Redemption [Sweet Pea x OC]

Chapter 30

"Oh, hey guys, what's up?" Jughead greeted us casually.

"Jones, what are you doing?" I asked, more to myself than him since he was already halfway across the room. Weatherbee said we couldn't wear our Serpent jackets at school just yesterday, and here Jughead was wearing his like it was no problem.

"Take it off," Mantle demanded as Jughead reached the vending machine directly in front of him. Sweet Pea and Fangs stood from their seats just as Mantle rose from his. I stayed back with Toni, watching the scene before us. "Take off that jacket, Rat Boy."

Jughead turned around with a sigh. "Oh, Reggie, I don't think you know what this jacket means. Because you have no sense of honor. Or history, or loyalty."

"That's it," Mantle growled, lunging for Jughead. Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Mantle's Bulldogs jumped in quickly.

"And he was warning you about starting things yesterday?" Toni asked, looking at me.

"Yup," I replied, watching. Much like the night on the bridge, the Bulldogs were doing it all wrong, used to pushing each other around for a minute or two before giving up. The Serpents had endurance, giving them the advantage. I caught sight of Lodge in the hall, eyes wide as she watched the boys across the room.

"Oh, my God," she said in shock. "Mr Weatherbee!" she called, making her way down the hall to his office.

Before long, we were all in the office, Lodge standing with a small smile on her face behind Weatherbee. I didn't know what she was smiling about, Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs barely had a mark on them while two of the Bulldogs had to see the nurse before anything else.

"You all have a week's detention for fighting," Weatherbee said. "But I made myself clear to you, Mr Jones. Take off that jacket right now, or you're suspended.

Lodge stepped forward, reaching out. "Please, Jughead, just–"

"Then I guess I'm suspended," Jughead said, shrugging her off. WIthout another word, he walked out of the office, leaving the rest of us to get through the day.

I found Betty that afternoon in the Blue and Gold office. "Been hiding from us?" I asked from the doorway.

"I'm so sorry," Betty replied, looking up from the papers she was sorting. "I had to deal with some things at home. Come in, I'll catch you up on everything you missed the past few days."

I cleared a space on a table against the wall, hopping up to take a seat. "So, what was so important that you couldn't be here to welcome us?"

"Well, first, Polly had her twins but she didn't call or anything, she was just there in her old room one day, packing up some of her things to take back to the Farm. I had to break the news to my parents. My mom took it harder than my dad. None of us have even seen pictures of Juniper and Dagwood yet."

"I'm sorry, Juniper and Dagwood?" I laughed. "Those sound like characters in a comic strip."

"They are...unique," Betty said with a smile. "But everybody's healthy and Polly is happy, so that's all that matters."

"Okay, so what else? There's no way that's it."

"Uh, no, there's more," Betty said. "I have a brother!" I waited for her to continue, not feeling the excitement she was.. "My mom gave him up for adoption and after seeing how upset she was after finding out about Polly and the twins, I managed to track him down. My mom and I went to see him yesterday."

"And that didn't go so well?" I asked, watching Betty's smile fade.

"No, he wanted nothing to do with us. Said he came to our house once and my mom basically slammed the door in his face," Betty said.