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Chapter Seven
Generations of Silence
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     ON THE DAY OF PICKENS DAY, TORI WALKED INTO SCHOOL and noticed the amount of students reading The Blue & Gold school newspaper. Usually, almost no one read the school paper and now suddenly on Pickens Day, everyone was reading it.

     "Tori!"

     Tori turned away from her locker as she saw Toni rushing up to her while holding a copy of the school newspaper.

     "Toni, what's wrong?" she asked when she saw how upset the pink haired girl was.

     "The paper! Did you read Jughead's article?" she asked.

     "No, I just got here," Tori said, wondering what the Jones boy did and what it was about the article that could make Toni so upset.

     "Read the front page," Toni said while handing the newspaper to Tori.

     Tori looked at the front page of the newspaper and her eyes read over the typewriting. The story in the article was a story she knew too well but she could feel why Toni was upset. The story of her ancestors and the Uktena tribe and the real story of Pickens Day was not Jughead's story to tell. He had no right. When she was finished reading the article, she reached her arms out to hug Toni, which she accepted.

     "I'm so sorry, Toni. Jughead had no right to tell your ancestors' story," Tori said.

     "He didn't even ask, even though me and my grandfather would have said no but still, he could've at least asked," Toni said.

     "I understand you're upset with him, but I think you should talk to him and let him know that what he did was wrong," Tori said while holding Toni by her shoulders.

     The pink haired Serpent nodded and started heading towards where The Blue & Gold room was, where Jughead was guaranteed to be. She took out the things she would need for class and slammed her locker shut when she noticed Sweet Pea heading towards her, and he was wearing the clothes she had bought for him and he had a dog tag hanging from his neck.

     "Well, I must say now that I really get the chance to see how you look, I think I did a pretty good job," Tori said while smirking. "And the dog tag is a really nice touch."

     "Thanks, but I'm not here to talk about the clothes. Did you read Jones' article about Pickens Day and the Uktena?" Sweet Pea asked.

     "Yeah. Toni is really upset about it and I told her to talk to him and tell him he was wrong to publish it," Tori said, her smirk falling and turning into a frown.

     "The Serpents are more than just a gang," Sweet Pea said.

     "Trust me, I know. I don't think there's anyone else who understands how upset this make you more than I do. My ancestors weren't part of the Uktena tribe but they did unite with what was left of them after the slaughter when they left Colombia. That's where the sixth Serpent law came from, when two tribes united together to make each other stronger. In unity, there is strength," Tori said. "Or as my family said, en unidad hay fuerza."

     "Your parents were Serpents?"

     "Just my mom. Her ancestors were involved in the union with the Uktena and they still followed Uktena values and my mom taught me all the six Serpent laws."

     As they were walking to class, Sweet Pea broke the silence between them.

     "You should join us at the Swords and Serpents meeting at lunch today," he said.

     "I wish I could because I do like hanging out with you, Fangs and Toni but they won't let me in. I'm not a Serpent like you guys," Tori said while looking down at her feet.

     "Your ancestors united with the Uktena to form the Serpents. You're an ally," Sweet Pea said. Tori tried to smile but he could tell she was still not so sure about his idea. "You can come with me so you don't have to go alone."

     "I'll think about it," Tori sighed.

     "If you decide to go, meet me at your locker right after second period. I'll be waiting for you," Sweet Pea said before heading into class.

     Tori continued walking until she reached biology and sat in her usual spot. In walked Toni who took the seat next to her and Cheryl sat far away in the back, like she was for the past week.

     "How did it go with Jughead?" Tori whispered.

     "I talked to him about the article and he said he's going to apologize to my grandfather," Toni said.

     "That's good, right?"

     "I guess, but you have no idea how long it took for my grandfather to heal from what happened to his grandfather. Imagine what this article is doing to him now."

     Tori bit the inside of her cheek and their teacher called for their attention. The class flew by and when it was over, everyone rushed out to go to their next class but Cheryl grabbed Tori's arms and pulled her into the girls washroom.

     "What are you doing, Cheryl?" Tori asked.

     "I just wanted to talk," the redhead said.

     "Now all of a sudden you want to talk to me? What happened to being busy with homework and practice with the River Vixens, which by the way, have been finished since the end of this football season until next football season," Tori said.

     "Please, just hear me out," Cheryl pleaded.

     "Why did you ignore me this whole time? If you don't want to be friends anymore, just tell me now and get it over with," Tori said while crossing her arms.

     "You've been spending so much time with those Serpents and I thought if I stopped talking to you, then you would stop talking to them but then you only started spending even more time with them," Cheryl said.

