Nat was the one who found herself distracted by the time she and Ty pulled up to the serpent parking with Dax a little while later. There was still no sign of JD when they swung by her house, and they hadn't seen the lights on at his shop yet either, so she could only assume he was still pissed at her. She had gone a bit far last night, but her pride refused to admit that to anyone. Instead, they started to look for Harley, who didn't join them at Pop's along with her man an hour ago. Not overly concerned, the three of them guessed that she came in early to score the best lockers she could before anyone else. Ty and Nat, still heated from their minor debate for reasons unknown to both, were in a secret race to find her though. Dax, noticing this, kept back a few paces, his girl's breakfast in a doggy bag in one hand, while he sipped at his coffee from the other. Nat had told him about their little exchange while Ty was in the bathroom, hoping to get him on her side, but as usual he decided to not be involved. Now, she had to push her way through teens Serpent, Ghoulie, and unaffiliated alike as she tried to figure out why she didn't want Harley to know about this guy. She kept herself alert, her energy going towards her movements and to the digging of her nails into her palm as she itched for a ghoulie to look at her the wrong way. Disappointingly, no one dared try anything and she wished they had. Nothing would make this last first day more memorable than kicking the ass of some idiot deciding not to keep clear of her. Nat scowled as Ty waved from the other side of the metal detector, an evil glint in his eye as he grabbed his bag from the table. Resigning herself to being tattled on, she slowly joined the line, hating the daily ritual of being patted down like a common criminal. The metal detector got nothing, and her bag was given a 'thorough' look through, but nothing was taken, allowing her to pass through the entrance with no problems. Not that she foresaw any issues to begin with; by your second month here you became a pro at hiding things, or you were a dunce that never learned the skill. With this being her fourth year, Nat had become the former over the later. She smirked as she noticed her friends huddled in their usual corner, covering her fatigue with an extra swing to her hip. Ty seemed in a happier mood now that he'd won, as well as was surrounded by the 'potential girls' he was canvasing with eager eyes. Dax and Harley were leaning against the wall and looking at their folded up schedules to find commonalities. Smiling down at her raven-haired friend, she took in her first day of school look. Harley had gone for cute, but fierce today with a strappy crop top and floral skater skirt. She'd paired it with some gold and black earrings and a three-headed snake choker and her red serpents jacket. The boots she had on went a little below her knee, but provided an extra three inches to her height, and the high pony she had in place waved against her neck. She seemed confident and ready to take on the year in ways Nat would never be able to understand. Upon feeling the blonde's gaze, Harley, gesturing to the locker next to hers. Nat went to it, opening it up with practiced finesse before tossing her snacks and other items into it and slamming it shut with her shoulder. She watched while it was her outfit's turn for observation. Always afraid of the Latina's opinion, Nat took to looking at the strappy red crop top and black skinny jeans with far more interest than she had in them this morning. Nat knew that it wasn't what the other girl could have picked, but she didn't care, as they hugged her curves in fun ways. Pulling her jacket on, she shook her hair free in a tangle of uncontrolled waves, and the leather wrap bracelets at her wrists with the choker added to the standoffish aura she was known for. As she slung her bag over her shoulder, she finally braved a look at Harley, red hot jealousy flashing over her. Nat knew she wasn't ugly, and she didn't think she was, but she did envy the way her tough but sweet friend could manage to look pretty and badass without giving off a bitchy vibe. How did she manage this? She helped everyone around her, but kept a hard line against any bullshit. She didn't tolerate assholes, and she didn't forgive easily. But that was the more substantial stuff. No, what Nat hated was that she did her make-up so perfectly, and so well, that no one could see the snake beneath the flowers. She was never caught on a bad angle unless it was purposeful for a snapchat. She was so perfectly done up at any moment, people probably think she was dressed by birds or something. The warrior princess who was always photo ready. Yet she always wonders why Nat constantly used her as a model. Her voice brought Nat back, seeing