Jade Jones was a girl that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. She was separated from her younger brother, partly by choice and partly not, when she left her old life behind and transferred to junior high on the Southside. She left everyone beh...
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"Last two standing?" Fp asked as he walked up to the old high school, seeing only Jade and Jughead. "What happened to no serpent left behind?"
"There's two of us." Jade joked.
"They were claimed by frostbite. They'll be back after some coffee and they warm up."
"Too bad, I got a dozen burgers." Fp said then tossed the white bag to the two Jones kids, "Guess they're all yours now."
Jughead sighed, "Come on, boy. It's just us three. We're not gonna tell anyone you broke your hunger strike."
☆
"So, uh.. just like clockwork, I got a call from Hiram.." Fp said, the three now sat on top of the railing of the school.
"What's he offering this time?" Jughead asked.
"You know how they're saying SoDale will mostly be low income housing? Well, apparently, there'll be a few penthouses at the top." Fp said, "Would be more than enough space for all of us... your mom, Jellybean.. just like you always wanted."
"Just imagine us, standing on that balcony and looking over a prison.." Jughead said.
"Right in the same spot where all our friends and us used to go to school..." Jade finished. "And Jellybean, growing up in a town where.. her best hope, or only hope aside from getting the hell out, is to work at the prison?"
"It's not right.." Jughead sighed, "What'd you say to him?"
"Nothing. I hung up on his ass and went to Pop's and got some burgers."
☆
"I was hoping to see Jughead while I was in town.." Mary said to her son as they ate dinner.
"He's still at Southside High, chained up like lunatic."
"Arch, you not believe in what he's fighting for.." Fred trailed off.
"I'm not sure he's fighting for anything, Dad." Archie sighed, "I think he's mostly just fighting against the Mr. Lodge.. like a lot of people on this town who are afraid.."
"Archie." Mary warned.
"Afraid? Afraid of what?"
"Afraid of having a vision of seeing what has to be done and doing it."
Fred sighed and Mary sat down her silverware, "I hope your not referring to your father, Archie. This man who broke rocks when he was in high school to support his family when his dad was sick. A man who saw what had to be done and did it.. and built a business out of nothing. One that pays for this house and the food you eat every day. And for your information, your father had and has a vision Riverdale. One that doesn't, thank god, end up with everyone working in a penal colony. Now, you don't have to side with your dad, okay? You can side with Hiram Lodge, even though he's a crook, and has no intention of letting your father out of that contract, by the way. You can do that. That is your right. But, I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit here and listen to you disrespect him."
☆
"Cops may let you by, Red, but you come in here acting like a big man and I will knock you down." Fp said as the wrestling team walked up to the serpents chained to the school.
"Dad, don't. They'll throw you in jail. Don't give 'em an excuse." Jughead said grabbing father's arm.
"I'm sorry, Jughead." Archie said.
"Me too." Jughead said, "I'm not gonna fight you, Archie. Look around.. it may have taken a couple of days, but now people know what Hiram's doing.. what's happening here. This fight isn't gonna go away. We're not gonna go away. So go on, cut us down." Jughead held up his chained hands, "I want them to see you do it."
"What happened to the Archie I knew?" Jade whispered to the ginger after he cut her chains too.
☆
Jade stayed behind, wanting to talk to Archie. She waiting until everyone was gone to talk to the boy.
"What happened to the Archie I knew? What happened to Jughead's best friend? What happened to my best friend?" Jade scoffed, "What happened to my boyfriend?"
"Jade, nothing happened to me. I'm still here, I'm still your boyfriend.."
"No, you're not Archie. Not after today." She said, "You finally proved the thing I knew was coming. I knew you were going to finally side with Hiram today for good, instead of your own girlfriend. I don't know why you're so stupid to think anything Hiram is doing is right. He has plans.. Plans bigger than anything any of us could imagine. He's going to destroy what I call home. And what do you do? You side with him. You're fully on board with everything he has to say. If I didn't know Veronica was an actual good person, I would assume you were sleeping with her or something."
Jade turned on her heels quickly and Archie grabbed her wrist, "Jade, Jade, no. i love you.. what—what do you mean?"
