Resilience | Sweet Pea.

21 - Fear.

"People of Riverdale, I have rid this town of the drug-dealing child killer and others like him. Now you must choose your fate. The next 48 hours will be a test and I will be watching you very closely. Show me you are pure of heart and my work ends. Continue to sin and I will take up the sword again." Archie reads from the paper.

It'd been two weeks since I joined the serpents, just when we thought we were finding some normality to our lives, the black hood strikes again. This morning, I had come downstairs still in my pjs to Archie and Veronica looking afraid, after asking them why they looked like they'd seen a ghost Archie had read the article to me. Another letter from the black hood.

"Holy shit, dude. What the fuck!" I yell.

"Nova, Ronnie, the next 3 days we're staying in this house and we are not moving-"

"The hell we are, Archie. We're not letting a dickhead with a bag on his head dictate our lives. We're going to school. We're living our lives as normal. We can't let fear control us." I tell him.

"Nova's right, Archiekins. We can't live in fear." Veronica says.

"Yeah, Archiekins." I mock.

"Nova, you're the one who's been lecturing me for weeks about making myself a target." He grumbles.

"Yeah, well I'm not exactly a sinner." I say.

"You're a fucking gang member." He tells me.

"Yeah, well just because I'm in a gang doesn't mean I'm sinning." I debate.

"I don't think a serial killer is going to see it that way." Archie says.

"C'mon, we can talk serial killers and sinning later. We gotta get ready for school." Veronica says.

"Yeah, c'mon Archiekins." 

*

Later at school, I stand with Archie by his locker before I have to go to cross-country practice, chatting when Jughead approaches us.

"Jughead?" I ask, surprised to see him. "You know this is the wrong school, right?"

"What're you doing here?" Archie asks him and Cheryl stampedes past them, pushing them both in opposite directions.

"Out of the way, Bert and Ernie." She says sharply, Josie following behind her.

"Jesus." I say as the boys regain themselves.

"Archie, I need your help. You owe me because of that little stunt you pulled with Keller and the Ghoulies." Jug says.

"Whatever you want. Name the time and place and I'm there." Archie says.

"Tonight. And we need to borrow your dad's truck, Archie, no questions asked, okay?" Jughead says, Archie nods.

"Uh, uh, uh. I'm coming too." I say.

"No Nova-"

"Nope, no. I don't think so, don't even try it. If something between you two is no questions asked, I'm coming." I state.

"Fine, whatever." Jug says. "See you guys tonight."

Jug walks away, but I follow him.

"Jughead." I call, catching up to him.

"I gotta get back to school Nov, we'll talk later." Jug tries to avoid me. I grab his arm, forcing him to stop.

"No. We're talking now. What's going on?" I ask.

"This woman, Penny, did a favor for me, I guess. And my dad got hurt because of what happened with the Ghoulies... I just have to do something for her, it'll help us get him out." Jug says.