#i just want to read the text!! but oh god hiram why

[esteemed-excellency]

playing all the horror choices in the exceptional stories sometimes means that I'm looking at my character like a dog owner whose dog is eating something they shouldn't

[snarkwrites]

09 | gangsta; sweetpea

Notes:

SO.. I uhh... Got super into writing this recently. I just really liked where it was heading after part 7. Yes. Yes, I realize that literally no one asked for more of this but.. I wrote it. Might as well share it.

I warn in advance. There as a graphic and detailed fight in this chapter. Also. There is a LOT going on in this chapter. A LOT.

This is the second of four parts I have already written and waiting to go. I know, I know.. Literally no one asked for this. But you’re getting it anyway.

Warnings:

loosely canon compliant - this is the biggest warning, so if you’re into things that follow exact canon plot you are… definitely not going to like this. angst & slow burn, heavy sexual tensionstarting now, actually - this is just so everyone who started reading this thinking the smut would transpire in a hurry knows that apparently, it is not. violence / swearing & fighting, possible underage drinking and other shenanigans- look.. it’s high school. shit happens. also apparently, my ofc Alyssa uses the word fuck like all the time?…eventual sexual content / a virgin original character- this one is self explanatory. yes, i plan to write a smutty chapter in this at some point. when? i don’t rightly know. it’s got a while before we get there.

Pairing:

Andrews!Sibling OFC, Alyssa x Sweet Pea

Other Parts:

[ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight -   soundtrack ]

Other Stuff:

[ faq - tag list doc ]

Tagging:

@brithedemonspawn​ is the only person on my Riverdale tag list. If you’d like to be tagged for this story by all means.. Please let me know. Please, I beg. It’d make me super duper happy!!!

                                          NINE.

“What do you mean Hiram asked you to go cut their chains? Archie, this is not your place. They’re trying to fight back against this bullshit. Because that’s what this is, in case you’re wondering.”

“You need to make other friends. Literally anyone but them, Al.” Archie answered calmly. I glared at my brother from across the dining table. My father surprised me when he spoke up.

“You’re still friends with Jughead, right? How is that any different than your sister, being friends with Toni? Or that Fogarty kid? Or the other one, the moody one.. What’s his name?” my dad asked.

“Sweet Pea?” I questioned, taking a few more bites of my cereal. Grumbling about Hiram Lodge as I did so.

“He’s trying to help this town.” Archie muttered.

“What he’s doing is making people homeless. I bet you wouldn’t say that crap if he were trying to run anybody on this side of town out, Archie.” I snapped, pushing my chair away from the table, standing abruptly.

“Okay you two.” my father warned, glancing from me to my brother. Adding quietly, “Your sister has a point. That’s exactly why I’m going to talk to Hermione today about terminating the contract to build the housing.”

“Dad, you needed that contract.” I protested. Going quiet.

“I don’t need it bad enough to watch people gettin run out of their homes, tiny. I can find other jobs.”

“Dad..” I started, but he shook his head. Judging by the way his jaw was set, he’d made his mind up on this. I sighed, going quiet. Assuming that it was probably my fault he even made the decision that might just cost him the construction company in the first place. I think he could tell I was worried, because he caught me on my way out the door for school after Archie had stormed out, bolt cutters in hand to go and do Hiram’s bidding.

“I chose to do this on my own, okay? I just want to make sure you know that, Al.” my dad searched my face, waiting on me to give confirmation that I understood. I wasn’t entirely sure it was true, because for the past twelve hours, the fight had been ongoing between my brother and I.

“Actually, it was your mom who kind of reminded me what getting mixed up with the Lodges might bring on me. Has nothing to do with you and your brother fighting. But I wish you two would sit down and talk.”

I nodded, sighing. “I wish I knew he’d listen. But he’s changed so much since he started taking up with Hiram…” I shook my head. For the first time ever, I was actually kind of disappointed with my big brother.

If he weren’t under Hiram’s thumb right now, I have no doubt in my mind he’d either be helping Jughead with their protest, or he’d be doing everything he could to call attention to the issue.

“I know. Happens sometimes, tiny. All we can do is hope this whole thing is a phase and it doesn’t backfire on him. Be there for him when it does backfire.” my dad advised, pulling me into a hug.

As I went to step out, my dad tossed a brown bag towards me and I caught it. He smiled and shrugged. “Pretty sure when your friends get to school today, they’re gonna be starving. FP said they hadn’t eaten since 8 last night. This was some kinda hunger strike. Tell Fangs to share the bacon. I know he’s a growing guy, but shit.”

I laughed and smiled, doubling back to hug my dad. Really giving him a good squeeze.

“I love you too, kid. Now you need to get going.” my dad laughed when the hug broke, walking to the door and leaning in it, watching me til I got to the end of the street.

I spotted Cheryl waiting at our usual spot as of late and I made my way over. Opening the bag and letting her take out a biscuit. “Dad sent food for the others. That is, if Hiram doesn’t insist that my brother, idiot he is, escort them all straight to the police station.”

“Has your mother gotten back to you at all on the legality of what Ms.McCoy did before she stepped down as mayor?” Cheryl asked. I shook my head. Watching the sidewalk from the direction that Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea normally came from intently.

“Where are they?”

“Toni texted me a few minutes ago. They’ll be here.”

“So Hiram didn’t make my brother and the other guys on the wrestling team take them to the station? Because if he thinks for a second I won’t dig into my college fund to post bail, my brother’s a bigger idiot than I ever imagined. Because I will.”

Cheryl was smiling at me. Giving a soft laugh as she bit into the biscuit she’d taken from the bag in my hands. “ Take deep breaths, lioness.”

I took a deep breath, deadpanning at Cheryl, “Happy?”

“It will suffice.” Cheryl’s grin broadened when she caught sight of Toni.

I let out a ragged breath when I saw our friends heading our way, fuming in anger. Sweet Pea seemed to be the angriest, arguing loudly with Jughead and Fangs about how they should’ve just let him go and not held him back or tried to stop some fight.

Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea came to a stop in front of Cheryl and I. I held out the bag to Toni and she grabbed it, not wasting a single second. Grabbing a biscuit and groaning as she practically inhaled it. Then grabbing a few strips of bacon. “Oh my god, I love your dad too.” 

“There’s enough in there for everyone. Fangs, he said you had to share the bacon, man.” I laughed at the way this made Fangs pout a little.

I stopped in front of Sweet Pea who was still angry, almost shaking at this point. I grimaced at the bruise forming on his jaw. Stepping a little closer. “Are you going to eat, Hulk, or nah?” I teased, shaking the bag at him.

“I’m too fuckin pissed right now, Cherry.” Sweet Pea answered, a harsh tone. His jaw setting.

“Oh.” I muttered. I realized just how close I was standing to Sweet Pea and suddenly aware of that, I stepped away a little and let Fangs take the bag because I was tired of holding it. As we started to walk to school, I found myself walking right next to Sweet Pea all over again when Kevin Keller caught up to us and chose to walk next to Fangs, putting me in between Sweet Pea and Fangs by the time we’d all sort of formed a line.

“Kevin, don’t you own a car?” I teased gently, giving him a knowing smirk. I’d kind of picked up on the fact that he might or might not have himself a little crush on Fangs.

“It’s broken right now.” Kevin answered my question, nodding towards Sweet Pea covertly as he smirked at me. I bit my lip, glancing over at Sweet Pea as I shook my head. Because I knew what Kevin was about to assume and I knew that at best, Sweet Pea only tolerates me because of Fangs and Toni.

“Dad’s supposed to take me out to let me try getting used to driving his truck this weekend.”

“I’ll be sure to let my dad know so he’s on standby.” Kevin taunted, making me stick out my tongue at him. “I’m not that bad.”

“I’d like to agree, but I have Snapchat, so I know about your driving. I saw the go-kart thing. I had no idea  you could make a go kart drift, if we’re being honest. You drive like a lunatic, woman.” Kevin taunted. I pouted at him, folding my arms. “I do not! I just wanted to win.” I pretended to be annoyed, holding my hand up at him.

Sweet Pea’s hand brushed against my other hand and I glanced down. Curling my pinkie around his. Giving it a squeeze. I didn’t dare to look up at him as I did this, of course. When he didn’t pull away, I didn’t either.

He was upset. I considered him a friend. I tried to tell myself that my hopes in doing what I was doing were to calm him down. Nothing more.

But deep down, I was starting to realize that this might not exactly be the case. That maybe I felt things…

Things I knew he’d never feel in return.

Things I knew I needed to get over.

XXX

He bit his lip when he felt her finger curl around his. A glance over at her revealed that she wasn’t even looking at him, instead, she was buried in something Kevin was showing her on his phone. He’d almost swear that she didn’t even realize she’d grabbed hold of his finger again, but then, she gave it a little squeeze a few seconds after she glanced up from Kevin’s phone.

She still hadn’t looked at him. Or let go of his finger.

Every part of him knew he should let go but he didn’t want to. And he kept telling himself that more than likely, it wasn’t anything more than just her, trying to be a friend because he was madder than hell and it was obvious.

Oh but he wanted it to be so much more than that.

Their sides brushed again and his breath caught in his throat a little.

Fangs had a good point the night before when they’d been talking. It was getting harder and harder to hide the way he felt.

The fight he’d gotten into with Alyssa’s brother came back to him and he used Archie’s words as a reminder as to why he needed to forget the way he felt.

Because Archie did have a fair point when he pointed out that Sweet Pea wasn’t good enough for her and sooner or later, Alyssa spending so much time around them was going to get her in serious trouble or worse yet, hurt somehow.

But then what Fangs and Jughead both insisted the night before came back to him too and their advice made him want to fight. To act on the way he felt. To prove her brother wrong. To be with her. Be the guy who made her laugh. The guy she cuddled up with on a rainy Saturday to watch her horror movies. The one she came to when she was hurt or scared or just needed him.

They were making their way across the parking lot and she still hadn’t let go of his finger. To be fair, he hadn’t let go of hers yet, either. The connection was keeping him calm. Giving him other things to think about beyond the way he wanted to lose his entire mind over the fact that he was losing everything and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He felt powerless. He hated the feeling.

But the way she linked her finger through his and left it there gave him something else to focus on for a change.

And now, thanks to it, all he could think about was just how hard it was getting to keep his feelings himself.

“Alyssa?”

“Yeah, Kev?”

“Are you going out for the play? Come on, you have to.” Kevin pleaded.

Alyssa mulled it over, shrugging. About to shake her head before Kevin frowned. “You have to.”

“I’m not good at the whole getting up in front of people crap. We’re lucky I can manage cheering at the games without freaking out, Kev. Or have you forgotten the fairy debacle from Kindergarten?”

“It wasn’t that bad!” Kevin was giving her the pleading face.

“Kevin. I left the stage and ran to my dad. In front of the entire school.” she shook her head, laughing. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Besides, me singing? The sound of cats dying. I am not going to put people through that.”

“Oh come on.”

“Nope. Not happening, man.” she shook her head, smiling.

“Toni and I are thinking about it.” Cheryl spoke up.

Toni raised a brow, laughing as she nodded. “Thinking is the key word here, babe.”

Sweet Pea took a deep breath. Willing himself to either let go of her finger first or push things a little further. Maybe grab hold of her hand. Or brush his hand against her hand. He grumbled in frustration when he couldn’t make himself do either thing.

After a second or two, he managed to find a way to graze his hand against her hand and make it seem as if it were an accident. To his surprise, before he could pull his hand away, she’d linked her fingers between his.

She glanced up at him for a second or two, licking her lips. Giving his hand a little squeeze. They were almost to the doors of Riverdale High by this point. He figured she’d let go of his hand, but she hadn’t yet.

Everyone else split off, going to their own classrooms. He let go of her hand to push open the door, letting her step into the room as he held it open, letting it close behind him. As they took their assigned seats, she sank down in her chair, digging around in the pocket of her jeans.

Holding out a pack of chewing gum to him. Sweet Pea took a stick of the gum, unwrapping it. Popping it into his mouth.

After opening the text books, their teacher spoke up, addressing the class.

“We’ll be doing a bit of a different assignment. We’ve been studying genetics and I feel that it would be interesting to give this a try. You’ll be given dice.”

Sweet Pea chuckled when one of the other Serpents in class with them muttered an audible, “Finally, somethin I fuckin know about.”

Mr. Keaton glared at the other Serpent, silencing him. And then Mr. Keaton continued. “You will then roll these dice to determine what physical traits that offspring between yourself and your lab partner would inherit. You will chart the results and write a detailed summary. If you choose, for extra credit, you may draw this offspring.”

Sweet Pea coughed, shifting around in his seat awkwardly. Because all this entire project brought to mind for him was a mental replay of a particularly dirty dream he’d had about Alyssa not too long ago. The silent acknowledgement that he felt this magnetic pull to her and the harder he fought it lately, the more it refused to stay buried. The way it felt when her finger curled around his or the way it felt when he’d taken hold of her hand on their walk to school.

Every single touch, accidental or otherwise as of late.

Alyssa fidgeted a little herself, he noticed. He found himself wondering if she was fidgeting because she was suddenly regretting being paired with him for the term, or if she was fidgeting for the same reason he’d been fidgeting.

,, There’s absolutely no way she’s into me.” his mind taunted.

Mr. Keaton passed out dice and once they’d gotten their dice and the list of physical traits that Mr. Keaton compiled they’d be rolling for, Sweet Pea cleared his throat.

“Wishing you’d made a fuss about now, hm? Gotten switched to work with no brains over there?” he said it only half jokingly.

“Why? Are you?” Alyssa asked, gazing over at him, a brow raised. Laughing softly. “It’s just an assignment, Sweet Pea. And you’re not like.. You’re not a leper or something. I mean, I could do a lot worse.”

“If you’re fine with it, what the hell.” Sweet Pea shrugged, chuckling to himself quietly. Trying to fight back the sliver of hope that chose that exact moment to rise to the surface. The fact that she wasn’t switching, while surprising, didn’t necessarily mean anything. He had to keep reminding himself of that.

From the back of the classroom, Reggie spoke up. “Mr. Keaton, I’ve been thinkin… Maybe I should switch partners with Sweet Pea.”

Sweet Pea tensed.

When he knew Alyssa wasn’t looking, he shot Reggie an angry glare.

Reggie smirked at him, daring him to say something.

Mr. Keaton looked from pair to pair, rubbing his chin. “Amanda? Alyssa? Would either of you want to switch?”

Mandy was just about to speak up. He felt Alyssa tense up beside him and heard her mumble to herself, “Not today, Satan..” as she turned in her seat, giving Mandy an angry glare.

Mandy glared right back at Alyssa before giving their teacher the sweetest smile she could muster. “I’d love that, Mr. Keaton. Reggie’s an idiot. I’m sure even that Serpent is so much smarter.” 

“The Serpent has a name, bimbo. You wouldn’t like it if I only called you bimbo, right?” Alyssa whirled around in her seat to snap at Mandy before she could stop herself. “Anyway, Reggie’s no stupider than you. Kind of a perfect fit if I do say so myself.” 

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes at Mandy, but he cleared his throat, tapping Alyssa’s shoulder so she’d turn around before she got into trouble. He found himself super focused on the way she got heated just now because Mandy hadn’t bothered saying his name.

“If he makes me switch, I swear to god, I’m unleashing my wrath.” Alyssa grumbled to herself. Making Sweet Pea take a shaky breath or two.

Why did this matter so much? 

Sweet Pea found himself a little surprised. He honestly thought she’d be jumping at the chance. He assumed she’d be happy to get away from him.

“Alyssa? Your thoughts on the matter?” Mr. Keaton questioned.

“ Nope. I refuse to have that absolute pig be the  father of  my non-existent children, sir. I’m fine where I am.” Alyssa answered, turning to shrug at Reggie as she said it.

Reggie pouted a little.

