Two Evils // Sweet Pea

Chapter Thirteen

Katherine stands in the serpents nest, somewhere she never expected to visit again, much less by Jughead's side. Much less in her Confirmation dress. She stands awkwardly, hand in hand with Betty, who looks equally as out of place. Though they say nothing, Kat feels the presence of Sweet Pea behind her, and Topaz to the right of her.
"What the hell were you doing by the dump, Tall Boy?" FP Jones leans menacingly against the pool table, a nervous Serpent sat in front of him.
"I don't know what you're talking about." The serpent attempts to lie to no avail.
"I'm talking about you cutting the head off the Pickens statue and stashing it at the dump," FP scoffs, "You were seen, dumbass. So, start spilling."
"Why did you do it?" Jug's voice matches his fathers.
"What're the Northsiders doing here?" Tall Boy ignores the question, and narrowing his eyes at the Northside Duo. On usual days they struggled to blend into the Whyte Wyrm, but now both girls stood awkwardly in formal dresses, "This is Serpent business on Serpent Land."
"They're here," Jug spits, "Because they're part of us."
FP, now growing tired of Tall Boys shit, stands over him, "You didn't answer my sons question; why did you do it?"
"I am sick and tired of seeing the Serpents go soft under your rule," Tall Boy raises his voice, "So, when Hiram Lodge came by, wanting to cause some chaos, I obliged. He said if I took the head, he'd get Mayor McCoy to swarm all over us."
"You're lying," Kat rolls her eyes as she fails to keep the words to herself, "He's clearly lying."
"So, let's say Hiram Lodge did asked you to start a mutiny and you helped him." Jughead pries, "Why?"
"I'd figure it'd be my chance to get rid of you, Sunshine," Tall Boy sneers, "And if I got rid of him, I could get rid of you, FP."
FP scoffs, "And then what, you'd become leader?"
"He and Penny," Jughead interjects, "You're a Judas, Tall Boy, and an idiot."
"You betrayed your own kind, Tall Boy. You broke Serpent Law," FP shouts, turning to address his serpent peers, "What should we do with him?"
"Strip him of his jacket," Jughead raises his voice, "Exile him."
"All in favour?" FP questions, a unanimous amount of hands reach for the ceiling, including Kat and Betty, "Looks like this piece of trash and I have a long ride ahead of us."

          Jughead saunters back to Kat and Betty.
"Jug, he's lying about my father," Kat grits her teeth, "He got your dad out of jail, he was assured that the Serpents would run smoother with your father in charge. Why would he want chaos? That's not good for business."
"Maybe," Jug sighs, "But how would you know that for sure?"
"I have more stake in my fathers company then you realise, Jug," Kat sighs.
"Really?" He scoffs, "The why didn't you know about the Twilight Drive-in?"
Kat shakes her head, "I didn't know at the time — my father was in prison. It's pretty hard to discuss deals with your daughter whilst in prison, Jug. In fact, isn't that why you crossed paths with the Snake Charmer?"
Jughead rolls his eyes.
"Your Serpent buddies were directly involved in the Drive-in sale, or did you forget that?"
Jug says nothing, instead turning on his heals and walking away.
He had a point, Kat hadn't initially known about the Drive-in. For all she knew, her father could be behind the decapitating of the statue. She fiddles with the large button on her coat. Was this a ploy to get out of the Uktena Memorial? After all, Hiram had come up with it on the spot, maybe her regretted it.

"I can't say that I love your new style, Lodge," Fangs Fogarty's voice is as smooth as silk.
Kat scoffs, "Fangs, you dress like a 1950s greaser."
He laughs loudly, despite Kat's comment not actually being funny. She sends a sweet smile back. If the rest of the Serpents refused to speak to her, at least she had Fangs.
"Why are you dressed that way?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Well, why not?" She pokes fun at the confused boy, "We came straight from my Confirmation soirée." Which she should still be at, Kat awkwardly stares at the floor.

She hadn't thought this through, she'd left in the middle of an important family gathering, in a dress twice the price of the car she'd taken across Riverdale, and for what? Fangs Fogarty was the only person that truly held no qualms, even Jughead didn't fully trust her. Once again, she was sticking her neck out for the Serpents for no reason.