CHAPTER FIVE
TO PUNCH A SERPENT
"you got me feeling emotions"
˚✧₊⁎*⁎⁺˳✧༚

     On rare occasions did Harley's parents ever pull their act togheter and do something for Harley.

     In fifth grade she had a Romeo and Juliette play that was going to be shown to all the parents of the kids in the play. Harley wasn't the leading role, she was a small person in the background, but they had practiced the play for weeks and it had been the only thing she ever spoke about for those weeks. Then, when the big day rolled in, everyone's parents were in the crowd, watching their kids proudly. Everyone, except Harley's. Her dad was passed out in the living room as per usual, and her mother was at work.

     She had thrown a tantrum, but no had really been there to witness it. That was also the day she learned she could never rely on anyone but herself, for anything, wether it was for them to do something for her, or just to simply be there. The only person she could trust was Jughead.

     From there on, her parents missed most of the parent teacher conferences, when the teachers called in for a meeting when she was slacking her school no one bothered to show but her. She was used to it, it was fine.

     But apparently today was different.

     Everyone was gathered in the Cooper home. Mayor McCoy and her daughter Joise, Reggie and his mother, Betty and her mom Alice (they were hosting), Archie with his dad Fred, Veronica with both her parents, Cheryl with her mom, Kevin with his father Sheriff Keller and finally Harley with her mother.

     Her mother was wearing a displeased look and a scowl. She was obviously grumpy that she was missing work to talk about how her kid had been at a party where they took jingle jangle. Hadn't she raised her kid to know better?

"Alice, thank you for hosting." Mayor McCoy broke the silence in the room, a friendly yet uptight smile forced on her lips as she thanked the Cooper mom. Joise was seated beside her wearing a bored, but somewhat guilty expression. None of them really knew how the parents figured it out, but Harley simply guessed that one of them were stupid enough to go home high as a kite.

     "Of course Mayor McCoy." Alice replied, sitting upright in her chair with a fake smile to match her personality. "When I heard what happened at Nick's party, I decided that we should come togheter to deal with the motley crew of liars, dope-fiends and fornicators. Expect for, of course, my Betty who was smart enough to leave the party before it descended into a bacchanalian free for all." Harley's mother nodded in agreement.

     "And my daughter, Harley, of course, who also was bright enough to leave without touching the drugs." She praised Harley. The Byers daughter simply scoffed, knowing that she was far from as pleased with her as she was sounding.

     Everyone rolled their eyes at the two mothers, especially Alice, praising their kids and shamefully throwing shade at the other teenagers present. "Mom, please don't." Betty said, embarrassed by her mother.

     Veronica leans over to whisper something to Archie, but the others catch it. "Here we go with Saint Betty and Succubus Veronica."

     Fred Andrews, Archie's dad, leaned forward. "So, for clarity, you're hosting this little get together for what?" He questioned. Alice rolled her eyes.

     Hiram Lodge, Veronica's father, decided to dip into the conversation. "Be careful throwing stones there, acid Queen Alice. I'm not the only one in this room who knows the story behind that mugshot that your daughter printed." Betty looked down in guilt, while Harley arched a brow at the man. They were acting like they were the teenagers in the room. Blaming each other.

     "Yeah, well I would like to know who brought the jingle jangle there in the first place." Harley's mom said, her eyes carefully gracing everyone in the room. Reggie slowly put his hand up, but quickly retreated it when his mother smacked it down.

     "Not another word, Reginald, not until we get a lawyer." She scoffed at her son. 

     Hiram was the next one to speak, again. "All Reggie needs to tell is just how he acquired it."

Reggie answered, despite his mother's request for him not to. "Some gang members that deals on the Southside." Harley was almost surprised at how chill he was being about it all. How the fuck isn't he shitting himself right now, she thought, he just openly admitted infront of his mother, the sheriff and the mayor that he had bought jingle jangle.

"You have a dealer?" His mother shrieked.

     "Once again, Mayor, the Southside is the source of all our problems." Hiram said. All the parents nodded in agreement.

Sheriff Keller took a step closer to Reggie. "Was it a Serpent? Does he go to Southside High?"

Reggie shrugged. "I think so."

Harley scoffed. She had grilled Jughead about it when he said he was going to become a Sepent. They didn't deal drugs, the Ghoulies did. "The Serpents doesn't deal drugs, Reggie. The Ghoulies do. You can't just frame it on them because it's the easiest option."

"Harley not a single word." Her mother snapped, shutting her daughter up.

     Veronica sighed in annoyance. "None of us would've taken JJ if Nick hadn't forced it on us. We shouldn't have taken it, but he was the one who asked Reggid to get it and tried pressuring everyone to take some. He should be the one in the hot seat right now, not us!" Veronica said. Harley nodded in agreement along with the other teens.

