The Serpent Queen

Chapter Nine

I stayed at the Wyrm instead of going back to school, there didn't seem much point for only one lesson but Sweet Pea went back to meet some of the others. Toni texted me saying Jughead was restarting the school paper, the red and black. That kid sure was weird! The paper had shut down ages ago due to the people involved getting mixed up with drugs and gangs. Like a school on the Southside would be involved in anything else.........

Sweet Pea messaged me saying they were going to the Quarry but I declined his invite and helped dad behind the bar instead - I wanted some pocket money!

Sweet Pea finally came back with some of the younger ones, still hyped from the Quarry and I went over to join them as Toni took over behind the bar. We started a small darts competition which I unfortunately lost but I still had a lot of fun with the others!

The next day, I found out Jughead had called Toni to his trailer before school. My prediction was right, a Ghoulie, or several, had decided to beat him up last night as he was leaving the school. His girlfriend was at his trailer too - what I wouldn't give to properly meet her! Toni told her that the Serpents were looking out for Jughead which I didn't agree with since he obviously wanted nothing to do with us.

He reluctantly decided to sit with us today. He wasn't stupid, he knew that we could protect him. Sweet Pea wasn't at all impressed but he kept quiet so I knew the others would too. I glanced at Jughead and he nodded at me, a sign of defeat, a sign that he was accepting his honorary position as a Serpent and being one step closer to going through our initiation process.

That night in the Wyrm, a video was making its way around the younger Serpents. Some boys from the Northside were calling themselves the Red Circle and threatening the Black Hood - a killer on the Northside. They were idiots, goading him like that. I just hoped the terror stayed on the Northside of town and didn't make it here.