The Watcher in the Woods // Part Three

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
                          
In the midst of chaos, I called both Betty and Toni using Jughead's phone. Mine was long dead and I didn't have Toni's number. Betty was going to be the medical extraordinaire in this case and I figured Toni knew more about what happened than we would.
                          
"Oh, my God." Betty's jaw dropped when she walked in, her eyes landing on Jughead. She dropped her bag by the couch before sitting down next to him. "What happened?"
                          
"Motorcycle tipped, no big deal," Jughead cut off my explanation of the event. He gave me a pleading look. He didn't want her to know.
                          
Toni grabbed my arm and pulled me into the kitchen. "What the hell happened to you two? That's no motorcycle scrape."
                          
I sighed and leaned against the counter. "Two guys and a girl got us on the way out of the Red and Black."
                          
"What'd they look like?" She reached into the fridge to grab a thing of soda without even batting an eye.
                          
I shrugged. "The girl had choppy, short black hair. She was kinda small, lean. There were two guys, tall and-"
                          
"Ah," She cut me off, "The Ghoulies."
                          
I squinted at her. "Is that what they're called?"
                          
She nodded, glancing at Betty and Jughead in the other room. "They know he's not riding with the Serpents as of yet. That makes him open territory. You just managed to get caught in between."
                          
I shook my head. "You know Paul Marrows?"
                          
"Holy hell." Her eyes widened as she realized the connection. "That's your dad?"
                          
I nodded, a pit setting in my stomach. "The girl brought him up. Said he was huge at Southside."
                          
Toni sighed, "I'll give you what I know of the story once Pink Princess over there leaves." She jerked her thumb in Betty's direction. "Obviously Jones wants to keep her in the dark."
                          
I bit my lip. "Yeah, that's probably best. Word travels fast in Riverdale and the last thing we need is gossip about what goes on at Southside High. There's enough of that already."
                          
Toni squeezed my shoulder before leading me back into the living room. Betty looked over-the-top concerned for Jughead as she cleaned the blood from his cheek.
                          
"-Going to say you got jumped by those...Creepies." 
                          
"Ghoulies," Toni corrected Betty, "But nah, the Serpents won't allow that. They got Jughead's back, even though he's not a member. It's just family loyalty."
                          
Betty looked between Jughead and me. I shrugged, trying to lead her away from asking more questions. She sighed, "Alright, well, I'm going to head home before my mom sends out a search party. Plus, I have to try and fix this mess with Kevin."
                          
"Kevin?" I stepped forward. "What happened?"
                          
She rolled her eyes. "Cheryl and I busted him in the woods earlier. Got in a screaming match. It didn't end well."
                          
I sucked a breath in between my teeth. "Yikes. That sucks, Betts."
                          
"Yeah," She mumbled. "Anyway, I'll see you later."
                          
A series of goodbyes followed Betty as she left out the door. Toni waited for the door to click before looking at Jughead for an explanation.
                          
He was silent for a second. "Don't tell Betty. She doesn't need to know."
                          
Toni brushed it off. "We warned you about the Ghoulies. I think you'll take them a lot more seriously now."
                          
I made my way over to the couch to sit next to Jughead. Toni grabbed her bag from the counter before turning back towards us. Jughead sighed at her previous statement.
                          
"Yeah," He practically whispered, "I will now."
                          
Toni pulled her lips in and nodded. "I'm out of here."
                          
"Wait!" I called out as soon as she went towards the door. "What about..." I trailed off, almost afraid to say the name.
                          
She gave me a knowing smile. "Something tells me I'll see you sooner than later. I'll tell you then, promise."
                          
I nodded and sunk back into the cushions as she walked out. Jughead didn't say anything as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. I pulled my legs up on the couch, a relieved sigh escaping my lips. Tonight took a totally different turn than I expected.
                          
Now, Hiram and Hermione Lodge, even The Black Hood, were the least bit of my threats. There was a new monster in town and his name was Paul Marrows, a hell-bent demon who would stop at nothing to tear apart my life once he found out I was here. And that, that was enough to keep me up for the night, and many to come.
                          
--
                          
Breakfast the next morning was interesting, to say the least. Apparently, Daddy had interrogated Archie last night after dinner according to Ronnie. Hopefully the redhead wasn't too terrified to come back around us.
                          
Dad glanced over the top of the newspaper to see Ronnie giving him a smile. A certain smile that she pulled out quite often with him present. He seemed to pick up on it too.
                          
"Oh, I know that smile." He shook his head lightly.
                          
Veronica kept it up. "I've been thinking."
                          
Daddy folded the paper and set it down. "Oh, boy."
                          
"I want a more active role in Lodge Industries." Veronica was confident in her statement.
                          
I set my glass of chocolate milk down. "And, I'm out of here." I stood up and pushed my chair in.
                          
"No, no," Dad protested, "Come on, princesa. We're gonna figure this all out."
                          
I shook my head, "Look, Daddy. I'm just not in the mood today, okay? Sorry." 
                          
He gave me a tight lipped smile as Mom came up behind him. I glanced back at Veronica to see an apologetic look on her face. I shrugged it off and made my way out of the room, my destination, my bedroom. My candle was burning, making the room smell like cinnamon. I sighed and flopped on my bed just as my phone buzzed.
                          
Mi príncipe
                          
iMessage
                          
A smile formed on my face as I saw the text from Jughead. I slid my finger across the screen before unlocking it. That smile immediately disappeared as I read the message, my heart dropping.
                          
There's no other way to make it in this school if I don't join the Serpents.
                          
I closed my eyes and dropped my phone on the bed. I knew he was going to do whatever he needed to keep himself and his dad safe. I didn't blame him. I just wish it wasn't joining the Serpents. My phone buzzed as he texted again.
                          
Maybe not join them completely, but lunch will have to settle for now. I hope they have the same cookie recipe that you do.
                          
I rolled my eyes at him. Of course he worries about the food too. I quickly typed a response back.
                          
If cookies are what you want, it's cookies you'll get. Be careful. I love you.
                          
I locked my phone before rolling over to stare at the ceiling. I needed a week of peace. A vacation, maybe. That's what I wanted. A vacation, somewhere away from Riverdale, away from the King and Queen of the Pembrooke. I needed a week away from violence and chaos.
                          
I just wish everything would go back to normal, but in Riverdale, there is no normal.