Sweet Pea smirked, shrugging at Reggie when their eyes met. Reggie glared at him, finally turning around when Mandy cleared her throat.

“You could’ve switched, Cherry.”

“ I realize this. But I didn’t want to.” Alyssa answered, finally meeting his gaze. Biting her lip. “Unless you wanted me to switch?”

“No, no. Fuck no.” Sweet Pea’s answer tumbled out in a rush. Alyssa laughed softly, managing a little smile. “In that case, we should probably get started. This is a pretty long list. Oh, while I’m thinking about it.. We’re trying to avoid my shitty eyesight, red hair and skin that burns at even a hint of sunlight.” she muttered, glancing over at him.

Sweet Pea caught himself doing it again, getting caught up in her eyes. Staring like an idiot. He nodded. “Okay, since we’re going there, Cherry. We’re trying to roll with the hopes that this kid doesn’t knock their fucking heads off every time they walk through a door.”

“I mean, it’s better than climbing shelves and counters to reach things your idiot brother puts out of your reach deliberately, but hey.. Go off I guess.” she teased gently, smiling at him. Holding out the dice.

“You roll first. I am.. Not good at dice.” Alyssa pleaded. Sweet Pea chuckled and shook his head. “Oh no. No, you first.” he smirked at her, he couldn’t resist it.

Alyssa pouted but  took the dice and rolled.

“Okay, so.. Doubles..” Alyssa announced when both the dice settled on the side with one dot.

“Twins.” Sweet Pea consulted the list. “We were rolling for a number of offspring just then, right?” he asked.

“They better have given me good drugs.” Alyssa joked, filling in the chart. “I’ll roll for one, you can roll for the other?” she asked. Sweet Pea nodded. Silently hoping to god she hadn’t noticed him staring yet again. He answered in a daze, “Yeah.” as he took the dice to roll again. This time they were rolling for hair color.

“You better roll again, sir. Remember? We’re trying to avoid red hair.” Alyssa nodded to the dice settled on the top of the desk between them.

“Actually, no. I’m not. You are, but I’m not.” Sweet Pea smirked, the smirk growing when he saw her pout a little about it. “Deal with it, Cherry.”

“Well, we’re off to a great start. Can’t even agree on hair color.” Alyssa teased, noting that they’d gotten the red hair trait from her.

She took the dice back. “Come on dark brown and functional brown eyes..” she muttered, smiling when she rolled for Sweet Pea’s eye color, but scowling a little when she managed to roll that yes, they’d have vision trouble. “Poor kids.” she shook her head, laughing. Holding out the dice to him.

Sweet Pea had been in a daze yet again. Luckily, he managed to pull himself out of said daze when she placed the dice in his hand. He rolled. Grumbling when he got himself for the height gene.

The bell rang a few seconds later. Alyssa gathered her books and started for the door. Sweet Pea caught up to her. “Wasn’t so bad.” he mused. Carefully.

Alyssa smiled, shaking her head. “No, it wasn’t.” hiding a laugh as Reggie and Mandy made their way past in a very heated and angry argument. She nudged Sweet Pea, nodding towards them. “Some people should never be allowed to procreate.”

“They really shouldn’t.” Sweet Pea answered, swallowing down a lump as it formed in his throat. Letting his gaze linger for a few seconds. “Hey, if you want.. We can finish this tonight at the Wyrm.”

“You’d be okay with me showing up at the Wyrm.” Alyssa eyed him carefully.

He shrugged. “It’s not any different than all the times you came with Toni.” 

“I’ll be there, then. Oh and Pea?” Alyssa turned back to look at him. He chuckled. “What?”

“Your name is coming off the top of the Mortal Kombat leaderboard. Tonight. Better bring your A game, sir.”

He bit back a groan at what she said. There was just something about the look in her eyes just now.. Teasing and playful… that combined with her calling him Sir definitely gave him a reason to need the walk to his next class.

Because he needed to pull himself together. He needed to get his head around everything and more importantly, he needed to really stop and think if he wanted to keep fighting whatever was starting to happen between them.

Because he’d been fighting it since he’d seen her around town for the first time. And he just couldn’t anymore.

Fangs caught up to him. “Didn’t you hear me yellin at you, man?”

“I was thinkin.”

“About?”

“Maybe you were right. About what we were talking about last night?”

Fangs smirked. “You’re gonna go for it?”

“I want to. Doesn’t mean I will. But I can’t keep saying I don’t.. Ya know.. When I do. Because it’s driving me fucking insane, man.” 

“Want her?” Fangs filled in the blank, snickering when Sweet Pea gave him a dirty look but nodded. As they made their way into class and took their usual seats in the back, Fangs leaned across the aisle. “For what it’s worth… I think she’s into you, man.”

“Yeah. I doubt that.” Sweet Pea looked at his best friend as if Fangs were losing his mind. He wished that were true. He wanted it to be true. But he doubted that it was.

“You’re blind.” Fangs chuckled, turning his attention to the note Kevin had slipped into his locker. Chuckling and rubbing his chin in thought as he debated on what his response was going to be.

XXX

Practice had just ended. I made my way over to my locker in the girls locker room and I opened the door, thinking I’d grab the clothes I bought to change into after practice. Clothes that were nowhere to be found.

I grumbled to myself, annoyed. A quick glance around the locker room put me onto the fact that Mandy and her little army of skanks were circled up, looking at me. Whispering and laughing. Mandy was bold enough to call out, “Missing something, are we?” as she held up my clothes, laughing… Slinking over to the door that lead into the hallway.

Tossing my clothes right out in the middle.

I turned and glared at her. “You bitch.”

“Aw, are you upset right now? What are you gonna do, Alyssa? Go cry to big brother? Go sic your Serpent trash loverboy on me? I’m so so so scared.” she nudged her friend Kaylie. “I bet she doesn’t do anything. I bet she just sits there and fumes like usual. I’m surprised she had the nerve to call me a bimbo earlier in class if we’re being honest.” Mandy smirked as she said it, glancing at me. Nodding towards the door. 

“If you want your clothes, sweetie, they’re right there! All you have to do is go get them…. Unless you’re afraid? Don’t flatter yourself, Alyssa. Nobody wants to see you in your underwear. Absolutely no one.”

I clenched my fists and took a deep breath or two. Mandy and her friends were all staring at me, waiting. Gazing from the hallway, where my clothes were piled up, back to me. Smirking and laughing because they were starting to think Mandy was right. That I wasn’t going to do anything. That I’d just turn and ignore Mandy’s attempts to goad me into a confrontation and shove down all my anger like I usually did. 

,, she wants you to turn the other cheek like you’ve been doing until lately. If you do that, you’re basically telling her she can get away with this crap.” the thought came and rather than shove it out in favor of being the bigger person, I leaned into it.

Because today was not the day and I was not the one.

I stood and walked out into the hallway. Right as the bell to dismiss final class for the day rang and the hallway was starting to flood with students. One of them being Sweet Pea. We locked eyes as I walked past, calmly going to the Riverdale crest on the floor that she’d tossed my jeans in the center of. Bending to pick up my jeans. Sweet Pea’s arm shot out.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, out here like that, Cherry? Have you lost your mind entirely?”

“Nope. I’m getting my fucking clothes. Since Mandy the thundercunt scattered them all over the hallway.”

Sweet Pea growled quietly, his fists clenching and unclenching. He took off his Riverdale polo, holding it out to me, but I shook my head, biting my lip and smirking as I did so. “Oh no. No.. see, if I don’t do something major now, she’s never going to fuck off. So thanks but no. Now put your shirt back on before you get in trouble.”

Sweet Pea eyed me. Shaking his head. I tapped my foot impatiently, holding his gaze. “Sweet Pea… Put the goddamn shirt back on. I know what I’m doing, okay? This is to prove a point.”

“What good is that gonna do when you’re caught by a teacher and you wind up in detention, huh? Take the fucking shirt, Cherry. Take it now.” Sweet Pea used his firmest tone, but I was too angry. It didn’t do anything to me.

“Put the shirt back on, Sweet Pea. Now.” I muttered firmly. A hand on my hip. “Do it. I’m willing to stand here until a teacher spots me if that’s what it’ll take to keep you from doing something that we know might get you expelled.”

“Goddamn it.” Sweet Pea gave up arguing, finally realizing I wasn’t going to budge one way or the other. Not until I’d done what I came out to do. And the less he argued with me, the quicker I could get it done and get back in the locker room.

I spotted my favorite Motley Crue crop tee near the girls bathroom. And totally zoned out, so angry that I was actually shaking a little, I paid not one single bit of attention to the fact that a few people were staring.

I was too pissed to be embarrassed and that is probably a good thing. Because if I wasn’t so pissed, I’d have wanted the floor to open and swallow me whole.

I spotted the red and black plaid shirt I’d been wearing over my tee shirt hanging over the rim of a garbage can and I calmly walked over, plucking it out. With my clothing gathered, I went to step back in the locker room, ignoring the one or two whistles and the Ghoulie who felt the need to comment something so gross that I debated heavily on walking over and twisting his dick in my hand until it twisted off.

I flung the door of the locker room open wide and when I did, it connected with Mandy’s face because she’d been standing there. Probably recording the whole thing to post on her socials later.

Because that’s totally something girls like her do for funsies.

She stumbled back, holding her nose as blood began to slowly pool between her fingers. And before she had a chance to react, I was slamming her against the lockers immediately to the right of the door. My forearm against her throat to hold her there.

“You’re going to erase whatever video you just recorded. Don’t fucking test me, you diseased thundercunt. Erase the video. I know you recorded the whole thing.”

“You little bitch, you broke my nose!” Mandy slammed her head into mine, causing me to drop my forearm from her throat and grab for my own nose. Once she was free, she threw a punch. I ducked it and came up swinging. Connecting with her jaw. And before she could even recover from the punch, I was grabbing her by the hair and shoving her head at the locker door.

She charged at me, knocking me on the ground. I grabbed hold of her face, trying to go for her eyes and once she was trying to block that, I flipped it and reversed it so that I was straddling her hips now. The first thing I did was grab hold of her phone and throw it on the floor a few feet away as hard as I could. When she tried to reach up and choke me, I choked her back and she rolled us so that she was on top this time. Fists were flying again. The benches that ran the middle of the locker room were being moved out of place. Lockers were being hit as we made full use of the floor in the girls locker room.

Her friends tried to rush over to help but Veronica and Cheryl stopped them from getting close as Cheryl called out to me, “Get her! It’s about time!” and she told Veronica firmly, “Lock the doors. Nobody gets in or out. Amanda has had this coming for a while now.”

Veronica nodded, locking the door to the locker room. Betty held off Mandy’s friends with Veronica and Cheryl’s help. Determined to let the fight keep going. At least until one of us or the other calmed down.

 I stood up, pulling Mandy off the floor. Pulling her towards the showers.

Turning on the water full blast and as cold as I could get it. Shoving her into it and as soon as I had her cornered, I leaned down to her level. Grabbing hold of her white and yellow Riverdale Vixens ringer that now had blood spattered on the front of it.

“You better hope that video got erased, Mandy, or this is just a preview of what your life’s gonna be like, honey.”  I said it quietly and calmly. “And if you think for even a second about messing with me again… Remember this.”

“You’re actually insane.. You crazy little bitch. Just wait. I’ll get back at you. This isn’t over, Alyssa.”

“Oh, I’m counting on that, you diseased mega skank.” I shrugged as I walked away from her, facing her. My middle finger up in the air. “You might want to clean yourself up, Amanda. We can’t have anybody thinking we were up to no good in here, now can we?” I challenged.

A teacher was pounding on the door and it started to click into place what I’d just done. I sank down on the nearest bench, panting to catch my breath. Trying to calm down. Letting the anger and everything subside.

Cheryl made her way over, Veronica and Betty in tow. Stopping to unlock the door as they went. Whatever Cheryl told the teacher had the teacher satisfied that nobody was up to anything bad in the locker room and leaving and once they had, Cheryl shut the door quickly. Leaning against it with her hand over her heart. “Whew. That was so close.”

Veronica sank down on the bench in front of me, the first aid kit we kept in the locker room open and across her lap.

“This is going to hurt, Al. I’m sorry in advance.” Veronica winced as she started to apply hydrogen peroxide to the few scratches on the side of my face and cheek.

All I could do was nod. Because I was still coming down from the adrenaline.

“If she messes with you again after this, she’s clearly an idiot.” Veronica spoke up after a few seconds. I shrugged. “Oh, she’s not done with me yet. But it’s okay.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t stop it before all hell broke loose.” Cheryl spoke up, wincing as I looked up at her and laughed it off, shaking my head. Trying to flinch away from Veronica as she came at my face with a cold and damp washcloth to clean the blood away from underneath my nose.

“Cheryl, trust me. I’m fine. I can handle myself. You guys were trying to count the votes, it’s not a big deal. Besides. I needed to stand up for myself.”

“I know, but if I’d been in here, I could’ve stopped her.” Cheryl butted in, gently but firmly.

“I should’ve stood up to her way before now, if I’m being honest. Take the high road, they said. It’s better in the long run, they said. That’s a load.” I grumbled. 

“Ouch fuck ouch hey.. Can you wipe less painfully?” I pleaded with Veronica.

She grimaced and muttered an apology.

“I can’t wait to hear about this crap later. Or try explaining it to my dad and Archie. Archie’s going to take the chance to spin this so that somehow, it’s anybody’s fault but mine.” I grumbled, shaking my head, disgusted at the thought.

“He’s just being a protective brother.”

“I wish sometimes he’d not do that.. So much. Did you know that he just stood back and let Reggie and Sweet Pea fight earlier when the team went to cut everyone loose?”

“I’m still angry with my father about that.” Veronica muttered, adding a second later, “But, that’s typical of him, though. He’s not happy until he owns everything and everyone.” Veronica fumed, shaking her head with a disgusted look on her face.

I bit my lip, nodding. Keeping my own opinions on the subject to myself. Because it’s not like she can control what her parents choose to do. And she tries to be better, she tries to make it so that there’s a very clear and obvious difference between herself and her parents, but with parents like hers, you wind up having to get your hands dirty sooner or later.

I’d just finished getting dressed and stepped into the hallway, finding Sweet Pea leaning against the wall.

“What the fuck was going on in there?”

I shrugged.

Mandy walked past with her friends and Sweet Pea looked from Mandy back at me. Grimacing as he caught sight of my face. Stepping closer. 

“Did she do that?” he eyed me in concern. Tensing up a little. The soft edge to his voice had my heart fluttering a little, but as fast as that started, I was quick to shove it down. Reminding myself that Sweet Pea only tolerated me because we happened to share two friends in common. His hand raised, gingerly touching at a bruise forming along my jaw. Hissing as he shook his head. I tensed a little because now that the adrenaline was completely gone and the shock I’d been in or whatever for the duration of my fight was wearing off too and now everything just plain hurt.

“Mhm.” I answered quietly, swallowing down a lump as it formed in my throat. Gazing up at him. I blinked when my body brushed up against his, not aware that I’d stepped closer to him.

“Did you do.. All that?” he nodded to where she stood at her locker in the hallway, glaring daggers in my direction, her friends flocking her.

“I hope you’re prepared to pay for Amanda’s broken nose, you crazy witch.” Kaylie called out calmly. “Her mother is going to make sure you pay for the fight.”

Mandy smirked at me. “I can’t wait to tell my mother everything. I’m almost as excited to talk to her about the way you’ve been bullying me as I am to post the video of you wandering the hallway of our high school in underwear.”

I tensed, taking a step away from Sweet Pea and forward in the hallway. Sweet Pea reached out quickly, grabbing me up and away by my hips. Putting me behind him as he eyed Mandy calmly. “You really don’t value your life at all, do ya?”

Mandy eyed him, gulping.

“It’s a simple question, Mandy.” Sweet Pea shrugged, smirking a little.

