Chapter 62

Callie ended up going and fighting with Serpents against the Ghoulies. Even it was against her boyfriend's, brother's, dad's, and FP's wishes. But in the end, there was just too many of them. Sunnyside Trailer park burned, only a few remained standing. after the rumble, some of the serpents joined the Ghoulies, left town or went into hiding. Callie was now at home with Archie, Veronica, and her dad. She had a couple of cuts and bruises from the rumble. Her dad hasn't really let her leave the house since the rumble.

" Here's your schedule for the next three days, Mr. Andrews," Veronica announced. " My mom's going an Eva Peron-like rainbow tour. Shaking the trees one last time before election night. I took the liberty of booking you right behind her so that people know they have a choice."

" Well, I...I appreciate that Veronica, for what it's worth, but...Everybody's already saying that your parents saved Riverdale after the riot," their dad explained. " That it was their guy, Minetta, who put out the fires and rounded up guilty parties."

" We know the truth, Dad," Archie said. " That Mr. Lodge doesn't want to save the town, he wants to take it over."

" Luckily, I won't rest until you're elected mayor, Mr. Andrews," Veronica added. " Even if it means I have to put my own political missions aside."

" In what respect?" Callie asked.

" I'm no longer running for student council with Archie," Veronica announced. " Conspiring against my parents is proving to be a full-time job." Then Archie's phone rang, Jughead was awake.

" We will keep an eye on her," Archie assured their dad. The three kids soon found themselves in Jughead's hospital room.

" I'll be out of here first thing tomorrow," Jughead told them.

" That's good, Jug," Archie said as Jughead put his beanie back on.

" Because we still need your brain," Callie added. " There's another mystery to solve."

" Mr. Cooper was at the town hall when some other Black Hood took shots at the candidates," Archie explained. " And he was at home with Betty and Mrs. Cooper when another Black Hood, probably the same as the one at the town hall, came after my dad. So..."

" Well, a second Black Hood's attacks at the town hall and on your dad seem to indicate a political motive. Which to me suggests--"

" That my father's behind them?" Veronica questioned as she stood up. " I don't disagree. With Fred out of the way, my mother's path to victory is that much more assured."

" So, if we're gonna stop Hiram, we've got to fo it now," Callie stated.

" Once the Lodges are in control of the mayor's office they'll be untouchable," Archie added.

" Yeah, but do you really think Hiram would really put on a black hood and start shooting at people for a mayorship?" Jughead asked. 

" No. But he would hire someone to do it," Veronica answered. 

" We were thinking it could be a Serpent, Jug," Archie implied. " Or a Ghoulie."

" Or, even more insidiously, the man that Hiram put in charge of restoring peace and harmony," Jughead insisted.

" Sheriff Minetta," Archie said.

" He was supposedly guarding the town hall, but no one saw him," Veronica stated.

" And he was MIA most of the riot night," Callie added.

" Let's start there," Jughead suggested.

" Will do," said Archie. " I have to go down to the sheriff's station tomorrow anyway."

"Why, Arch?" Betty asked.

" I have to identify your dad, Betty," Archie responded. They all started to leave.

" Callie," Jughead breathed, she stayed behind.

" I will wait for you in the lobby," Betty said.

" Juggie," Callie breathed. " What you did was extremely brave."

" I didn't make a difference," Jughead pointed out.

" It made all the difference in the world," Callie stated. " Get some sleep."  She started to make her way out.

" Thank you, Callie," Jughead said. " Thank you for fighting with the serpents."

" You guys would have done the same for me," Callie stated. 

" You couldn't figure this next step on your own?" Jughead asked with a smirk.

" Shut up," Callie laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Besides two heads are better than one."

" There is something you should know," Jughead said. " It's about Penny and Hiram Lodge."

" What?" Callie asked as she walked over.

" I think Hiram hired Penny and the Ghoulies," Jughead answered, Callie's eyes widen. " Fangs arrest, the riot, Ghoulies showing up to Pop's, Penny, they are connected through Hiram Lodge."

" I'll try looking into it," Callie offered.

" No," Jughead protested. " I tried to hand myself over to stop whatever Hiram was doing as a deal, but that didn't go well obviously."

" I won't get caught," Callie assured him.

" Callie one of the black hoods working for Hiram possibly was broke into your house. What if he breaks in while you are investigating, and then he will kill you right then and there."

" I know how to fight Jug," Callie assured him.

" Please....at least don't investigate alone, wait till I get out of here," Jughead pleaded. " You are like my sister, I would hate it if anything would happen to you."

" I will be fine," Callie protested. 

" Not to mention, if something happens to you, and Sweet Pea finds out I told you a couple of things, he will probably kill me," Jughead pointed out.