that the other girl had stolen her schedule. Holding next to hers, Dax stood with his and Ty's as well. Ever the organizer of the group, she was looking for overlaps. Nat may seem like the leader, but they all knew that Harley was the matriarch. "It looks like you don't have any of us in your History or Music class today..." She mused, looking between the four papers. "But You'll have Ty for Spanish today and English tomorrow, then the four of us are together for Math, and we have Gym together everyday until the semester shift." "For someone who keeps telling me to focus on my studies more, you sure like to make sure I have at least one distraction." Nat grumbled, looking at her schedule. "And you forgot you signed up for photography." "Only because I didn't know what to do, and I figured you could always use me." She shrugged, "We would have French together, but you chose Spanish, so we'll at least be in the room right next to each other." "Lo siento yo prefiero los linguosos fáciles." Nat snorted, not even caring if she said anything right. "Yo soy estúpido." "Pretty sure it's lingues, me amiga." She laughed, ignoring Nat's clear apathy on the subject. "Besides, you need at least one of us to make you pretend to pay attention." "Says the native spanish speaker and the smarter of the two of us." The blonde pushed on. "And I think the only thing I won't argue with you about is lunch, at least I can stuff my face with people that already know I'm a slob. Also, don't mess with my system; Get on the teacher's nerves with my lack of enthusiasm, and let them just pass me along. Seriously, I'm glad that this is our last year." "Okay, sourpuss…" Harley frowned, her spirits dampened only slightly. She handed schedules back to everyone, and made her way down the hall with Nat and the Boys in tow. Dax caught up to her and threw an easy arm around her shoulders as she changed the subject. "So I swung by your place this morning on my way here and your bikes were already gone, what did the two of you get up to this time on the 'Ty can't sleep so he bothers Nat' saga?" Nat shrugged, "There was a gauntlet, so we went and beat on a summer initiate. Fogery is a Snake now, by the way." "Yeah, but it was the guy's friend you should be telling her about." Ty smirked, making her bite her tongue at her carelessness. "He would have you ending your game in a heartbeat." "I play lots of games, Brooks, you're gonna have to be a smidge more specific." Harley said, side eyeing Nat to gauge her reaction. "Only your favorite bar, bonfire, or any social gathering game." Nat grumbled, jerking an elbow at her friend. "Ty just likes to tease me since my mockery of his game with women cuts a little too deep." "Whatever you say, Dwyer. I wasn't the one drooling this morning." Ty coughed, rubbing his ribs as he broke from the group for his first class. "I can at least keep my reactions internal." Nat sighed as they walked a little further and paused outside of Harley and Dax's classroom. "What he means to say is there was a guy who fits my type, and I didn't recognize him, so Ty is getting all weird and teasing me about it. I barely even looked at the guy, but for some reason that's enough for Brooks to be an ass." "That boy…" She muttered to herself, shaking her head as I raised an eyebrow in concern. "He is so selective about remembering that you're a girl instead of one of the guys." "You're telling me." Nat shrugged. "I don't mind it so much, but he made it seem like he was angry for waking me up for the gauntlet or something. Like he regretted me even seeing the guy." She ran a hand through her hair, looking down the hallway in thought. "I don't mind helping him out, it's been my gig for ages, but this is new. I just wish he wouldn't get angry with me, when he knows I just want to help, ya know? I hate when he tries to pick fights for no reason." "As if you don't know anyone else like that." Harley scoffed, turning as Dax wrapped an arm around her. "I'll catch you at lunch, yeah?" "Will do, See ya later, D." Waving goodbye to her friends, Nat moved down the hall and around the corner to her History class. When she got into the classroom, there was a table in the back, next to the one where Toni and Fangs already sat. She felt herself relax slightly as she surveyed the room; class of twenty-five and only two or three were Ghoulies. Taking the seat closer to the window, she threw her bag onto the table and sat, priming the other stool as a footrest. Pulling out her notebook and a pen, she sent a wiggle of the fingers over to the only two people she would probably associate with during the year. Receiving a nod and a wave in return, she turned back to the front as the bell rang, the teacher already passing out the syllabus he was going to drone over for the next hour or