“What are you gonna do, Serpent? I can make one call and have you arrested.”

I growled from behind Sweet Pea. “Try it you fucking gremlin. Try it.” I threatened.

“Enough.” Sweet Pea’s tone was calm and firm as he looked from Mandy to me, folding his arms over his chest. I went quiet and Mandy’s lip quivered a little as she gazed up at him. 

“What you’re gonna do, Mandy… Erase whatever you recorded. If you don’t, you’re really not going to like what happens.” Sweet Pea stepped closer to her, giving a menacing scowl as he towered over her.

Just the way he said it had a slow and lazy heat settling in the pit of my stomach. Had my breath catching in my throat because of just the tone he took… You’d think he was my actual boyfriend. He was acting more like one than any of my past boyfriends, Reggie included.

If I were more hopeful, I’d almost want to say he meant every word of the threat he made to Mandy.

Mandy hurried off and Sweet Pea turned, settling his gaze on me. Eyeing my nose critically and grimacing. “It’s not broken. What the hell happened?”

“She was practically leaning against the damn door so when I threw it open, it hit her in the nose. She went to swing at me, I threw her against a locker… Then it kind of spiralled out of control from there?” I shuffled my feet, going fidgety under his intent and concerned gaze.

“Who locked the door?” Sweet Pea asked, admitting a few seconds later, “I tried the handle when I saw Mrs. Ellis heading for the locker room. I heard all the yelling and every time somebody hit a locker or the wall, so I figured something was going on in there… I was gonna warn you...”

“Oh, that was Cheryl. She wasn’t going to risk anybody going to get a teacher to come in and break it up.” I gave a soft laugh, shaking my head. I nodded towards the doors at the end of the empty hallway.

“We should probably get going. The last place I want to be locked in overnight is here.”

“Yeah, I was waiting on Fangs, but apparently, he ditched me.” Sweet Pea shrugged. I raised a brow, because that wasn’t like Fangs. Usually if he said he’d be somewhere, he was there.

“I haven’t seen him since lunch, come to think of it.” I spoke up after a few seconds.

“He probably bailed. He’s probably already at the Wyrm.” Sweet Pea shrugged. I nodded, agreeing.

“So.. ready?” I asked. Trying my best not to get my hopes up. Preparing myself for Sweet Pea to suggest going to my dad’s or to Pops instead of going to the Wyrm. Shocked more than a little bit when Sweet Pea smirked and nodded.

“Yeah. Just so you know, Cherry… If you think for one second you’re wiping me off the leaderboard, not gonna happen.” he chuckled as we walked down the hall and he paused to push the door open for me.

About halfway to the Wyrm, my hand brushed against his. I glanced down, biting my lip. Debating heavily on just grabbing hold of his hand.

Because friends held hands, right?

I mean.. I held hands with Cheryl and Toni all the time.

Except deep down, I knew that was not even remotely the real motive behind holding Sweet Pea’s hand. The simplest truth was that I just… Couldn’t stop myself from doing something. Anything.

I took a deep breath and carefully, I slipped my hand into his. Gazing down for a second or two after I’d done it. Shocked I’d actually had the damn nerve to go through with it. Even more shocked when Sweet Pea didn’t immediately scowl, tense up or let go.

Instead, his fingers laced with mine.

And like this morning, neither of us really mentioned it. But that tension that seemed to hang around us like a heavy cloud recently?

It got so very much thicker.

He pushed open the door to the Wyrm and I stepped under his arm, into the building. He stepped in behind me, nodding to a table with two chairs towards the back. Where it was a little quieter.

“We should be able to get everything finished back there, Cherry.”

I nodded. My eyes darted around. Finding it odd that the same people staring at me currently never even gave me a second look when I wandered in with Toni and Fangs.

I shoved the thought out of my head.

We were just two classmates.. Two friends.. Meeting to finish an assignment for school.

We made our way to the back of the bar, taking a seat at the table. At one point, while we were deep in rolling and making notes for the chart we’d been given and for our report we’d have to write later, FP wandered past.

“That’s good kid. Nice to see you actually takin school seriously. Don’t give Alyssa a hard time, buddy.” he flashed Sweet Pea a smirk and Sweet Pea nodded. Smirking right back at FP.

“People are looking at us like you’re doing something wrong.” I leaned in and whispered when I just couldn’t take the way people were watching like a hawk anymore and it had me curious.

Sweet Pea glanced up and around, shrugging. “ Most of the older guys think it’s impossible to be friends with a girl and won’t bring one around unless they’re involved with her. Is it bothering you?” he gazed at me, that concerned look in his eyes again.

I shook my head profusely. Taking a sip of the wild cherry pepsi that FP had brought over to us to drink earlier and wanting to kick myself for even mentioning it, because I had a feeling I’d probably just made things awkward.

And that was the very thing I was trying to avoid. 

We finally finished rolling for genetic traits and I finished up the sketch I’d been doing.

“Okay. If you laugh I swear to God.” I gazed at Sweet Pea nervously as I shoved the sketch pad across the table to him.

“Did you just do this?” he asked, staring at the sketch.

“Yeah. I’m not the best.”

I reached for the sketch pad. But not before it flipped a few pages and settled on a drawing I’d done of Sweet Pea when he hadn’t been paying attention one day while we were all hanging out in here, playing the Mortal Kombat arcade game.

Lucky for me, he saw that I’d done sketches of Toni and Cheryl sharing a Twizzler at lunch one day and Fangs working on his motorcycle in the parking lot before school one morning. When he got to the sketch I’d done of Reggie, he scowled a little.

“I wanted to burn that too but Cheryl convinced me if I ever decided to actually get off my ass and apply to art school after I’m done with Riverdale High, it’d be good for my portfolio. She literally tried to throw herself on the fire to stop me from burning all the sketches I did of Reggie.” I laughed quietly, wincing as I shook my head.

Every time I caught myself thinking about the fact that I’d been taken in by a charming smirk and flirtatious mannerisms and the charisma of one Reggie Mantle, it only reminded me how gullible I was. How soft-hearted.

You’d think that getting involved with a guy who all but stalked me and tried to spread nasty rumors and suggestive pictures of me that I never should’ve sent in the first place when I finally got smart enough to break it off with him before leaving Chicago would be enough to teach me.

Apparently, it wasn’t. Because I came here and what’d I do? I got involved with Reggie Mantle. And now, that was over and I was starting to feel things for Sweet Pea, a guy who probably only tolerated me because we shared friends in common.

That was another huge reason I was not keen on opening myself up too quickly all over again. I might not always make the best choices, but even I had the common sense to know that I needed time… I needed to bounce back. Figure things out on my own.

And all of that was another  huge reason I was determined to keep whatever I was starting to feel for Sweet Pea close to the vest. The more I could keep whatever I felt at bay, the better off I’d be. Because realistically, I just didn’t dare hope.

I was starting to realize I just couldn’t trust my own judgement when it came to emotional things. Until I got to a place where I could, I was doing the best thing I could for me.

Something tells me this is going to be so much harder than I could ever imagine though.

The door to the bar flew open and Toni barged in. Over to the table Sweet Pea and I were sitting at.

“Have you talked to Cheryl at all this afternoon?” Toni asked in a rush. 

“I tried to call her earlier but it kept going to voicemail. And we were just saying earlier that Fangs is MIA too…” I rubbed my  temples. I had the sneaking suspicion that I knew exactly what might have happened to Cheryl, because not so long ago, her mother had kind of caught wind of her relationship with Toni. And her mother was not thrilled.

I grumbled, digging in my jeans pocket for my phone.

It clicked for Toni that Sweet Pea and I had come to the Wyrm. Alone. Without her or Fangs present to act as a buffer.

“You’re here together, fuck. I’m sorry. I’m just.. I’m freaking out right now.” Toni glanced from me to Sweet Pea and then back again. “Are you two finally going to stop being snipey assholes and get along though?”

Sweet Pea shrugged, giving me a teasing smirk. “Maybe she’s not so bad… For a princess.”

“Maybe you’re not so bad either. For a giant grumpy asshole.” I teased right back. Feeling my cheeks burn hot just a little at the look in his eyes and the way he put emphasis on the word princess.

Because no, that did not help my current ongoing mental dilemma at all.

“You’re staying with me until we figure out this situation with Cheryl, right?” I asked Toni. Toni nodded, stealing a sip of my Pepsi. “I swear to God, if her mother’s hurt her…”

“If her mother’s done anything to her, she’s going to answer to both of us. I’ve got your back, Topaz.” I spoke up, giving Toni a reassuring look. I tried to call Cheryl again on my phone, but it went straight to voicemail too. I frowned at it, putting my phone away.

Toni eyed me and then glanced in Sweet Pea’s direction as if she were indicating that she wanted details later tonight when we were back at my dad’s place. Mouthing to me, “Well?”

I shook my head, shrugging. “We were just finishing that thing for Biology.” I mouthed. Glancing at my cell phone. I was not getting a good feeling at all. And the more Cheryl’s phone rang and went to voicemail, the more that bad feeling grew.

“It’s going to voice. He’s normally here already if he ditches.”  Sweet Pea swore to himself and shook his head.

“Wait.. he got called to the office right after lunch.” Toni spoke up. Swearing when she tried to call Cheryl yet again and the call went to Cheryl’s voicemail as it had just done for me. She shoved her phone into her pocket and took a few deep breaths. “Maybe she just went to sit with her Nana. They haven’t let her out of the hospital yet, I don’t think.. That has to be it.”

The door flew open again and this time, my brother and Jughead were rushing in. Stopping to talk to a few of the other Serpents we went to school with who were present. Whatever Jughead told them had them rushing out the door in a hurry. I eyed them but quickly turned my attention back to the situation at hand involving our two missing friends. Trying to retrack the events of the day. I remembered it then, Fangs had been called to the office during lunch and after that, I hadn’t seen him again.

We had the second to last class of the day together. He hadn’t been there. 

“You guys have to get out of here. Get everyone out of here and out of this side of town now. They’re about to raid the Wyrm.” Jughead and my brother rushed over to us. My brother let out a ragged breath when he caught sight of me. “Thank god. There you are. I was worried when I couldn’t find you. What the hell happened to your face, pixie?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll explain later.. You guys. Explain. What the fuck do you mean we have to get out of here? Archie, what’s going on? What have you let that jackass talk you into this time?”

“Nothing! It’s something I overheard, okay, look. I know you’re still pissed at me. But you guys need to get everyone together and get the hell off of this side of town, okay? Just trust me. Do it. I told Dad what was going on and he said that we could put people up until FP figured something out.”

Sweet Pea eyed my brother with a wary look. I eyed him too, wondering briefly if this were some kind of a trick that Hiram put him up to. Wondering how the hell he managed to get Jughead in on it if it were.

“What the hell is going on tonight?” I wondered aloud after a few seconds.Not even ten seconds later, one of the older bikers wandered in, getting a hold of FP, taking him to the back to talk.

“Are you makin this up, Andrews? Is this a trap? Because to me, that’s what it feels like.” Sweet Pea tensed. His fists clenched at his side and my brother shook his head. “No. This is me. Trying to make up for all of the other stuff, okay? Look. Hiram set the whole thing up this afternoon after he got done arranging to have Fangs arrested earlier.”

“He’s not lying. I just went down the the station, man. Fangs is there. They’re holding him for questioning and they won’t say a fucking word about why he’s even there. And while I was there, I heard some of the guys in the break room joking about how fun it was going to be, cracking some Serpent skulls tonight. If we leave now, they have nothing. They don’t get any evidence, they can’t make any arrests.” Jughead explained impatiently. “We have to go. We needed to be gone ten minutes ago, if you want the honest fucking truth, Pea.”

“Dad really said he’d let them hide in our house. You’re not lying.” I questioned my brother, gazing up at him. Standing taller. “Because I swear to God, Archie, if this is a trap.. If any more of my friends get arrested because you have a burning desire to be Hiram Lodge’s long lost son or whatever the fuck it is you want to accomplish.”

My brother cut me off. “I’ve been working undercover. I wasn’t supposed to tell you anything. I wasn’t supposed to say anything to anyone, actually. Getting close to Hiram is… for the greater good.”

“Uh huh.You mean like the actual greater good or the oh look, pops bought me a ferrari for christmas because I’m a good little fucking stooge greater good?” I questioned, a brow raised and my hand on my hip.

“Al, we can finish this argument once your friends have their shit and they’re heading back to our side of town. I’ll gladly finish this discussion then. Dad sent me and Jugs to get everyone away from here.”

“I don’t know..”

Sweet Pea cleared his throat. “I’m not saying I trust you, Andrews. But I’m willing to take what Jugs says with a grain of salt. He is one of us now.”

Toni and I exchanged a surprised look, but then everyone started to rush around and gather their things as quick as they could. And as soon as we were all out in the alley behind the Wyrm, the first of at least six police cars came flying by, blue lights flashing and sirens blazing.

I let out a ragged breath and glanced up at Sweet Pea. When I caught on to the fact that he was both angry and silently freaking out, I reached down, gently grabbing hold of his pinkie finger with mine. Giving him a weak smile when I glanced up at him.

He didn’t smile back, but as we rounded the corner and promptly had to find another alley to go down to hide because another cop car rushed past, I felt him squeeze my pinkie finger with his more than a time or two.

Almost the second we crossed over into the North Side, I realized just how eerie and quiet it was.

Too quiet.

Nobody was saying anything. We were all too tired from running. Hiding. 

At one point, Toni reached down and grabbed the hand of mine closest to her, giving it a squeeze as she muttered into my ear quietly, “I hope Cheryl is okay.”

“We’ll get up to my room and figure something out, okay?”  I promised in a whisper.

And on the other side of me,  I felt Sweet Pea’s hand lazily close on mine. A squeeze so light that I honestly didn’t think he even realized he’d done it.

It took a few seconds, but I dared to glance down. Eyes fixing on the way his hand engulfed mine. His fingers laced between my fingers. Before I could stop myself, I dragged my thumb knuckle lazily over his palm. Gave his hand a similar light squeeze as I glanced up at Toni to pretend I wasn’t aware I’d done it.

Once we were all in my dad’s house, FP showed up. Explaining that he was currently trying to figure out somewhere everyone could go. Letting people who’d gotten separated from family during the whole scramble to leave whether their people made it and were incoming or at another place that FP had taken the other half of South Side to keep the cops from finding everyone at once or whether they’d been caught and were going to need bail.

My dad and Archie took over the kitchen with the help of FP and Jughead, making food for everyone. Once everyone else was set up and occupied and there wasn’t anything else I could do to help my dad and my brother, I went to go find Toni and we slipped out of the chaos downstairs, retreating up to my room.

The second the door was closed behind me, Toni spoke up.

“You don’t think Penelope killed her.”

“Toni, no. But I do think that she’s keeping her somewhere. Remember Cheryl telling us that she needed to tell us something important? I think that whatever she was going to tell us is the reason we can’t find her right now. Her mother makes Joan Crawford look like a fucking saint.” I fell back across my bed and stared at the ceiling. Sitting up a few minutes later.

“Hey, that girl in my English class… her mom’s a nurse. I can ask if Cheryl’s been there to sit with her nana.”

I dug my phone out and texted the girl in question. Frowning when the girl answered that she’d been there earlier, but she’d left to go home.

“She’s not there. Okay, I do not like the way this feels.”

“Me either.”

We sat in silence on my bed for a few minutes, trying to figure out a way to find out what happened to Cheryl. As I tried to think of places she might have gone or hidden at, I texted my mom about Fangs being kept at the station.

She texted me back, asking if I knew why they were holding him and I texted her back that we were trying to figure out why and we were hoping she’d call and scare someone into giving some form of an answer.

I frowned when she called a few minutes later and explained that she hadn’t been able to get anything. She asked what the hell was going on in town tonight, telling me that while she’d been talking to the secretary at the station, she’d heard a lot of yelling and angry chanting from outside. And a lot of whispering and hushed laughing.