" Fair enough," Callie smiled.

*******

Callie then walked home with Betty. 

" Yeah, that's right! " they heard Mrs. Cooper yell. They looked to see Mrs. Cooper yelling at the people that surrounded the house. She was in her pajamas. " He lived here, the Black Hood! Come closer, do you want to come in?"

" I'll handle this," Betty told her. " You go home."

" See ya tomorrow," Callie said as she walks into her house, listening to Betty yell the noisy people of Riverdale. After multiple room checks from her father, Callie laid in her bed staring at the ceiling. After a couple of toss and turns, Callie gave up on the idea of sleep. She then got up and walked over to her laptop, and turned it on. She thought about what Jughead told her, as much as she wanted to listen to him, she desired to find out more. A couple of minutes into investigating, she heard a knock at her window and saw a text pop on her phone fro Sweet Pea. Without even looking she waved at the window, the person then opened and climbed into her room.

" This key makes things a lot easier," Sweet Pea whispered as he walked over to her. 

" Why are you up this late?" Callie asked.

" Why are you asked?" Sweet Pea mimicked.

" Couldn't sleep," Callie answered. 

" Is the rumble haunting you?" Sweet Pea asked concerned.

" No," Callie answered, Sweet Pea's eyes then landed on the screen of her laptop. 

" Please tell me you are not investigating," Sweet Pea growled.

" I am investigating," Callie answered. Sweet Pea then closed her laptop and Callie glared at him.

" No more investigating for you," Sweet Pea ordered.

" But I just learned new information," Callie protested.

" Which you are going to let your brother, his girlfriend, Northside Princess, and Jughead handle," Sweet Pea advised.

" Actually Jughead said he would help me," Callie pointed out. " I'm just not supposed to do it alone, just in case one of the black hoods working for Hiram catches me."

" And what if that was him at your window a couple of minutes ago instead of me?" Sweet Pea questioned her.

" Are we seriously having a fight about this?" Callie asked.

" Yes, this is serious," Sweet Pea argued. " You are constantly landing yourself in danger, you went to the rumble, even though I really did not want you to."

" You are not the boss of me," Callie argued. " I can make my own choices."

" They are all extremely bad ones," Sweet Pea argued.

" All of them?" Callie asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she got up. 

" All of them," Sweet Pea confirmed as they stood real close to each other.

" Then you can leave," Callie demanded angrily.

" Fine," Sweet Pea spat as he turned and walked towards the window.

" Fine," Callie spat as she turned as sat on the edge of her bed. Sweet Pea opened her bedroom window and took a step out, he then looked back at Callie. He watched her get up and walk over to her laptop and open it once more, he watched her open a new tab.

" What are you doing?" Sweet Pea demanded as he fully got back in the room.

" Making more bad decisions," Callie answered. " Maybe Hiram keeps his work in a file on his laptop, maybe there's a way to hack into them, I just need to learn how to hack"

" Do it in the morning," Sweet Pea advised.

" Why do you care?" Callie demanded as Sweet Pea closed the laptop once more. She looked up at him, Sweet Pea saw tears in her eyes, he started to be angry with himself for causing them.

" It's going to be hard to learn how to hack with lack of sleep," Sweet Pea answered, Callie sighed and looked away. " Please don't give up on us just yet."

" You can't give up on us either," Callie insisted as she looked back at him. 

" I won't," Sweet Pea assured her.  The two then went back to the window and bed, this time Callie looked back at Sweet Pea.

" Can you possibly stay here?" Callie asked Sweet Pea looked back at her, his eyes locked with hers.

" Yeah," Sweet Pea smiled, the two situated themselves, they fell asleep with their backs against in each other.

*******

The next morning Callie woke up with a pair of arms wrapped around her tightly. She was alarmed for a second till she remembered Sweet Pea stayed the night.  She removed herself from Sweet Pea's embrace and went to downstairs to let Vegas, minutes later came back later. When she opened the door, she saw Sweet Pea sleeping peacefully, she saw that he was shirtless, she then saw his Serpent jacket on the ground, along with his pants. Vegas got on the bed and started to lick his face, Callie covered her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. Sweet Pea woke up, and pushed Vegas's face away from his, then glanced at Callie who stood in the doorway. She laughed, closed the door, made her way over to the bed and sat on it. Sweet Pea sat up and went to go kiss her, but she dodges it and kissed her dog's head.

" You dork," Sweet Pea smiled 

" Vegas gets all the kisses, " Callie answered. 

" All of them?" Sweet Pea asked.

" I guess except for a few," Callie shrugged, she then kissed her boyfriend. Hours later Callie went to school, she stood at her locker, down the hall she could see that all of Midge's stuff was gone.

" Penny for your thoughts?" Veronica asked walking up to her.