so. Pulling out the book she and Jason had to order online, Nat scowled at the fact that she was taking a European history course my senior year. The southside didn't offer AP or honors classes, but taking the elective history over economics was a hit she was willing to take. Having Toni in the class was a plus, too. When the papers reached her, she pushed the leftovers to the farthest corner of the table. For the next twenty minutes, she glared out the window, only answering when asked for her name, and some random thing she did over the summer (Babysit the property of the elite and photograph their pets). Then she made a show of making notes on the syllabus when really she was just doodling on the back of the paper. History was, well, history, so she didn't really care or need to know about it. The only history that mattered to her, wasn't taught in schools, not even the Southside. Instead, she could go and get it from FP or Tall Boy. Hell, even JD could provide more insight on things that mattered than this did. As class continued and the teacher continued to drone on about things that were putting most of them to sleep, Nat decided to look out the window. They got a good look at the parking lot from here, which allowed for prime distraction on her end. People watching was her favorite hobby, and even better, a source for Ghoulie's to bust on later. Then she was rudely interrupted by the last thing she wanted to encounter. Lopes said something about attendance and late assignments, but that wasn't what grabbed her attention. Instead it was a force hitting at her boot. She ignored it, pretending to listen to the oh-so-important details of expectations and homework practices when a set of knuckles tapped a second time. Still, she ignored it, figuring it was Toni trying to get her to pay attention, or the guy in front of her being an ass. Then the knuckles turned into a large hand that wrapped itself around the arch of her foot and moved slightly. Tensing to provide resistance, she turned to the source of the annoyance with poison ready to spit. Instead, she was met by the very reason her best friend was annoying her to no end. Standing in front of her was the tall, and muscular teen from this morning. He towered over her seated position at a broad 6' 2"-maybe even 6' 3". She already knew from this morning that he was a young Serpent, but now she could see where he was branded proudly on his thick neck, leading to an angular jaw and shaggy jet black hair that was slicked back. There was an array of stray curls that looped at his forehead, and though he had a soft face, the way it angled down to look at her, showed that it could harden into something dangerous. Ignored the full lips that were stretched into a cocky ass smirk and instead looked into the dark brown eyes that held a sparkle of mischief in them. She wanted to feel small next to him, but pride wouldn't allow it, instead making her square her shoulders." "You know, most people at this point would resort to words when actions didn't work." She pulled her foot free from him, using it to pull the chair closer to herself. "So why don't you cut the shit and speak if you're able." Met with silence, she added a"Well?" in challenge, forcing her voice to be stronger than it felt. She knew that she was making a spectacle, but this was probably going to be the only entertainment she got until lunch. She also just wanted to get under this guy's skin for reasons she didn't even know. So, she kept her gaze hardened, mimicking his crossed arms. "I can do this all day, ya know." She shrugged, "I don't have anything better to do." "It's a little obvious, don't you think?" He raised an eyebrow at her before poining towards the feet that stubbornly stayed in his way. "I mean, I was just trying to get you to move your feet, but if you want to make it into some kind of a challenge, Princess, I am more than game." She felt herself involuntarily grimace at the nickname, which earned a widening in the smirk as well as a wink. Gritting her teeth to ground herself again, she shrugged. "What's the magic word, Gigantor?" To the untrained eye this was a normal occurrence with Nat, and therefore soon ignored, however, for Toni, it only made her eyes focus on the pair in interest. This wasn't the normal realm of Nat's antagonistic methods, and it begged the question on whether or not Brooks was onto sometime. The purple haired girl watched them with a keen eye interested in who was going to win their silent battle. Why Lopes hadn't stopped them at his point was a mystery, but then again, the teachers hated being there as much as the student. So, she watched as he made his move, closing the distance between them. Placing a hand on her outstretched calf, he moved it up toward the outside of her thigh as he leaned