Resilience | Sweet Pea.

60 - Quarantine

5 weeks have passed since we were cut off from the rest of the world. Minutes after Fred and I had returned to Riverdale, the town had gone under quarantine, involving Jughead and FP getting shunned from the border, meaning Betty and I had to help sneak them back in.

The quarantine had been lifted less than a week ago, but the town still feels eerie and cut off from the world, and new rules are being put in place at school, too. Physical contact must be kept to a minimum, no sharing food, drink or anything that could spread germs, etc.

I myself had no issue with this, keeping my circle small lately. Thankfully my role as serpent-in-charge had come to an end with Jug and Betty back in town and I don't miss the role even for a second. I'd definitely been keeping to myself after their return, Archie's departure and my admission to Sweet pea. Now that Fred knows about the baby, he's been encouraging me to tell Sweet pea. But I'm just not ready, I don't know if I'll ever be.

"Sorry, what?" I ask Jug, as he and I walk through tent city together.

"Yup, one of the kids at Betty's house said clear as day that a serpent's been dealing, I'm gonna put a stop to it." Jughead informs me.

"Well... I guess that means I suck at being a leader considering it happened right under my nose." I sigh. "I'm sorry, Jug. I tried."

"You did the best you could. And I appreciate it." Jug replies, giving me a pat on the back.

Once the serpents are gathered around Jughead's 'throne' with FP on one side and Betty and I on the other, his speech begins.

"Alright, Serpents. It's come to my attention that one of us has been dealing Fizzle Rocks. Slinging dope is not what Serpents do so from this moment on, we're going clean. There will be no selling or doing drugs and no crime of any kind will be tolerated. Anyone that breaks the serpent code will be exiled, permanently." Jughead rants.

"I think it's pretty ridic that you vanish for a month on some vision quest with your bestie only to return and lecture us about responsibility." Cheryl shoots back

"Back off, Cheryl." I growl. "You know it wasn't like that."

"We got no money coming in, Jug. How are we supposed to eat, or survive?" Fangs argues.

"We'll figure it all out and get back to you, Fangs. All of you. In the meantime," FP says, holding his hand up in the traditional serpent way. "In unity there is strength."

The crowd around us, excluding Cheryl and Toni, puts their fingers up too, repeating the phrase back.

*

Later, I sit in Jughead's trailer with him and FP as they listen to me rant about Cheryl.

"She's so fucking disrespectful, fuck! If only I didn't respect this gang enough to break serpent law and fucking punch her right in her smug face." I yell.

"Nova, calm down, girl." FP snaps at me. "Ranting and raving and getting yourself worked up isn't going to help anyone."

I let out a sigh.

"Yeah, okay. I get it. But FP you see it, don't you? Cheryl doesn't care about us! She cares about herself and Toni. She'd leave us to die if it came to it!" I complain.

"Besides mild disrespect, she's done nothing wrong, Nov. I'm the one that left the serpents high and dry." Jughead says, I roll my eyes.

"Fine, whatever." I grumble.

"You kids wanna order a pizza?" FP says.

"Is that even a question?" I ask him.

He laughs, getting out of his chair to find his phone, when Jughead's phone rings.