The next morning, Andy and Archie talked to their mom on the phone about her cruise. After they let their dad take the phone, they made their way up the stairs to their rooms, but Archie lightly grabbed Andy's wrist at the top of the steps.

"Hey, can we talk about last night?" he asked.

Andy sighed. "Yeah, look I really like him, Arch."

"How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know. I've been kinda friendly with him since your fight and then he drove me home the night of the street race because Cheryl left without me. And I had a slight breakdown the night of the party and he sat and he listened to me and it was nice. He's a good person, Arch." He tried to speak but she cut him off. 

"I know you don't like him because he pulled a knife on you and he's dangerous and whatever but you pulled a gun on him and you've done some pretty stupid, dangerous things yourself." 

He watched the way his sister spoke about the Serpent an decided that she could make her own decisions. She was kind of right. "Okay. You can do what you want. I trust you."

"I know, Arch." She squeezed his hand and made her way back into her room.

--

After break, as the twins got ready for school, Fred Andrews came up the stairs, calling the teenagers into the hallway. "Did either of you say anything to anyone about my medical bill? Cause it's been paid. All $86,000. An Angel Donation."

"I only told Veronica but she wouldn't--" He stopped.

Andy gave him a look. "We all know she would. And I didn't tell anyone. I mean I told Pop that it was expensive but I wasn't specific."

Fred resolved to figure it out himself.

As the twins walked into school, Andy let Archie catch up to Veronica and instead made her way past them towards Kevin in the common room. Andy greeted Betty and then looked back towards Archie and V as they entered after her. Looking between Betty and Veronica, Andy noticed their very similar outfits. "Okay, did I miss the bejeweled, Peter Pan collar memo?" she joked but was cut off with an announcement over the intercom.

"Students of Riverdale High, this is your principal. Emails have been sent to your parents, but effective immediately, Southside High will be shut down. The students will be transferred to other schools in the district, including this one."

"Okay, guys lets not overreact," V started. 

"It means Jughead's coming back."

"Betty are you ready for that?" Kevin asked.

"Of course, we're fine," she said unconvincingly.

Oddly enough Veronica stepped up to welcome the Serpents. Giving a small speech about welcoming them to the school. Andy found it strange but if V was going to help ease the transition for the students, who was she to protest that?

Everyone dispersed but Andy stayed behind with Kevin. "So, is Sweet Pea coming to Riverdale High?" he prompted.

"I don't know. I'll text him about it," Andy tried to contain her conflicted emotions. It would be awesome to have Sweet Pea and Toni here. Fangs too, even. But the rest of Riverdale High might not be so welcoming.

--

Sweet Pea was elated when they got the news. Kicking open the school doors, he and Fangs met Jones and Toni on the steps.

"What's going on?" asked Jughead.

"This hellhole is officially closed! We're done. No more Southside High!"

"What how?" Toni asked, bewildered.

"They say it's dangerous. Gonna be quarantined. Who cares? We're all going to different schools." Sweet Pea couldn't contain his elation. He would get to have an actual education in a school that wasn't disgusting and filled with Ghoulies and had toilets that actually flushed! 

Additionally, he would get to see Andy everyday. Or "Sweet's Northside girl" as some of the Serpents have called her. He talked about her quite a lot without meaning to. 

"Where are you guys going?" Jughead asked.

"Same as you. And you. And Fangs." He grinned. "We're goin' to Riverdale High."

--

Sweet Pea and Andy had unintentionally begun to call each other increasingly cuter nicknames over text in half sarcasm and half love. They were both too cautious to get too flirty over text so they attempted to save the real cuteness when seeing each other in person. They didn't want their relationship to develop over the phone.

8:57AM Message from Andy (that girl you like): hey tough guy, it looks like you're getting transferred

She didn't have to wait long for a reply, since he was just about to text her himself. 

8:57AM Message from Skyscraper: hey green eyes, it looks like you'll be seeing a lot more of me then. that okay?

8:58AM Message from Andy (that girl you like): that is much more than okay :) I was hoping you were coming to RH

8:59AM Message from Skyscraper: i am!! so are toni, fangs, and jones!

A million exclamation points showing his excitement didn't really fit his aesthetic as a brooding gang member, but he knew he could spill his happiness to her. She was probably the most understanding person he'd ever met. 

9:00AM Message from Andy (that girl you like): awesome! but i should warn you, there's a group of jackasses forming in protest. 