closer to her. Unmoved, she kept still, watching as his facial features grew even more defined, a few subtle freckles making an appearance on his cheekbones. Soon, his face was right up against her, a small and fairly convincing pout playing across his lips. Finally, he brought himself to her eye level, and lowered his voice into a deep tenor. He only said one word, but it was enough for Nat to know that she was going to have fun with this guy. "Please?" The question in itself was enough for her to see why he thought he could charm his way through to her. The thing is, she wrote the book on that shit, and her brother would be pretty disappointed if she gave in this quickly. So instead, she challenged him with a tactical retreat. "Sorry." She yanked her arm away from him, pushing the stool away. "The word I was looking for was Alohamora, but-" She shrugged, turning back to her papers, "Since you asked so nicely and all, I suppose I could make an exception." There were scattered chuckles and laughs as he sat down, moving his chair closer to mine. The teacher seemed to finally find his voice, and started to continue going over the various time periods they'd be discussing in the first semester. Nat leaned over her phone and started to scroll through possible pool cues she'd potentially buy; doodling had already filled it's quota and after that slight bit of excitement, she already lost any patience for school. So much so that she didn't even realize she had an observer until a small huff of laughter came next to her. Looking up from the diamond willow cues, she raised an eyebrow to tell him to speak his thoughts. "That's not gonna do you any good, Princess." The deep voice next to me murmured closer to me than she had initially clocked in. "It may look pretty, but the curve at the handle's gonna throw off any spin you attempt and completely disrupt the shot." "First off, you mistake me for someone who doesn't know what I'm doing, and second." She sneered, doing her best to show off her fangs. "I'm nobody's Princess, Skyscraper." "Besides," She leaned back in my seat with a small shrug. "Long as you know what you're doing, it should only take you a few games to figure out the workaround to your so-called problem. It's not meant to help me, it's meant to be a ruse." "Well first," It was his turn to have his lips widen across his face in a smirk. "I find that hard to believe with those rapunzel-like locks you've got flowing from those pretty little shoulders." There was a pause as he took in Nat's frame, not even close to hiding the once over. "And how do you suggest pulling off the practice to get those issues resolved? You're not gonna tell me you have your own pool table, are you?" "And get mistaken for some Northside trash slumming it on the wrong side of the tracks? Fuck no." She snorted inelegantly, wrinkling her nose. "But there's more than one bar on the southside." He leaned his forearms against the table, clearly trying to show off the muscles that were hugged by his rolled flannel sleeves. "So, what, you bar hop and practice on tables you don't know and hope that there isn't too big a difference when you find your hustle space?" Nat leaned forward, moving her hands so that they were positioned dangerously close to his. It was a dance, and one she didn't usually take up in, but she was having fun. "Of course not, you run your con the entire time, until people leave you alone to play the table by yourself at every bar and then you learn the nuances of every table and learn how to adjust for the indescrepencies of each." He nodded to that, running a hand down his face slowly as he thought of what to say. She didn't even know what the teacher was talking about at this point, or care. It had been a long time since she could talk pool with someone other than the boys or JD. It seemed that only her family could appreciate what she had to say about the sport, and so she usually just let the subject go, content in participating. Seeing the excitement that flashed in this guy's eyes though, that spark of interest, it awakened something in her that hadn't been stoked in a long time. Maybe Ty hadn't been as far off base as she thought, it just wasn't as much of a physical thing as he wanted it to be. "Interesting theory…" The boy finally started, nodding as he met Nat's gaze again. "But what do you do if you lose because you aren't used to the cue yet?" "Then you go to that borderline bowling alley and practice until you're competent enough to cover your fuck-ups." She retorted, glancing at the clock quickly before grabbing her bag. "Well, you've got an answer for everything, don't you?" He mused, leaning back in his chair to create a space that felt bigger than it should. At least the feeling's mutual, the dance will continue. "Got a lot to say about