Two Evils // Sweet Pea

Chapter Eleven

          The following week passed quickly, the Serpents eventually slotted into the school, and things return to normal, or as normal as Riverdale could be.
At school, Kat remained wary of the Serpents, avoiding them wherever possible. Though that would prove difficult in the now crowded classrooms. Each class meant she was stuck with at least one of them; more often than not it was Jughead.
At home, Archie had dipped his toe into the shark-infested waters of the Lodge Family. The stunt he pulled with the St. Clair scum had made a lasting impression on Hiram. With the reassurance that Archie was willing to do anything to protect not only Veronica, but Katherine too, Kat's 'stone-faced' father had willingly welcomed Archie into the family. Which left Veronica with the lingering will-she-won't-she of truly introducing him into the family — the good, the bad and the ugly.
Katherine honestly wasn't bothered by her father's new plaything. He'd enjoy it for a while before soon becoming bored, as he always did with the 'new' family member. Kat remembered how fond of tio Emilio her father was — he traveled across the east coast with her father, he was her father's right hand man — but eventually he grew bored of the yes man. Katherine knew he would do the same with Archie.

         Katherine Lodge leans back at her desk doodling as Cheryl Blossom drones on about Pickens day for, what Kat assumed was, the nth year in a row. She wasn't particularly bothered over the founding of the town, especially when it came from the Blossom family. However, if it came with the excuse of fairground games and snow cones, she wouldn't exactly grumble.
Kat looks up every so often, as if to give the impression that she was listening, which she so obviously wasn't. After droning on for what seems like a half hour, Cheryl finally sits, allowing their teacher to dismiss the class.

          Fangs Fogarty hangs back by the door, waiting for Kat to walk passed him. When she does, he grabs her arm loosely.
"Can we talk?" He mutters. Though one of the tallest Serpents, Fogarty remained one of the kindest and approachable.
Kat sighs, shoving her notebook in her bag, "What is it, Fogarty?"
He smiles slightly, jerking his head in the direction of the hallway. Kat follows him into an empty room, usually reserved for school clubs, but no one had occupied this room for the entire time she'd been at this school.
"Swords and Serpents," Kat rolls her eyes, "Real discreet."
"First off, how dare you?" He jokes, leaning against a desk and crossing his booted feet in front of him, "Second, why are you avoiding us?"
Kat furrows her eyebrows, "You don't know?"
He shakes his head, innocently. He wasn't there, Kat had almost forgotten.
"I was put in real danger because I was connected to the Serpents," She sighs, not wanting to relive that night again, "More-so, I saw some things that I just can't shake, Fangs." She pauses, taking a deep breath, "There's no way I can look at Jug or Toni or Pea the same. The rose tinted glasses are off, Fangs, I can't put them back on."
She half felt hypocritical, her father had done similar things. Hell, Nick St. Clair's legs were  in casts because of her father, but, as she'd soon discovered, ignorance was pure bliss. Kat hadn't witnessed Nick's 'accident' first-hand, however, the sound of Penny's scream haunted her daily.
"So, you're just going to ignore us?" Fangs says, looking at the floor, like a wounded puppy.
"Fangs, I was terrified — I even feared for my own life — and that wasn't the Snake Charmer's doing. It was watching Jughead wield that knife with no remorse; Topaz and Sweet Pea holding that woman whilst Jug..."
Kat closes her eyes, unable to even finish the sentence.
Eyes still closed, she feels herself being pulled into a tight embrace. The sweet smell of leather and cheep cologne fills her nose. Kat clenches her jaw, trying to stop herself from crying.
"I understand," Fangs breathes.
Kat looks up at the boy, his hand loosely gripping her shoulder as he releases her from the embrace, "I wanted to warn you about the Pickens Day Gala — the one your parents are hosting — the Serpents are protesting."
She stares at Fangs inquisitively, "Why?"
"Because it's all a lie," He sighs, "Pickens and his men slaughtered the Uktena tribe, taking their lands from them. And every year, the Northside honours the man who massacred children."
"Why are you warning me?"
"Whether or not you stand with us, I still consider you a friend, Kat," He smiles reassuringly, "I mean, I'd rather you stood with us, obviously."
"Fangs."
"I know, but a certain serpent has done nothing but mope since Christmas," He drums his fingers on the desk, "Which more or less lines up with you avoiding us."
"Fangs," Kat repeats.
He sighs, "Jughead is about to put out an article. I thought you'd want to know, maybe you could talk your parents out of  the sponsorship."
"Thank you, Fangs," She nods, politely before ducking out of the classroom.