Ride or Die

*9*

After a week of being at Riverdale High, everyone seemed to forget our existence munis some people who kept on starting fights with us left and right. Now Serpents don't take things lying down so we always fought back. Sometimes with actual fighting other times doing things they didn't want us to do. For example, Sweet Pea and Fangs joined Basketball because yeah they played it here and there but also because Reggie said he didn't want Serpents on the team.

A town-wide event was just around the corner, Pickens day. To everyone who was blinded by the truth, they saw that day as the founding of Riverdale. But us Serpents knew better. We were taught our history of that day. The day General Pickens lead the raid on the Uktena. And now we have Cheryl Blossom giving us a speech of that very day in class.

"As I was saying, each year, we honor the memory of General Pickens, yet few know the truth," Cheryl said after Jughead was called out by Mrs. Haggly "That is my great-great-great-grandpappy Colonel Barnabas B. Blossom, who bankrolled General Pickens' settlement of, "an Eden along the river of Sweetwater, where maple trees grow taller than the steeples of Europe's grandest cathedrals." Which is why every year I petition the mayor's office to rename Pickens Day."

Cheryl was thankfully silenced by the bell and Mrs. Haggly thanking her for the presentation. After packing my things I was out of the class and met up with Sweet Pea and Fangs.

"Ready to go?" I asked them after kissing Sweet Pea and hugging Fangs who were both smiling and sweaty "What's up with the smiles, boys?"

"Sweet Pea knocked over Mantle during tryouts," Fangs said laughing and walking backward "You should've seen his face"

—

"Babydoll, hey," Kevin said walking up to me and Sweet Pea at our locker

"Kevin, hey what's up?" I asked placing a subtle hand on Sweet Pea's bicep "How're tryouts going?"

"Good" Kevin responded ignoring the look Sweet Pea was giving him "Archie was at tryouts though and some of the Serpents too"

"I've heard they couldn't stop laughing at how you pinned him down pretty good," I said laughing a little "Seems some Northsiders aren't as great as they think they are"

"When exactly did the two of you become friends?" Sweet Pea asked looking between the two of us

"Relax babe," I said before Kevin could answer "Kevin isn't straight for starters. We got paired up in class and that's all"

"Are the two of you going to the Pickens day celebration?" Kevin asked after clearing things up

"Yeah but we're working as security remember?" I answered, "But with how Jughead is he'll probably have this big plan for us or whatever."

—

I was right. Jughead did have something planned but this is something I was okay with. We were ready with signs and duct-tape over our mouths. We started marching in after Veronica and the pussycats started singing.

"We're here representing the dead and the silenced," Toni said into the 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 us. And we can't bring them back, but we can and we must honor them."

"Hey, folks, hi." Hiram fucking Lodge interrupts Toni "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?"

As the people of Riverdale applauded, I took off the tape and hugged Toni. Living in Riverdale was nothing to be proud of because it was things like this that showed just how horrible and cruel some people could be.

Showed just how they were easily manipulated by another person. And it was sad not because it was easy but because they don't realize what they're doing to the rest of us. To the ones who have already suffered enough and lost so damn much because of what side we were raised on. How ironic that the side that struggles more are the ones that watch out for each other.