Billiards." She stated, standing up and pulling her bag over her shoulder. "You just happened to get a girl talking about one of her favorite subjects." "Only one, huh? And what are others?" He tilted his head to the side, unmoved as the bell rang. Nat tightened her lips with a only slightly real look of disappointment. "Sorry, Handsome, but you'll have to reach a higher achievement letter to find that out." she left then, making her way around the table when she was stopped by one of those hands around her forearm. Pausing, she kept the smirk off her face and looked at him with a slightly bored expression. He didn't let go though, instead, guiding her towards his chest, now that he was standing. If he thought the height was going to give him an advantage he was wrong, but damn if there wasn't something interesting in the closer unreadable gleam to his eyes. "Do I at least get to know your name?" Nat's eyes widened slightly as she felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat. She hadn't been prepared for the tone he used, now it was her turn to be at a disadvantage. He seemed to pick up on that, making her gulp it down while he smirked down at her. She waited until his gaze fell to her lips, moving slightly when he did. Then, with a quick twist of the arm and lip, she broke free while she smirked at him. Having regained the upperhand, she spun, flipping her jacket to cover her tattoo. "Well, you didn't give yours, so I think I'll hold off for now." She looked at him over her shoulder, casting a wink in his direction. "But I'm sure I'll see you around, Gigantor." And with that she turned out of the door and moved to the next class, wondering just what she was going to say to the gang about what had just transpired.

The answer quickly became nothing, regretting it only when lunchtime came around. Since she, or JD who knows whose turn it is, needed to go grocery shopping, she was forced to buy the barely edible food from the cafeteria. This led to getting in line with Fangs and Toni after their Music Appreciation class. Having finally introduced herself to the new member of the Serpents, Nat felt more at ease talking to him. They both held a similar taste in music, and joined the Serpents for similar reasons. When she complimented him on his resilience during the gauntlet it earned a bit of preening, but otherwise the guy seemed pretty decent. Toni however, readiated mischief as she observed the two's discussion, remaining quiet until Fogerty left the girls at the register. Her opportunity, presenting itself, she perked up before casting a wolfish grin at the other girl. If the blonde saw it, she made no move to validate it. So, as soon as they paid for our food, Toni made her tactics more blatant. Skipping ahead of the taller girl, she spun around and started to walk backwards, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly on the way to the serpent bullpen. With the chain link fence that surrounded the area the Serpents inhabited away from everyone else there wasn't really a better name for it. Sighing, Nat glanced back at her evenly, waiting to see what the petite girl had to say. "Yes, Toni?" She said, sounding bored in spite of the guarded tensing of her shoulders. Her eyes were hardened, as if daring her to vocalize her observations. Of course, Toni took that as a challenge instead of a deterrent, her lips twisting so that her grin mimicked the Cheshire Cat whose colors she sported. "You know given your protests this morning, you were awfully friendly during history today, Dwyer." Toni shrugged, swerving away to avoid the Ghoulies that liked to loom just outside their turf. "It's a good thing Brooks didn't see you." "I fail to see how talking about pool with the guy confirms anything that idiot was accusing me of." Nat sighed, rolling her eyes at the stupidity of the conversation. "Besides, we're both Serpents, there's not need to be nasy when the guy hasn't done anything to deserve it yet." "Whatever you say, Nat…." Toni trailed off, scoping a table for them as the other girl did a quick once over of the room. She hadn't seen the rest of her circle yet, but she was sure they'd be around soon. "Don't get dismissive with me, T. I'm still the catty bitch you know and love." Nat said, swiping the soda from her friend's tray as if to prove her point. "Don't go getting jealous when I temporarily hide my claws." "Uh huh…" Toni said, accepting the quick return of her drink. "I think you're going soft on us." The wink she cast at the blonde stopped her from receiving a sarcastic remark. Instead, there was a half hearted mumbling of 'shut up' as the girls made their way to the table Fangs sat at. Being the only three there at the moment, the teens continued their conversation about music for a few more minutes, stopping only