Chapter Text
Veronica Lodge, rarely, in her life has experienced the bubble of nerves in her stomach. The type that can flutter like butterflies, causing your stomach to churn and you to feel uncomfortably nauseous. She was a Lodge, after all, she had to radiate confidence in her every step. She couldn't show any sign of weakness that would bring others who attended Spence to look down upon her. She had to be strong like her father taught her. It wasn't until the downfall of her father, the day she watched him get taken away in handcuffs that she allowed herself to be weak and cry in her mother's arms. Whispers of harsh, crude things that were plastered on social media had opened her eyes to the monster she truly was. One of the reasons, she was so grateful that her father's arrest happened in the middle of summer it gave the two Lodge women a chance to break away from the scandalous life she lived before. Riverdale was a chance for her to start new, become a better person than the carbon copy of Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf she was beforehand, maybe, that's why she felt the nerves in her stomach as she stared at the high school from the back of the black town car.
"You got this Miss Lodge," Smithers spoke from the front of the car.
"I hope you're right,"
Veronica mumbled under her breath, shifting her brown eyes to send a look of gratitude before she took a deep breath and let it out. You got this. She opened the door to the car, taking a step out of the car. Her brown eyes shifted around the school, that clearly hadn't been redecorated since the 1940s, it looked like. Aware that most eyes turned to look at the new girl, for a moment she felt the confidence waver before she looked down at her pearl necklace. "I got this," she mumbled to herself before walking away from the town car. As she passed through the courtyard, she saw a series of leather jackets with the same snake on the back of their jackets, to her left while to her left was a series of guys wearing of Letterman jackets. All had their eyes on her, but Veronica walked passed them, her head held high. Reminding herself that she had dealt with worse in New York.
She clenched her teeth when one of the jocks cat-called her, turning her head to glance behind her. Her gaze shifting as she tried to found the culprit before she collided into a hard chest and stumbled back a bit, their hands reached forward and wrapped her arms to keep her still. She had noticed the leather jacket around their shoulders, and he was considerably taller than her, looking rather annoyed that he had to stop her from falling to the ground.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."
"No, you weren't,"
Veronica nodded her head in agreement and moved past him. She looked over her shoulder to find him watching after her, a little smirk curling on his lips when she caught him. She shifted her attention back and focused on where she was going rather than the gang member she had left behind checking her out. Inside the school was calmer, she had found her way to the office without anyone's prying eyes on her, watching to see if she would crumble under pressure. As she entered the office, she placed a smile on her face.
"Hello, I'm Veronica Lodge," she told the woman who looked upon hearing the door.
'Right this way, miss. I'll call your tour guide, Spence just faxed your old school records in."
"Remind me again, why I have to go with you?" Fangs asked with a roll of his eyes, Toni had been called to the office and he didn't get much choice in the matter when she grabbed his leather jacket and tugged him into the school. She sent him a look, "Possible deniability," Toni whispered just as the two entered the office. His eyes shifted to the raven-haired female who's back faced him. He looked her up and down. Fangs had heard that Veronica Lodge, the daughter of Hiram Lodge, would be attending the school but had no idea she would look like this. Fangs rolled his tongue over his lower lip, a smile tugging across his lips when she turned around. She was beautiful, that was no doubt but he wasn't stupid, all of Riverdale High heard about the mean girl streak she had in her.
"I'm sorry to pull you away from your friends," Mrs. Abram, the office sectary spoke, with a sickly sweet smile on her face and disgust in her tongue. She turned her eyes from them, Toni and him sharing a look. The northsiders still had yet to expect that the Serpents emerged from the southside and 'invaded' Riverdale High or if you asked Cheryl and Jason Blossom, before his death, the Serpents were polluting the fresh air of Riverdale High with the toxic 'Southside Scum' but it was either transfer to Riverdale or drive an your to the next town do Greendale and attend school there.
"Veronica it's no trouble I could try Betty again,"
"No thank you, they'll do just fine,"
Fangs smirked a bit as Veronica shrugged the teacher's hand off and walked over to them. Her eyes rolling, clearly unnerved by how the sectary treated them.
"Veronica Lodge," she held a hand out to Toni than him, her eyes shifting to look him up and down which caused him to a smirk bit.
"Toni Topaz, this is my friend Fangs Fogarty," Toni introduced.
Fangs shook her hand, "Pleasure to meet you," he winked as he backed out of the door. Turning to walk down the hall with them.
"Do they always treat you like that?"
"It's fine, we're used to it. People judge what they can't understand,' Toni shrugged it off and began her tour.
Fangs remained silent as he walked at their side, his mouth opened when Veronica asked what the scene was. His eyes narrowed a bit as Kevin Keller came up behind him, answering her questions. "That's only on the north side, " Fangs piped up earning Veronica's attention. "You really want fun, you should come to the southside." he saw the look Kevin had given him, it was clear that he was attracted to the Serpents but wouldn't dabble in darkness which is why he winked at Kevin just to be amused by the slight blush on his cheeks.
