Breaking Boundaries / Sweet Pea \

¦12¦

"You push and you push and I'm pulling away, pulling away from you. I give and I give and I give and you take, give and you take. Youngblood, say you want me, say you want me out of your life and I'm just a dead man walking tonight. But you need it, yeah, you need it all of the time"

Lola was sitting at the bar in the White Wyrm, talking to Toni. She had managed to avoid all questions involving Sweet Pea, but he was still the only thing on her mind. She still hadn't talked to him since that night. She was beginning to zone out once more when the doors flew open.

Lola looked up, confused. It was still early in the day and there was barely anyone there. The only reason she was there was to keep Toni company. Her eyes widened at the sight of Betty Cooper walking towards them. What the hell was she doing in the Southside?

"Hey guys. I was wondering, could I throw a party here? For FP's retirement?" Betty asked, waking over to the pair. Lola raised her eyebrows at her. FP didn't strike her as a guy who would want a party. "I guess" Toni said. She was hesitant, like Lola.

Betty smiled brightly at the two. It was clear she was excited about this, but Lola could tell she was doing it for Jughead, not for FP or the Serpents. "You have a stage. Would you be open to me bringing in a karaoke machine?" the blonde continued. Lola had to refrain from spitting her drink back out. A karaoke machine? Really?

"For FP's retirement? Sure. Why not" Toni shrugged. She was clearly bored of the entire conversation and didn't seem to care what the girl did. "Also, Toni, Lola" Betty continued, looking at both of the girls in front of her.

"One of the reasons I wanted to talk to you, beyond the party planning, is I've been walking the razor's edge since Jughead joined the Serpents and all I've been thinking is as soon as FP gets home, everything will get better because he'll be there to protect Jughead and make sure he doesn't get hurt" she rambled.

Toni just raised her eyebrows at the girl but Lola nodded. She understood where Betty was coming from; the last thing she wanted was for Jughead to get caught up in something or get hurt. "Yeah, I'm following you. But with FP out of the picture...." Lola trailed off. FP was retiring. He wouldn't be there with the Serpents to protect Jughead.

"That's my whole point" Betty exclaimed. "I do worry. So, I wanna keep an eye on Jughead myself. Make sure that, as deep into these snake-infested waters he goes, he doesn't do something that, you know, puts him in danger."

Lola looked at her in confusion. What was she suggesting? And besides, she was there to protect Jughead. There was no way she'd willingly let him get into trouble. 

"So what, you wanna be a Serpent?" Toni questioned. She couldn't be serious, could she? Lola knew Betty wanted to protect Jughead, but joining the Serpents? That would be the worst idea ever. It was clear she was doing this for Jughead, not the Serpents. She would never be loyal to them like she needed to be.

"Let's say, Serpent-adjacent. But yeah, a part of his world. This world" Betty defended. Lola was about to speak up and protest when a woman laughed behind Betty. "Shut it Byrdie" Lola snapped at her. She didn't want Betty to be a Serpent, but she still felt she needed to defend her.

"Sorry, Sweet Valley High. If you wanna join the club, you gotta do the dance. The Serpent dance" Byride explained smugly. Lola sighed in annoyance. She didn't need Betty asking questions about the Serpent Dance. "Excuse me, Serpent Dance?" Betty questioned.