when Nat sensed a shadow fall over her. Assuming it was one of her boys, she rested a hand on the table before sending up a cheeky smile. "Well, it's about damn time you got-" The words halted when her gaze reached a pair of eyes she wasn't anticipating meeting again so soon, the smirk attaching itself annoyingly fast. "I see, she plays hard to get, but look how quickly she's begging for more." He teased, settling next to the other boy. "Should've pegged you as a Serpent, would have been too disappointing if you were one of Malachai's" "I don't even know where to begin with that." She grimaced, stilling a couple fries from his tray. "All I wanted was some fried potato, and you're turning it into a thing. That's rough, Buddy." She popped her loot into her mouth, giving him a tight lipped smile before making a show of licking any excess salt from her lips. She wasn't going to admit it, but she couldn't help but be a little thrilled at the way his eyes lingered on them before slowly dragging them back to meet her gaze. He must have seen something there, however, because soon, he was nodding slightly as if to validate her move, before preparing for his own. "Okay, fine." He stated, licking his own lips quickly before learning against the table. "If you wanted to share food, all you had to do was ask, Princess." "Ooof, sounds like someone's sad they didn't see my ink right away." She quickly retorted, not letting the jab get to her the way he clearly wanted it to. "What, were you too busy looking at my 'pretty little shoulders'?" "Among other things." He smirked, unyielding as well. "Why? Can't show me where it actually is?" "You wish." Nat stood, pulling the band of high waisted jeans down to show her hip tattoo. "I'm sure you weren't looking for old school, either, so no hard feelings when I accept your apol-" Nat jumped as a pair of warm fingers began to trace the line work at her hip, causing goosebumps to ripple from the area of contact. There was a breath of laughter, but otherwise it was quiet, and she turned to avoid his smug expression to give Toni a look that only feigned boredom. Unfortunately, that only succeeded in the other girl raising an eyebrow as it to validate her statement from earlier, resulting in an eye roll that brought her gaze right back where she didn't want it. Resigning herself to it, she tried to catch the guy off guard, observing his face. His eyes were entirely focused on the detailing of the tattoo, his face relaxing slightly as he appreciated the artwork. The second he clocked in on her eyes on him though, he smirked, the cocky demeanor masking all other emotions. Soon, she smacked his hand away, not liking the urge she felt to lean into his touch. "Alrighty, Cattle Prod enough with the touching." She adjusted her pants before sitting down again. When he raised an eyebrow at the name, she held her hands up, quickly pointing to her neck. "Cattle Prod, ya know, since you branded yourself with a neck tattoo? Has no one made that joke yet?" Toni snorted, coughing a little as her soda bubbled up her nose, and Fangs gave a small nod of appreciation at the joke. The guy in question didn't seem to like it though. His jaw locked and his hand clamped into a fist on the table. Ah, finally, a reaction. She held her hands up in front of her, an easy smile playing across her lips. "Hey, if you don't like the colorful nicknames, give me something to call you." She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink before gesturing to him with it. "I mean I could get pissy that you're still calling me Princess, but you don't have my name, so I can gracefully ignore it for now. You on the other hand, don't appreciate my wit, so either suck it up or something about it." Dark eyes narrowed briefly before glancing at Toni briefly. When she in turn shrugged, since she knew this was how the other girl was, he slipped back into his relaxed flirtation, smirk at the ready. "Well, all you had to do was ask, Doll. Unlike some people, I'd have been more than willing to share." "By all means." Nat leaned across the table, tilting it in thought. "Are you expecting me to say please, or are we going with my magic word of Alohamora?" "Well how can I say no now that you've gone and said both?" He smiled, leaning forward to meet her in the middle, testing to see who would break proximity first. "The name's Sweet Pea." The chuckle escaped from her nose painfully, causing Nat to cough slightly. Well that was definitely not what I expected… She forced out a couple of smaller laughs before clearing her throat. Who was she to judge, really? This was Riverdale, and their Leader's kid went by the name Jughead. Well...Sweet Pea." She said, ready to pull out her trump card as well. "It's nice to meet you, Natalie Dwyer, but most people call me Nat."