Stardust // Reggie Mantle (3)

Chapter Thirty-One

Caia hoped no one would notice the bags under her eyes at school the morning before the first day of deputy training with the Serpents. She had slowly been falling deeper and deeper down a hole and didn't know if she could get out of it. Even now, her waterbottle was filled with vodka. A classic teenage cliche, but a real problem in Caia's sense.

FP stood at the front of a classroom, the Serpents all seated in the rows of desks before him. Tom Keller sat on top of the desk next to him. "Today, the Serpents start a new chapter," FP began. "You're no longer outlaws, you're lawkeepers, which is why I've got Tom Keller here to help. He is the best damn sheriff Riverdale's ever had."

Tom chuckled at FP's words. "Well, thanks, FP, that's quite an introduction," he replied. "Um, a lot of what we'll be doing over the next couple of months will be like basic training. Each junior deputy will be paired with an officer who will then mentor them," Tom explained.

"Jughead, boy, you're riding with me," FP called.

Everyone got up to go meet with officers and begin the training. Caia filed out into the hallway along with everyone else. She hoped there was at least one female officer so she wouldn't have to deal with some middle aged man the entire day.

Before she could leave the room, FP grabbed her wrist. "Not you, girl," he stated. Caia stopped and turned toward FP.

"What?"

FP stared her down, raising his eyebrows at the water bottle in her grip. "What's in that water bottle, huh?"

Caia scoffed. "Water, duh," she snarked.

Before Caia could react, FP had snatched the water bottle and screwed off the cap. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed. "Just what I thought," he began, lowering the bottle and screwing the cap back on. "Vodka." FP shook his head. "I want you to go home and sober up. Until you get clean, you will not be a part of this deputy program, got that? The Serpents abide by the laws, and that means no exception for you." FP cocked his head and stood in the same spot as he waited for a response. When Caia finally gave a small nod, he patted her on the shoulder and left, seeming satisfied.

What a buzzkill.

*

"You want me to what?" Caia exclaimed, giving Betty an incredulous stare.

Betty sighed. "I know it's a lot to ask, Caia, but I just want to help, and Jug won't let me. This is the only way I can know if what Veronica told me is true," Betty explained.

Caia bit her lip in contemplation. "Remind me of the plan again?" She requested.

Betty nodded enthusiastically. She knew she was close to getting Caia to agree. "Okay, so, you're the only girl Serpent left, right?" Caia nodded in agreement. "I'm hoping that means Gladys might be impartial to you. All you have to do is go to her and ask if she knows the 'candy man.' She'll know what that means. If she says yes, all you need to do is buy one pack of fizzle rocks from her, and bring them back to me. That's it, I promise." Betty smiled hopefully, silently willing Caia to say yes.

Caia sighed and looked away as she thought. "I'm not sure, Betty. FP is already expecting me to clean up my act. If he or Jughead finds out about this, I'm done. They might exile me from the Serpents," she explained.

"I promise they won't. If that happens, I'll take the fall for you. Just please, I need to know," Betty pleaded.

Finally, Caia nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."

A hour later, Caia found herself outside of the Jones trailer. She knew Jughead would be gone because he had called an emergency Serpent meeting to spread the word for Archie's quest completion. She just hoped no one would notice her absence.