{1} Tempest {Sweet Pea}

XXVIII

"You promised us a war, then you're on stage, and just sucking up all in, to the Northside?" Sweet Pea snapped at Jughead after the student candidates, had all completed their interviews.

"We need those votes Sweet Pea. It's the only way, that we can affect any change at all." Jughead said in attempt to calm him down.

"Whoever is elected, gets a real seat on the school board. That means that we are on the inside, that... that they can't silence us." Jughead insisted as Storm was standing in the corner, but shaking her head as she knew what was coming.

"You and the Northside princess, you mean?" That statement from Fogarty, it brought it all to their attention.

"Here we go." Storm grunted as she spoke and everyone was growling at once now.

"Wait, is that why you guys are all pissed? Betty's on our side." Jughead snapped immediately at the others.

"Yeah, I've helped the Serpents out on numerous occasions. I helped find the Pickens Statue's head. I got Cheryl all people to testify in court so FP, your king, could get early parole --" Betty was listing stuff and Storm pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing that this would only get worse.

"You did all that for your boyfriend, not the Serpents." Sweet Pea said and Storm was holding her head, as if she, was finally snapping from all this.

"All right. Take it down, Sweet Pea." A angry Jughead was beginning to show, as Storm shut her eyes.

"What? It's only a matter of time before she bails on us, just like her mother." Sweet Pea snapped and it finally became clear why they were all pissed.

"Okay, so your objections are about my mom. They aren't even about me, they are about my mom." Betty snaps at him.

"Her legacy, yeah. She's an enemy of the Serpent State. Taking shots, at all of us from the Register for years. She was blaming all of us for crimes, that we didn't commit."

"How many times, has Storm had to go through hell, get dragged into the station for questioning just like us? All just because of the jacket she chooses to wear outside of school?" Sweet Pea asked and Storm clenched her hands over her ears.

"Stop it." Toni suddenly said and the others looked over to see that Storm's hands were over her ears and she had blood on her palms.

"Did she just..." Betty stood up and Storm pulled her hands away from her ears and shakes her head.

"Let me know when you decide to sort this out like a bunch of adults, not two opposing sides of the same damn war." She said, picking up her bag and walking away.

"She was gouging out her palms over what you guys were saying. God only knows how long she has until she gets put under enough stress now, to snap all the way."

Toni says, as they all saw the blood and took notice of it, all on her hands from her very brief examination of Storm's.

Storm was in her room and she looked up as Sweet Pea had his hand up to knock.

"What's up Sweet Pea, I'm busy." She said and then spun to face the laptop on her desk.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to make you upset, but it is true. The Serpents won't back him up if he's running with the turncoat's daughter." He said and sat down.

"The Northside Princess." She said and he winced at the reminder of the exact words of what he said.

"I didn't mean it like that Storm." He says and Storm laughed at his attempt to try and defuse the situation. "I was talking about her and her mother, not you." He insisted and she shakes her head.

"I never got used to the idea of how Northsiders were stronger together, the Bulldogs, they who could destroy any of their competitors in their path, and now I get it." She said, as the tone of dismissal was clear.

Sweet Pea shakes his head and walked out of the garage. "I think Jughead might come over to see if you're okay." He said and waited for a second, but when he recieved nothing to indicate a response, he shut the door behind him, and walked away.

Storm met up with the rest of the other young Serpents as Jughead, he kicked open the Cooper door, and all of them pulled switchblades out of pockets.

"You think that you two, can take all of us? Try it." Betty mocked and Storm raised an eyebrow at the Coopers who nodded at her.

"You brought backup. Does that mean you want me, to go to the sheriff, start making a stink?" The woman asked as Storm smirked.

"That's your call, but my backup and me, we are friends, with the Sheriff's son, so, whose side, do you think he'll pick?" Betty asked.

"The Coopers are one of the most respected families in Riverdale. You two are just a couple of Centerville smugbags." Jughead says.

"Anything that was in your car the swamp washed away, else we'd have heard about it by now. So why don't you just grab the money and run? Or else, we'll ask Tempest here to get her mom and her together in order to get you scumbags right to jail. Right?" At once, everyone looked to Storm, who was smirking once again.

"You bet. One appears to be a drug dealer, the other one is the eptimome of a crazy psychopath who's cut a fair amount of people apart... I'd say for each of you... 10 years at least." She said and Betty looked back to the two people.

"I would just be smart about all of this. You should just take the money and go."

Betty says as the woman growled, but grabs the money and the pair of them, they both walked out.

"Betty." Storm said, shutting her switchblade quickly, and putting it away, as she followed the others out of the Cooper House.

"Am I forgiven?" Sweet Pea asked after the brief celebratory party at Storm's had concluded, and most of the Serpents had gone home.

"Yeah you're forgiven Sweet Pea, but try not to send me into a spiral panic attack again. Please?" She asked, and he nodded.

She hugged him quickly, before shoving him towards the door. "Go on, we've still definitely got all of school on tomorrow Pea." She said a grin on her face.

He smiled and walked out.

The next day, Alice Cooper had come into the school to talk to the Serpents and Storm was leaning on a desk next to Fangs and Sweet Pea, who did their best to do the same.

"I understand that Storm Andrews is now one of you. She's a great kid, and she will stand with you. As I will start to do again now." Alice said and Sweet Pea looked at Storm, who chuckled.

"Didn't expect it of you Mrs Cooper, but thanks." She said, sticking out her hand for the women to shake, and the former turncoat shook hands with her quickly.

"You're a good kid. You all are." Alice said and they released their hands as Alice walked out of the classroom.

"Drinks on me, everyone. We just got ourselves another ally." Storm says, a wide grin on her face with mischief in her eyes.

"I do not like that look." Jughead and Sweet Pea said at the same time and a bunch of laughs came from everyone.