Collateral Damage ▻ Riverdale [1]

1.7

THE BEGINNING
CHAPTER SEVEN
May 18, 2017

    At the gauntlet of new Serpent, Sweet Pea's initiation, Queenie stood at the end of the line ready to give the last punch. She watched as each Serpent punched Sweet Pea at least once before roughly pushing him to the next person in line. The tall soon-to-be Serpent took every punch as if it were nothing. Once he arrived at the end of the line, he stared directly into Queenie's hazel eyes and showed no fear.

By then, he already had a bloody lip, multiple bruises and cuts scattering his face and a single black eye. Queenie dug her right hand into her jacket pocket and slipped on her brass knuckles. She gave the boy one last glare before swinging her hardest punch to his cheek. Sweet Pea fell straight to the ground, face planting into the cold, wet grass. Sweet Pea stayed in that position for only a small, brief moment before standing right back up.

  Once getting back on his feet, the blacked haired boy looked down at the same Serpent who had swung the punch that landed him straight on the ground head first. Deep down inside, he was impressed, but he, of course, didn't want to show that so he gave her a straight and emotionless face.

    Queenie stared at him for a long moment before she sent him a wide grin. Queenie slightly laughed as she held out her hand for him to shake. Sweet Pea awkwardly shook her hand before Mandy and Joaquin came over with his new jacket. The duo handed the newly recruited Serpent his leather jacket and Joaquin lightly patted him on the back.

  "I'm impressed, you took those hits like they were nothing. The Serpents will be lucky to have you, Sweet Pea." Queenie told him smiling as she gave him a gave a light pat on the back just like Joaquin did.

    As the trio began to walk over to the Wyrm, Queenie turned around confused to see Sweet Pea walking the other way, "Hey, Sweet Pea! Where do you think we're going?"

"Home, where else? I have to clean all these cuts." He answered her calmly as he stopped walking and turned to face the brunette and her two friends.

"Nope, you can go home after, Snake boy. Right now, you're coming with us to the Whyte Wyrm to celebrate. Plus, there's a first aid kit there. I'll clean your cuts for you." She told him in a calm, but stern voice. Sweet Pea only nodded in agreement before following the three others in the direction of the Serpent's den.

"You don't seem like a pack animal," Joaquin remarked, "What about your girlfriend, Toni, is it?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Sweet Pea shook his head in response, "Trust me, I've tried. As she likes to say 'she's more into girls'."

   Just as Queenie and Joaquin heard this, their heads snapped around to stare at Mandy, who was clearly avoiding all eye contact, knowing that her friends were going to make a comment about it, "Oh, shut up, guys! I would never date a freshman." Mandy argued, rolling her eyes.

"But we're sophomores," Queenie retorted with a sly smirk placed on her place, "That's only a year difference."

   "Tell me, what would you say if one of the younger Serpents, like Sweet Pea, for instance, tried to get with you?" Mandy questioned.

  "I would say, 'you're good looking and all, but you're fresh meat and I don't date fresh meat." Queenie replied as she looked over at Sweet Pea and sent him a small smile, "No offense."

"None taken." Sweet Pea replied as he  sent her back a smile back.

"See, that proves my point!"

•••

  Queenie stood near the pool table in the Whyte Wyrm alongside Mandy, Sweet Pea, and Joaquin. Queenie was sitting on top of a nearby table cleaning the cuts and bruises on Sweet Pea's face while Mandy and Joaquin played their second game of pool since arriving at the bar.

"There, all done," Queenie clapped her hands together before closing the first aid kit box back up.

    "Look, Queenie, it's your Northside boyfriend," Mandy spoke up as she pointed her pool stick towards the opposite side of the bar.

  Queenie looked over at Mandy with a puzzled look before turning her head to see what the girl was talking about. Queenie groaned as her hazel eyes finally locked on a certain redheaded teenager wearing a blue and gold letterman jacket.

   Jason looked somewhat frustrated as he walked away from FP, who was standing a few feet away from Jason. Queenie exhaled deeply as she hopped off from her seat on the table,  "I'll be right back." She told her three friends and Joaquin and Mandy snickered.

  "What? You going to go see your boyfriend?" Joaquin asked jokingly. Just before walking in Jason's direction, Queenie quickly turned to face the two Serpents who were her best friends and flipped them off.

  "Love you too, Hon," Mandy replied to the girl's action and Queenie playfully rolled her eyes as she exited the Whyte Wyrm to see Jason walking towards his cherry red convertible.

   "What brings you to the Southside of town, Blossom?" Queenie questioned with her arms crossed.

  Jason's eyes widened as he turned his body around to face the Jones girl, "Your dad won't make the deal with me anymore. He suddenly said he couldn't do it anymore," Jason explained with a saddened look, "I don't know what I'm going to do without that money now."

   "I could try and put in a word," Queenie suddenly offered much to her own surprise, "I could say I'm just putting in a word for a friend, even though we aren't friends."

    Jason looked somewhat hurt by the girl's last comment, "We're not friends?" He questioned and Queenie let out a small laugh.

     If Queenie hadn't known that her friends were eavesdropping, she might have told him that she actually considered them friends, but she knew Joaquin, Mandy and probably even Sweet Pea were hiding on the side of the building listening to the duo's conversation.

    "No, I'm pretty sure we're not," She shook her head, "But I'll still put in a good word for you, Blossom. Just because I'm still lacking in my yearly charity to the community and I'm feeling kinda generous today."

      Jason nodded in agreement as he opened the driver's side door before looking up at Queenie one last time, "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, Blossom." She told him as she gave him a small grin.

      "Hmm, you're starting to sound like you actually like seeing me, Queenie," Jason told her and Queenie playfully rolled her eyes.

       "I am not!" Queenie argued.

    "Keep telling yourself that, Queenie."