"Veronica Lodge, this is Kevin Keller, he's--"
"Gay. Thank god, let's be best friends,"
"Is it true what they say about your dad?"
Fangs had noted the way Veronica tensed up, how her jaw clenched for a moment. Her demeanor changed from friendly to mean girl, it was clearly a sensitive topic.
"That he's the devil incarnate? I stand by my father." Veronica crossed her arms underneath her bust. "Does everyone here know?" She studied the expression on their faces. "Great ten minutes in and I'm already the Blue Jasmin of Riverdale High," she turned around and walked from them. Fangs watched her walk away, all through what her father had done was wrong, her loyalty hadn't wavered and it caused Fangs to smile for a bit.
"Smooth Keller, wanna add more salt to the wound?," Fangs said hitting his shoulder and walking after Veronica with Toni.
Fangs caught up with Veronica before Toni, grabbing the wrist of her to slow down. "Hey, " his voice was gentle. "We won't judge, the Southside Serpents know how it is to get your name dragged through the mud by Alice Cooper." He pulled his hand back with a smile on his lips.
"At least with the two of us, you won't have to fear judgment," Toni said when she finally caught up with them.
"Why is that?"
"Because you're standing by your father, and even if was displayed as a monster throughout all media, you're still doing it. Serpents know a thing or two about loyalty,"
Sweet Pea rolled his eyes as his boyfriend dragged him to the cheer tryouts, he was indeed shocked that Veronica had managed to convince Toni to try out of the squad even though it was probably a fail. He would stay just in case Tony needed their help to put the jocks and Cheryl Blossom in her place. All though, Toni usually had no problem with putting the redheaded bitch in her place. He sat beside Fangs on the bleachers, his eyes glued to the court as Betty and Veronica finished their audition with Toni. Cheryl, however, opened her mouth and discarded Toni with a look, and began to open her mouth. "Fire? She's looking for fire? Toni is a better dance than all those vixens including her," he chuckled at Fangs being offended. "Just wait for it, Tiny will put the redheaded bitch in her place and we can leave," he sounded hopeful.
"You haven't seen our big finish yet," Veronica said loudly, he raised a brow when she turned to Betty and whispered something no one could hear. The raven-haired girl pulled the blonde in for a kiss. He elbowed Fangs and laughed, the shocked expression on the northside princess face had been more than amusing.
"Check your sell-by date ladies, faux lesbian kissing hasn't been taboo since 1994. Let's move onto the interview process, that is if Toni. Do you even know how to be had during an interview, growing up on the wrong side of the tracks? I'm surprised you know how to eat with a fork, so moving on," Cheryl's shrilled tone broke the air, Sweet Pea moved closer with a glare but saw the look that Tony set him. "Betty, how's your sister doing?"
"She's doing fine, Thanks for asking,"
"Veronica has Betty told you about her sister yet," putting Veronica on the spot and in the middle of her sick game. Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, he tuned out Cheryl and Betty going back and forth trying to tell the story of the Northside Prince and the Northside Princess who fell in love, a modern day Romeo and Juliet. He turned his attention to Fangs as Cheryl began insisting that Betty tears her a new one. "If she doesn't Tiny wil," he whispered to his boyfriend and turned his attention back to the court.
"Veronica, welcome to the River Vixens. Toni, Betty better luck next time,"
"Wait, what?" Veronica asked with a confused expression, "Because Toni was born on the Southside and you couldn't bully Betty into being a bitch?"
"I need girls with fire on my squad,"
"I know what you need, Cheryl,"
"Yeah, I think the entire southside knows what she needs," Sweet Pea whispered, Fangs elbowed him in the gut and hushed him.
"Because I know who you are, you would rather people fear than like you so you traffic in fear in terror and intimidation," Sweet Pea's eyes remained on Veronica as she spoke. "You're rich so you've never been held accountable but I'm living proof that certainty, that entitlement you wear on your head like a crown it won't last, eventually there will be a reckoning," he smirked a bit as she moved closer, "Or maybe that reckoning is now, and maybe that reckoning is me,"
Sweet Pea and Fangs exchanged a quick look before flickering their attention back to the scene.
"Betty, Toni and I come as a matching set. You want one? You take us all." Veronica said. "You wanted fire sorry, Cheryl bombshell, my specialty's ice,"
Cheryl visibly took a breath in, her eyes darting from Veronica to Toni and Betty who stood behind. "Welcome to the team, both of you,"
Sweet Pea licked his lips, his eyes flickering in amusement as Veronica put Cheryl in her place, the stony features of Cheryl crumbling a little bit and she gave in. He whistled as he clapped his hands along with Fangs cheering her on. He wouldn't lie but watching someone, who wasn't like his sister put Cheryl in her place had turned him on a little bit. He walked over to Tony with Fangs, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Congrats Tiny, you found someone who is almost as horrifying as you and she's just as small,"
"Well not everyone can be blessed with long limbs,"
Sweet Pea's eyes flickered to the black-haired girl, from the corner of his eye he saw Toni roll her eyes.
"Veronica this is Sweet Pea, Fang's boyfriend,"
"Pleasure to meet you,"