     "So, you're telling me that you purposefully ignored me and made me think you wanted nothing to do with me because I was talking to the Southside students? You hate them that much that you turn your back on me so you can guilt trip me into not talking to them? I have classes with some of them, so I interact with them whether you like it or not and if you can't continue being my friend because of who I hang out with, then I guess we weren't really friends," Tori said.

     She didn't even give Cheryl a chance to say anything as she left the girls washroom and started heading to English class, where she would have to face her next enemy. Maybe she would find sanctuary with the Serpents, but she wouldn't know unless she went to the meeting with Sweet Pea. English class with Reggie couldn't seem to go any faster and she almost yelled in relief when it was time for lunch. When she was almost at her locker, Sweet Pea was standing there and waiting just like he said he would.

     "You weren't lying," Tori said as she opened her locker and put her stuff away.

     "So, are you coming?" Sweet Pea asked.

     "Yeah, although I don't think they will like it," Tori said.

     "Like I said, you're an ally," Sweet Pea said.

     "That's funny because I distinctly remember that last week, you were telling me that I was a privileged Northsider."

     "Hey, I said I was sorry."

     "I know, I was just messing with you," Tori said as she punched his arm.

     "Is this snake bothering you?" Reggie asked.

     Sweet Pea clenched his fists while Tori rolled her eyes at the Bulldog.

     "No trouble here, Deputy Mantle. Feel free to fuck off," Tori said while smirking and pulling Sweet Pea with her.

     "Now hold on─"

     Reggie grabbed Tori's arm and she quickly turned around, swinging her arm and slapping him right across the face. The impact was so loud that Sweet Pea could actually feel the stinging on his own cheek and he wasn't the one who had just been slapped. Reggie had let go of her arm and let out a string of curse words while raising his hand to his bruising cheek. Tori and Sweet Pea rushed down the hallway and headed towards the room where the Swords and Serpents meeting was being held.

     "He'll probably tell Principal Weatherbee," Sweet Pea said.

     "That what? I slapped him for no reason? Let him try because I can tell Weatherbee that he was the one who approached us, started antagonizing you for no reason and roughly grabbed me," Tori said while shrugging her shoulders.

     Sweet Pea walked into the classroom with Tori and everyone inside turned towards them, mostly looking at Tori and she could feel herself crumble under their scrutinizing stares.

     "What's a Northsider doing here?" a girl with black hair asked.

     "Don't worry, she's a friend," Fangs said, trying to ease the tension in the room.

     "She's an ally. Her ancestors came from a Colombian tribe that united with the remaining Uktena after the massacre by General Pickens. Her mother is a retired Southside Serpent," Sweet Pea said.

     "Her mother being a retired Serpent doesn't make her one of us!"

     "Do your parents happen to be Selena and Mateo Alvarez?" Jughead asked while sitting on top of the teacher's desk, ignoring the girl's protest.

     Tori nodded while wrapping her arms around herself, still feeling uncomfortable under everyone's eyes.

     "How do you know my parents?" she asked.

     "My dad knew them back in the day. They went to high school together and he told me how they left the Southside and your mother retired from the Serpents but still honoured them by teaching you the Serpent values," Jughead said. "What happened to your father anyway?"

     "I don't wanna talk about it," Tori said as soon as Jughead asked, not wanting to remember what happened to her father when she was only a small child.

     Jughead nodded understandingly and Toni got up to give her a hug, just like the way Tori did for Toni that morning. Although the other Serpents beside Fangs, Jughead, Toni and Sweet Pea were skeptical about Tori joining in on their meeting, everything still went by smoothly.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

     TORI CHANGED INTO A PAIR OF SKINNY JEANS and a black and white striped long sleeve shirt underneath a Marianas Trench t-shirt and a pair of black ankle boots. Her hair was tied in a half up half down hairdo and she put her phone in her back pocket.

     "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" her mother asked as Tori descended down the stairs.

     "This town honours General Pickens when it should be honouring the land of the people who were slaughtered for a bunch of maple trees," Tori said as she grabbed her keys. "Our ancestors may not have been part of the Uktena tribe but they were allies."

     "Your father would be very proud of you for standing up for what you believe in," her mother said.

     "I know," Tori said while looking down at her fingers.

     "Tell you what. I will go with you to the Pickens Day party to see you and your friends protest and I will support you every step of the way," her mother said.

     "Well in that case, we should get going."

     Tori's mother put on her shoes and grabbed her jacket and her own phone and keys. Once the door was locked, the both of them got inside the car and her mother drove her to where she was supposed to meet the others.

     "I'll be waiting for you at the Pickens Day carnival, alright?" her mother asked.

     "Thanks, Mom," Tori said while smiling.

