Resilience | Sweet Pea.

1 - Introduction

When my parents, Juliet and Ottis, were found dead, I felt lost, sad, alone. All of it. I'd never really experienced grief before, but from the moment I knew they were gone, grief wrapped itself around me like an uninviting blanket. Losing one parent is horrible enough in itself, let alone losing both at once in a car crash at 14. I'd suffered and struggled with my mental health from the very start of my teens, not that anyone but my mom and dad knew. This only made it worse.

Despite my ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jughead Jones's parents offering me a place to stay, I'd been put into foster care. Both of my parents were serpents, everyone knew that, my dad was even FP Jones' right-hand man and second in command. But child protective services refused that I go into a 'gang home' despite being from one. Even though I knew my parents would've wanted me to stay with The Jones.

I'd really hit rock bottom after being put in an orphanage only hours of the discovery of my parent's death. I spiraled quickly. I broke up with Jughead, mainly because I couldn't put him through what I was going through, trying to grieve as a 14-year-old and trying to adjust to a new life. Not even a month into living in the home, I tried to end my own life, and if it weren't for Jughead refusing to give up on me, I probably would've died.

After my attempt, the social worker decided I needed a stable living environment. Less than a week later I was released into the care of a family friend, Fred Andrews and I moved in with him and one of my best friends, his son, Archie. The Andrews, the Jones, and the Daniels had been a small circle for years, since their children, Archie, Jughead and I had all been friends since we were small.

Fred took me in. Even without any parental rights he treated me like a daughter. I often referred to Archie as my brother and Fred as my dad, so it was no surprise that on my 15th birthday, almost 8 months after my parent's death, Fred asked me how I felt about him legally adopting me into his family. He told me he'd never replace my father or my family, but that I deserved a real family. I accepted and by the time I was 16, I was a legal member of the Andrews family, except still sporting the Daniels name.

Although Fred has been very good to me, I hadn't always made it easy for him to take care of me. After he took me in, he knew I'd suffered from depression from a young age and refused to take medication and he was okay with that, until I spiraled one day and tried to end my own life, once again. I had never really taken how my actions affected others into account until one night, when I had gone downstairs to get a glass of water one night, and saw Fred crying on the sofa with a note from me the last time I tried to end my life. He wasn't sure how to help me, and in all honesty, I wouldn't let him. He's always treated me as his own, he'd done so much for me, and I was hurting him.

That night was the night I promised him and myself I'd get better, I started seeing a therapist, and taking medication, which I'd only recently come off of, I started running, often forcing Jughead and Archie to come with me and eventually I joined the cross-country team. Jughead and I stayed friends after we'd broken up, after all, we'd been best friends since we were kids. He'd really become my best friend full stop, especially since Archie had become my brother now.

Soon before Jughead turned 17, he started dating my neighbour, Betty Cooper. Normally, I'd assume ex-girlfriends are meant to be unhappy their ex had moved on, but I couldn't be happier for him. It's nice to see my brooding, beanie wearing best friend smile, he seems so happy with Betty, she really brings out the best in him. Archie, however, started hooking up with, then dating the rich, Raven haired new girl, Veronica Lodge much to my dismay. I'd not really been a fan of her, but I'm civil for my brother's sake. She'd always been polite to me, but I still just felt unsure of her, maybe that will change, maybe not.

Riverdale had always been an enigma to me, something odd always going on. It never occurred to me that one town could contain so many secrets. Something else that was an enigma to me is why Fred had asked me not to visit the southside after moving in with him. I don't know why, maybe to stop me from being sad about my parents, and my old life?

Everyone knew what my parents wanted from me, to finish high school, for Jughead and I join the serpents, get married and run the gang together. Obviously marrying Jughead was out of the question but being a part of the serpents wasn't... Fred probably just wants to protect me, but I can't help but wonder why the serpents had to be kept at arms-length.