{1} Tempest {Sweet Pea}

XXII

Storm walked into Riverdale High, just the next day and bit her tongue hard to stifle a very shocked laugh at the clothes that Sweet Pea and Toni had on.

"I'm sorry guys." She said and they shake their heads and she hugged the pair as then Jughead walked into the room.

Storm buttoned up her flannel quickly and it completely covered her Serpent tattoos, and actually all of the tattoos for that matter.

"That's a little big." Toni noted and Storm let out a grunt.

"Stole it from Archie. I'm a little bit, maybe just few inches shorter, then him. Also, I'm skinnier, but not if you count the shoulders." She said.

"What the hell? Guys?" Jughead asked and they looked at each other now the group included Storm as well.

"Weatherbee gave them to us. Said that he understood not every one of the Southside students had the means to purchase Riverdale high acceptable clothing." Toni shoots a look at Sweet Pea, who rolled his eyes. "He thinks it, this will help us fit in." Toni says.

"Where's Fogarty?" Jughead asked, directing his attention to Sweet Pea at once for the answer.

"He wouldn't wear the uniform. So they got rid of him. Suspended him if you prefer." Sweet Pea says with the furious shrug and Storm sighed.

"So our choices are to conform or be cast out." Jughead said and Storm let a grunt escape.

"Well, lucky for you two fellow Serpents of mine, I have got some old clothes of Archie's in the garage for you Sweet Pea. As well as some stuff that doesn't fit me anymore for you, Toni." Storm said with a grin and Toni smiled.

"After school, you guys should know where my place is by now." She says as they went to their separate classes.

"Try this Toni." Storm said, opening another duffel bag full of her clothing that was too small now and handing a shirt to Toni.

She tossed a stack of shirts and hoodies at Sweet Pea, who managed to catch them all.

"Be forewarned, I have worn these before." She said and they shrugged at her.

"As long as I can fully cover my neck tattoo, we won't get into any trouble... right?" Sweet Pea asked as he pulled a flannel shirt on.

"That seems to be the case Pea. Toni, that looks awesome on you." Toni was smiling.

"Never thought I'd see you geek out over clothes." She said and Storm said absolutely nothing to that.

"I'm gonna pretend that never came out of your mouth Topaz. Because I'm certainly not a geek over clothing. At all." Storm's tone had turned slightly colder.

"Sorry Tempest. I forgot how touchy you were about that." Toni said as the girl who lived in the garage just blinks at her.

"Doesn't matter Toni. You guys are free to crash here whenever, and if you need more clothes, I can always grab some from Archie's closet in his room, or even my dad's if you get the desperate need for clothes." She said a bit mischievously as Sweet Pea laughs at her.

"I have no doubt in my mind at all, that you would do so." He said as they all finished trying out clothes, and the two each took about a duffel bag each.

Toni ended up heading out first, while Storm and Sweet Pea played a couple games of Pool for a while.

"You crashing here then?" Storm asked as she grabbed a soda from the fridge, and popped it open, while she was tossin' herself down on the couch bed.

"Is your old man gonna be pissed at you if I say yes?" Sweet Pea questions and Storm sighed, with a shake of her head.

"I got all the Andrews family stubbornness. If you knew my dad at all, you'd know that he wouldn't want to even go near that argument, with a ten foot pole." Sweet Pea laughed.

"Grinch reference. Nice. Are you gonna get a TV in here soon?" He asks and she chuckled.

"I've got my computer and a stack of DVDs for right now. Feel free, shuffle through the stack. You can watch one whenever, as long as I have saved my schoolwork beforehand." Storm points out and Sweet Pea grabbed a movie from the stack and she looked at it as he handed it to her.

"Star Wars: A New Hope. Nice." She said as she saved her schoolwork and opened the disc drive quickly.

She put the Disc in, shut the drive, and grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair.

"I'm gonna make popcorn. You want any other snacks?" She asked and he'd raise his eyebrows. "What? I like the snacks that come with a movie, while I watch the movie. So you want any or not?" Storm asked and he looked at her.

"Popcorn please." He said and she laughed as after her entire spiel, he wanted popcorn.

She came back in with two huge bowls of popcorn with a whole lot of butter, and she handed one to him, as he played the movie.

The familiar theme began to play, as Storm began to eat immediately. "Are you gonna save some for the rest of the movie?" Sweet Pea asked as they were soon 20 minutes in, and she had almost finished hers already.

"Hey, what's that?" She asked, pointing at the screen, and she snatched his bowl and quickly dumps half of his popcorn into her bowl.

"Hey!" Sweet Pea complained, and now they were playing a game of tug of war with the popcorn bowl, until it flew into the air and the bowl overturned, covering them in very buttery popcorn.

After most of the movie was done, Storm had actually fallen asleep on the couch curled up in a ball.

Sweet Pea shuts the movie off after the credits begin to roll, and she was clearly comfortable and it was very clear that planning to move, was not in her vocabulary at the moment.

He sighed as she was lying basically directly on top of him and he pulled a blanket around her, and she shifted slightly as her head was on his arm.

The next morning, they both walked into school and Storm cracks her neck a bit, as Jughead waved them into the classroom.

"Welcome to the inaugural meeting, of the Swords and Serpents Club." Jug says and Toni immediately was buttin' in.

"Which is what exactly?" Toni asked as they all sat on desks and Storm was still half asleep.

"Well, like I told Fogarty to lure him back to dear old Riverdale. We are a gaming group sanctioned by Principal Weatherbee, himself. Where like minded students can meet and concoct world - building, roleplaying scenarios, inhabiting fantastical heroes and dispatching mythological creatures." Jughead said and Storm was stifling laughs in her arm, and he chuckled.

"No, but really." Toni said.

"It's a club. For us. A safe haven where we can be Serpents, in school hours, under everyone's noses. We're not shedding our skins. We're lying low, in the tall grass." Jughead said as Storm nodded.

"I'm in." She says, and Toni looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Why do you always have your right hand covered or closed?" Toni asked a bit curiously as then, Storm slides the hand into her pocket again.

"I'll tell you one day Topaz. But for now, let's just enjoy the fact that we can lay low for a bit every day, as our name states. Southside Serpents." She said and the room cheered quietly.