"You guys are in this class?"

Emma walked towards the left side of the classroom to her usual spot only to find Toni and Sweet Pea. Kevin and Veronica smiled from their seats as she sat down behind them.

It was British Literature II and probably one of the most hated classes. Emma managed to rope Veronica and Kevin into the English elective by constantly pleading and begging at the end of last quarter. However, the plan backfired once they learned that the original teacher had to take over another class, leaving the class in the hands of Mr. Anderson.

And everyone at Riverdale High loathed his classes.

"For your information, I read." Toni retorted with an amused smile.

Emma smirked, "Oh, I'm not surprised by you. I just didn't know that they taught Ogres how to read." She looked towards Sweet Pea as he sat behind her.

Clearly unamused.

Kevin attempted to contain his laughter while Toni bursted.

"How long did it take you to come up with that." Sweet Pea leaned forward in his seat. 

The strawberry-blonde simply shrugged and looked ahead, "Since I took a peep at your schedules in the lounge."

"That was yesterday morning, Em." Toni interjected with a confused expression.

Emma nodded and pointed behind her at the raven-haired boy behind her. "But seeing his face made it worth it." She mused to Toni, who sat next to her.

Everyone was prepping for class to begin while Anderson started writing in the board.

Sweet Pea leaned forward into Emma's ear and whispered in a low voice leaving chills down her spine. "So, you like seeing my face and find me attractive. Ms. Andrews any other boy would think you were interested."

Emma turned to him with narrow eyes as he remained close to her face, "I would be too" He gave her a sultry look, "but I'm not into Garden Gnomes, not really my kink."

He sat back and looked at her smugly.

Emma knew he was trying to bait her and from the look on his face he knew he had gotten to her. She found herself liking the attention he always gave her, it made her feel good and more confident.

Smiling sweetly at him, she spoke quietly. "Oh Sweet Pea, I hope you relish in that feeling of joy for attempting to burn me because the minute Anderson opens his mouth you are going to regret being this class."

He simply smirked at her causing Emma to turn before she found herself blushing once again at the tall flirt behind her.

However, like clockwork, Mr. Anderson was already angry. And within ten minutes he was losing it with no one being able to answer his questions.

Slamming the notes on the desk, the brunette man stared at the class bewildered as he spoke fast. "Does no one read their notes? Who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Man? Why was it written? Is this not basic enough for you?"

The class itself remained quiet. Annoyance casted over the room at 7:40AM.

Emma hated having to sit through his one-sided rants about how bad their class was. It became a familiar occurrence every Tuesday and Thursday when she had this class.

The strawberry-blonde continued to write in her notebook and softly grumbled, "Maybe if he gave us a minute to think."

Toni smirked and gave her a slight nod in agreement.

However, Toni wasn't the only one who heard as Mr. Anderson snapped his head in Emma's direction, "What was that, Ms. Andrews? A smart remark or a knowledgeable one?" He sneered.

Emma hadn't realized her comment was picked up by his radar until he walked near her side of the room.

Veronica looked at her with widened eyes. She knew she was caught. Kevin turned his head to face the girl behind him with the same look.

The strawberry-blonde cleared her throat and smiled at him, "A thought provoking one rather: Maybe if you didn't berate your students when they couldn't answer one of your rapid fire questions— as it's before 8AM and can barely process what you are asking,— I believe we need a moment to think, sir."

Emma Andrews remained cordial while denouncing his teaching tactics once again, something that infuriated the brunette man, who stood at the foot of the sea of desks.

Mr. Anderson smiled at her and spoke in an annoyed tone. "Well, then if you need some more time to think then you won't mind staying here for lunch?" His eyes didn't waiver from the girl three desks back, who seemed to remain unbothered.

Emma smiled back even wider and placed her pen down before leaning forward, "Sounds like a plan. I look forward speaking with you further."

Anderson glared at her.

"And I believe your answers are," Emma pointed towards the questions written on the board, "The essay was by Mary Wollstonecraft, and published in 1790 as a response to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France written earlier that year. And just as a bonus— Wollstonecraft went to write A Vindication of the Rights of Woman two years later in 1792."

