*Sage*

The next day my leg was feeling better and I was able to walk fine. Of course, everyone was made aware of an article Alice Cooper wrote in the paper bashing the Southside, which has many of us upset.

Why does she have to be so horrible?

I was at my locker when Jughead walked over.

I quietly took a deep breath. Hopefully he doesn't know about what's happened.

"Hey," he said with a yawn.

"Long night?" I chuckled. 

"Where do I start?" He asked. "How was yours?"

"Stayed at home mostly, trying to finish that cipher," I said with a shrug as I shut my locker and we started walking. "Did you have any luck?"

"Actually, Betty did," He said. "Turns out the Black Hood made the cipher using a Nancy Drew decoder book."

"Weird.... Well, what did it say?" I asked.

"He was planning to attack the Town Hall, but never showed up I guess," he said.

"This guy likes playing mind games.... I feel like, its more than just Betty, though... More than playing like he's some saviour to this town," I said. "I just have this feeling that its a lot more than it even looks..."

"You think so?" he asked.

"I'm probably wrong, but who knows" I shrugged as we walked out to the spillout area.

That's when I see my brother, Fogarty, Toni, and other Serpents around the table looking at something.

Sweet Pea looked up as we approached them

"Nice article your girlfriend's mom wrote," Sweet Pea snapped at Jughead.

"Yeah, I saw that," Jughead sighed as I sat down at the table next to Toni. "Dilton Doiley said he was stabbed when a bunch of you guys jumped him."

"Idiot stabbed himself," Fangs said. "With his own knife."

"And we didn't jump him, there was a fight," Sweet Pea snapped. "Bulldogs versus Serpents. And you see this?"

Sweet Pea points at his black eye and I bit my lip and looked down.

"Your boy Andrews gave it to me," he snapped. "Just before his girlfriend shot a gun into the air."

"What happened?" Jughead asked in shock.

"And they also stabbed Sage's leg," Fangs said.

"Shh!" I snapped, and Jughead was even more shocked.

"You told me you fell," he said.

"I lied, okay? I just didn't want to freak you out," I sighed. 

"I'm guessing you didn't tell him Andrews held up a gun at us after tagging the Southside, then?" Sweet Pea said sternly. "The nozzle was right at your face, Sage!"

Jughead's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

I looked down quietly, not being able to face him.

Damn it, Sweet Pea.

"And of course, Northsiders get off scot-free," Sweet Pea scoffed. "And the rest of us are hauled in by the police."

"Its payback time," Fogarty said in a stern tone.

"What are you guys talking about?" Jughead asked cautiously.

"This," Sweet Pea said, spreading some sheets of paper out on the table.  

"What is that?" Jughead asked as I took a sheet of paper and read it through, Jughead reading over my shoulder.

I froze once I realized what it was, and it looks like Jughead realized it, too.

"Is that a pipebomb?" He asked in shock.

"Sweet Pea," I gasped in horror, looking up at him as Jughead and Toni looked at each other worriedly.

"Fogarty's cousin served in the Army," Sweet Pea said. "He's gonna build us something."

"We'll do it after hours," I said. "But it'll shut the Riverdale Register down once and for all."

"You think blowing up a building is gonna make things better?!" Jughead snapped.

"Can't get any worse," he snapped.

"Yeah, Sweet Pea, it can," Jughead snapped. 

"Over my dead body you are going to do something as dangerous and twisted as this!" I exclaimed at my brother, standing up. 

"Let me talk to Archie. Let me figure this out, okay?" Jughead reasoned.

"Man, that's your answer for everything," Sweet Pea snapped as Fogarty folded up the blueprints. "Talk and more talk. And we don't even know who you stand with. Us? Or them?"

"Sweet Pea," I scolded.

Jughead was quiet as then Sweet Pea leaned against the table.

"You can't be half a Serpent," he said.

"That's enough," I snapped.

He just scoffed as he motioned to Fogarty and everyone left, expect Toni, Jughead and I.

"Great," Jughead sighed as he sat down next to Toni and I sat across from them. "So Archie started World War III."

"Northside has been dumping on us for years. Your dad tried to keep the peace, avoid bloodshed, " Toni said sternly. "Now that he's gone, idiots like Sweet Pea think there's only one path and one solution. Violence."

Jughead listened as I sighed quietly.

"No offence, Sage," Toni said.

"None taken," I said. "You're not wrong."

Jughead then looked at me. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

I pursed my lips. "What did you want me to say? That your best friend went crazy and could have killed me and my brother that night? You have enough on your plate, Jughead, I didn;t want you to carry anymore burden."

"You're still my friend, Sage, that doesn't mean you can't keep these kind of things from me," he said.

