DISMANTLED | riverdale

iv/

four (iv.) || syd is home (whole)

"So did you tell him you like him yet?" Grandma asked and shouted through the kitchen door. 

I gawked at the few costumers in the bakery and ran over to the kitchen before she could blab anything else about my love life. Well my life- not sure about my love life yet.

"Can you keep it down? What if he was out there?" I questioned and she gave me a knowing look.

"If he was out there then y'all would have talked about your feelings. And I would've expected a thank you or something." She kneaded the dough on the counter and spared me a smirk.

I rolled my eyes at her but I couldn't keep the smile on my face away. "Well I'm going to school now. You know to learn. And to not spend my every waking moment thinking about telling Harrison about any feelings I may or may not have."

"You do that. Be great with your feelings!"

-

Harrison texted and said he'd meet me at school. Which was weird because we've only just reunited and yesterday we went to school together. But I won't question it just yet. Things are looking good for me after all.

I checked my grades this morning and while they weren't back to what I truly deserved, I wasn't failing. So there's the hatchet in my mother's plans. 

I just don't understand why she would go through this to have me back. I fought with her before she left. I was mean to her the whole time she was here- with reason. Why couldn't she give me the space I needed?

Oh well. Guess that's another day's challenge.

Pulling up in my truck I park it in the only available slot near the front entrance and hop out. I actually couldn't wait to see what Harry was gonna pull out of his pocket now. I hope it's something good you know.

I enter through the front door and felt a buzz from my pocket. Taking my phone out I look dat the screen. 

'come to the lounge. i'm waiting'

'be right there.'

Not even going to my locker, I bypass it and head straight for the lounge. I haven't stepped foot in there since- I can't even remember when. Did I ever even go in there? 

Huh.

As I round the corner I bump into none other than Bowie Bailey. I feel like I always see here everywhere but our math class. 

"Sorry Bowie." I put quickly and don't wait for a response.

I keep walking until I get to the lounge. Opening the door I see one really huge guy in a uniform and a tiny girl next to him. And those sizes look familiar. That was probably Toni and Sweet Pea. And if that was them then-

"How'd I look? Like a preppie right?" 

I turn around and I see him there. Uniform and all. He's flaunting off his outfit to me. 

"You look like you hopped out of high school musical. Should I call you troy bolton from now on?" I joked with him and he laughed at that. "You chose this outfit?"

"Nah. Weatherbee wants us serpents to wear the right attire. We had to ditch our jackets for this."He explained to me and I felt horrible.

Not that it was my fault. Just that even though we're getting our groove back he has to leave his serpent pride at home. They are his family- I don't see why they should be treated any differently than everyone else.

As I was thinking this Toni and Sweet Pea joined his side. But they were down one more friend weren't they?

"Where's Fangs?" I asked.

"He wouldn't wear the uniform so he got suspended." Sweet Pea grumbled at the loss of his partner in crime. 

"I didn't take you guys as the type to sit down and take it." I commented and they all nodded along with me.

"We're not but this is different. This is about getting a good education." Toni sounded with total sense. not that southside high would have been the worst of the worst but I don't think you can compare it with Riverdale high.

"While I don't like that fact that you guys have to leave your skins at home, I think you guys are really rocking the fit. No northsider could pull all of that off." I gave them a thumbs up and both Toni and Sweet Pea laughed.

I watched their faces turn into ones of confusion and then into understanding. All at once they walked away leaving me and Harrison to ourselves again. I looked at him with my eyebrows raised- he definitely had something to do with that.

"What?" He tried to ask innocently but his look faltered when I smacked his shoulder. "I wanted to speak to you."

"Everytime you say that something happens. You're like jinxed or something." I lightly taunted him but he didn't laugh at my joke. "Okay well tell me what's going on."

He looked around the room and began to pull me out of the lounge and out into the hallway. Once again I let him until we were tucked away into a tiny corner. If my grandma could see us now..

"So you remember how I told you my Aunt was on me about the whole choosing the serpents or you?" He asked me.

I nodded.

"Turns out she only did that because she wanted me to follow in her footsteps and start working for Penny Peabody full time so that she could help her and her existing arrests."

"Wait your aunt wanted to turn you into a drug dealer so she could get her charges dropped?" I asked and he nodded his head at me eagerly. Not because he was excited but maybe because there was something else to tell me.

"I told her no obviously. The serpents are my family and I would never leave them. But the fact that she had me choose them over you for her own selfish reasons, gah- it doesn't matter now. Penny won't help her so she's gonna have to shape up or she's going back to cell block c. Either way she can't touch me." He said all giddy like and I smiled along with him. He began to jump up and down and all of a sudden embraced me for a quick hug.

"I'm happy for you Harrison. Really. You deserve it."

"This means we can move on. It means I can choose both and I won't make the girl I like cry again."

"What?"

"You heard me Simon."

"I was- just making sure. Double checking."

"Want me to say it again?"

"Sure why not. Indulge yourself if you want."

"You're the girl I like."

"That's cool. Nice."

"Your grandma might've spilled the beans on you."

"I figured."