Emma leaned back in her seat and picked up her pen once more. "Was that correct?"

"Thank you, Ms. Andrews." The man's lips tightened, angry that she not only challenged him once again, but delivered the answer without looking at her notes.

The strawberry-blonde resumed writing in her notebook and mused back, "Thank you, Mr. Anderson."

Veronica curled her lips in to prevent herself from laughing while Toni and Sweet Pea watched with amusement. It took everything in them not to laugh at Anderson's now faltered smile.

Class seemed to pass quickly as Anderson's lecture droned on about the most recent passage readings they had to do. Most of the class was skeptical if he purposefully chose the world's most longest and dullest reading or if he actually found them slightly entertaining.

Regardless, the class groaned at their next assignment: Manfred by Lord Byron.

As soon as class ended, Kevin turned around to see the strawberry-blonde standing and furiously writing down her last sentence, "Emmie, are you coming with Vee and I later?"

Emma groaned slightly and stomped her foot lightly on the ground. Once again, she forgot about their shopping trip in Greendale, a plan that she had actually looked forward to for a week.

She shook her head, "Uh, no, I can't. I forgot I have an art piece to finish."

"Clearly someone needs a new planner." Kevin rolled his eyes. He always teased her for writing down every single plan she made in it.

Veronica sighed and placed her hand on Emma's shoulder, "You'll be missed, Picasso." The strawberry-blonde laughed at her as the two walked towards their next class with Toni.

Emma attempted to close her books as Sweet Pea leaned on his desk, "You win, I hate this class."

She smirked as she threw her books in her bag, "Everyone does."

"And now you get to have lunch with him."

Emma rolled her eyes and laughed, "Oh, please, that's not going to happen. Anderson might be a hard-ass, and he may also hate me, but I'm his best student." She gestured for him to follow her.

Lifting himself from the desk, Sweet Pea smirked at her while walking next to Emma out the door. "A nerd and full of herself-- high school you is so different, Little Red."

Emma smirked back and playfully looked at him, "I could say the same for you. It's been two days and you haven't attacked anyone yet."

He tilted his head to the side and shrugged, "Well, Mantle is pushing it."

"He's relentless." Emma said while nodding in agreement. She always had a small soft spot for Reggie, but he always came off too arrogant and egotistical for his own good when in a group. She missed him when he was more humble and kinder than his version of 'new and improved.'

"Did he really get handsy with you?" Sweet Pea looked at her. Emma merely shrugged knowing he was talking about her rebuttal to the Asian boy during their showdown at the registration desk.

"The boys on the football team are all pigs, to be frank." Pointing to herself, Emma continued. "Being Archie's sister and Cheryl's best friend, I'm like prime real estate."

Emma stopped at her locker and looked at Sweet Pea before speaking in a lower tone noting one of the football guys near them, "They even use to have a score book of all the girls they slept with. It's vile, if you ask me."

She put in her combination as Sweet Pea leaned against the locker next to her, "I'll kick his ass for you."

The strawberry-blonde smiled and rested her hands on her other books inside the locker, "Archie already beat you to it. He was pissed that Reggie called me a slut-- I did find it comical though." She muttered the last part.

"Well, your brother can throw a mean right hook."

"Speaking from experience, huh?" She mused at him before closing her locker. He watched as she slightly neared him.

Emma smiled at him with a mischievous smile, "The black eye did make you look edgier though, and also terrifying. Too bad you've lost your charm."

Sweet Pea could tell she was trying to taunt him and he enjoyed every second of it.

"And what does that mean, princess?" He leaned forwards slightly.

She leaned towards him as well, "It means you were wildly hot, Sweet Pea." Emma could see a smile growing on his face at her confession. However, she was giving him a taste of his own medicine. "Too bad you've become milquetoast, I always had a soft spot for bad boys."

Sweet Pea smirked at her comment, "Just cause I ditch the leather from 7-3, doesn't mean I have lost my edge, gorgeous."

"God, I can't stand you." Emma rolled her eyes. She had thought she won their banter, but once again it had seemed that he always pulled lines out of thin air.