     "Prosecuting Nick St. Clair would be extremely difficult given that all the witnesses was high." The sheriff said. "The drugs stay in your system for three days. That means that if I were to take a drug test on you now, you'd have a credibility problem."

     "Nor Betty or I was? Doesn't that count for something?" Harley asked. The sheriff shook her head, but before he could explain why, Mayor McCoy spoke up.

     "You took that drug?" She asked, disgust clear on her face as she glared at her daughter. "You willingly put that poison in your system knowing that your father struggles with addiction?" Josie looked away in shame, tears welling up in her eyes.

     Mayor McCoy was seething with anger, the only thing she could think of being the Southside corrupting her innocent little girl. She'd had enough. "From this moment on brining the Southside under my control is my number one priority as mayor. If it means razing it to the ground or arresting every single Serpent in sight, starting at that high school, so be it." Harley stared wide eyed. If they were raiding the school, that would mean Jug would get arrested. She couldn't let that happen.

     After that, the meeting disbanded. Both Harley and Archie rushed out of there, ignoring the calls they were getting from their parents. They needed to get to Southside high, fast. They needed to warn Jughead.

     Jumping in his father's car, Archie floored the gas pedal. They were going ways over the speed limit, speeding past red lights, but in the very moment it didn't matter. It was a miracle, really, that they didn't crash on the way to the school.

     As soon as the car pulled up by the school, Harley threw the door open, dashing in the direction of the high school. The disgusting smell hit her as soon as she threw the doors open, a strong odor of smoke filling her nostrils. She kept herself from gagging, storming past the metal detectors. The school had more resembles to a prison rather then a High School.

     Harley could hear Archie's heavy foot steps, but she didn't pay attention to if he was keeping up with her. She forced herself to go faster as she frantically searched the hallway for her beanie wearing best friend. When she finally spotted him, relief washed over her features. "Jug!" She yelled out, catching his attention. His eyebrows knitted up into a confused look.

     "Har what are you doing here?" He asked. He peered over her shoulder, a frown plastered on his face when he spotted Archie behind her. "Oh, what, you here to yell some more? Because if-"

"You need to get the hell out of here." Archie interrupted, panting from the running. Jughead looked between the two like they were crazy,

"What, why? What's going on?" He asked. Harley leaned against the lockers, making a mental note to work out more. She was really out of shape.

"Mayor McCoy is raiding the school and arresting all the Serpents. You need to leave." Archie shortly explained to Jughead. As if on cue, the doors to the school was thrown open, cops flooding in with the Sheriff and Mayor leading them.

"Oh crap!" Harley wheezed. Jughead's mouth dropped agape in shock.

"Wait, I have to warn the others." Jughead said. Archie tugged him along with him in the opposite direction of the police.

"I'll do it, just get the hell out of here!" She yelled, letting Archie pull him away. She ran down the hall, her eyes searching for someone, anyone, wearing a Serpent jacket or a serpent tattoo. She skidded to a halt beside a tall boy, immediately recognizing him as the one she had sucked punched. Of course, just my luck. Couldn't she have spotted any other Serpent?

She threw a look on her shoulder as he closed his locker, eyes widening in shock when he saw her standing there. "What the hell are you doing her, Northside princess? You gonna punch me again?" He glared at her once the shock washed away, a snarl on his lips.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. They didn't have time for this. "Unless you want to get arrested, follow me." His eyes widened when a cop turned the corner. He let her drag him with her, the two storming to the back entrance. There was no time to stop and save anyone else.

"For fuck sake." She growled when the cops was closing in on them. "Put those long legs to use! Run faster." She pestered, pulling him violently along with her.

They burst out of school, just in time to see Archie and Jughead pull out. Perfec-fucking-tly, she thought. She was stranded there. Of course that's what she get for trying to be a good person for once.

"Come on." He tugged her after him, towards where he had parked his bike. She had saved him, so he figured he would return the favor. He threw a helmet in her direction, one that she catched with easy. She slipped it on, not hesitating to climb into the back of the bike, her arms secured loosely around his torso. Just as the engine roared to life, the Sheriff bursted out from the school, yelling after them.

"Hold on tight." He informed, speeding out of there. Harley clenched her eyes shut, burrying her face in his back as he broke the speed limit to escape. She let out a breath of relief she didn't know she'd been holding when the cops disappeared from view, clutching him harder.

     The wind aggressively whipped her hair around. The longer they rode, the calmer she felt. She had no idea where they where going, he didn't know where she lived so she was pretty sure he wasn't driving her home. Maybe his place? Harley couldn't bring herself to care in the very moment, the adrenaline pumping in her veins distracting her.