I told her about the raid and I told her about Midge’s body being found during the school play. I told her that people had been starting rumors for whatever reason that Fangs might have done it, because Midge and Fangs had something going on.

“You’re staying out of trouble though, right? With your brother going through whatever it is he’s going through, sweetie…”

“About that.. I kind of got into a fight. But none of the teachers know. Nobody saw it.”

My mom sighed and I frowned, tensing up a little at a possible lecture incoming. When it started, I sat there with the phone away from my ear, letting her go on for a few minutes before I explained calmly, “I’m not going to stand back and be a doormat either, mom. And since Archie is doing all this and showing his entire ass, I need to take care of my own problems. Mandy was a problem, I solved it. End of discussion.”

“First of all, don’t take that tone with me. Second of all.. Does your father know? Did you tell him any of what you just told me?”

“No. I only told you what I just did to get you off my back. Mom.. I’m.. I love you and I’m sorry. I can’t be perfect and I can’t be something I’m not.”

“I’m not asking you to be perfect. I’m asking you to stay out of trouble.”

“It doesn’t feel like that though.”

We exchanged tense goodnights and goodbyes and I ended the call, tossing my phone at the top of my vanity as I flopped back against my bed.

“Ever feel like the black sheep?” I wondered aloud. Feeling bad about it after I said it, because I realized that Toni literally only had the Serpents, Cheryl and her grandfather and me. I palmed my face and shook my head, ashamed. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I get it. My grandpa and I argue a lot.” Toni gave me a sympathetic nod. 

I shook my head at myself. “I swear, my mom and I are constantly butting heads. It’s part of the reason I never understood why she insisted I was the one to go to Chicago with her and that Archie stay here in Riverdale with Dad.”

“Probably because trust me. There are some things that men are not equipped to deal with.”

“I mean, true, but…”

Toni laughed quietly. Stretching a little. “Maybe Cheryl just wanted some space. I haven’t found anything out from anyone else.”

“All I know is what she told me before she left practice. She was going to see her Nana Rose again.”

“Yeah, she told me that too. But she’s been jumpy all day. Like she’s scared.”

“I noticed too.” I agreed, nodding. “Maybe she’ll be at school tomorrow. If she’s not, we’ll ditch and try to find answers or something.”

“Yeah. I’m too wiped to think anymore right now and if I do, I’m going to drive myself insane. And if I do that, we both know I’m going to go off and do something fucking dumb.” Toni admitted as she pulled back the cover on the other side of my bed.

“You’re cool with sharing a bed? I mean, all things considered.”

“Please,I know you have a very specific type of red-head and it ain’t me... Besides. You’re my friend. I’m not making you sleep on the floor.” I answered, gathering my things because I figured that everyone who was planning to shower tonight had probably done so already.

I made my way down the hall, reaching for the handle to the bathroom door right as Sweet Pea pulled it open from the other side. With a towel wrapped around his waist. I spun around, immediately going red in the face. “Shit, fuck. I’m sorry, I.. I thought everyone had already gotten a shower and gone to sleep?” I called out without daring to turn around and face him.

He cleared his throat. “Nah. I told Archie to go before me. I’m the one staying in your house. Didn’t want to intrude.” he tapped my shoulder when he’d pulled on his jeans and I turned around. He took a step forward to come out the door at the same time that I took a step forward to go in the door. We wound up body to body in the hallway. I gazed up at him, licking my lips.

He grimaced as his eyes settled on the bruise on my jaw from the fight earlier in the afternoon. “Did you show your dad? That looks a lot worse now.” His voice took on a concerned tone. 

I shook my head. “Nope. I already had more than enough lecturing about it from my mom earlier when I called to get her to see if she could find out anything about why Fangs was arrested and being held.”

Sweet Pea raised a hand, dragging it through damp hair. A droplet of water trickled down his forehead. Then dropped onto his nose, rolling down it’s slope. When it dripped down and rolled down his lips, my eyes were glued to it’s movement.  He cleared his throat, repeating the question that he’d asked me I apparently hadn’t heard. “Did she find out anything?”

“Just that they’re holding him until they have to let him go. If I had to guess though, it’s because people were saying crap about him and Midge having a thing going..” I muttered quietly. Shuffling my feet against worn wooden floorboards. 

“At least you tried.” he muttered quietly, gazing down at me. His eyes darted to my bruises and scrapes from my fight with Mandy earlier and he cleared his throat. “You should go tell your dad what happened. Just in case she is dumb enough to upload anything she might have recorded and we can’t coerce her into taking it down on our own.”

“If she does, she does. Won’t be the first time something like that happened.” I blurted it out, going quiet as soon as I realized I had. Tensing a little because I really hoped that he didn’t pay it any attention. Or that he didn’t push to know what I meant.I wasn’t even sure why it slipped out. I fidgeted a little, nervous. He eyed me, but luckily, he didn’t ask for further details.

The last thing I wanted right now was for him to know exactly how stupid and pathetic I was and still am. If he knew I’d been dumb enough to sext Dave and Dave had turned and used the photos against me or any of the other shit that I got into in Chicago… I pushed the intrusive thought out of my head.

“Cherry?” Sweet Pea muttered quietly. His eyes fixing on mine. Hints of a smirk playing at his lips. As quickly as the thought came ,, he has literally no idea just how devastatingly handsome he really is, I swear to God.” I hurried to shove it out. Bury it way down deep. Try to ignore the way I felt the slightest flutter of my heart. Or the way my throat seemed to close up when I realized that we were migrating closer to each other and that his hand was brushing against my hip just barely.

“Yeah, Pea?” I finally managed to pull myself together enough to get out the words. Gazing right back up at him, falling in right over my head and virtually powerless to stop it from happening.

“Night.” he yawned as he stepped out of the doorway, making his way back downstairs. From the sound of it, my brother had dragged out one of his old gaming systems. And apparently, he and a few other Serpents were sitting up, playing some long forgotten game. I made my way away from where I’d been peering down the stairs just to make sure that things weren’t tense between everyone and I turned, slipping into the bathroom.

Turning on the hot water and leaning against the wall, letting it cascade down onto my body from above. Just… trying to process the entire craziness of the day so far.

By the time I slipped into my side of the bed, Toni was already asleep, wearing my black velvet eye mask over her eyes. I found one of my other ones and slipped it down over my eyes.

And it seemed like in literally no time, I was out like a light. Exhausted from everything that had gone down in one day.

[mca-attack21]

Deadly Definitions 12

Hello, welcome back to Deadly Definitions. Find the first 11.5 parts here:  Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7  Part 8   Part 9   Part 9.5   Part 10   Part 11  Tags: @l4life @ahoy-ladies-67 

Four days had gone by since you found the video and handed it over to the Sheriff. Four days since Clifford Blossom hung himself. Four days since the Blossom’s drug run came out into the open. And now, everyone was condemned to face the aftermath.

On Monday, Betty post an article to the Blue and Gold webpage that shed truth on all that had been going on in Riverdale and in defense of FP. It was some of her best work. Meanwhile, the Sheriff was drilling FP trying to get names of the Serpent drug runners. At the same time, Veronica’s mother was starting to prepare for her husband’s return. You and Jughead were trying to figure out your next move.

On Tuesday, you, Archie, and Betty had been called down to the Principal’s office. You and Archie still hadn’t really talked and the truth was that he was worried about you. His worry only grew when he found that you weren’t at school. The purpose of the meeting was simple. Principal Weatherbee and Mayor McCoy wanted you and Archie to perform at the 75th anniversary Jubilee with Josie and the Pussy cats. They also wanted Betty to give a speech to inspire town unity. Betty asked why Jughead was being left out, after all, he did the most in solving Jason’s murder. The mayor gave a very political answer and then dismissed both Archie and Betty.

As they left, Archie asked Betty if she had seen you or if she had any clue where you were. She didn’t, but she noted that she hadn’t seen Jughead either. Archie wondered where the two of you were.

The answer to that question was at the police station. FP was technically your guardian and seeing as he was looking at being in prison for a long period of time, you and Jughead would have to find a new guardian or be placed in the foster system. You immediately called Archie’s dad in tears. 

When he showed up he talked to Keller and offered to take you and Jughead in. The problem was that social workers were already involved and everything had to be official. He didn’t meet the requirements to host one of you let alone both of you. There were two foster families on the southside that agreed to take one of you in, that not only meant that the two of you would be split up, but you would both have to attend Southside High. Upon hearing this you had enough and ran out of the station.

Why was this happening? You didn’t want to leave, this was your home. You had already lost so much, you didn’t want to lose Archie too. You knew that if you went to the Southside that everything would change. You wanted to scream, to punch something, to hide away from everything. And so, you started walking towards the river. 

Meanwhile back at school, Cheryl was being odd even for Cheryl. She was giving away things and saying goodbyes. Veronica confronted her and told her that everything would get better. But Cheryl wasn’t sad, she was at peace, which completely threw Veronica off. Betty had called Jughead and discovered what had happened that morning. He informed her that he would be arriving back at school any minute. 

Archie called you for what seemed like the hundredth time. At this point you either didn’t have your phone, it was dead, or you were purposefully ignoring him. He went to send you a text but Veronica pulled him away along with Jughead.

“Veronica, what’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s Betty” was all she said before they got to the crowded hall. They pushed their way through and saw that someone had vandalized her locker. There were many copies of her article along with a hanging voodoo doll. The whole thing was covered in blood that read ‘Go To HELL SERPENT SLUT’. Jughead quickly stepped in between her and the scene. 

“Betty,” he whispered.

She ran into his arms trying to rip the papers down, “It’s just some jerk with a can of spray paint” he cried.

“Betty,” he said as he held her firmly, “I don’t think that’s spray paint,” he said as he forced her away. 

The entire group locked themselves in the blue and gold office and comforted her. After a while, Archie asked Jug if he knew where you were. That is when Jug informed everyone about what had happened at the Sheriff’s station that morning. They were all in shock over the news. Betty and Veronica called their mom’s about taking you in. Veronica’s said no because of Hiram's return and Betty’s said they couldn’t with Polly and the babies. Everything was happening so fast. 

Archie was going to leave and look for you so you wouldn’t have to go through all of this alone. But before he could, Veronica received a text from Cheryl. ‘Thanks for trying, I’m going to be with JJ’ it read.

“Om my god” she gasped showing the message to her friends.

“Where would Cheryl go to be with Jason?” Betty questioned.

“Sweetwater River” Archie realized and they all raced there.

------------------Meanwhile-----------------------

Sweetwater River had always been the place you came when you needed to clear your head. There was something so serene about it, especially in the wintertime. You walked around for a while, trudging through the snow, your only regret was that you weren’t wearing warmer clothes. You went to the lookout and noticed that there was someone on the ice. You quickly realized that it was Cheryl Blossom. You made your way down to the bank and called out to her. She simply ignored you and started pounding on the ice.

You had no choice and carefully walked out to her. “Cheryl, what are you doing out here?” you asked.

She was absolutely distraught, “I’m going to be with JJ.”

“Come on Cheryl, let’s go back to the bank and we can talk about this,” you instructed calmly.

“I don’t want to go back, I just want this to be over,” she cried.

“It’s okay Cheryl it’s all going to be okay, we just have to get off the ice” 

“No, it’s never going to be okay again,” she sobbed.

“Cheryl I understand what you're going through, I was thinking the same thing when I lost my parents, but it gets better I promise.”

“It can’t” she cried.

You were going to continue, but you felt the ice shift ever-so-slightly under your feet. At this time you could hear Archie and the gang calling out for Cheryl. This was scary as you didn’t know how it would force her to react. 

You refocused your attention on her, “Come on Cheryl, let’s go” you tried ignoring your friends.

“I can’t go back,” she whispered.

“Yes, you can. Jason would want you to. He would want you to live your life. Please come with me, do it for Jason,” you tried starting to get desperate. 

Cheryl paused for a moment, it felt like an eternity, before she nodded her head in agreement. You sighed in relief and put your arms around her guiding her back when you heard the cracking.

There was no time to react before both you and Cheryl were underwater. It was so dark and cold. You had an arm around Cheryl and worked against the current to force her back to the surface. It was all happening so fast. You tried to focus on the light was coming from the hole where the two of you fell in. You pushed her up as someone was pulling her out of the water. It was a struggle as the current felt like it was getting stronger, or maybe your body was just starting to go numb. You tried to fight your way back over to the surface but it was becoming too hard. All you could focus on was how cold it was. And then you couldn’t focus at all.

-----

“Oh my god, Cheryl’s on the ice” Betty said as they got to the shoreline where they could see.

“Who is that with her?” Veronica asked.

“It’s Y/n” Archie whispered fear sinking in.

“Shouldn’t we go get them?” Veronica asked wondering why they were just standing there.

“We can’t V, it’s not safe” Betty answered.

“She’s right, we don’t want to risk putting too much weight on the ice,” Jughead agreed. 

They watched in utter silence as the scene unfolded before them, only able to hear fragments of sentences. 

“Okay, they’re coming back,” Veronica acknowledged. 

They were relieved momentarily, but then they watched in horror as the ice cracked submerging both of you. 

Archie sprinted out to the hole and laid on his stomach shoving his hand through to grab Cheryl. He ignored how cold it was and how his muscles ached from the action. Jughead was soon by his side helping him pull her out. As soon as she was, she was coughing and freaking out. Jughead ordered Betty and Veronica to take her back to the shore, wanting to minimize the weight on the ice. Archie went back for you but the current was starting to pull you away. He scooted himself forward and reached again desperately, just barely managing to grab your jacket. It was enough though and he was able to pull you closer and get a better grip before pulling you out.

As he got you out of the water he was freaking out. You were unconscious and so cold. He lowered his ear over your mouth, listening to see if you were breathing. You weren’t. He didn’t hesitate to start CPR, terrified of screwing it up. Jughead had no choice but to stand there and watch.

“Come on, Y/n!” Archie cried out as he started doing chest compressions again. This wasn’t happening. Jughead turned away, he couldn’t watch. But suddenly he heard you start coughing up water and gasping for air before passing out again. 

As you started to come to, you were freezing and very confused. You faintly remember being picked up and carried. You remember hearing Archie apologize repeatedly as he stripped off your wet clothes and slipped one of his shirts over your head. He went downstairs grabbed a space heater, blankets, and hot cocoa. When he returned, he took his shirt off and put some sweatpants on before joining you. He was holding you tightly and you were thankful for the warmth that radiated off of him.

“Archie?” you sniffled.

“Y/n, hey, how are you feeling?” he asked rubbing his hands over your arms.

“Cold” you tried to joke.

“I’m so glad that you’re okay,” he replied.

“You saved my life,” you whispered.

“And you saved Cheryls” he reminded.

“Is she okay?” 

“Yeah, she’s with Veronica now.”

You wrapped yourself around him and he readjusted the blankets around the two of you. 

“Thank you,” you smiled.

“Here, I made you hot chocolate,” he said as he handed you a mug. 

You took it and sipped it slowly. Before handing it back to him to set down. You cuddled back into his side mesmerized by him. 

“I love you Archie,” you whispered as you were being lulled back to sleep allowing the exhaustion take over. 

“I love you too Y/n,” he said kissing the top of your head.

At that moment he knew that no matter what happened with the jubilee, the social worker, and anything else that life decided to hurl at you, that the two of you would be okay. You had each other and that is all that really mattered. 

[malereader-inserts]

Danger Duo

Fandom: Riverdale Pairing: Veronica Lodge x Male!Jones!Reader Summary: What could go possibly wrong with a Lodge and a Jones? Well, theoretically, everything. Word Count: 1904

A Lodge and a Jones was a dangerous pair.