The tall raven-haired boy licked his lips and smirked at her, "Oh Emma, when I'm done with you, you won't be able to stand at all."

Her eyes widened as his eyes raked across her body causing her to hold her breath in. Once his eyes met hers, she shook her head at him.

"Do you have like a secret handbook of possible lines to use or something? Where do you even get these from?"

Sweet Pea simply shrugged and laughed at her while she lightly pushed him and walked towards their next class.

***

Emma quickly whizzed through the hallways in hopes to find Kevin. Her dad and her brother were out for the night and all she wanted to do was watch movies and lounge around.

She glanced into the familiar spots where Kevin usually was before class: the cafeteria, the music room, the auditorium. The brunette was a horrible texter for someone who was always on his phone, so she opted for tracking him down than waiting for a response.

Peering into the lounge her eyes laid on the two Serpents. Sweet Pea leaned against the table while Toni stood besides him and spoke to him.

"Oh, this is too good." Emma mumbled. She walked in to see Toni roll her eyes and held her arms out, "Go on, just say it."

Emma shook her head and smiled wildly, "No, I couldn't."

Toni, however, wanted to hear what she thought. "Your face is more red than when Sweet Pea flirts with you. You know you want to spill it."

The raven-haired boy laughed, "That's cause she secretly likes the attention."

"Now that you openly attacked me, I'll say it. You look dumb." She said to the both of them. They simply rolled her eyes, unimpressed with her statement. She solidified what they already knew.

Emma shook her head, "No, honestly, you guys looked like you broke into the U.S. Polo store and stole their rejection pile." She pointed to Sweet Pea's pants, "I mean what are those pants? It looks like a small child regurgitated it after the bile was sitting in their stomach for 6+ hours."

Toni laughed before attempting to suppress it and give Emma a nasty look, one that utterly failed.

The raven-haired boy smiled at her devilishly, "You are so hot when you are tearing people down."

On cue, Emma smiled back at him. "It's an art, really." Turning her head in the bubblegum-haired girl's directions, "Anyways, luckily for you, I have a spare outfit always on hand in case I get paint on my clothes."

"Is this my day to dress like a Northside grandma?"

"It's better than looking like you're a horse girl." Emma retorted.

Sweet Pea simply nodded in agreement. Toni rolled her eyes, "Alright, lead the way."

To which Emma happily waltzed out of the lounge placing her hunt for Kevin on hold. Getting the chance to make Toni wear her clothes was going to be worth it since she was always the first, besides Cheryl, to tell her to not dress so 'stiff'-- as she would say.

***

"Are you planning on wearing your uniform or staying in suspension?" Toni asked Fangs.

He looked at the pink-haired girl who sat besides him in the booth with an annoyed look, "Toni, they look stupid."

"He is right, they aren't equalizers." Emma pointed at the girl across from her.

Sweet Pea nodded, "They're both right."

The four of them sat in a booth by the back of Pop's after their movie night plans fell through once Toni announced she was starving and Fangs jumped right on ship with her.

Fangs and Toni shared a milkshake, something Emma found gross since they were pretty much ingesting each other's possible backwash. The strawberry-blonde was convinced that the two acted like a married couple at how easily they paired with one another.

In Emma's mind Fangs was Toni's work-husband and Toni was his work-wife. She found it comical and once she pointed it out to Sweet Pea, the two found it hysterical; Often sharing looks when the duo did something to silently prove Emma's observation.

Toni was annoyed that the two had backed up Fang's defense, "Well, he can't stay in suspension forever."

Fangs shrugged, "Well, I could."

Emma laughed quietly and reached over and stabbed a fry off of Sweet Pea's plate while he spoke, "And Emma can't lend clothes to us to get out of it." He shot back at Toni.

Emma went for another fry again before Sweet Pea smirked at her, "I thought you weren't hungry, princess." He pushed the plate towards her causing her to smile and promptly take another off the plate.

The strawberry-blonde smiled sheepishly before stealing one last fry. "I mean I could lend you some but, I think you would look like the hulk in my clothes." She looked at him responding to his original statement.

