ROYALTY | RIVERDALE

chapter -9

chapter 9 || 009

'what happened there doesn't stay there'

I looked up from the counter and saw Jughead all by himself at his usual booth. And he didn't have his laptop with him, unusual. 

After us serpents peacefully protested the Pickens day celebration, all of a sudden the Pickens statue was beheaded. Doesn't take much to connect the dots and assume that someone out there doesn't want the serpents to see the sunshine anymore.

My shift was done in less than five minutes, if I remember correctly. I fold up my apron and lay it flat on the counter. "Pop, I'll be heading out now." I alert my boss and he responds with a goodbye.

I stoll over to his booth and sit across from him. 

"Hey, is everything okay? I mean besides the whole statue head thing. And the trailer park potentially closing down." I whisper to him across the table and he shakes his head. He looks like he's having an internal struggle.

"I actually called Betty my- friend, and ex girlfriend? I really need her help right now. And I could use another brain too, if you're up to it." I nodded along to the last part and scooted over to make room for Betty.

I bet she's gonna sit next to me with how Jughead basically described their current relationship status. 

The door bell rings and sure enough a blonde shows up at our booth. "Hi! I'm Diana, Jughead's friend." I held out my hand and she shook it happily. 

"I'm betty. Can I sit?" She asks me and I nod to her.

Things got a little awkward as soon as she sat down. The two were practically stealing glances at each other when the other wasn't looking. Why did these two have problems? They seem to be so head over heels for each other.

"Thanks for meeting me, your the only person in this town that I can talk to about something like this."  My eyebrows lifted in surprise. So he trusts her a huge amount? I'd say that this in my time to push these two love birds together.

Prince of the serpents and blonde goodie two shoes.

"Before you do can I just point out one thing?" Betty spoke softly to him as I watched the two from the corner of the booth.

"I know what you're gonna say" So he knows her like the back of his hand? Good to know. Maybe this little mission will help bring these two together. "Last time the serpents and I were in trouble I pushed you away."

WHat?! 

"What do you need Jug?" 

-

Jughead parked his bike and I uncrossed my arms from around his waist. The kid was kind of growing on me, like a weird step brother. I don't know I might retract that statement later. 

"We'll find that head. And then we'll handle the trailer park fiasco. I kind of like it here, not willing to let it go to shit now that I'm comfortable." I patted his shoulder and promise him. He managed to smile at me, even a little bit of a chuckle. "And I'll fix you and Betty."

He went stiff at that and I clutch my chest to stop laughing. "Diana, things between me and Betty are-" He tries finding the words to describe his now estranged relationship. But I beat him to his own words with a look.

"Fixable. Now, let's head in there." I motioned to the snake den and he walked in front of me.

The light from outside filtered out as we stepped in and the door closed behind us. This den was really big actually but not big enough that I couldn't see the crowd of serpents that was formed dead ahead of us.

"Alright order of the ophidians." Jughead joked as he plastered the flyer for the missing head on the wall. 

Just as he did the crowd parted.

"Jughead Jones, did you really think you'd seen the last of me?" A voice- that shrill voice that I badly wanted to forget. That I was forgetting as I was here, came from the crowd.

My eyes darted around until they found her. That snake, that blonde ugly snake. I blinked my eyes a couple of times to try and make her go away, but she wasn't going anywhere.

"What's the snake charmer doing here?" Jughead asked but no one in the room would give him an answer. "Dad?" He questioned his father but FP just sat there, not giving him anything.

I stood behind Jughead, hiding most of my body. She couldn't know I was here. Why was she here? Why did the Greendale Snake arrive in Riverdale? I thought she was done with me. Well, I ran away from her but what's so important about me to come back?

My heart beat started picking up, the mere thought of her here. I shut my mouth from making any labored sounds. It was enough mental torture to do what she asked, but for her to be here? In a place where I could see myself not running away from?

It was my own personal hell.

Everything went mute in my ears. My hand went out to reach for the wall to my side seeing as I was about to pass out from this whole experience. 

God. Why did I have to run away so much? I keep running away and everything and everyone I run from just keeps catching up to me. That's why Dad was always moving us to towns over, trading our clothes, everything.

I didn't matter in the end. 

Those men caught up with us, and took him from me. And now? Penny was here to just take me? Could she do that? Would the serpents let her do that? FP?

"Nice to see you too Diana." Her voice alerted me and I jumped from off the wall.

I didn't notice that Jughead had moved away from me. Away from in front of me meaning he wasn't hiding me anymore. Everyone was staring at me. The crowd was just staring and judging and even Jughead was now doing the same with me. 

Get out of here.  

I caught FP's eyes as they went wide.

Get out of here.

I slowly walked backwards until I felt the back of my feet hit one of the chairs by the front entrance. Then I turned my body and stormed through the front door.