No one realises how dangerous they could, but my god they could rule Riverdale if they played the right moves. Veronica Lodge, a nightmare beauty. She was confident, outspoken, charismatic and most definitely intelligent. (Y/n) Jones, a quiet storm. He was calculating, charming, witty and dangerous.

But, despite his cold exterior and her bitter heart they somehow complemented each other so well. Despite his rough edges and her silver tongue, they fell in love with each other. Everyone would think that they would clash, hate each other and get on each other’s nerves.

But, only their closest friends see the true them. The one that would playfully dance in the middle of the car park at Pop’s after midnight, with only your music blaring from your phone. The couple that stares at each other across the room, love in their eyes and admiration in their smiles.

They don’t know the moments when you were beating her at bowling, or how she steals a fry and teases you constantly. People didn’t notice how behind backs, they would hold hands. Squeezing the cold out of them, reassuring their doubts and worries.

People weren’t there to witness you bringing flowers of every kind, or how she would buy you something that could cost more than your own life. People weren’t aware of a relationship that was danger itself.

They were both boyfriend and girlfriend, and a dangerous duo for crime.

“Archie shouldn’t pay for our mistakes, V,” You hummed, your fingers drumming a pattern as Jughead and Betty sat across from them.

“Hiram and Archie were never going to see each other eye to eye, even if he was dating Veronica,” Betty explains, as you rolled your eyes.

You leaned against the wall, leaving you to stare into space. Jughead’s arm was over Betty, looking at Veronica, who placed a gentle hand on your knee.

“(Y/n) is right though,” Jughead speaks up, “But, we can’t just keep living in the past for now. We need to bring back Archie, keep him home and safe. (Y/n) is strong enough to mess with your dad.”

“I know that!” Veronica exclaims, your hand on top of hers - she breathes easy, “But, dad has a lot of people that work for him. He could ruin your family with a snap of his fingers.”

“And your boyfriend is a literal psychopath.” 

Veronica cast her eyes on you, a half smile on your face as you casually waved at her. Jughead and Betty chuckled at the small joke as Veronica shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Come on V, your dad needs someone who can challenge him, Jughead had a good go at him, Archie and you, look where that got us?” You mentioned, sliding closer to her.

“I’m still refusing,” Veronica placed her foot down, “We’ll think of another plan, but you may be a little insane darling, but not insane enough to go after my father.”

It was funny how Hiram could control Riverdale so quickly, how the small town of pep became a battlefield. It was the serpents against the gargoyles, how quickly Hiram just had everything under his fingertips.

Veronica and (Y/n) had been putting up a good fight, every set back was planned by the duo, buying time for Jughead. Hiram was getting angsty, especially noticing how teasing you got. 

Calculating eyes he was getting nervous, the charming smile made his skin crawl and how you could play him like a fiddle made him lie awake at night. See, when two men are the same it becomes an endless game, reading each other and trying to outdo each other.

“You can never be like me,” Hiram spoke, watching the leather wearing teen pick up a book and flicker through the book.

You licked your lips, pushing the book back to place. Your fingers leaving a trail as you skim the backbones of the books. Your eyes wander, searching any pictures of Veronica to tease about later. You sighed, spinning on your heels as you looked at him. 

One stride forward, Hiram felt uneasy by a 17-year-old.

Another, Hiram could feel his heart beating from his ears.

Closer and you gently placed your hands on his desk. You leaned down as Hiram leaned far back into the chair.

“I don’t want to be you,” Your voice was calm yet there was so much threat, “I am already twice the man you would ever be.”

“How so?”

“Because out of you and me, I can protect your little girl better.”

The streets were trashed as nightfall descended on the town of anguish. Truth be told, it got out of hand. Now, people barely leave their neighbourhood. Jughead was stressing over the town, trying to work with his dad and other adults to take down Hiram. 

“(Y/n) hasn’t been around for a week now,” Jughead runs his hand through his hair, adults watched a twin worry over their sibling, “Hiram must have him-”

“We can’t assume that Jughead,” Sierra spoke, looking at FP - who was staring outside the window. 

“Listen, kid, you need sleep,” Fred interjected, “I know you, Archie and Betty have been trying to resolve the problem.”

“(Y/n) is always the one that fixed all our problems, all our messes,” Jughead commented, a buzzing noise came from his pocket. He retrieved his phone and read the text message.

Adults standing around the police office stare at the young Serpent King, his eyes widening and he shakily types back to the message. He placed his phone back in his pocket and looked at the spectating eyes.

“Archie found (Y/n), he’s injured.”

“What-?” Tom Keller asked, “Hiram must-”

“Where is he, Jug?” FP asked, worry building up. 

“Archie is bringing him to the station,” Jughead explained, “Wait until Veronica hears about this, Hiram will-”

Veronica. 

Oh, how she’s been worried sick. There hadn’t been a day in your relationship you had missed a day worth of texts. Yet, you seem to disappear off the face of the town, a week without a text or a call and Veronica had stopped functioning.

“What would she do?”

The door opens, with Archie and Betty quickly holding a groaning Jones. Gently sitting you down into the sofa, your head fell back as you clutch your side. Mumbling words incoherent to everyone else.

“Hiram’s men got him,” Archie explains as FP was quick on his feet to be by at your side, Sierra’s motherly instinct kicked in as she grabbed first aid kit to clean you up. Betty assisting her, “He won’t stop asking for Veronica.”

“I called her,” Betty hummed, “She’s not impressed.”

Veronica was quick to express her anger, not at you because you had no reason to vanish unless something had happened to you.

“Am I the only one lost here?” Tom Keller asked, “I know Veronica is against her father but why, no offence, would care about (Y/n)? Joneses don’t see eye to eye with the Lodges.”

The door opens again and shuts, clearly, a stressed-out girlfriend stood. Her panicked eyes found your half opened ones. Your eyes light up as Veronica allowed a panic breath escaped her.

“Hey baby,” You slurred, the group of adults halting in their planning to take down Hiram, confused at the term of endearment. 

“Did daddy do this to you?” She kneeled down, next to Betty as she holds your hand, her thumb running over your bruises. 

“Did we miss something?” FP commented, running his hand through your hair - you hummed softly.

“6 months, ain’t that right V?” You commented, blinking awake, “I’m fine, just some roughen up.”

“6 months?” FP questioned, the adults looking at each other, somehow making a plan in their head that involved you.

“Yeah,” Veronica smiles at you as you grinned back, “6 brilliant months.”

You chuckled, coughing slightly, “I’m fine,” you repeated.

“But, Hiram still did it and if he finds out you’ve been dating his princess then he won’t stop,” Archie commented as everyone nodded in agreement, “Unless...”

Archie looks at Jughead, Veronica paused as she looks at her boyfriend - who stared at his twin, knowing what Archie was suggested. You had come up with a plan upon Archie’s arrival. Veronica and Jughead weren’t all for it, but you thought it was the best way to take Hiram down. 

Achieve some sort of normality.

It was Plan Z for a reason, only resort to using it when there was no other choice. Veronica hated it, she had the possibility of losing her love.

“Jughead-” You started but Jughead had glared at you.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“It’s insane!”

“The cleverest of monsters never hide in the dark.” You bit back, Veronica sighed, “It’s insane, but Riverdale has not been like it used to be. We want everything to be somewhat normal again.”

“Veronica, are you hearing this?”

“He’s right, Jughead,” Veronica sighs, “Not that I wanted to admit it.”

Midnight was cold, Veronica held your arm. Itching for the warmth you held. Your hands were in your pockets, standing in the middle of the poorly lit street in the middle of Riverdale. There was no one else to spectate other than you, Veronica and hopefully the man in black. 

Veronica squeezed your arm, you took your hand out allowing her to hold it. She leaned her head against you, waiting was tedious.

“He’ll be furious to find out about us.”

“Let him, my love,” You hummed, “He’s scared, he’s scared that I can outwit him in his own game, he knows it’s true. To steal you away just tops it off.”

Veronica stays silent, looking down at your feet as you sense her uneasiness you look at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not just one of your plays, am I?” Veronica asked, “I know what you’re like and-”

You pulled her off you as you stand to face her, your hands gently placed on her upper arms, thumb rubbing them up and down as you stare deep into her eyes.

“I promised myself I would never fall in love, but it was 4am and we were laughing way too hard and I felt happy for the first time in a long time,” You admitted, your right hand cupping her cheek as she tilts her head at your touch, “I’m not your father, I don’t use people for my selfish needs.”

Veronica closes her eyes as you gently placed a kiss on her temple before a black car came driving up. You both turn your attention to Hiram exiting the driving seat. His hands firmly down at his side, his lips thinning at the sight of his daughter by your side.

Veronica looks up to you, “Keep yourself safe.”

You looked at her, nodding, “Promise.”

She gives you a tight smile before kissing you on the lips and allowing you to walk to Hiram, just before you leave your girlfriend’s side before making a compromise with her father you give her your snake ring.

“Keep me safe?”

“Without a doubt, darling.”

With that, you faced your biggest threat. Warmth left your side as you enter the harsh winters, approaching a man that could end you. A bomb ticking between you two, wondering who it will ruin.

“My daughter?”

“I’m not losing this battle, I have a girl to get back to. I promised.”

[davetheshady]

🌟 how about chapter 4 of waiting for the bus in the rain 🌟 and only partially because i showed up to yell about the last few paragraphs when it first dropped. also just because i love Julie content and it's the very middle of that fic

::blows dust off inbox:: So! Now that I’ve back from traveling through three countries and recovered from trying to leave most of my arm skin in one of them (PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: don’t go so fast you flip over on the Alpine Slide, particularly if you’re in the actual Alps) here’s some DVD commentary on Chapter 4 of Waiting for the Bus in the Rain! It’s chock full of my stylistic hallmarks, i.e. way longer than I expected.

(Note to my sister: THIS IS FULL OF SPOILERS. GO READ MY STORY FIRST YOU LOSER)

There’s a Sheriff’s Secret Police officer outside Julie’s window. Considering she’s in her office on the second floor, this is fairly impressive. But when they scream and scrabble against the glass after accidentally kicking over their ladder for the third time, Julie’s had enough.

Even when they’re not under suspicion of using the scientific method, Julie has to deal with WAY more (attempted) surveillance than Carlos ever does. This is partially because she doesn’t have amazing hair, but also because Cecil doesn’t narrate large chunks of her life over the radio that the SSP can copy down and submit as a report.

vulnerabilities include fire and cold iron

and according to the literature high velocity cheese wedges but i’ve never seen anyone test that

My hand to God. Probably my number one complaint about fantasy as a genre is that everyone takes stuff from Celtic mythology so seriously when half of it is just. Completely bonkers.

Originally, most of the relevant exposition about fairies was provided by a different character entirely: Carlos-f’s misplaced smartphone, an AI who Julie called Hex (yes, like in Discworld, hell yeah science wizards) because she refused to give Julie her name. Hex provided such ringtones as “Dark Horse” and “Double Rainbow” and would occasionally get distracted by lists of numbers. Hmm… 

I changed it back because 1) it was a detour and this chapter was long enough already, 2) Julie and Carlos’ friendship is one of the main throughlines and having them talk to each other was better for the story, and 3) him texting during the middle of a battle is hilarious. But as far as I’m concerned, Hex is still canon. 

Andre yawns on the other end of the line and asks, “What time is it?”

“Quit whining, it’s only—” Julie looks at the clock.

Shit.

“—3:00 AM,” she finishes defiantly, because she still has her pride. Embarrassment pricks at her like flying embers settling on bare skin, because now Andre knows she was so out of it she didn’t even bother to try keeping track of the time, and he’s going to think she couldn’t sleep because of feelings, which is both correct and incorrect, because she wasn’t even trying to sleep since distracting herself by going over the minutiae of their data while the Sheriff’s Secret Police scream and fall in the bushes is better than listening to her cats prowl around while lying in her quiet apartment by herself, and any moment now he’s going to feel bad and decide to humor her and answer her in a voice filled with cloying pity and say—

“Would Hiram McDaniels count as one respondent, or five?” He yawns again.

A good chunk of Julie’s inner turmoil just, like, boils down to a recurring loop of that Tim Kreider quote about “If we want the rewards of being loved we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.” She doesn’t consciously WANT the rewards of being loved, it just kind of… happens… and then she’s stuck with incredibly loyal life-long friends… and now she not only has to deal with her own feelings but theirs too, which is pretty much her worst nightmare… 

Fortunately, since she’s already gone through the mortifying ordeal of being known, they do frequently pull through and offer the kind of support she knows how to accept. 

“Give TV’s Frank a kiss for me.”

“I’m not kissing my cat for you,” says Julie.

I mean, she’ll kiss the cat. Just not on request. 

And yes, all her cats are named after the Mad Scientists’ sidekicks on Mystery Science Theater 3000. ~foreshadowing~

When she opens the door of her workshop later that morning, she finds that someone has been by to leave her a breakfast tray. Well, “tray”, in that it’s a textbook, and “breakfast”, in that it’s a French press, a stale churro, and her blood pressure medication. But the French press is completely full with still-warm coffee, so overall she’s going to count this as a win.

This appeared pretty early in my drafts: it’s just such a funny mental image to me and also encapsulates Julie and Gary’s relationship pretty well, i.e. a string of question marks who somehow get along.

The naturally suspicious part of her wonders if he deliberately provoked her reaction to the flamingo to gather more information about it. The naturally analytical part of her points out that Carlos is more likely to gnaw off his own hand than put someone in danger, especially when he could just put himself in danger instead.

Julie is just a tad cynical, so she’d definitely think of potentially negative interpretations of her friend’s actions. But it’s not actually a possibility she dwells on in any real sense, and every time she interacts with Carlos-f (not to mention Carlos-0) she trusts him implicitly. She wouldn’t admit it in a thousand years, but she considers Carlos one of the few genuinely good people in the world: not because he never makes mistakes or creates personal disasters, but exactly because of those things. She knows he’s a flawed person, and that everyone is flawed, so that makes him genuine – which means every time he’s tried to do the right thing at personal cost, over and over, that was genuine too.

Basically, there’s a reason why in the last chapter she automatically references “scientist means hero” with “Fuck, I’m turning into you!”

“So,” she says. “Nilanjana. Do you need new pronouns, or anything?”

“Does anyone need any pronouns?” asks Gary contemplatively, which Julie takes as a ‘No’.

“Should I drop ‘Gary’ entirely? Do you want me to change your name in our paperwork?”

He thinks about it for a moment. “I don't know, man,” he concludes. “I don’t really believe in labels.”

Gary has galaxy-brained from “gender is a social construct” straight to “identity is a social construct” and beyond. 

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asks Julie.

“I think so, Dr. K,” says Gary. “But how will we get three pink flamingos into one pair of capri pants?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-xrnIXQ3iQ

What happens when the wave function ψ is the same as the physical system it describes, and what happens when that physical system collapses?

i.e. what would happen if common misperceptions of the Observer Effect were actually the correct perceptions?

Julie can’t help it: she snorts. “Passionate? Me?”“Well, yeah,” says Romero. “You really care about the things that interest you. You get really involved and angry and never quit or back down.”“Oh,” says Julie, then blurts, “You like that I’m angry?”“I… don’t like it when you’re unhappy?” says Romero. “But – it’s part of you, so… yeah, I guess I do, because it’s how you are. Why? Is – is everything okay?”She’s spent a lifetime having people tell her to stop being angry. No one’s ever told her she’s fine the way she is.

There have been many, many, MANY thinkpieces about how women are socialized not to express anger, often even to themselves. That was never going to work for Julie, who after all is powered by constant low-level rage, but that just means she had to deal with the backlash from not adhering to social programming instead (on top of additional backlash from being a woman in a male-dominated field). Of his own free will, Romero not only rejects that social programming, but also clearly spent time thinking about her empirically to determine that her anger is a positive force instead of a random and horrible personality trait.

He’s a Good Dude.

