Riverdale. The perfect place to start over. Or so I thought. I was recently out of college with a degree and license to let me teach high school history. Or, more preferably, work in a museum. Neither of which was panning out at the moment. Which was why I was in Riverdale. The school needed teachers and there was a museum I had heard needed workers. But I hadn't gotten calls back quite yet. So here I was, moving in to a house on the Southside with no real car of my own or really any furniture and no job to go to the next morning. I looked up at the small house on the outskirts of a trailer park and sighed. It was better than nothing and if I had to I would have taken one of the trailers if it meant I would have a roof over my head. I moved everything in fairly quickly considering I didn't have much to take from the moving truck and put in the house. I decided to shower quickly and change before going out and walking around the town. I figured I would try to get a temporary job so I could make a little bit of money before I found an actual job either at the high school or at a museum. Pulling on my leather jacket, I grabbed my house keys and started out into the town to find my way around.

It was about six at night when I wandered into a little diner called Pop's. I had stopped at almost every business between the Southside and this diner and had been turned down at every one. Either they weren't hiring at the moment or I didn't have the qualifications to do the job. I entered the diner dejected and ready to throw in the towel for the day. I was fully prepared to start walking back to my new home on the other side of town when I spotted the man behind the counter. My eyebrow went up in curiosity.

He was easily forty or so but I'd be damned if he actually looked it. His brown hair was slicked back and his brown eyes had looked up quickly when he heard the bell above the door. He nodded to me in greeting and went back to taking someone's order. I walked up to the counter and took a seat, knowing he would get to me when he could. I looked over the menu but I kept stealing glances at him out of the corner of my eye. He was tall, not much taller than me. He was skinny. The way the uniform hung on him showed that much but I could also tell there was muscle there. And he was one of the few people I knew that could pull an all white, 50s looking diner uniform off. I noticed he was coming over to me to get my order so I quickly decided on a burger and fries with a chocolate milkshake. But I was going to ask about a job first. Because dammit I needed one and if this handsome waiter could give me one I would be set for the rest of my time in Riverdale.

"Hi. What can I get you?" He asked when he reached me. I looked up with a nervous smile.

"I was actually wondering about the job the window is advertising." I said, pointing behind me at the 'help wanted' sign in the window, one of the few I had seen all day.

"Of course. Let me get Pop." The man quickly dropped his pen and pad and almost ran back into the kitchen. I heard his muffled voice and then another voice. The man came back with a smile on his face. "He'll just be a minute. He's finishing up someone's order." I nodded and started to get nervous again. I started to crack my knuckles, a nervous habit I had developed in college. "I'm FP by the way." The man held out his hand.

"(Y/N)." I said as I shook his hand, hoping my hand wasn't shaking too much on its own. FP smiled at me again.

"I haven't seen you around here before. And I've seen almost everyone in this town." FP said. I nodded. "So are you new to Riverdale or just new to Pop's?" He asked as he leaned on the counter. I chuckled at his attempt at a joke.

"New to Riverdale. Just moved in this morning." I said, moving my hands onto the counter so I would stop picking at my jeans. "I've been walking around all day trying to get a job but no one would even take an application." I shrugged and FP looked shocked but I couldn't tell by what. "I figured this was my last shot for today and I would try again tomorrow. Maybe even head over to Greendale."

"You've been walking through Riverdale all day?" FP asked. I nodded, not understanding why this was so shocking. "Don't you own a car?"

"I can barely afford the house I have right now! Adding a car into the mix would just make me broke." I explained. "That's part of the reason why I need a job." FP continued to look at me in shock. "What? Is there something wrong with walking?" FP shook his head slowly and looked behind him to see if Pop was almost ready to see me.

"No. But Riverdale isn't exactly the safest place in the world." FP explained as he looked back at me.

"No duh. But is there really a safe place anymore?" I shot back. FP just looked at me.

"You have a point but it is dangerous to be walking alone in Riverdale." He looked over my shoulder at the window of the diner. "Especially at night." He trailed off as an older man stepped out of the kitchen.

"Stop scaring the poor girl/boy FP." I assumed the man was Pop and gave him a small smile.

"I wasn't trying to scare her/him Pop." FP said as he stood up. "I was just making sure she/he would be okay getting back home tonight." Pop shook his head and shooed FP away. FP winked at me and mouthed 'good luck' at me as he wandered off into the kitchen. I introduced myself to Pop and sat on my hands to keep myself from fidgeting.

"FP tells me you are looking for a job." Pop said once FP had disappeared. I nodded.

"Yeah. I've tried almost everywhere in this town and no one is hiring." I said. Pop nodded. "Or I don't have the qualifications. I figured this would be the last place I tried before trying again tomorrow." Pop smiled.

"I'm a little short handed at the moment as you can tell." Pop motioned around the diner. "It's really just me and FP right now so we could really use the help." I bit the inside of my lip, trying not to get my hopes up but also knowing that being understaffed was always a way for someone like me to get a job. "It's not the greatest job in the world and you have to wear a uniform but it's better than nothing." Pop said with sympathy. I smiled.

"To be honest I would take anything at this point." I said. Pop nodded.

