It was late in the afternoon when Riverdale's sheriff knocked firmly on yet another Sunnyside trailer. Its inhabitants had never thought that the one who ought to bring peace to the town, was here to deliver bad news. Chaos and discord was planted between the dark soil that was the Southside by no one other than he who ought to unite the two sides.

+ + + + 

A firm knock stirred Nellie abruptly from her vacant staring. Sweet Pea who had been getting ready to tinker on his motorcycle, looked up from his worn off sneakers that he putting on.

He straightened himself, throwing Nellie a questioning look as he walked towards the door. Nellie herself did not know who was at the door, and waited.

The knocking continued, this time more rapidly as their guest was getting impatient. 

Nellie scooted closer to the edge of the bench, leaning heavily onto the soft pillows. Her hand dangled around her ankle as she pulled her leg closer to her chest. 

Finally, Sweet Pea opened the door, bringing with the movement a gush of fresh air to waft through the dense space. 

A man in uniform entered, without waiting for an invitation. This immediately brought Sweet Pea to squint his eyes to threatening slits. His gaze pinned on the back of the man, he followed the stranger until he made himself comfortable and sat down on the opposite side of the table, right in front of Nellie.

"Good afternoon," the man said, his hands reaching for a stack of papers tucked safely away in the inside of his vest. 

"Sheriff Keller," Sweet Pea replied crossing his arms in front of his chest. His words were dripping with venom. 

Nellie observed the scene in quiet. 

Sheriff Keller threw her a glance. His eyes clearly displayed confusion but Nellie did not know how to react to the strange look she was receiving. So instead, she remained silent, addressing her attention to the riffled edge of her shoelace, toying it between her fingers.

"I'm here in search of General Pickens' head," the sheriff continued to which Nellie did look up. This was her time to be confused. 

Sweet Pea visibly relaxed, the tension releasing his broad shoulders. He casually leaned against the counter. His dark eyes held a playful glint.

"Sheriff Keller, this is the fourth time this week you're interrogating the Serpents about the missing head of a statue. I assume your search isn't going as planned," the Serpent said, a sneer gracing his features.

The sheriff's face turned sour. "The Serpents have a motive and still no alibi," he said, his green eyes quickly glancing at Nellie.

"And here I was believing in the presumption of innocence," Sweet Pea replied, drawing the sheriff's attention back to him. 

"Just for your information, keeping important information from the police is considered an obstruction of justice, young man," the sheriff retorted, his patience clearly growing thinner with every moment he spend in the cramped trailer. 

"You and your girl should be aware that not helping me, can be considered a crime,"

At the assumption of a relationship between Nellie and Sweet Pea, Nellie's attention was drawn to the sheriff's words. A quick glance betrayed her interest in wanting to gauge Sweet Pea's reaction. 

The Serpent took a deep breath, his dark glare a turmoil of danger and violent thoughts.

"We cannot help you further, Sheriff. If your threat of a crime we did not commit, is over, I have to ask you to leave my home," He said, turning away from Keller. The tension had returned to his posture as anger was running through the gang's member's veins.

"For as long as it is your home," the sheriff replied, pointing at the bundle of papers he had earlier discarded on the table. 

Confused, Sweet Pea turned around. He strode towards the small table in less than two steps and lunged for the documents. 

The sheriff held another single paper.

"The mayor's clearing Sunnyside Trailer Park. This is an official eviction notice. Unless you pay your back rent, this trailer needs to be vacated within two weeks," Without giving the two inhabitants a single glance, the sheriff walked over to the front door.

"Have a nice day, and hopefully I can't count on your cooperation next time I come around, perhaps when you've found Pickens' head," the sheriff said before he shut the door and left the two alone in an ear-deafening silence.

It was Sweet Pea's defied grunt that broke the quiet as he tossed the papers onto the table and stalked back and forth. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

Nellie uncomfortably scooted to the edge of the bench. Her dark brown eyes followed Sweet Pea stalking back and forth in a nervous manner. 

"I can go to a motel first thing in the morning," Nellie interrupted the silence.

"You are not going anywhere," Sweet Pea's voice came out strained. Frowning, Nellie looked at the tall Serpent as he ran his hand through his black hair. 

"I promised F.P. to keep you safe here, so that's what I'll do."

Nellie walked past him, nearly having to press herself against the thin walls to avoid bumping into the gang member. 

"You already have enough on your mind with the eviction notice. I don't want to be another problem on that pile," she murmured, already reaching out for the doorknob to her room.

"We'll see that the eviction notice will be dealt with," Sweet Pea said, his voice sounding closer than where Nellie had left him in the tiny living room. 

She turned her head to the side to see him leaning against the wall next to her door.

"For once, the Serpents are innocent. We won't let ourselves be threatened out of our homes that easily," he said. The look on his face clearly displayed confidence and determination. As he pushed himself from the wall, a wave of his scent embraced her. 

Allowing herself one moment to relish in the heavy scent that lingered around the Serpent, Nellie closed her eyes before she pushed open the door. 

Her thoughts were still restless with the visit of the sheriff as she entered. Not even the confident stance of Sweet Pea could calm her nerves. Almost automatically, she reached for a drawer underneath the mattress. Without really thinking, she grabbed the first T-shirt she could find, blindly discarding her own clothes and pulling the piece of clothing over her head. The fabric was soft of many wears. 

Safely tucked underneath the covers of Sweet Pea's brother's bed, music suddenly filled the living room on the other side of the door. As a single acoustic guitar echoed through the trailer, it somehow helped calm Nellie's nerves. 

Her first night at the trailer. A trailer she shared with some strange Southside Serpent. A trailer where she would be kicked out off in probably less than two weeks. She needed to find a solution, but it was the first night where the sleep wouldn't come easily. 

After tossing and turning in the small bed, Nellie couldn't barely take it anymore. She grew more and more frustrated as the sound of the highway behind the trailer park mixed with the music from the living room. 

She stood up, stretching her bare legs in the small room. Her hand was already hovering above the doorknob when hushed voices distanced themselves from the melodious music. 

"I don't know, Toni," Sweet Pea said, his voice barely came above the guitars. 

"Jughead always says he'll fix things, but this time... He's the one who got us into this mess!" He continued, his frustrations shushed by another person in the room.

"And what do I do with that girl? Nellie? Why is she here? Serpents take care of their own, not some scrawny, poor thing we find on the side of the road," he continued. 

Nellie took a deep breath and leaned against the door. She closed her eyes, waiting for something else to come, but the people in the living room were quiet. She let her head fall back to the surface of the door. Tilting her head, her eyes caught sight of the family picture of Sweet Pea. 

How she would do anything to be together with her mom in their small apartment back in New York instead of this cramped trailer filled with dangerous gang members. 

Nellie Hearst couldn't escape the danger. It followed her, seaked her out, forced her into one place. She had barely managed to avoid the mess that was New York only to stumble into another one in Riverdale. 

Nellie Hearst would undoubtedly forever be on the run. But how long could she be one step ahead of what was about to swallow her?