When she was in elementary school, her third grade teacher had been fond of saying, “If you’re bored, it means you have no imagination,” at least until Julie had decided to deal with her boredom after finishing her science assignment, her homework, and the rest of the textbook by seeing what happened if you jammed a paperclip into the electric socket. (The answer was certainly not boring and, in fact, probably the most exciting and practical thing they learned that year.)

That used to be my aunt’s favorite saying. I personally did not copy Julie’s response, but it is based on research done by one of my friends. (It’s okay, he was very careful about safety and made sure to use rubber-handled scissors to poke random bits of metal into the outlet. Apart from a classmate’s socks catching on fire, everyone was totally fine.)

She wakes to the sound of Cecil talking about the other week’s marathon, which may or may not have been mandatory, whoops. Carlos has texted her an emoji of various hadrosaurids gathered around a campfire singing “We Are the Champions”.

PREVIOUSLY IN NIGHT VALE:

EXT. - THE LABS

Thousands of citizens stream down Main Street, driven relentlessly forward to the Narrow Place. The Harbingers of the Distant Prince hurl themselves towards the building again and again, only to be rebuffed by the wards. Charred corpses lay scattered around the perimeter. Green storm clouds gather overhead as their anger grows. 

INT. - LAB ONE

ANDRE

Did you hear something?

JULIE

[not looking up from her welding]

No.

 Carlos, meanwhile, has NO idea his emojis are not in fact standard. 

“I liked him,” says Josie. [...] “He was trying to do… something, I forget what. I hope he figured it out.” At Julie’s incredulity, she says, “Some people, they’re rough around the edges, but they try. They hope for something better and keep going. That’s important.”

“What if you go where you’re not supposed to?”

“Then you come back and fix what you can,” says Josie.

“What if you can’t?”

“Then you find someone to help you,” Josie replies. “Oh! I love this song.”

She turns up the volume of the radio and treats everyone to the aria from Shastakovich’s Paint Your Wagon.

Vocals by L. Marvin

Angels chilling at your house are, of course, part of the standard retirement package for former Knights of the Church. Old Woman Josie used to carry Esperacchius and passed it on to the Egyptian, after which it went to Sanya. She and Shiro were buds and saw Elvis in Vegas (and also, interestingly, several times in the Ralphs).

Anyway, if you want to suggest that a character is subconsciously mulling over an issue, I recommend having them ask some leading questions without describing their reactions and then change the subject.

“It’s come to my attention,” she begins, then has to stop and clear her throat again. “It’s come to my attention that we have a pretty good thing going on. So I was just wondering if you’d like to keep doing this, you know. For the indefinite future. With me.”When he doesn’t say anything, or look at her, or move at all for that matter, she removes her hand from under her thigh where she’s been sitting on it and points at the lease. “I highlighted where you have to sign,” she says, somewhat unnecessarily. “If you wanted to.”

I think this is the only time we see Julie nervous about anything when her life is not actively in danger.

You can’t write a romance arc without including some degree of emotional vulnerability – it just wouldn’t be satisfying. On the other hand, how that emotional vulnerability manifests is REALLY dependent on the person, and if you don’t base it firmly in their character it wouldn’t be satisfying, either. (I’m REALLY picky about romances in part because of this.) Julie’s not the type to pine or swoon or be filled with self-doubt*, but she is bad at feelings, and unfortunately, she’s determined that an equitable relationship with Romero requires some kind of tangible, committed expression of them. So she does that as best she can. It’s not actively harmful to her, but it does require a stretch out of her comfort zone. 

* ::cough::Carlos::cough::

Yes, Julie has technically registered their equipment with City Hall, in that they’re listed as alternatively “electronic abaci” and “databases” and she’s claimed they only use the internet for checking email. Until now, they’ve coasted on general good will towards Carlos/his hair and the fact that all authority figures have been functionally electronically illiterate since the Incident in the community college’s Computer and Fire Sciences building.

Look, I could have SWORN there was an Incident at the Computer and Fire Sciences building specifically mentioned in canon. Can I find it anywhere? No. Did I listen to an episode that was subsequently erased from history? Possibly.

This time, someone picks up. There are a few seconds of sleepy fumbling, followed by “Hello?” in more vocal fry than voice.“Cecil!” she says. “Is Carlos there?”“Are you in fear for your life from the long arm of the law?” Cecil mumbles.

her current ringtone

“Julie, I said hold on!”“I am holding on,” she snarls as the rumbling stops. “It’s a diagnostic. 75% efficiency? Am I the only one who cares about proper maintenance in this town?”

This combines two of my favorite things: people focusing on hilariously inconsequential details during a stressful situation, and Julie lowkey engaging in supervillainy. Nikola Tesla did not design earthquake machines so Night Vale could install shitty ones they can barely use. STANDARDS.

“I probably wouldn’t have destroyed Weeping Miner,” she says eventually.

“I know,” says Carlos.

“I could have, though,” she says.

“I know that too,” says Carlos.

[...] Carlos shifts. She looks over; he briefly catches her eye and says, “So could I.”It’s not the same. Carlos would probably feel bad about it, for one. But she feels some of her anger dissipate anyway. At least she’s not the only one dealing with this bullshit.

Subconscious concern --> conscious concern! Getting back to Julie’s cynicism: she doesn’t think there are very many good people in the world, and that excludes her too. Sure, she’s risked her life to save others, fight baddies, and make sure the dangerous technology she’s developed doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, but she knows she has selfish reasons to do them, like protecting her friends and making sure the town/world isn’t destroyed so she can keep doing her research.

But at the same time, the fact that she has been dwelling on the ethics of her situation ever since Chapter 19 of Love is All You Need, that she is genuinely bothered that she’d consider destroying a neighborhood, and that she’s talking about this with Carlos, who considers them to have a similar dilemma, suggests that deep down she is dissatisfied by her cynical model of the world because the data isn’t quite matching up. Which, of course, means she needs more data in the form of Chapters 6 and 7.

On one side is a large picture of Carrie Fisher giving everyone the finger

I think Space Mom is mandatory at protests now. 

This whole section (especially the rain) was heavily influenced by the March for Science, which both Ginipig and I went to in 2017. You too can make a difference and also give yourself writing material!

“Any more words of wisdom, Usidork?” she asks instead.

USIDORE, WIZARD OF THE 12TH REALM OF EPHYSIYIES, MASTER OF LIGHT AND SHADOW, MANIPULATOR OF MAGICAL DELIGHTS, DEVOURER OF CHAOS, CHAMPION OF THE GREAT HALLS OF TERR'AKKAS. THE ELVES KNOW HIM AS FI’ANG YALOK. THE DWARFS KNOW HIM AS ZOENEN HOOGSTANDJES*. HE IS ALSO KNOWN IN THE NORTHEAST AS GAISMUNĒNAS MEISTAR AND HAS MANY OTHER SECRET NAMES WHICH YOU DO NOT… YET… KNOW.

* Hoobastank

He blinks at her in polite incomprehension. “I don’t want to miss the Life Raft Debate,” he says. “It’s important to support your department.”

Several universities hold yearly Raft Debates, where representatives from the different disciplines have a debate about which of their respective areas of study is the most vital for humanity and thus should get to take the one-person life raft back to civilization from the desert island they’ve all gotten stuck on.

I should inform you that at my alma mater the Devil’s Advocate, who argues that none of the subjects are worth saving, has won multiple times.

Without taking her eyes off her opponent, Romanoff thrusts out her hand. Dr. Aluki Robinson (Associate Professor of Ornithology) passes her a harpoon, its ivory barbs almost glowing in the dim light.

Nauja and Aluki are both from Cold Case, because no one deserves to be stuck in Cold Case where we’re apparently supposed to be deeply concerned about the main character’s sexual experience but only vaguely perturbed by the powerful white and white-coded women stealing Native American children to brainwash them to their culture so they can be fed to the system seriously WHAT the FUCK Jimbo

ANYWAY, in this universe the Winter fey of Unalaska are discharging their obligations to help the Winter Court against Outsiders by sending some of their people to monitor the prison in Night Vale. This also gets to highlight the fun of an unreliable narrator! Julie is generally not one of those, because she’s a smart and observant person who will happily question everything, but even she has her limits when she’s out of her element. In the case of this story, there are several minor details to suggest there is some Winter and Summer court drama going on in the background (the chlorofiends, an entire academic department of shapeshifters, Molly and Mab personally overseeing bus routes) and most of it just goes completely over her head.

During his undergraduate career, Gary had elicited a considerable amount of interdepartmental discussion about his desire to be exempted from lab regulations for wearing appropriate – or any – footwear in the lab, which evolved into a considerable amount of interdepartmental discussion about whether wrapping your feet in duct tape immediately before said lab time constituted appropriate footwear.

This was based on one of my mother’s students, who eventually resolved the situation by commissioning a handmade pair of moccasins he placed on his feet immediately before entering the lab.

“The scientific method is four steps,” says Carlos with a cheerful inevitability as the officers start shouting panicked instructions into their walkie talkies. “One, find an object you want to know more about; two, hook that object up to a machine using wires or tubes; three, write things on a clipboard; four, read the results that the machine prints.”

This is a direct quote from the book. Was this entire subplot about the scientific method ban designed just to come up with a plausible retcon for why someone with actual scientific training would announce this over the radio? It sure was!

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD:

1. “Step one, cut a hole in the box,” calls Wei.2. “No, step one is collecting underpants,” says Gary.3. “Step four: make a searching and fearless moral inventory,” says Julie.4. “And then step five, acceptance,” Andre finishes.5. “You see, the first level is ennui, or boredom. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody or something specific – nostalgia, love-sickness… At more morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for. A sick pining, a vague restlessness. Mental throes. Yearning. And at the scientific method’s deepest and most painful level, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause.”6. “It’s how you decide whether to fix the problem with duct tape or WD-40,” says Julie.7. “I think,” says Osborn, “that it’s a divine machine for making flour, salt, and gold.”

8. “Don’t be absurd,” says Galleti. “The scientific method is two vast and trunkless legs of stone standing in the desert!”

9. “And they say the scientific method is—”

“—the quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality associated with sitting around a fire in the winter with close friends,” puts in Dr. Chelsea Dubinski, Assistant Professor of Chemistry.

10. “Or is it the special look shared between two people, when both are wishing that the other would do something that they both want, but neither want to do?” asks Galleti.

This section was also a chance to write about the rest of Night Vale’s scientists, of whom we still know so very little. There’s enough of them that there’s a whole science district, and the community college seems pretty well staffed, but the fact that Carlos made such an impact when he rolled into town suggests that they were either pretty lowkey or indistinguishably weird from the rest of the town.

“I don't feel alone,” snaps Julie. “I feel like shit, and I know why I feel like shit, and the thought of outlining that in excruciating detail is, oddly enough, not making me feel any better!”

One of the things I wanted to address in this story (inspired by Ghost Stories, which I uhhhhh did not care for) was the shortcomings of a lot of narratives about grief. Because many of them are not only oversimplified, but also not everyone processes grief in the same way. It’s not necessarily a linear narrative of where you go through the five steps and then you’re totally over it: it might take a long time, or you might be fine until some other, unrelated setback triggers you, or it might be a cyclical process as anniversaries roll around. Grief lingers. Related to that, helping people deal with their grief isn’t always as simple as sitting down with them and offering a sympathetic ear. Some people don’t process their feelings well verbally, and the emotional labor of formulating all your grief for another person’s consumption can be nearly as traumatizing as grieving in the first place, and VERY difficult to do when you’re already feeling down.

On top of that, I think general American culture is just. Real bad at dealing with grief. Which means we don’t have many positive models to base our responses on, either as grievers or as people supporting the grieving, and if you don’t fit those models at all it just makes the process that more difficult because everyone’s stumbling around in the dark.  

“Does it always feel like this?” she asks.“Which part?” asks Carlos.“We won,” says Julie. “Methods have lived to science another day. We can do our work without interference. All we did was lie about what the name meant, but…” She taps the lab table with a pencil. Another secret violation of the law. “It still feels like we… lost something.”“We did lose something,” says Carlos. “It was just a name, but names are important.”

One of the reasons I love writing Carlos and Julie’s friendship so much is because it’s such a relationship of equals. They’re both hypercompetent, pragmatic, and a little ruthless; their skill sets don’t have much overlap (at least, not yet) and their personalities aren’t at all similar, but they get each other and it’s so sweet. When they wander out of their respective areas of expertise, or stumble across some kind of dilemma, they feel comfortable asking each other for guidance – they can admit their ignorance and drop their public facades of Having Their Shit Together because they trust each other. 

“I want—” Her mouth opens and shuts again, wordlessly. Her scowl deepens.Then she narrows her eyes and says, “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.”

Molly being a huge Trekkie is pretty much my favorite thing from Ghost Story (not to be confused with Ghost Stories)(although thinking about it, swapping their plots would be kind of amazing??), so of course I wanted her and Julie to interact in a way that showed off what huge nerds they are.

But yet another element I wanted to include in this story is the background detail that ~the masquerade~ must be maintained because it’s too dangerous for humanity as a whole to be fully cognizant of the supernatural – which tends to get a little lost in the sauce, because the supernatural is consistently super duper powerful and our heroes (most of them pretty supernatural themselves) generally avert disaster by the skin of their teeth. But here’s Julie, just a regular human who’s capable of producing terrifying technology, has no concern for the rules and traditions of ancient regimes unless they’re inconveniencing her, and who would be perfectly fine with upending the status quo just to see what happens. Regular humans just aren’t more flexible about change than the supernatural, they’re even curious about it sometimes – which must be terrifying to something like the Winter Court, which has been devoted to maintaining the same strict balance since forever. Regular humans can do stuff like tell a story so well it inspires the Winter Lady to subvert her magical restrictions and remind her of her own humanity.

Julie grumpily emails him a rough summary of her thoughts on Troy Walsh and her conversation with Molly and heads up to her office to pull up everything she has on both the bus garage and the man in the tan jacket.

Bullshit secretkeeping (“I can’t tell the other main character this important plot point, it’s better if they don’t know”) is one of my least favorite tropes and I avoid it at all costs. It’s such a stupid way to add tension. It can maybe work once, but after your character has inevitably watched it backfire spectacularly, you can’t repeat it ever again unless you want to imply they’re a dumbass who never learns from their own mistakes and apparently doesn’t care that it clearly puts everyone in more danger. ::looks pointedly at a certain book series::

Also, it’s almost always much more interesting to have characters try to share important information. If they don’t succeed, it coats everything in ironic horror as the outcomes one person tried to avoid happen despite their best efforts. If they do succeed, it means everyone is fully cognizant of the potential danger even as they are still prevented from acting on it properly, like because they (e.g.) get kidnapped in the middle of the street. 

King City is not in the correct dimension. The man in the tan jacket seems to know something about this, but up until a year ago he wasn’t drawing attention to it. He was busy poking his nose into everyone’s business, ingratiating himself with the powerful and the influential, dealing with them in secret…basically, the SOP of your typical Night Vale authority.Like the Night Vale Area Transit Authority, with its bus route to… King City.They had a job and they chose to keep it, Molly said.“Fuck,” says Julie. “He was working for them!”

In retrospect, it’s hilarious to me how much of this fic was powered by spite. Ghost Stories and Cold Case both really bothered me. The resolution of the Man in the Tan Jacket storyline, meanwhile, felt pretty underwhelming – not because what Finknor came up with wasn’t interesting, but because it barely engaged with the few plot points they had already established. Like, when TMITJ shows up in the podcast he interferes with the Mayor, he’s connected to the city under Lane Five, he surfaces during the Strex Corp arc, he interacts with a whole bunch of series regulars in an ominous fashion… Yeah, that probably came from Finknor dropping him in more or less at random, but the end result was that during the first several years of the show it seemed he was an active driver of whatever his plot was supposed to be. In WTNV: The Novel, though, he’s much more reactive and impotent. This wouldn’t necessarily be bad if this change was acknowledged as part of his storyline, but… it’s not… 

(And I get that it can be difficult to come up with a plot for an element you didn’t intend to be plotty at all, but like: there wasn’t THAT much material they had to account for. I should know, I had to look it all up to write THIS story.)

