"What!?" She stood in the middle of FP's living room, with nowhere else to go, she was scared.

"I want you to come work for me at the Wyrm." Cherry relaxed a little. "Get out of that hell hole of a strip club you're in, dance on the poles at the bar instead. Bigger tips, better people." The only reason FP ever stepped foot in that place was to see Cherry otherwise he wouldn't even give it a second glance. Everyone knew the Hoe Zone without Cherry Blossom was a pathetic excuse for a strip club.

She looked down at her feet, strapped in patent leather heels and her legs wrapped in fishnet tights. If she was to look the man in the eye she'd be scared at how quick her answer would be a yes.

"You'll get a serpent jacket, snake by association," Joaquin called from behind them, which meant neither of the boys saw Cherry smile. But Joaquin did see FP's smile as he wiggled his eyebrows at his younger serpent.

"What are you having Jason do?" She finally looked up, gaining her composure. FP sighed. "What? You thought I wouldn't ask!" FP turned away and sat on the ratty sofa, picking up an empty beer bottle and hoping to God that there would at least be the tiniest drop left.

"A small drug run." He spoke quietly, put Cherry definitely heard.

"A drug run!" She balled her fists and she towered over FP's sitting body.

"A small one." He pointed the neck of the bottle in her direction, hoping that it would help soften the blow of his words.

She scoffed. "I thought serpents weren't drug dealers." She folded her arms, scared that if she didn't she'd punch the man instead.

"Just weed." Joaquin shrugged like it was no big deal. No big deal that they were making her cousin deal an illegal drug.

"Dime bags." FP shrugged.

"And what if he gets caught!?"

FP rolled his eyes, standing up and holding the girl's upper arms in order to calm her down. "He won't." He whispered, looking the girl in her eyes to let her know she could trust him. "You're running away together, aren't you worried about getting caught over that." FP chuckled trying to lighten the mood. But there was no spoken reply from Cherry, instead, she stepped closer to the serpent leader and placed her head on his chest.

FP couldn't help but smile, and Joaquin saw this.

"Okay." She mumbled into his t-shirt. "I'll come work at the Whyte Wyrm." This made FP's smile even wider. If she was to see the deeper meaning of FP's invitation, he was scared she'd see him as a creep. He wanted to protect her and he couldn't with all of Riverdale's male population having their eyes on her at the Hoe Zone.

"I think I should go." She pulled out from the man's hold and tucked her hair behind her ears to avoid eye contact with him.

"I'll walk you out." Joaquin called, shoving his feet back in his shoes.

"I'll see you later, Mr Jones." He nodded and smiled.

"Stop round the Wyrm tomorrow night around nine." She sighed but tried to smile through it. "Goodnight, Cherry."

"Goodnight." She hated the fact that she was choosing to go back to the Blossom mansion rather than spend the night with FP, but she had to go talk to Jason, he was more important at this moment.

"I don't like you, you know that." Joaquin hissed once FP's door shut behind them.

"I gathered." She spat back.

"No, listen!" He stopped in front of her, his body stopping her from moving. "I don't trust you, okay. And FP, he's a good guy with a bad life. He's like a father to me and I don't want to see him get hurt more than he already is, but with you, I see it coming. I see that pain you're about to cause and just please don't lead him on any more than you already have, don't use him. Don't prove to him and the rest of the southside that you're just another rich kid, northside bimbo."

She scoffed and grabbed the serpent teen by the tip of his jacket. "Now you listen!" Their faces were inches apart and her face was turning red. "You don't know a single fucking thing about me. I am not using FP Jones, he's doing me a favour, a favour that I am paying for and so is my cousin. I don't know what people have told you about me, boy, but I am not northside and I am not southside, nothing in me is Riverdale, okay and I don't give a shit about this civil war you have going on here. I just want to get out of here, full stop, okay?" she let go of his jacket. "I'm looking out for myself, DeSantos. For myself, not you, or FP or my family, so to be honest with you, serpent, I couldn't care less if you liked me or not." She shoved him slightly to get past him.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" She smirked as she walked away from the boy and away from the trailer park.

The Blossom mansion, especially now the sun had set, loomed over her filling her with nothing but uneasiness. The bark of the wilderness surrounding it felt darker and deeper, the house felt my haunted and the family that was hopefully laying asleep inside felt more deadly.

Cherry crept in and winced when the old door creaked as she closed it.

"So you're back." Cherry jumped as Cheryl's voice sounded from the darkness of the living room. She switched the lamp on that stood next to her, to reveal Cheryl sitting in her father's great leather armchair. "Where did you sneak off to? Jason said you weren't at work." Cheryl crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair, trying to look casual and powerful but really she was feeling the opposite, she didn't want her cousin to leave and she didn't want to keep up this fight with her for much longer. She'd tried to distance herself but she just felt more lonely.

"I don't work there anymore."

"Oh."

"I went to Mr Jones'."

"Oh."

Cherry felt best to leave the living room and go upstairs to bed, she didn't need this confrontation right now.

"I told you not to go to that man." Cherry turned around at the sound of Cheryl's voice.

"And I don't remember the time when you officially turned into one of them!" She spat. "A Blossom."

"You're one too!" Cheryl stood up, losing all her cool that she had tried so desperately to hold on to. "You're just as much Blossom as I am."

"Yeah, well there's just one big difference between me and you, cuz." Her voice was laced with sourness. "You crave it. The money, the attention, even though deep down you know everything is all wrong, all out of place. You know there is something so terribly wicked about this family, yet you ignore it, sweep it under the rug, just as long as you're stocked with Chanel perfume and Prada handbags, right?"

Cheryl stormed towards her cousin and pushed her hard into her chest. "No." She shouted. "I'm trying to protect you, trying to help you."

"How are you helping me? How is any of this protecting me?" She waved her hands exaggeratedly in the air.

Cheryl went quiet and Cherry shook her head thinking that this meant she didn't have a comeback. But Cheryl didn't need one, she only had to tell her cousin the truth. "Because FP Jones is working for my father!"