9:01AM Message from Skyscraper: of course there is. we can handle em

9:02AM Message from Andy (that girl you like): i know you can, hot shot ;) veronica put together a welcome committee for everyone, which i'm helping with tomorrow morning, so i shall see you then

9:02AM Message from Skyscraper: see you then, red

--

Readjusting the papers on the welcome desk, Andy glanced up to see the Serpents stroll into Riverdale High. They looked simultaneously like they were out of place and like they owned the place. 

Sweet Pea immediately looked around for Andy and gave her a little smirk when he found her at the welcome desk.

Fuck, he's handsome.

"Friends! On behalf of the students and faculty of Riverdale High, welcome to your new school. To ease this transition, I set up a registration desk where you can get your locker assignments, class schedules, and a list of extracurriculars with the help of Andy here. We encourage each and everyone of you to drink deeply from the cup that is Riverdale High." Andy cringed at dramatics in the last statement but went to grab the list of locker assignments to hand out.

Their welcome was interrupted by a some heels clicking down the steps of Riverdale High. Cheryl marched in, flanked by Reggie Mantle and some other members of Riverdale High's conceited crowd.

"There's the school spirit I so fondly remember," Jughead mumbled sarcastically.

"Cheryl, no one invited fascist Barbie to the party," V insulted.

"Wrong, Veronica. No one invited Southside scum to our school. Listen up, Ragamuffins." She gave a rude speech, insulting the Serpents and triggering Toni Topaz's wrath.

"Why don't you come over here and say that to my face?"

"Happily, Queen of the Buskers." Maybe they wouldn't get along as well as Andy hoped.

"Okay, everyone. Can we just put our Northside-Southside differences apart and start over?" Archie asked. Andy was proud of him.

Sweet Pea was increasingly getting more pissed, and since he'd been solving problems with violence his whole life, Andy knew what he would resort to in this situation. 

Reggie Mantle spoke next, which was never a good thing. "You don't speak for the Bulldogs, Andrews, and need I remind you these greaser snakes showed up at your place, ready to kick your ass."

"Time to finish what we started," Sweet Pea threatened. Fangs and Jughead grabbed him and Andy put a hand on his chest.

"I'm so over the toxic masculinity in this hallway right now," V complained.

"Okay! If you're not a new student or on the welcoming committee, please get the fuck out of this hallway!" Andy yelled, shooing Reggie and Cheryl with her hands. 

Before they could respond, Principal Weatherbee broke everyone up, allowing Roni and Andy to finish handing out the locker numbers and schedules. 

--

"I don't think we've properly met. I'm Veronica Lodge." 

"Of the Park Avenue Lodges." Jug teased.

"Toni Topaz," Toni shook her hand. Andy was sat on the couch across from her, between Kevin and Sweet Pea. His arm was lazily draped around her and she was casually leaned in to his side. It was nice.

"Oh, like the purple colored gemstone. Love it," Veronica cheered. She was certainly a character.

"And I'm Josie McCoy, formerly of the Pussycats, now, just . . . Josie," she said bitterly. "And this is Kevin." 

Kevin looked at Fangs and Fangs back at him.

"What's your name?" Kevin asked.

"Fogarty, but you can call me Fangs. You're last name's Keller, right?" Fangs answered.

"How did you--?"

"Joaquin and I used to hang out. He talked about you all the time." They shared a looked that seemed to be more than just casual. Andy would talk to Kevin about it later.

Principal Weatherbee then called them into the hallway where they met up with Reggie Mantle and his fellow goons.

"Which of you defaced our school seal with this graffiti?"

"This is what they do Principal Weatherbee. They tag their turf," Reggie lied.

"My god, Reggie could you be any more transparent?" Veronica sassed.

"Yeah, Weatherbee, this was clearly a setup."

"There's no proof of that, Ms. Andrews. No gang behavior of any kind will be tolerated in my school. At this moment, no more serpent jackets. 

"What?!" Sweet Pea barked from behind her.

"No more Serpent jackets!" Weatherbee boomed. "All tattoos must be covered. Possession of any gang paraphernalia will lead to immediate suspension."

--

After that lovely scene, Sweet Pea invited Andy to come with Toni and Jughead to the bar to hang out. She rested her head against the arcade game as Sweet Pea attempted to impress her. 

"I can't believe you guys don't even see it. Weatherbee is profiling us," Jughead ranted. The girls shared a look. "Telling us what to wear. What's next? Brain implants controlling what we think?"

Toni told him what Andy was thinking. "Jughead, you sound like a conspiracy nut. A school closed down." 

"A crappy school." Sweet Pea chimed in.

"Yeah, and now we're at a better one, with a computer lab and textbooks--"

"And toilets that flush." 