I think this was especially frustrating because it ends up feeling like a “have your cake and eat it too” on the part of Finknor: it’s not automatically bad when fans care more about the show’s continuity than the creators (creators have different concerns, and a lot of time that means they’re using the creative latitude to do something neat), but the novel was very much presented as “finally, a resolution to that one mystery you find cool!” which is… pretty much a direct appeal to the fans’ care about the continuity. So to then ignore or retcon so many aspects of the continuity without any story payoff for it feels like a cheat. 

(Ultimately, though, my inspiration to actually sit down and write mainly sprang from 1) all the lovely comments about how so many people loved my OFC, which as someone who started lurking in online fandom in the early 2000s was both mind-boggling and heartwarming, and 2) lol those ladies have the same name. I learned nothing.)

She gets the call at 21:27. She goes to the hospital, although there’s not much point. The human mind is the most powerful thing on the planet and it's housed in a fragile casing of meat and bone.

I’ve mentioned a few times (possibly more than a few)(probably more than a few) that I didn’t like the WTNV live ep Ghost Stories, and that’s because the ~big reveal~ is that Cecil’s story was actually about a personal family tragedy, and once he’s able to admit that, everything is hunky-dory. As I recall, it went something like this:

WTNV: hey remember that time your mom died and your family was thrown into chaos

ME: WELL NOW I DO

WTNV: and on that note, good night everyone!

Needless to say, everything was not hunky-dory. 

But on top of being emotionally compromised for the whole following week, I was also professionally annoyed. Prior to this live show, we’d had a few cryptic references to Cecil’s mom and could reasonably infer that his relationship with his sister was strained. Critically, though, neither was their own clearly-defined character (compare to the treatment of Janice or Steve Carlsberg), these were not frequently recurring elements that would suggest they weighed heavily on Cecil’s mind, and it wasn’t even obvious that their backstory WAS particularly tragic. So the emotional lynchpin of this live show was mostly new information about Cecil regarding characters the audience had no connection to.

Tragic narratives are powerful not only because they evoke intense emotions, but also because those emotions are supposed to go somewhere and do something: provide catharsis, reinforce the artist’s philosophy, make the audience ponder the meaning of life... In using a tragedy as a plot twist, your ability to give it the proper emotional arc is very limited, because you have to misdirect from its existence while building it up, and then quickly progress from upsetting emotions to those more appropriate for concluding the story. That’s not impossible, but Ghost Stories immediately throws a wrench in the works by splitting the audience’s emotional journey away from Cecil’s: he already knew about the tragedy and the people involved with it, so the plot twist acts as his emotional catharsis... but only his. When the twist itself is the first time the audience realizes there ARE emotions, and that the first 85% of the show was completely unrelated to them, there’s simply not enough time for the audience to have them, process them according to the story’s weird ramblings that kinda imply fiction based on real life is more important than genre fiction like horror (PS: that’s a WEIRD take for a fictional horror podcast), and reach their own kind of catharsis without it being horrifically rushed. Particularly when they’re having a WAY more emotional response than the character due to their own personal tragedies which they were not expecting to have to think about during a fun podcast live show about ghost stories.

As stuff like this points out, you can’t just sprinkle in character deaths and expect quality entertainment to sprout: there has to be a purpose to putting the tragedy in the story (even if that purpose is to highlight how purposeless tragedy can be in real life). I’ve always been VERY critical of the assumption that tragedy is ~more artistic~, both in historical lit and modern pop culture; sad emotions aren’t inherently more meaningful than happy ones. Merely including tragic events isn’t deep; you have to do the work and make it deep, in its context and development.

So: on to ::gestures proudly:: probably the worst thing I’ve ever written!

From an aesthetic standpoint, I leaned into the Night Vale house style in this section because I found it to be really effective at conveying the enormity of the tragedy for Julie: it’s pretty blunt, just like her, but the focus on oddly specific details, the narrative distancing, and the lurking sense of existential horror seemed a fitting demonstration of how badly the emotional gutpunch disrupted her narration/life. 

And I really wanted it to be an emotional gutpunch. (But not a surprise: even if I hadn’t warned for it specifically, Julie mentions Romero dying all the way back in Ch. 10 of Love is All You Need.) This is in part a story about grief and mourning, so the loss that caused it needed a central place. I wanted it to be powerful enough to retroactively fit in with how upset Julie is in the opening chapters and to add real tension to the devil’s bargain the feds want to make with her in the next chapter. But most importantly, I wanted it to be so significant to both Julie and the audience that the end of the story has an impact. Loss doesn’t get “cured” – but it seems to me like it’s not supposed to be. Loss is a part of life; love, in whatever form, helps give you strength as you grow and change from the experience into someone new, and this is also a story about the love in friendship.

I think a lot about the ethics of writing tragic stuff, because when you get right down to it, ultimately art boils down to poking your fingers in someone’s feelings and stirring them around. People get really invested in the stuff you are responsible for creating, and making someone feel bad for no reason isn’t being an artist, it’s being a dick. But I’m very happy with how this turned out, and hopefully didn’t traumatize anyone who didn’t want to be traumatized.

(I do feel bad for everyone who was reading as I posted that had to wait an entire year for the next chapter, though. I wanted to get something up sooner, but I had to wait until I sorted Chapter 6 and Chapter 6 was just. The worst. WORDS ARE HARD. People who read WIPs are braver than any Marine.)

hmu for more dvd commentary!

[staliasjeronica]

Riverdale 3.10 Thoughts *Spoilers*

- Jughead deadass tried to make us think that Archie was dead when we knew for a FACT that he wasn’t. What a dick lol

- FRED SEEING ARCHIE AGAIN. MY HEART.

- So… it took you being attacked by a fucking bear… to realize that you should have come home/stayed home because Hiram is a crazy, whiny ass piss baby? You literally lost your girlfriend for that but great job you’re the last one to know baby

- VERONICA SEEING ARCHIE AWWWW MY POOR BABIES

- The fact that Archie thinks that he wouldn’t get recognized without red hair… lmao dude sometimes, somehow, red hair looks like brown (some variations of it, anyways, I’ve noticed) so your “disguise” is shit but we still love you baby

- Why would Archie think that Veronica would never want to talk to him? Just because he broke her heart doesn’t mean she doesn’t still care for him, or a part of her loves him. Probably this “new, darker” Archie that no one wanted. Literally the writers need to leave Archie alone he’s so precious and innocent and that’s why we loved him! Hopefully when we slowly get him back to normal he can bring Betty with him and make her realize what she needs in her life/love life and finally the show can rise to a slightly better show.

- I don’t like that Varchie have sex because of Reggie but for everyone hating on her… fuck OFF man she’s currently SINGLE so she can fuck who she wants… I just feel bad for Reggie bc my poor boy is going to have to watch Veronica make this hard decision of who she wants to be with and ultimately it may hurt him. And I don’t want that. But I don’t write the show so yanno what the fuck can I do?

- He got a root beer float so signify that he’s not the same Archie anymore (I’m guessing) uhhh alright sure

- “New vacant look in your eyes…” Jesus fucking Christ Jughead can you ever be considerate, like, ever? At least Betty is showing she truly cares about her future husband (because we KNOW they are endgame okay we KNOW THIS) 

- SO NOW THAT HE’S GONE THE SERPENTS ARE HELPING HIM? DUDE IF YOU WOULD HAVE SUGGESTED SERPENT PROTECTION BEFORE HE WOULD NEVER HAVE HAD TO LEAVE. I mean sure we needed to see a change to dark Archie (why the fuck was it a bear attack that did it though? A dream would have simply sufficed but sure) but wow you guys are horrible at plans if you come up with them wayyyyy too late

- I’m still mad at Jughead for sending Fangs deep undercover and risking his life to get his spot in the Serpents back. It’s clear that Jugrat has wanted to find someone to send in, but was too much of a whiny piss baby to ask, so he waited until he could pretty much blackmail/emotionally manipulate one of the Serpents and so he chose Fangs. (Also he did Choni wrong and Jugrat is dead to me until he finds some sense and ultimately ends up with Veronica)

- Can’t wait to see how much chemistry Archie and Betty have that Betty and Jugrat don’t

- I hate Betty but I feel bad for her about what her mom did. She’s so fucking mind washed and it hurts because the Alice we all know and love would NEVER do this shit.

- DADS OF RIVERDALE COMING TO INTIMIDATE HIRAM YES BITCH!!! FRED SAYING HE’D KILL HIRAM YES BITCH FP JONES NOT TAKING CONTROL/TAKING OVER FRED’S MOMENT YES BITCH

- Archie has to repeat Junior year? I mean it makes sense but I know the fear of not being able to graduate with friends… god lEAVE ARCHIE ALONE DAMMIT HE’S BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH

- REGGIE’S BIG ASS HAPPY ASS SMILE WHEN HE’S WALKING TOWARDS VERONICA I’M— HE’S SO FUCKING IN LOVE WITH HER MY HEART!!! He cares so much, she didn’t text him (because she was with Archie 😬😬😬) BUT HER PUSHING HIM AWAY MAKES ME SAD. I mean I know WHY it just HURTS

- “I get it, Archie’s back. Enough said” REGGIE FUCKING GULPED DOWN HIS EMOTIONS I’M SO SAD HE DESERVES THE WORLD.

- But also realizing that Reggie and Veronica were openly affectionate at school means that Betty and Jughead know? And they DIDN’T rat on her to Archie the second he came back? Mmhm ooc but thank GOD

- Oh yeah deadass forgot “Claudius” was a thing like he hasn’t been here for fucking years lmao

- See, this Hiram, the forceful “this is not a request” Hiram would have been a MUCH better villain than “I’m torturing this boy just for kicks” but wbk the Riverdale writers are on crack and can’t see/make a good storyline.

- We know FP becomes Sheriff which I guess will be good against Hiram and for the Serpent’s CRIMINAL ACTIVITY (fuck you Jugrat for not knowing how a GANG works you fucking idiot) but let me ask this… why the flying fuck aren’t they just giving SHERIFF Keller his job back? Like we know he knows how to be a fucking Sheriff so why are they going through the trouble of finding another one? Like what the fuck guys it’s NOT THAT HARD

- I wanted BARCHIE to study but BARCHIE AND JUGHEAD but I guess I’ll take what I can get

- FANGS MY BABY BOY. Thank God Barchie can be alone ❤️❤️❤️

- So because I don’t care about spoilers I already know who the Gargoyle King is (which I’ll rant about when it gets to that point) BUT IF HE KNOWS FANGS WHY DOES HE TRY TO FUCKING RECUIT HIM INTO HIS INNER CIRCLE LMAO *ps my baby Fangs looks so scared! If Jughead fucks this up and gets Fangs hurt I’m sacrificing him to Hiram myself

- “There he is” BITCH YOU CAN’T TELL ME BETTY IS SO FUCKING IN LOVE WITH ARCHIE LIKE WE NEVER SEE HIS THIS TRULY HAPPY!!!

- AWWW A WELCOME HOME/STUDY PARTY. Poor Reggie having to hear Veronica call him lover… but the angst… I’m here for it

- VERONICA SINGING IN SPANISH BITCHHH FUCK ME UP SHE SOUNDS SO FUCKING GOOD! But being able to see Reggie behind Archie reacting to Varchie is so angsty and incredible

- Archie having an anxiety attack my poor child LEAVE HIM ALONE JESUS CHRIST WRITERS

- See, this mind game shit that Hal does to Betty is where they should have gone. I mean, only that not the sudden ass black hood shit. THIS is a good villain. But they ruined it before it even began.

- Both Veronica and Reggie have a point. He’s different, but Reggie sweetie you gotta realize that he’s going through a tough time right now? I just know the writers are going to manage to fuck this up. God can’t they do ANYTHING right

- “You got some pretty big coconuts” ummmm what the fuck I didn’t realize Reggie was Cheryl… But again having Reggie get mad at Archie for having an anxiety attack is ooc and NOT THE FUCK IT Literally it pisses me the fuck off that they’re doing this to Reggie like sure he can be jealous but this is over the top and NOT IT THANK YOU NEXT

- “Hiram… no.” BITCH YES HERMIONE! Also I didn’t realize she had to appoint a sheriff but that still doesn’t answer my question as to WHY NOT SHERIFF KELLER? But the fact that she chooses FP is such a fucking “fuck you” to his Lodge saying last episode that I’m not going to search out lol.

- Hal being the OG Gargoyle King… wow… they really can only use characters they can make us hate, huh? But if he killed back then, why was he “normal” up until Betty’s stupid, somehow inspiring speech? IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE RIVERDALE WRITERS BUT I’M NOT SURPRISED

- Alice comes in every Monday? SHE WOULD NEVER. I mean of course rn she’s not in her right mind but he literally almost killed her? We know Polly was trying to get Alice and Betty to forgive him bc of her time with the Farm but come the fuck on why would Edgar want his “star recruiter and source of money” to visit her killer ex-husband

- I love how Fangs is getting more screen time but it’s scaring me because he’s not Betty or Jughead… and also what about his bEST FRIEND SWEET PEA. But Fangs looks so scared my baby!!! If anything happens to him… well you probably read what I’d do to Jughead

-What kind of fucking twig costume is that lmao and how is he making that weird growling sound (and why)

- SO FP AND JUGHEAD ARE HERE BUT WHAT ABOUT SWEET PEA WE KNOW HE’D BE HERE TO PROTECT HIS BOYFRIEND BEST FRIEND. Also we are NOT allowing another kid to be branded. We just aren’t.

- oh nvm he is here lmaoooo it’s okay I’m good now

- LMAO EVERYONE SCATTERS BUT THEY LEAVE THEIR KING AHAHAHAHA WHAT LOYALTY I’M QUAKING

- So didn’t we LITERALLY see Tall Boy die? I could have swore… or is this some mandella effect kind of shit

- So Jugrat what happened to “no crime” yet you kidnap a man and beat the shit out of him… so if he’s breaking his own rules lets kick him out YES LET’S DO IT But wow Jughead is so weak he can’t handle anyone calling Betty a bitch… even though she is…

- SO JUGHEAD GETS TO PUNCH HIM FOR CALLING BETTY A BITCH, RIGHTFULLY SO, BUT HE STOPS SWANGS FROM GOING OFF FOR KILLING THEIR FRIEND AND MOST DEFINITELY FANGS’ EX BOYFRIEND? Does Jughead deserve rights? let’s not discuss because that’s a BIG FUCKING NO

- REGGIE ON A DATING SITE MY BABYYYYYY he passed by all those girls bc he loves Veronica just saying :)

- First of all… Archie no sweetie you can’t cheat on your SAT’s… and Reggie just fucking spilled the truth oops

- NO JUGHEAD YOU CAN’T SACRIFICE YOUR “BEST FRIEND” but of course it’s going to happen…

- Did Betty just call Penelope “auntie” ummm no. Also Penelope gets screen time but Choni isn’t here to take their SAT’s? That is HoMoPhObIc

- “Are you one of those sickos who fantasize about serial killers?” Betty… your stupid ass does realize you’re basically talking about yourself, right? I mean obviously not in a romantic way that you’re insinuating but that’s still who you are. You and Jughead get your rocks off to serial killers and trying to solve them even though you’re shit at being detectives… but I’m all for going after Penelope so whatever

- Oh jk so it wasn’t Hal… damn my rantings about it are now void thanks Riverdale lol

- It’s funny how Betty never realizes these kinds of things despite how “great” she is at being a detective. She never gets anything until she’s told about it and that’s so fucking annoying. if you’re going to shove Betty (and Bughead) down our throats AT LEAST make her good at it

- “Because I will never be coming back here again” lmao we know Betty is going to come back like next scene lolol but alright

- RONNIE CRYING IN HIS BED MY POOR BABY

- It’s a good thing they didn’t ruin Archie by having him angry at Veronica. By him asking her to stay with him, we been knew that Veronica is one of his weaknesses. ALSO VARCHIE SEX MY BABIES.

