Helpline ((Jughead Jones)) 2

6

We, being Betty, Veronica and I, decided that it would be best to try and recruit the River Vixens' help with the event at Pop's. (It was actually my idea, but I let us all take credit.) So, I walked in front of the pair, entering the gym to talk to my sister.

"Humpty and Dumpty, and my darling sister. Just in time to meet our newest member." Betty and Veronica were still members of the Vixens, but as I would be attending school with Jughead soon enough, I decided against wearing my uniform. I ran over to my sister, my heels clicking against the floor, and giving her a hug. The last I had seen her was at the hospital.

"How's mother?" I asked her, still in our embrace.

"Recovering." She replied. I knew that she didn't want to talk out her, and I didn't either. So I dropped the conversation there, leaving it for a different time.

"In addition to my duties as a Pussycat. And I just wanna say, girls, I'm so excited to work on my moves and to be a team player, as long as I'm in the front." The other Vixens were warming up, stretching. I remembered how stretching took up most of my life as a child. For ballet, I stretched every morning and every evening, without fail, as well as before ballet practise. Josie and Cheryl smiled at each other, perhaps a little too sweetly. Then again, it was Cheryl and I knew that she only really looked out for herself and her, now, twin.

"Wait Cheryl, does that mean you're taking the Vixens back from me?" Veronica deduced. Cheryl had given V the Vixens before the events at Sweetwater River, and I knew that she wanted them back. Even though I hadn't been at practise since Cheryl and I quit, it was also obvious that the other Vixens wouldn't enjoy the change in leadership.

"But really, Veronica, were they ever yours?" I chose to jump in between my sister and V, before the classic bitchy bickering began, which seemed to be just making an appearance.

Our trio and Kevin had decided that it would be best if I asked Cheryl, as everyone thought I'd be the least likely to get a refusal. It was true. Out of the three girls, I had the best relationship with the Blossom child, being one myself helped largely.

"Cheryl, we were wondering if maybe the Vixens would help at an event to save Pop's." I asked her, In my sister's eyes you could see her trying to think of a way to say no, or a reason to say yes. Betty jumped in, saying that the Vixens were the perfect people to show support for the Riverdale community. As soon as she opened her mouth, I cringed. Cheryl now had the option to say no to Betty, rather than saying no to me.

"Oh, Betty, I did not emerge from the frozen depths of Sweetwater River nor the flames of Thornhill to allow my Vixens to sling milkshakes at some death-cursed diner. The answer is a double-cherry-on-top no." Cheryl smiled, the iconic Blossom 'no' smile, knowing how much we needed the support of the Vixens.

"Please think about it, for me." I replied, walking away, head held high, as Betty and Veronica went to the other Vixens to stretch, and most likely to ask for their support at the event for Pop's.

Just as I walked out of Riverdale High, I saw one boy on a motorcycle turn up. His beanie told me who it was. He held out the helmet to me and I ran over and jumped on the back of his bike, pulling the slight red waves I call hair into a ponytail.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, pulling the black helmet onto my head and letting Jughead fasten it for me.

"A hunch. We need to go and see someone about my dad." This new information intrigued me, who would be this mysterious person that we needed to see. I could feel the urgency in Jughead's tone, showing that this was something he was eager to get on with, and begging to go and see. From that alone, I knew this person was important to FP's case, or helping free FP.

"I'm happy to help, but why do you need me?" My arms wrapped tightly around J's body, pressing my chest firmly against his back as he started the engine.

"If I'm going to see a snake, I thought I'd bring a princess for backup." He grinned. With those short words said, he took off, ready for action.

We pulled up at a tattoo parlour, and made our way inside. Jughead kept my hand locked in his and pulled tightly to his side. It seemed that Jughead was slightly nervous. We approached a guy with a tattoo gun, Jughead preparing to talk.

"I'm, uh...here for Penny Peabody?" With a nod in the general direction of where we needed to go, the pair just turned their heads back to the tattoo being inked onto his arm.

Jughead lead me through a beaded doorway, and into the room we had been directed to. It seemed to be an office. Boxes were piled high, and nothing seemed to be in any sort of order or specific place.

"Forgive the office space, but I'm a firm believer in low overhead. Plus, I like being close with my clients. I'm sorry, I didn't realise there would be two." She gestured to the single seat in front of her. Jughead looked to me, and then the chair, wanting me to take the seat. I pushed him forward slightly, he was here for his dad, I didn't need to be close to the woman. I saw a chair in the corner of the room, files were stacked on top of it. I looked to Penny, who nodded, and I removed the files, placing them on the top of one of the nearby stacks of boxes, then moved the chair near to Jughead.

"Your clients being the Serpents?" Asked Jughead, taking a seat when I was near him. I discreetly placed my hand on his thigh to show support for him, to calm him, and reassure my boyfriend that I was with him through whatever.

"Well I was, and still am, a Serpent." She pulled up her sleeve and showed off her small snake tattoo. Her face showed that she was proud to be a Serpent. "They put me through college. Law school." Every word she spoke sounded perfectly normal, but I felt she had ulterior motives.

Throughout my years as a Blossom child, the youngest Blossom, I had met my fair share of people that say one thing, but lead up to something bigger. Penny may be offering help with FP, but I felt that she would be asking for more very quickly. She, this place, gave off a bad vibe, one that made me feel uncomfortable. I chose, instead of listening to her conversation with Jughead, that I would look around the office. None of the boxes had obvious labels. On her desk was one file labeled 'Greendale'. The Serpents didn't go to Greendale regularly, at least from what Jughead had told me. I tried to see what the dividers inside the file read. 'Deliveries'. That made me raise my eyebrows. Penny must have noticed as she moved the file somewhere behind her desk, giving me a blank stare as I looked at her questioningly.

"I know the loopholes. In this case, there are none. But if you get the victim's family to forgive him in front of a judge, that might shift things in FP's favour." Penny replied. Jughead immediately looked over at me.

Of course I had already forgiven FP. He wasn't the one that killed my brother. He was doing what he needed to do to survive and protect Jughead, what a Serpent usually does. This meant I carried no resentment. He protected me. Now it was my chance to protect him.

"Cynthia can do it." Jughead said immediately. Penny took on look at me, how we were sat and shook her head.

"If you two are together, that ruins the whole thing. Prosecution would argue that she was coursed into saying it. Your relationship makes it unreliable. It would have to be someone else. Instead of 20 years, he can get time served with parole."

"That's great." Jughead was practically leaking excitement. His usual defensive nature seemed to have deserted him as I seemed the only one in the room not as trusting. The information that Penny provided did help, and appeared to be promising. However, this wasn't just a Serpent, she was a business woman. This help would come at a price.

"Am I... supposed to pay you, or...?" Jug stuttered.

"We're friends," she said, sending a chill straight down my spine, " I do you a favour, one day, maybe you do me a favour." She made me nervous. What favour could this woman possibly want from a high school boy. She shook Jughead's hand, then held her hand out to me. I slowly took it, and felt her grip it much tighter than she gripped Jughead's. J watched from the door as she smiled warmly at me, thanking me for coming. Her hand squeezed my fingers and I just glared at her, pulled my slightly bruised hand away, and followed J out of the Tattoo parlour, my heels clicking on the floor as I left.