swung open abruptly. The short blonde who entered held her head high, her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket as she moved. She took a deep breath before letting out a sigh. While the bar was usually a place of comfort, it had been too long since she'd last walked across the threshold. She wondered if the people she had once said were more of her family than those who shared her own blood would recognize her. If they would cast her away for not returning while Lydia was out of town.

As quickly as the silence had rolled through the bar, the conversations and rowdiness struck once more. Her eyes scanned the packed bar as she searched for at least one familiar face. She walked slowly, taking everything in. After a moment, her eyes landed on Sweet Pea and a shorter boy at the pool table closest to her.

"Fangs!" Her sickly-sweet voice competed against the music and commotion of the full house that surrounded them. She removed one hand from her jacket and placed it on his shoulder. Slowly, he turned to face her with a smile.

"Well, if it isn't Emy Westin," he laughed. As he spoke, he continued to play without looking back at the table. "Were you able to get a babysitter tonight?" He leaned away from the table with a raised brow.

"Neighbor's watching Zo," she nodded. "Have you seen Lily?" As she took her hand from his shoulder, she played with the zipper of her jacket anxiously.

"I should've known you'd only grab me for one thing." Though his face fell briefly, he couldn't maintain the look of false disappointment as he broke out into a smile once more. "Last I saw, she was over there." He nodded toward the bar, pointing his pool stick in the same direction. Emery's gaze followed. Almost immediately, her eyes locked on the jet-black hair with teal and green ends she'd been searching for.

"Found her!" There was a hop to her step as she began to walk away. "Thanks!" She gave him a soft smile and a wave as she made her way through the crowd. As she neared the other girl, her shoulders relaxed. Once close enough, Emery wrapped an arm around Lydia's waist from behind.

"Boo!" A playful smirk painted itself across her lips as she felt the Serpent twitch under her fingers. The skin-on-skin contact further relaxed her.

"Shit," Lydia mumbled. She jumped slightly. Before Emery approached, Lydia was deeply engrossed in a moderate argument with Toni, who stood behind the bar. She leaned back against Emery's chest. Her head tilted at an awkward angle as she made a poor attempt to look up at the blonde's face.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to spook me, ass?" Emery couldn't hold in the chuckle that bubbled in her throat. She sent a wink in Toni's direction, a brief acknowledgement of the other girl's existence, before her attention returned to the Serpent within her grasp.

"Probably a million more times. And, even then, it's doubtful I'll listen." Lydia laughed as the blonde wrapped her other arm around her. "I mean, I am an ass. Though, that makes me wonder what, exactly, you are ..." Her playful tone mirrored the smirk on her lips. With one squeeze, Emery gave the other girl a tight hug from behind. She rested her chin against the other girl's crown and let out a sigh.

"What's got you in a funk, punk?" Lydia asked. From the sigh and the tone of Emery's voice, she could tell that the other girl wasn't in the greatest of moods.

"Don't worry about it, Princess," she whispered. "Nothing we can do." Lydia rolled her eyes, knowing that was far from the truth. She cleared her throat before speaking again.

"Hey, at least you saved me from that mess." The dark-haired girl laughed as she brought her drink to her lips. The tension between Toni and Lydia radiated across the bar. As she took a sip from her glass, she used her free hand to pull the stool next to her closer. "Sit." She patted her hand against the cushion, and Emery obliged.