     She had woken up this morning to her mother yelling at her for attending the party, and now she was sitting on a motorcycle with her arms wrapped around a Southside Serpent. Harley hadn't really imagined herself ever riding on the back of a bike, let alone with a Serpent. And to make the situation even better, they were running from the cops. God, if her mom knew what she was currently doing she would without a doubt loose it completely.

     Life kept throwing curve balls at her, and they kept getting weirder and weirder. What was next?

     After what probably was a few minutes but felt like only a few seconds, he parked his bike. She wobbly got off the bike, unclapsing the helmet. Harley almost dropped to the ground from the adrenaline in her veins. He stared at her wide eyed once what had just happened settled in.

     There was a moment of silence, until Harley suddenly bursted out in laughter. She let it bubble out of her chest and flow freely through the air. He let his eyes stay glued to him as she laughed, slightly confused, but soon enough he couldn't help himself. Her laughter was contagious.

     He burst out in laughter himself, both in them laughing like maniacs. Harley took a few deep breath, trying to calm herself. She failed miserably, bursting out in laughter once again.

     "I wanna do it again!" She said inbetween laughter. Who would've thought running from the cops with a stranger was this much fun? It was completely infatuating, the feeling rushing through her body. The worst the girl had ever done was sneak Jug in, or go to a party. But this? It was like from a movie, or a book. And it was completely and utterly exhilarating.

     Once they had calmed down, silence engulfed them both again. Until he decided to break it. "Why did you warn me?" He wondered. She shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing why she decided to follow Jughead's request.

     "Jug kinda made me." He nodded. "I'm Harley." She introduced. He stared weirdly at her extended hand, debating wether or not he was going to shake it. "I don't bite." She reassured, rolling his eyes.

     "I don't know, wouldn't want to get rabies from that bulldog of yours." He joked, halfway serious. "I'm Sweet Pea." He introduced.

     "Sweet Pea? That's your name? Seriously?  She asked. He arched a brow.

     "Yeah, what about it?" She held up her hands in surrender.

     "Nothing, just thought you'd have a, you know, cool name." He scoffed at her.

     "A cool name? Like what?" He asked folding his arms over his chest. He was incredibly tall and scary looking. He was in a gang, for heavens sake, and had a neck tattoo. You'd think he'd have a badass name, one that wasn't the same as a flower.

     "Like Blade or something. That'd be badass." He snorted at the name, involuntaringly letting a ghost of a smile grace his lips.

     "Yeah, at least I'm not named after a motorcycle, Harley. What, is your last name Davidson or something?" He teased. Now it was her turn to scoff.

     "No, it's Byers. And it's a whole lot cooler to be named after a motorcycle then it is to be named after a flower, Sweet Pea. You'd think I'd be the one in the motorcycle gang, not you."

     Harley quickly let her eyes grace her surroundings. She realized that she was at the Sunny Side trailer park, and the only way she was getting home was if she was walking. She groaned.

     "You took me here?" She complained. He tilted his head, eyes narrowed at her.

     "What was I suppose to do? I'm not a stalker, I don't know where you live." He replied. She arched a brow at him.

     "You sure about that? I mean you look the part." He rolled his eyes. Then, he remembered just who she was, having momentarily forgotten their encounter that one night in the rain, the adrenaline of escaping arrest getting to him.

     "You're that girl that punched me, aren't you?" He spat, pointing on the bruise on his face. She cringed slightly, nodding.

     "Yeah, sure am." She awkwardly replied. How do one address the person you almost broke the nose to?

     "You're also that girl slumming it with Jones." He sourly spat. She narrowed her eyes at him.

     "Excuse you?"

     "You heard me. Sleeping around with Jones while he's still with someone else. Is that a Northsider thing, or just a you thing?" He spat, his hatred of the Northside blossoming. He couldn't let her cute face and the fact that she had saved him cloud the painful truth. She was a preppy, stuck up, spoiled brat from the Northside.

     "You're acting like a complete asshole, is that a Serpent thing or just a you thing?" She fired back, glaring at him.

     "I'm only an asshole to brats like yourself." She clenched her jaw, balling her fist up at her sides. He noticed. "Awh, is Princess here getting mad?"

     She growled. "You know, that bruise there looks lonely, want me to give it a friend?" Before he could even begin to react, she landed a punch to his jaw. Harley had a temper, and was currently letting it get the better of her. He groaned in pain, and she quickly realized what she had done. Shit, shit shit shit.

     "Uh, yeah, bye." She spun around, heading in the other direction, running as fast as her legs could carry her across town and back home.

     She had run from the cops, rode a motorcycle with a Serpent and then proceeded to punch that very Serpent. What the hell was she doing?

word count; 2967
a/n

one really good thing actually came out of this whole quarantine/ social distancing situation. there's a hell of a lot of time to write. so here i am, updating book left and right instead of doing my actual school work and studying. oh well, hope u guys enjoy reading. stay tuned for more.

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