I sighed. "I'm sorry.... I promise, anything happens, I'll tell you..."

He sighed and nodded.

"Which means I should probably tell you guys I wasn't at the Whyte Wyrm getting my leg patched up like Sweet Pea believes," I sighed.

Toni and Jughead furrowed their brows. "Where did you go?" Toni asked.

I bit my lip and took a deep breath.

"Andrews and his girl found me and took me home," I confessed.

Their eyes widen in shock.

"After the gun went off the Serpents ran, but I wasn't able to," I said. "That's when Andrews found me and he and his girl took me to his place, took care of my injury, and we decided so nobody's suspicious I get dropped off to where I hid my bike and head home."

"Holy crap," Toni said in shock.

"You guys can't tell my brother," I said. "If Sweet Pea finds out I was with this guy and he helped me, he'll have my jacket off my back before I can even blink!"

Toni and Jughead looked at each other before they nodded and Toni sighed.

"Fine, we won't tell Sweet Pea," Toni said. "Especially me since I doubt we'll ever see him again."

I sighed as I got up. "Let's hope," I said. "I gotta go finish a research paper.. I'll see you guys soon."

They nodded as they walked off, then I stopped before turning around.

"Jug," I called out.

He turned around to look at me.

"Don't listen to what my brother said," I said. "You're as much of a Serpent as the rest of us, and either way, you're still you. That's what matters most."

He looked at me before giving me a small smile. "Thanks, Sage."

I smiled before continuing towards the library.

*Archie*

The next morning before school I told Dad that I wrote an apology letter and posted an apology video as well, and that the Red Circle is over and done with.

He was relieved in hearing that.

However, just as I was leaving to school, Betty texted me asking to walk her to school.

I met up with her by her house and we were on our way, just was she told me something serious that made me stop in my tracks.

"What?" I asked in shock.

"Keep walking," she said and I continue walking alongside her.

"Wait, the Black Hood called you?" I asked in shock.

"Yes. Its risky for me to even be telling you," she said. "But, we're best friends and we live right next door to each other, so us walking to school together, would look perfectly normal to anyone who might be watching... Including him."

I gulped. "You think he's watching us?"

"I don't know, he could be," Betty said. "I know it sounds crazy, but it was him."

"Betty, you have to tell the police," I said sternly. "Even if its not him."

"It is him. And he told me if I went to the police, or if I told Jughead, he'd...." he said, then took a shaky deep breath. "God, he knows where Polly is, Arch."

I looked at her in utter shock.

"If he calls me again, I have to answer," She said

"I'm not letting you go through this alone," I said immediately.

She looked at me nervously and nodded. "Thank you..."

***

We arrived and I see Veronica and Kevin talking in the student lounge.

"We'd hop from club to club, go on these madcap adventures, stay up all night...." She said.

"Who's this now?" I asked curiously as I sat on the couch next to her.

"Oh, it's just a ghost from my bad girl past, Nick St. Clair," she shrugged. "Breezing into town for the Open House."

"Sounds cool," Betty smiled as then Kevin went to show her something.

That's when Veronica turned to me. "Can we talk?"

I furrowed my brows and nodded. "Sure..."

They got up, Betty and Kevin watching curiously as we stepped out.

--

"You're breaking up with me?" I asked.

"I don't want to, Archie," she said, eyes sort of watery. "But after last night... You weren't who I fell in love with..."

"Ronnie, I already disbanded the Red Circle, and for good," I said.

"Its not the Red Circle," she said. "Its the fat of you actually wanting to risk your life like that and not even considering how anyone else would feel... How I would feel...."

I looked at her as a single tear fell from her cheek but she wiped it away.

"Something could have happened to you last night.... Of if you went on to trying to hunt the Black Hood.... And I can't live with that...." I said. "I want to support you, but I can't support you there..."

She sniffled as I watched her, my heart breaking.

"We can still be friends, but this is goodbye to us, Archie," She said, and more tears fell, which she tried to cover up.

"Ronnie, I..." I said, but she turned and quickly walked off.

I sighed as then I noticed Betty and Kevin were watching.

"Archie, what happened?" Betty asked with concern. "Why was she crying?"

"I-I.... She broke up with me..." I said.

Her eyes widen as then Kevin ran up.

"Seriously?" He asked.

"I should check on her," Betty said as she ran off, trying to catch up to Veronica.

I really messed things up.....

~~~~~

This chapter was kind of sloppy towards the end. Sorry about that. Hope you all still like it, though. 🌻

🎹 Currently in Sapph's playlist:

Falling in Reverse "Losing My Mind"

https://youtu.be/uCA-Ll2CJFQ

♡~ sapphire.