In Unity There is Strength

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Toni felt her whole body shake as she stared across at Jughead Jones, her peer, her leader. She had never objected to his leadership before. As his friend she always saw his potential, always believed in his abilities, however this time she was on the opposite side of his judgement. The boy looked so angry, so let down and Toni knew that wasn't entirely undeserved. She understood where she went wrong but on the surface she just didn't want to see it. She glanced next to her at her girlfriend, the only person standing by her side literally and fugitively.

"Turn your jackets in and go." Jughead said with a raised finger.

Toni didn't know if she knew how to breathe when he said those words. Her immediate reaction was anger, she couldn't believe he would dare to kick her out of the gang her family founded. She always believed she could be invincible, that any step out of line she made under his leadership would be brushed over because of their friendship, and her roots. For the first time in a long time she realised how naive she had been to believe that. "Are you serious?" She spat, shaking her head at the boy she once called her closest friend, the person she had to once seek out to almost beg him to be involved with her gang, her family. Now he stood there punishing her for something she hadn't thought twice about. The thrill of taking something that wasn't yours, the adrenalin she felt dancing around her veins, chasing the feelings of satisfaction she felt whenever Cheryl praise her for her wrongdoings.

"I'm a serpent by blood. You can't take that away from me." Toni continued, eyes turning to daggers as she stared across at the teenaged leader. She was fuelled with anger and humiliation, she couldn't bring herself to even look at her girlfriend who didn't understand exactly what this felt like for her. Cheryl had been a serpent for all of six months, Cheryl walked around town in her blood red leather, and her thigh high boots looking invincible and for that Toni always felt like nobody could touch either one of them. She was wrong and it was the last thing she wanted to admit.

"You hypocrite!" Cheryl exclaimed. "You gave your buddy Fangs a pass but crucify us?" She shouted in accusation.

Toni's eyes met with Fangs who immediately hid his face in shame. She turned to look at Cheryl finally, as if wanting to beg her to stop talking. She didn't say a word, she just watches as her girlfriend fumed.

Jughead glanced back at Fangs apologetically. He didn't want to kick the boy out given his circumstances, but he had to. Toni didn't want anyone to be kicked out, least of all Fangs who had been a brother to her for most of her life. She could see Sweet Pea's hands balling into fists as he anticipated Jughead's next words.

Toni looked across at Fangs once more before she couldn't take it anymore. "Stop!" She called out to Jughead, wanting him to return his attention back to her and her crimes. She couldn't watch Fangs be scolded and skinned. Taking away his jacket wasn't fair and she knew it. "Leave Fangs out of this." She said as Jughead turned toward her once more. "He was helping his family, which is what we all should be doing." She said shakily before she reached back to grab her backpack. She unzipped her bag and took out a wad of crumpled up dollar bills. She walked over to Fangs and handed the money to him. "It's not much, but you can have it." She said to him quietly.

"Oh, puh-lease!" Cheryl said in annoyance."Those puppy dog eyes might work on Toni, but it doesn't excuse the fact that crime is crime. Fogarty was dealing drugs to teenagers. We stole a few meaningless trophies from people who won't even care it's missing." She defended. "A victimless crime you might say..."

"Cheryl. Stop." Toni said sternly.

The redhead closed her mouth, a little stunned to be hearing those particular words coming from Toni's mouth.

Toni watched her with a frown on her brow. "We're out. It's over." She said to her sadly. She just wanted to go home and get this awful night over with. Jughead had made his decision and as far as Toni was concerned there was nothing she could do about it tonight, if at all. She walked back over to Cheryl, leaving Fangs confused about what to do with the stolen money he was now holding in his hands.

Jughead folded his arms over his chest as he watched Toni return to Cheryl's side. The red head pursed her lips as she watched him. A power play was all she could focus on. She wanted to hurt him the way he was hurting her with this public humiliation.

Toni shrugged her jacket off of her shoulders and took a few steps forward to hand it over to Jughead. His face softened because he did understand how hard this was on the girl. He just didn't want to go back on his word. He knew now that Cheryl had really fucked things up for Fangs, but he would deal with that afterward. "Thanks Toni." He said softly as the leather made it's way into his fingertips. Toni didn't say anything she was still pissed at him for everything turning out this way. She knew deep down her anger was misguided, and it should have been directed at herself and her bad decisions, but in the moment she was upset with Jughead, the one who was handing out the consequences.

"No. Don't give him your jacket! You didn't do anything wrong." Cheryl told her girlfriend. She didn't know why Toni was backing off so easily. They hadn't done anything wrong in her eyes. Having fun shouldn't be any of Jughead's concern. It wasn't as if they had been stealing from the poor. They didn't have anything worth stealing anyway.

"I'm going to need the mayor's egg back." Jughead said directly to Toni. He was doing his best not to get upset with Cheryl because he knew that argument could go all night if he chose to bite back.

"Too bad fall out boy, we're not serpents anymore you have no control over us." Cheryl pointed out with a scoff.

Jughead's eyes narrowed. "Veronica needs it back." He told her. "And by extension so do all of us." He gestured around the circle of serpents who surrounded them.

Cheryl laughed. "Sorry that's literally the opposite of my problem. Good luck leading this tribe of misfits without breaking any laws." She said before turning toward Toni. "Come on babe, let's get out of this shit hole."

Toni looked at her hesitantly before her eyes darted down in shame. She was cold and ran her fingers over her newly exposed arms.

"Toni, you've been a serpent your whole life." Jughead said in a softer tone. "I know you'll do the right thing and return the egg."

Toni glanced over at the boy, wondering if there was any honour in returning it. "If I return it will you let me back in?" She asked desperately.

Jughead glanced back at his father who nodded his head slowly.

The youngest Jones turned back toward his pink haired friend and nodded his head. "If you do the right thing, we'll welcome you back with opened arms."

"We don't want to be apart of West Side Story anymore, Jones." Cheryl told him, rolling his eyes. She held her hand out toward her girlfriend, wanting to go home now before Toni agreed to something stupid.

"The offer was extended to Toni only." Jughead said to the redhead, wanting to make that very clear.

"Cheryl, I can't leave the serpents." Toni told her quietly.

Cheryl's face fell. She shook her head. "You can't be serious right now." She said in disbelief. "You would choose those plebs over me?" She asked her, letting out a bitter laugh.

Toni's eyes started to water. "It's not like that. They're my family." She said in a pleading tone.

Cheryl rolled her eyes. "I'm your family. I gave you everything. A home, love, wealth..."

Toni nodded her head. "I know. I can still have that, and be in the serpents. It doesn't have to be one or the other."

Cheryl snorted. "Uh, yes it does. It's me or them."

Toni glanced over at Jughead before her eyes fell on FP, and moved over to Fangs and Sweet Pea. "Cheryl, I'm sorry."

Cheryl's mouth fell open. "You will rue the day, Toni Topaz. All of you will rue this day!" She exclaimed before grabbing her back and storming off through the camp.

Jughead extended his hand out, passing Toni back her jacket. Toni yanked it from him before she stormed off in the opposite direction, slamming the door of the Jones trailer behind her.