The Bastard Southside Princess

Chapter 1

Growing up with the sisters is a real bitch. Enough so that I ran away too many times to count since I turned 8. It happened so frequently, that the sisters kicked me out when I turned 15. I wasn't like the other orphans who got the boot at 18. Their methods of dealing with insubordination didn't work on me. So, they deemed that I was "much more rebellious and not as close to God," After they came up with that conclusion, I got thrown out to the wolves of Riverdale, with only the name of my biological mother. Ever since then, it's been consistent shifts at Pops. From what I could see now, and on the one time I saw her on one of my "midnight strolls"- as I begun to refer to them after I got busted the first time- she wanted nothing to do with me.
"So what's this novel gonna be about again?" I asked the 16 year old kid, Jughead, as I poured him yet another cup of coffee. I've only been in for half hour and this kid has already drank 2 cups of coffee. How his tongue isn't burning or he's not bursting at the seams with pee is beyond me.
"About the horrors that lay beneath Riverdale,"
"You mean like when the precious pampered north side kids throw a fit?" After working at Pop's, I don't even need to look at a customer to know if they're from the south side or from the north end of the tracks that run through the heart of the town. Jughead was brought up south of the train tracks and bridge that separated the north and south side of Riverdale.
The two were complete opposites. The south side being rougher around the edges. The occasional fight, or drugs being dealt, or taken could all be seen on a field trip to the South side. The northside had all of the same things, but they kept it hush hush and it all got swept under the rug.
The northside was the picture perfect idea of a small town. Until you take a closer look at everything, and you realize that the Southside isn't too bad. If you kept your head down and kept your mouth shut, for the most part, no one messed with you. The only people that would antagonize regular people walking down the street were the Ghoulies.
"A little spookier than that," Jug turns in his chair while I fill up the half empty coffee cups of the people taking a breather from the blistering heat in the 50s diner.
"What is this? Scooby Doo?" I laughed and heard a snicker from Jug sitting at the counter. Jug was gonna say something else before Pop came up to me, a hand on my shoulder, and a bright smile on his face as he took the coffee pot from my hands.
"Here you go sweetheart. Happy birthday," He handed me an envelope with a set of keys inside. I could feel my eyebrows knit together, and Pop laughed at Jug trying to see what was inside.
"I didn't know. If I would've known, I would've gotten you a card," He teased from his seat, and I rolled my eyes. Pop continued, still smiling ear to ear.
"You know my friend at the trailer park down the road, the manager, he told me that a trailer just opened up from the woman that overdosed on that Jingle jangle. So, it's yours. As long as you stay working, it's all yours," Within seconds, I could feel my eyes start to water, and I pulled Pop in for a hug. Ever since day one, being a scared but rebellious 8 year old, Pop Tate was nothing but the sweetest old man to me. He was the symbol of good in Riverdale, serving quite literally every person of Riverdale with a smile.
"No more having to sneak in to the cars at the junk yard," Pop whispered as he rubbed my back soothingly.
"So, did the sisters ever tell you who your pops is?" Jug asked, shutting his laptop, and I moved from my hug from Pop and shook my head.
"Nope. They just told me who my mom was and that my mom didn't tell them who my dad was," It still killed me to see Alice Cooper, my mother, and her perfect family. Her husband and two daughters probably had no idea I existed. And I guess, by looking at Alice, I got nothing from her except my body type, lips, and eyes. Everything else, I must've got from my dad.
"Who's your mom?"
"Someone who decided to forget about her first child and focus on her perfect little north side family, picket fence and all." My tone gave no room for him to push. I was patient, but I had a temper, and once it was unleashed, it was hard to wrangle it back in. It was a like a darkness would overtake me, and it took while to let it pass. Something I must've got from my dad, because my mom was the picture perfect symbol of control.

3rd Person

"Can you fill me up again Thena?" Jughead asked and Athena pushed the thought of her mother to the back of her mind.
"Again Jug?" Athena asked with a laugh. He would have his cup refilled at least 10 times within the few hours he would sit in Pop's, doing homework or working on his novel. It never failed, unless he was working.
Once his cup was filled and Athena checked in with all her guests in the diner, she went to stand behind the counter.
For once, probably since the opening of the Chocklit Shoppe, it was a ghost town.
Even on Christmas Eve, fathers could be seen taking their kids out for dinner while "Santa" finished wrapping all the presents for the kids.
Everyone was out for the holiday, either out of Riverdale or spending July 4th with their families at home.
Athena almost forgot why she had lost control earlier, until the cause for her anger walked right in with her husband. Like every other time before, Athena gave them a forced smile and studied both of them.
She could see the obvious features she got from Alice. But none of the others matched up with Hal.
Every time she saw them, they never came in together, always with Betty, so she had to compare both to her younger half sister, who looked the most like Alice than Polly.
Athena tried to keep it under wraps, but Jughead could see her white knuckling her pen in her hand.
"Hi Mr and Mrs Cooper. What can we get for you today?" Athena thought about the new trailer waiting for her at Sunnyside to keep from going off, as well as the other reasons that she needed this job.
'I need money to survive'
'I can't let Pop down,'
'The Ghoulies will get a hold of me one day if I keep living at the junk yard,'
'I'm not a serpent, so no protection unless they feel bad for me,'
"Just 3 milkshakes to go, 2 chocolate and a Vanilla," Alice told her brusquely, her mind obviously elsewhere.
'That makes two of us, mom,' Athena spat the last word in her head.
"Coming right up," Athena walked over to the milkshake area and made their shakes. At least now, she didn't have to look at Alice. She could just systematically make their shakes. It also gave the young adult time to calm down before she blew her cover.
The bell rang again and Athena turned her head to the door to see who came in.
"Be right with you!" Athena called and finished up with the shakes. When she got back by the Cooper's, they both were tensed up, and for- in their mind- good reason- FP Jones and a couple other serpents stumbled into Pops. Jughead looked away, focused on his book, but Athena could see the way his jaw tightened
FP was stood next to Alice, or at least close enough, and Athena stopped breathing for a second.
'No fucking way,' She looked between the serpent king and Mrs Cooper and couldn't deny the resemblance she had to both of them, mainly to FP. She wiped her Customer service mask back on.
'It can't be possible. I'm just being paranoid,'
"Here you go," Athena put the shakes down and Hal pulled out his credit card, but Alice beat him to it, laying a 20 on the counter.
"Keep the rest," She spoke and the Coopers damn near ran out.
'Now, why would Alice Cooper run out of the diner like a bat out of hell when she saw FP?' For the most part, at any sign of the Southside's residing biker gang, everyone either fled or gave them the dirtiest look possible. Alice almost always opted for the latter. So Athena wondered what the causes the change. She pushed it to the back of her mind. She could think about it later when she was sitting in her new place that she could call her own.
"Hey, we put an order in," FP spoke, a little slur at the end. He was wasted still.
"Of course Mr. Jones," Athena walked to Pop Tate's window to the kitchen.
"Pop, Jones for pickup, please and thank you," Athena gave Pop Tate a real smile, unlike the fake one she gave the Coopers.
"I'm just finishing up the last burger sweetie, it'll be another five minutes,"
Athena told the serpents that their food would take a few more minutes and the tallest of the men nodded and took FP and the other serpents to the empty side of the diner as they waited for their food.