"Then consider yourself hired." He smiled and pulled out an application. I filled it out and Pop put it in his pocket. "I'll have your uniform tomorrow at noon. FP has the same shirt as you so he'll be able to train you and the two of you will work until close tomorrow."

"Thank you so much Pop. This means a lot to me." I said as I started to get up. My stomach growled and Pop laughed.

"Well don't leave if you haven't had something to eat yet." Pop laughed and my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. I felt my pocket and my face fell. I didn't have any money on me.

"It's ok Pop. I'll eat when I get home." I said as I went to leave again. I spotted FP peeking out from the kitchen to see what was going on.

"Nonsense. It's on the house. What do you want?" Pop said, motioning for me to sit down again. I sighed and sat back down.

"A burger, fries and a chocolate shake." I said and Pop wrote it down.

"Coming right up." he went into the kitchen and sent FP back out after talking to him. I looked around the diner and noticed it was almost empty.

"Sounds like you got a job." FP's voice brought me back. I looked up at him and nodded.

"Yep! And you get to train me." I teased, a smile making its way onto my face. FP chuckled and nodded.

"That I do." He said. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "It's really not that hard. You'll pick it up in no time." I nodded.

"I hope so." Pop came back out and put my food in front of me. I thanked him and started to eat.

"You can go home now FP. I'll close up tonight." Pop said to FP and he nodded.

"You sure Pop? I can stay if you need me." FP asked. I could tell he wanted to get out of there but he was being nice. Pop nodded.

"Yeah. Go home." FP nodded. "And don't let her walk home alone." This was said as a whisper but I still heard it. FP nodded agin.

"I won't Pop." FP said as he went back into the kitchen. He emerged a couple minutes later without the apron and wearing a black leather jacket with a snake sewed onto the back over the uniform. He looked good in leather and I found myself wondering what he would look like outside of work in actual clothing. I was also curious about what the snake was for.

"You ready to go?" FP asked. I nodded and thanked Pop again before following FP outside. I was about to walk off on my own before FP stopped me. "Let me give you a ride. It's late and I'm sure you just want to get back home after the day you've had." I turned back to FP and noticed he was holding up car keys and pointed to the only truck in the parking lot. I sighed and finally gave in.

"Okay. But just this once." I said as I went to get in the truck. FP shook his head with a chuckle.

"Of course." He got in the truck and started it up. "So where to?"

"Southside." I said. "On the edge of the trailer park. One of the nice looking houses on the block." FP nodded and started driving. We drove in silence for a few minutes before I spoke up. "What does the snake on the back of your jacket mean?" It was driving me insane.

"It's a gang." FP said flatly. He glanced over at me to see my reaction. I nodded slowly.

"Are you a part of it?" I asked. FP sighed.

"Yeah I am." He muttered. "I'm not supposed to be but I am." I turned towards him and watched him, gauging his reaction to see if I should keep asking questions. "I'm the leader."

"Wow." I said. "I never would have guessed." FP chuckled.

"Why not?" I shrugged.

"Don't look like the type." FP started to laugh.

"Don't look the type? Really?" He turned towards me as we pulled up to a red light. I shrugged with a smile on my face.

"Don't act like it either." I said. FP shook his head. "Too nice."

"Well you won't have to worry about the Southside Serpents. As long as you love on the Southside, they look out for their own." FP assured me.

"But I'm not a Serpent." I said confused. FP smirked.

"No but you live on the Southside." He said matter of factly. "And if you hang out with me that makes you Serpent adjacent." I looked over at him even more confused. "Well kind of. It means that the Serpents will protect you like one of their own, even if you aren't a part of us. So you'll never have to worry about something happening to you."

"That's reassuring." I laughed. "Is that why you were insistent about driving me home tonight?" FP chuckled.

"A bit yeah." FP said. "It was also because you were a pretty girl and I didn't want anything to happen to you." I blushed and hoped that FP couldn't tell in the dark. "Not only that but when I heard that you needed a job I thought of an offer." The truck stopped in front of my house and FP turned towards me.

"What offer?" I asked. I had just gotten a job at Pop's. I couldn't tell where else there would be to get a job.

"The Serpents have a bar. It's the Whyte Wyrm." FP started. "I know that probably doesn't sound terribly appealing but we need someone to run the entertainment. And I thought maybe you would want to take up the position." I looked at him in shock.

"Seriously?" I asked. FP nodded.

"Yeah. I mean the pay isn't much better than Pop's but it is pay right?" I broke into a smile and had to hold myself back from hugging FP.

"Yeah! I'll do it! That's great FP. Thank you." I said. I couldn't believe my luck.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then to iron out the details. Say around ten?" FP said. I nodded.

"I'll see you then." I said as I got out of the truck. "Good night FP!" I waved as I walked up to my door. FP waved back and didn't drive off until I had entered the house. I watched him drive off from the window out front. I couldn't wipe the smile off my fave as I walked upstairs and got ready for bed. My last thoughts were of FP and the fact that I was going to see him again tomorrow to get a second job. At this rate, I could pay for a car and get a better place to live. Although after what FP had said, did I really want to?