" All of her stuff is gone, the teddy bears, the notes people left."

" Those may be gone," Veronica said. " But she is always with us in our hearts, and she will always be a vixen."

" You're right," Callie breathed as they started to walk to the student lounge.  They sat down to listen to Reggie and Josie tell them about pulling out. They decided to not run for student council anymore.

" What do you mean you're withdrawing from the race?" Archie asked.

" It's clear," Reggie stated. " Reggie Mantle is not ready to be a leader of men."

"And my mom and I had a big talk after the riots, and..." Josie trailed. " I am an artist, not a politician. I need to get back to what I'm best at. Music."

" And then there was one," Veronica commented.

" Well, don't forget about Ethel Muggs," Callie reminded her. " Who's running as a third-party candidate." She then up and made her way to the door.

" Going to go see your boyfriend?" Reggie asked.

" Yeah," Callie answered.

" If he gives you any trouble, the Bulldogs will tear that reptile to shreds," Reggie warned.

" Thanks, Reggie," Callie smiled at him before walking out. When she got to the Swords and Serpents room, all that was left was Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Toni. She then saw the memo of the Southside students being transferred out.

" So this is how it ends, huh?" Jughead asked. " Not with a whimper, but with a memo from Weatherbee."

" Riverdale High is now suddenly overcrowded," Toni pointed out. " So, starting next week, all former Southside High students will be bussed to Seaside High."

" That's two hours away," Callie stated.

" Meaning, he blames us for trashing the school during riot night," Sweet Pea explained.

" Well, to be fair, Sweet Pea, you did," Jughead reminded him. Sweet Pea sighed, realizing that it was indeed his fault. He then looked at Jughead.

" What's our play, Jones?" Sweet Pea asked. " Do we have one?"

" I don't know anymore, guys," Jughead admitted. " I can't keep fighting for a gang that doesn't exist."

" Well, what about us?" Toni asked. " Or any of the other Serpents at the Whyte Wrym?"

" What Serpents at the Wrym?" Jughead asked. They took Jughead to the Whyte Wrym where the remaining Serpents stayed.  

" I don't understand," Jughead state.

" You saw what the Ghoulies did to most of Sunnyside," Callie said.

" A lot of Serpents couldn't afford to leave Riverdale," Sweet Pea added. " So we came here."

" Does my dad know about this?" Jughead asked.

*******

The next day Callie was Andrew's Construction some of the Bulldogs, Archie, her dad and Mrs. McCoy?"

" Do you think we have a shot, Mrs. McCoy?" Archie asked.

" Elections are won and lost in these two days," Mrs. McCoy announced. " What do you have to say on this Callie?"

" Dad, your key to victory is the Southside vote," Callie informed.

" Historically, the Southsiders don't vote because they feel marginalized," Mrs. McCoy added.

" But if you can get them to the booths," Callie started as the phone rang.

" They'll be voting for you and not Hermione," Mrs. McCoy added.

" Sorry to interrupt, uh, Sheriff Minetta is on the phone," Kevin informed Fred. " Says it's urgent."

" I'll stay here," Callie said, her brother and dad got up to meet Sheriff Minetta. 

********

Later that day Callie met up with Archie and Jughead in the Jones' trailer. Archie told them that FP was the one behind the black hood attacks.

" Of course it was Tall Boy," Jughead sighed as he sat down, pinching the bridge of his nose. " I'm such an idiot."

" You think what Mineta said is true?" Archie asked. " That Tall Boy was the second Black Hood?"

" He's done Hiram's dirty work before," Callie answered. " He confessed it."

" Which, now that I think about it, explains why he died suddenly in a firefight," Jughead added. " There's no loose ends. He can't implicate Hiram, ever."

" And now Sheriff Minetta can say the case of the copycat Black Hood is closed," Archie stated. 

" Hiram is gonna get away with it," Jughead added.

" he's gonna get away with all of it," Callie stated. They all made themselves something to eat as Jughead ranted.

" And on top of everything else, my dad, who's drinking again, wants us to move to Toledo," Jughead ranted. " Just in time, too."

" Weatherbee wants to kick all the Southsiders out of Riverdale," Callie mentioned. Suddenly the door opened, they turned to see Cheryl walking in, she looked panicked.

" Cheryl?" Archie asked as they all stood up.

" Zip it and listen," Cheryl ordered. " We have to get to the Whyte Wrym ASAP. I've already called Toni to give her the heads-up."

" What's going on?" Callie asked.

" My mumsy warned me that Hiram Lodge's cyborg Sheriff is raiding your precious bar tonight," Cheryl answered. " And if things turn violent and some Serpents end up shot, well, so much better. Let's go." The group hurried to the Whyte Wrym as fast as possible.

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