     The young girl hopped out of the car and made her way towards where the Serpents were gathered. Sweet Pea was the first to welcome her and handed her a brown cardboard sign that had the words DEFEND THIS LAND painted in white on it. Jughead placed a piece of duct tape over her mouth as a way to represent the silenced of the descendants of those who were slaughtered. She looked up at Sweet Pea who also had a piece of duct tape over his mouth while holding up a sign.

     "We do this and we do this now," Jughead said before placing a piece of duct tape on his own mouth.

     The group walked into the event while Veronica and the Pussycats were performing while holding their signs. Tori saw her mother in the crowd who was smiling warmly but it was hard for her to smile back due to the duct tape over her mouth. Toni carried a megaphone and everyone around the stage noticed the kids who interrupted the performance and Veronica stopped singing immediately.

     "Toni? Jughead? What the hell is going on?" Veronica asked.

     "We're here to represent the dead and the silenced. Pickens Day is a lie. General Pickens slaughtered the Uktena tribe, my grandfather's family, and this land, the land that we're standing on, the land that will soon give way to a new Southside was stolen from them. We can't bring them back but we can and we must honour them," Toni said into the megaphone but was interrupted by Hiram Lodge.

     The older man spoke into the microphone on the stage and everyone diverted their attention to him.

     "Hey, folks. I think we can all be proud to live in a Riverdale where young people stand up for justice. Where a young woman can defend the honour and legacy of her grandfather. And where we can celebrate the living legacy of the Uktena, who contribute to the rich tapestry that is Riverdale, that is the Southside, and that will be SoDale. So, let's hear a round of applause for that, am I right?" he said into the microphone and everyone clapped and cheered. "That's right. What do you say, people?"

     Toni looked defeated and Jughead ripped the duct tape off his face and took a step forward but Toni's grandfather held him back. She saw her mother in the crowd who wasn't clapping but had a sympathetic smile on her face as she walked over to the group of teenagers. She stopped in front of Tori and carefully took the piece of duct tape off of her mouth.

     "I'm sorry, Mom, we tried, we really─"

     "That's alright. You tried and that's all that matters. You tried and I am so proud of you. Your father would've been proud too," her mother said while resting her hands on her shoulders.

     Tori looked at her friends who were watching them and pulled her mother towards them.

     "Mom, these are my friends, Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea," Tori introduced her mother to the three Serpents and she shook hands with all of them.

     "Nice to meet you three," the older woman said while smiling.

     "You must be Selena Alvarez," Fangs said.

     "In the flesh. And I understand how it must feel to be overpowered right now, but whatever they do can not bury the truth," Tori's mother said. "I'll meet you in the car and it was nice meeting your friends."

     Tori waved to her mother as she headed towards the car and faced the three Serpents.

     "Your mom seems cool," Fangs said.

     "Yeah, when she's not chasing me around the house with a chancleta," Tori said while holding the sign under her arm and everyone laughed.

     "I think we should go now," Sweet Pea said.

     The other three agreed since their protest didn't work out the way they wanted it to and headed towards the parking lot of Pickens Park.

     "Mind if I take this sign home?" Tori asked while walking backwards so she could face the three of them.

     "Be my guest," Toni said while shrugging her shoulders.

     Tori smiled as she turned around and saw her mother's car in the parking lot.

     "I'll see you guys tomorrow," Tori said.

     Toni pulled the Colombian girl into a tight hug and soon let go. Right after the girls separated, Fangs wrapped his arms around Tori and lifted her off the ground. Tori screamed and laughed as Fangs spun her around before letting her feet touch the ground again and she punched his arm playfully. She looked at Sweet Pea who looked miserable like he usually did and she reached up to poke him in the cheek. He only looked at her but didn't smile back until she squished his cheeks together with both hands, making him laugh at her determination to get the moody frown off his face.

     "I will see you in chemistry, I will see you in biology, and I will see you whenever," Tori said while pointing at Sweet Pea, Toni and then Fangs.

     The three of them smiled and waved at Tori as she hopped into the car with her mother who was smiling like a fool.

     "You seem to really like them," she said while Tori put on her seatbelt.

     "They're great and they're not the criminals everyone thinks they are," Tori said.

     "They seem really nice, especially that Fangs boy and the way he was hugging you," her mother said while smirking.

     "Ay, mami, no. Fangs is like a child but he's a good friend," Tori said while giggling.

     "Alright, whatever you say," her mother said as she drove away from Pickens Park.

     Tori leaned her head against the window and watched everything pass by in a blur. It was slowly getting dark and the events of Pickens Day and the protest ran through her mind. Even to this day, they are still being silenced while the town tries to get rid of the last remaining Serpents. Tori wasn't about to let other people, especially someone like Hiram Lodge, trample over her friends and silence them until they no longer existed. She never thought that she would become friends with the Southside Serpents but she did and she had no regrets, none whatsoever.