Andy laughed.

"Getting transfered to Riverdale High was the best thing that could've happened."

"Maybe ever." He snuck a look at Andy and they grinned at each other.

"So if I have to take my jacket off, 8:30-3:00, Monday to Friday? Hey, I'm down with that." As Jughead continued arguing with Toni, Andy nudged Sweet Pea off the stool.

"Okay, you suck at this. It's my turn." Sweet Pea laughed and let her take control and watched in admiration as she beat his high score, and every other high score in the machine.

"Holy, shit. We've all grown up playing this machine, and you just crush all of our high scores during your first time on it?"

"I'm really good at video games," Andy laughed as she put the three letters in next to her high score. 

"MIA?" He looked at her in amusement. "Are you missing in action?"

"Believe it or not, my name isn't 'Andy Andrews'. Just like yours is not Sweet Pea. It's MIA for Miranda Isabelle Andrews. Or for Miranda Is Awesome. Or Miranda Is Amazing." She teased, grinning up at him. He was smiling down at her, and their faces were inches apart. 

But Jughead's rants once again brought them into the real world and the moment was over. 

--

The next day, Jughead Jones entered Riverdale High in his Serpent jacket, head held high. A clear protest to the orders of Principal Weatherbee.

Toni and Sweet Pea stopped short when they saw Jughead stroll in.

Reggie spoke up immediately. "Take it off. Take off that jacket."

"Oh, Reggie, I don't think you know what this jacket means. You have no honor, or history--" Reggie attacked, shoving Jughead and him shoving back. Toni and Sweet Pea and Fangs all defended him, pushing the other football players away.

Andy came upon the scene with Veronica, who ran to grab Weatherbee. "Hey!" Andy yelled to get their attention. Sweet Pea was the only one who looked up, captured by her voice. But it was too late to save him, as Weatherbee came upon the scene and dragged them all into his office.

"You all have a week's detention for fighting," Weatherbee ordered, sternly. Andy kept her eyes on Sweet Pea. This definitely wasn't his fault and she knew that.

It was Reggie Mantle's, who couldn't stand anyone different than him. Or Jughead Jones', who refused to abide by the rules, and was suspended.

--

When they let Jughead come back to school, he walked in with Andy, sulking. They turned into the common room to see . . . 

"What the hell? Guys . . . " Jughead scrunched his eyes together. Sweet Pea and Toni.

Andy put a hand over her mouth as they approached. 

"Weatherbee gave them to us," Toni drawled. "Said he knew that not every Southside student had the means to purchase 'Riverdale High acceptable clothes'. He thinks this will help us 'fit in." 

"This is what 'fitting in' looks like?" Andy asked, playing with Sweet Pea's turtleneck.

"Where's Fogarty?" Jughead asked.

"He wouldn't wear the uniform. So they got rid of him. Suspended him," Sweet Pea revealed, sadly. 

"So, our choices are: conform or be cast out."

"Yeah," Toni said, sighing. The four stood in silence, contemplating the terrible circumstances before trudging to class.

--

"I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but you look pretty good in a turtleneck," Andy teased as they sat together in the common room, her legs over his lap.

"Thanks, but it's going to be a bitch in the warmer seasons. Like, does he expect me to wear this year-round?" Sweet Pea was upset about all of the recent events and was playing with the ends of Andy's hair to calm him down. 

"Toni and I can try to cover it with foundation or something in the spring or until Weatherbee gets off his high horse."

He nodded. 

"It's weird seeing you like this. You don't look like yourself." Andy let him lay the side of his head against her shoulder.

"I don't feel like myself. But like Toni said, if this is what I have to do to get a decent education then so be it. We can't be Serpents here. Just students, who happily engage in academics and stupid extracurriculars." 

This statement sparked an idea in Andy, which she later discussed and developed with Jughead Jones.

--

"Welcome to the inaugural meeting of the Swords and Serpents Club," Jughead introduced.

"Which is what exactly?" Toni asked.

"Like I told Fogarty to lure him back to dear old Riverdale, we're a gaming group. Sanctioned by Weatherbee himself. Where like minded students can meet and concoct world-building, role-playing scenarios. Inhabiting fantastical heroes and dispatching mythological creatures."

Toni laughed. "No but really." 

Jughead got serious. "It's a club. A safe haven, where we can be serpents during school hours under everyone's noses. We're not shedding our skins. We're lying low, in the tall grass." 

--

(HI EVERYONE! Sorry it's been so long, but I'm back in college now which means slower updates.   :( Thanks for the votes and comments! So much love for you guys!)