Fangs snorted, "More like children's clothes."

The boys laughed causing Toni to send her a 'that's what you get' look. Emma rolled her eyes in response as Fangs leaned on the table looking at Emma, "So, why do you wear gloves all the time. It's pretty warm in here. Are you like scared of germs or something?"

"Dude." Sweet Pea shot Fangs a stern look before looking at the girl besides him.

"What? I'm sorry. I saw that girl make jokes when we first came in and then I noticed that she wears them all the time." He looked at Sweet Pea and Toni before pointing at Emma.

Both had known their little pieces of information on the reasoning behind the gloves, but Fangs was completely in the dark.

"It's okay." Emma looked at Sweet Pea, who glared at Fangs. She shrugged and looked at the group, "Most of the school know anyways, it was a matter of time before you found out."

Toni shook her head. She couldn't help, but be annoyed at how Fangs' asked her the question. As much as Toni loved him, he was often oblivious at how his words could be taken. Even while he meant to ask a question innocently, sometimes they came off insensitive.

"You don't have to tell us, Em. It was rude to ask." She shot Fangs a look, who seemed to catch on that he should've asked them before asking Emma. "Sorry."

Emma already felt awkward at how the two serpents became immediately like her guard dogs.

She looked at Fangs and spoke calmly, "I wear the gloves to hide burn marks." They all seemed to look at her quizzically, "They're cigarette marks." She clarified.

Fangs nodded and gestured at her gloved hand that propped her head up, "Did you do them?"

She shook her head, "No, I wasn't in a great relationship back in Chicago. This time the fight got heated and... you know." Emma shrugged and stabbed another fry off the plate.

"I don't take them off. I know it sounds dumb since everyone knows, but it's just embarrassing. The looks, the questions, so I just cover them to avoid all that."

Emma watched as Fangs nodded, slightly upset by her small revelation on the reasoning behind her gloves. Toni and Sweet Pea stared at her in silence with empathy after receiving conformation of their suspicions and assumptions.

"It's-- uh-- not something I like to talk about, so..." Emma trailed off and placed her hands down. She could feel herself becoming insecure at their saddened looks.

Toni smiled at her, "I think they're cute. It's a fashion staple." She attempted to lighten the conversation.

Emma smiled and nodded. Sweet Pea could see that her hands sat in her lap, curled into balls. She wanted to get as far from this conversation as she could and so he placed a hand on her knee as a sign of comfort before turning to Toni.

"Speaking of cute, was it just me or did I see you checking out Blossom?"

Toni rolled her eyes and tilted her head back, "Please, don't start."

"Blossom? As in Emma's mean friend." Fangs turned to face her waiting for the story. Emma laughed, "I ship it."

Toni sighed and began to tell Fangs the story of her 'accidently' looking at Cheryl for too long during lunch that Sweet Pea kept teasing her for. He knew that Cheryl Blossom was definitely her type.

Emma smirked at her reiteration of what happened knowing Cheryl noticed her too after Emma may have slid a hint that Toni was single. The redhead denounced it, but it didn't mean her eyes wandered.

The strawberry-blonde looked at the boy besides her, "Thank you for changing the conversation." She spoke quietly.

He smiled at her and nodded, "Any time, Em."

She smiled at him shyly noting his thumb rubbed the side of her knee. He took a fry off of the plate and bit it before looking back at her, "And the next time you say you aren't hungry and still take my food, I will end you."

Emma snorted and patted his arm, "Try it all you want, but you are still not as intimidating as before."

Toni and Fangs turned to see Emma simply smirking while Sweet Pea attempted to give her a death glare.

"You better watch it, Em. If looks could kill..." Toni teased.

The strawberry-blonde shrugged and took the cherry off of the tall serpent's milkshake and popped it into her mouth.

"Oh, she is so dead." Fangs whispered to Toni knowing the raven-haired boy hated sharing his food. Toni shook her head and whispered back quickly, "You'd be surprised."

"Still breathing and still being irritating." She mused at Toni unaware of the two whispering hens.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, "You are very irritating."