- Am I just blind when tf did Archie get that cut above his eyebrow lol. Also he’s literally me taking a test aha

- “Why do you think I sent him instead of going by myself?” BECAUSE YOU’RE A COWARDLY CUNT THAT’S WHY

- Oh poor Hiram got shot… oh no… so sad… But if they think they’re making us believe he’ll die… we’ve literally seen him on set recently so this bitch ass of course will survive. Honestly just kill off who you’re going to kill off already and get it over with. I want to know if it’s worth it to watch the rest of this season!!!

- They’re really going to regress and make Veronica act ooc by thinking that Archie would actually try to kill Hiram… what shit heads. We know he’s going dark and wants Hiram dead but he would never ACTUALLY do it because he cares too much about Veronica. But also I know that’s her father but after everything he’s done why does she care that he got shot? I mean that’s like Betty watching her dad die… she wouldn’t care. But then again Betty is a mean bitch so her heart is darker lol

- SWANGS FREAKING OUT OVER ACCIDENTALLY KILLING TALL BOY AWWWW BABIES! But also does this mean Swangs didn’t take the SAT because Jughead made them babysit Tall Boy? I mean it makes sense bc Tall Boy would escape otherwise but my Serpent babies deserve a chance to get out of Riverdale. I’d want SP to become a doctor and yes slightly bc of his role in Hospital Show

— Imagine Sweet Pea becoming a doctor, and flipping off every person who told him he was just some lowly south side scum, and telling them he made it as a fucking doctor like come on I need this, he needs this

- Jughead doesn’t know what to do mmhmmmm great leaders need to be able to think quickly

- “Fangs sobbing” hey subtitles… STOP

- Fangs says “okay” as if “we’re gonna throw a party” makes absolute sense. What the… fuck? Also I LOVE my boys we know this but they KILL Tall Boy and Jughead’s okay with it but Choni steals an egg from his enemy and he kicks them out like a whiny bitch? Jughead is homophobic and we know he only kicked Choni out bc they could easily take over his Serpent King title lmao what a fucking loser, Jughead

- “Veronica and I broke up” um you broke up awhile ago just bc you had sex doesn’t mean you guys got together again but alright

- So speaking of Archie being on the run and breaking out of jail… why is he able to come back as if that didn’t happen? Wouldn’t they have a warrant out for him?

- SEE BETTY VISITED HER FATHER AGAIN.

- REGGIE COMING IN WITH A “CONGRATS IT’S A BOY” BALLOONS. HE REALLY LOVES HER SO MUCH HE JUST WANTED TO GET HER FLOWERS AND SHIT AND HE WASN’T PAYING ATTENTION I’M—

- Sweet Pea’s “woo” do I need to say more

- So now it’s canon that my boys drink alcohol but I’m definitely going to say it’s only for celebrations and shit okay? okay

- FP why the fuck would you scare them like that? Like, they get arrested for literally nothing and you roll up like a bitch… that was cruel

- Poor Fangs he’s so fucking scared… he can’t even be happy that he’s a part of the Serpents again (but ofc Choni doesn’t? Jughead you’re so fucking—)

- No… no you’re going to make Archie a fucking alcoholic? Really? Fuck Riverdale lives

- “It looks like a cell in here” FRED WHY WOULD YOU POINT THAT OUT TO ME NOW I’M SAD

[ineffablelads]

Sending you a little prompt. A bughead prompt. The prompt is: Betty is sick but tries to put on brave face. Worried Jughead happens and he might make her some soup.

I told myself this was just gonna be a cute lil 500 word one shot… but my finger slipped and 1800 words later… here is a bigger one shot than I once intended. Thanks for the prompt!!!!!

Jughead sat in a crooked hunch behind his desk, head resting in his palm as he gazed at the door in the opposite corner of the classroom. A fleeting hope tightened in his chest; that Betty would walk through the door and tell him he was silly for worrying.. that she just slept in past her alarm or wanted to go get some breakfast at Pop’s before coming in today. 

Mr. Kitely faced away, writing Shakespearean phrases in his messy hooked swoops of what could almost pass as cursive. His voice rose and fell dramatically as he spewed prose- a sure sign that the conclusion of his lecture would come any moment now.

The door remained closed. Her seat remained empty.

Pictures of their dark adventures plastered the insides of his eyelids for a heavy moment. Memories of Betty always distancing herself when things were at their worst for her… of her wanting to take matters into her own hands, by herself. 

No matter how close they’d become and how much of her trust he had earned... he was beginning to see that it was just her nature. Her independent inclinations got the better of her… her hunger to prove her strength to herself. Overcoming dark challenges satiated that hunger.

He rotated his pencil back and forth between his fingers as he thought.

Usually there were some sort of tell-tale signs that would give her away before she began her sleuthing or problem-solving, though. She would get a distant look sometimes in the middle of conversations, she’d make unlikely alliances, propose strange articles, or she would ask seemingly unrelated questions out of nowhere… something.

None of that had been happening, though.

So, where was she?

Jughead’s leg began to shake up and down in a sudden bout of thick anxiety.

Finally, the bell rang.

He stayed in his seat a moment, allowing the crowd to go on ahead of him into the halls. He pulled out his phone.

No messages.

He had already texted her twice before class started. Usually, they met out front and walked to English class together. But this morning there was no sign of her. 

He racked his brain for anything important he may have forgotten.

Was she going to visit Polly and Alice at the Farm? Did she mention anything out of the ordinary? Did he do something that may have offended her?

He tried calling.

No answer.

He left a message, 

Right as he was finishing up, Archie and Veronica rounded the corner of the hallway.

Veronica sized up the empty space by his side. She exchanged a brief questioning glance with Archie.

“Where’s B?” she prodded.

Jughead shook his head.

“You haven’t heard from her?” Archie asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Radio silence.” Jughead replied.

“That’s weird.” Archie said, “I didn’t see any light on in her room this morning. But the car’s still there. I even tried knocking to see if she wanted to walk to school together… nothing.”

“Did you guys get in a fight or-” Veronica trailed off when she found she couldn’t stomach the look that was brewing on Jughead’s face.

She wrapped herself reassuringly around Archie’s arm.

“Oh my gosh, look at you two! I’m sure no news is good news. We’re talking about the same Betty Cooper, right? Because the Betty Cooper I know took down three murderers and my gargoyle of a father in the span of two years. I have complete faith that she’s fine.”

She flashed him a smile that was simultaneously sympathetic and vaguely amused.

She was right.

Out of the four of them, Betty was probably the most capable of holding her own. She was smart, she was cunning, she was… giving him a lot of anxiety.

He followed Veronica and Archie to the door of the room with the couches and vending machines then paused. Veronica had begun chattering about her latest Speakeasy plans.

“You know, I think I’m just going to go check on her to be sure. I’ll be back after gym, probably.” He said.

“Yeah, or maybe you can just be a proper rebel and not return after ditching half a day of classes. See you at Pop’s later?” Veronica smirked.

Jughead smiled, “Yeah, I’ll see you guys there.”

He set off down the hall, pushing through an unbearable crowd of his peers. 

Things had improved for the Southsiders at Riverdale High in the past few months, but it still wasn’t perfect. He could tell that people noticed him and the other Serpents a little bit more than their average peer. Their eyes always paused an extra moment whenever one of them entered a classroom. It was clear to him that people were less likely to move out of the way for them in the halls than they were for a couple of Northside pearls like Veronica or Archie.

And anyways, people liked to have an excuse to sneer at him when they forced him to push through them. Big guys like Reggie liked the opportunity to shove him or cast half-witted jeers as he elbowed past, even before he joined the Serpents. But now, especially, that he was their king.

Sometimes he wondered if the only one anchoring him to this place with it’s dirty halls and dirty looks was Betty.

Sometimes he wondered if the only one anchoring him through all the insanity of his life in general was her.

But it was like Zelda Fitzgerald once wrote in a letter to her husband Scott, 

“Why is there happiness and comfort and excitement where you are and no where else in the world?” 

He smiled to himself. Betty Cooper had turned him cheesy. Had it really only been a couple of years since the lonely beginning of sophomore year? Had he really gone most of his lifetime blind to how much more incredible it could be with her not just as his friend he met through Archie, but a warrior Queen fighting by his side?

He swung the doors to the parking lot open and scanned the lot for his bike. The brisk morning air clung heavily to his clothes, leaving dew drops on the faux wool peeking out of his denim jacket. As he crossed the lot, a thin bite of wind shredded coolly at his face.

There was something about mounting his bike and bringing it roaring to life that made Jughead feel a little more alive than he was the moment before. Something about making himself vulnerable to fate and circumstance tickled his poetic existentialism in a way driving a car never could. The tires of the bike skidded precariously over the rain-soaked blacktop as he turned onto the main road. For a brief moment, his mind emptied itself of the morning’s anxieties and he was just a rush of stark senses.

He loved that his motorcycle refused to shield him from the elements. If it was snowy, he’d feel snowflakes caking his clothes, bristling at his skin. If it was hot, he’d feel the sun beating down directly into his flesh. Now that it was rainy, the precipitation soaked right into his clothes and the resulting cold seeped deep into his bones.

In a car you could feel numb. You could turn on a heater on a snowy day and feel as warm as the summertime. You could lie.

On his motorcycle, he was honest. About the weather. About where he was coming from and where he was going. 

On his motorcycle, he was a person who faced things head on.

And so he did, pulling into Betty Cooper’s driveway that drizzly morning. He slid his helmet off and threw it onto the seat. In an instinctual instant, he had his beanie settled over his hair again. He knocked on the front door and pushed a tuft of hair from his eyes. The rain had picked up. He wished he’d brought his serpent jacket instead of his fluffy jean coat. 

He stuck his hands in his pockets and did his best to dry them. Then he sent Betty a text.

Hey, I’m at your house. Can you let me in?

-Message read.

He let out a defeated sigh and leaned against the door frame, planning his next move.

But the longer he waited for some sort of response… any sort of response, the more out of control his anxious thoughts became. 

What if one of Hiram’s goons was still out there and came to get comeuppance over his arrest? What if one of the Black Hood’s crazy fanatics came after her? What if one of the remaining Ghoulies found her to “create chaos”? 

“One can find so many pains in the rain.”

John Steinbeck’s quote interrupted his thoughts. He remembered reading it over the summer.

He felt the author’s quote spinning around his head, as though to tease him… but maybe also a godsend to distract him from the dark train of thought he had been spiraling through.

“Jug?” 

Betty’s big, warm hazel eyes peeked through the slightly opened door. A set of sniffles followed.

He moved into plain sight and waved meekly, soaked.

“Oh my god, Jughead!” she croaked, sniffling some more and practically throwing him into the house.

He laughed, looking up at her in starry-eyed relief. She was in her pink, fluffy pajama bottoms. One of his “S” t-shirts hung loosely around her shoulders along with a cozy blanket. She padded away, barefoot on the hardwood floors, and came rushing back with a set of towels and a box of tissues.

Jughead pulled off his boots and left them in the entryway, upside down. 

“What’s wrong?” Betty asked, “Why are you here?”

He gaped at her, incredulous.

“I was worried. You weren’t at school and you hadn’t responded to any of my messages. Archie said he didn’t see you leave this morning and-”

She sniffled once more, head cocked sympathetically to the side in that way Jughead knew all too well. Here she was comforting him when she was the sick one.

He tensed. He knew his anxiety had been getting worse over the years… but ever since the debacle with Hiram Lodge- it was like he couldn’t stop the warning lights from going off in his head anymore.

“I guess I still worry that it’s not over.” he whispered.

Betty took one of his cheeks in the palm of her hand.

“Maybe it’s never over.” she mused, “but we’ll never be able to live happy lives if we let ourselves believe that.”

There it was: Betty Cooper and her brave face.

She smiled at him as she came forward and pulled off his jacket and flannel. She threw them in the drier, along with his socks and hat that he threw in himself.

“Erm, did Chic happen to leave any pants behind here that I could borrow?” he asked.

Betty reddened.

“No, we uh- we burned his belongings after I handed him over to the Black Hood. You know… to be sure.”

Jughead raised his eyebrows.

“But… we could check the guest room Archie stayed in when Fred went to Chicago freshman year. Maybe he left something behind?”

He nodded.

Once he was switched into one of the flannels she had borrowed from him some time ago and pulled on some of Archie’s old jeans, he came downstairs and found Betty leaning in a state of pungent exhaustion against the counter, blowing her nose.

He shuffled forward excitedly and scooped her up into his arms, spinning her around once.

Together, they spun from the hardwood floor of the dining room to the squishy rug of the living room. Jughead collapsed down onto the couch, bringing a ball of sniffling Betty Cooper with him.

They pressed their foreheads together in a gesture of momentary oneness.

Betty pulled away first.

“I don’t want to get you sick, too.” She worried.

“That is the least of my worries.” he responded. “Right now, all I’m worried about is making you feel better.”

She gave him a puzzled look.

Jughead cradled her once more as he stood up and set her back down on the sofa.

“I am going to take care of you for once!” he announced. A self-satisfied smirk crossed his face as he leaned forward, kissed her on the forehead, and tucked in her blanket.

Betty quirked an eyebrow but did not protest. Instead she leaned back into the arms of the comfortable sofa and accepted the oncoming pampering.

Jughead left nothing in his reserves. He set up candles around the room to replace the strain of bright light bulbs. He started up the fireplace. He brought her tissues and cough drops and ibuprofen that he must have found after about ten minutes of frustratedly rummaging through the pantry and cursing Alice’s organization. He even had something cooking on the stove that smelled delicious.

Betty watched with adoration as he doted by whatever he was making in the other room, humming happily to himself.

“Eureka!” he shouted.

Betty did all she could to keep from snorting out her laughter.

She failed.

Jughead waltzed in wearing her mother’s lacy, flowery cooking apron and an oven mitt over his haphazard rain outfit. In the mitt was a bowl of piping hot soup he set on the coffee table before her.

He beamed.

“AND!” he shouted. Before she could say anything, he’d run back into the kitchen and eagerly shuffled back with a steaming tea cup.

“A meal fit for a Queen! Bon appetit.” he said in the worst french accent she’d ever heard. He bowed dramatically, a smile curled joyfully around the sides of his mouth.

Betty sniffed again and made her best effort to inhale a waft of the soup’s smell. It was a homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese- just like what she would get at Pop’s. The tea was her favorite relaxing green tea.

Her eyes flickered up to Jughead’s. She stretched her arms forward, beckoning him to come snuggle her. 

He happily obliged.

[createdtogetbored]

Riverdale 3×10

So writing these long ass text posts is actually really fun for me and if you actually read it thank youuuuu  😚 (this one is veryyyy long sorry)

Soooo i was expecting a follow up from the previous episode but they most likely couldn’t find a logical explanation as to how he survived.

Hiram and Archie’s relationship remind of me and my ex’s relationship like what Archie thinks of Hiram is exactly how i feel about my exes is it fucked up in their part or my part? Well who knows?

VARCHIE

Veronica is worried about Archie’s hair the second she saw him is so character for her.

I was screaming DO NOT KISS the entire time, and i’m sorry but i will always be bitter and angry to Veronica that she kissed Archie. You may not agree but i wouldn’t do that. Ohhh nevermind they literally had sex? Ohh that is just great Veronica wow. I’m disappointed.

I am starting to believe they have a unhealthy relationship like Dawson and Joey if you watched Dawson’s Creek. It’s like they need each other so much that they can’t survive individually. And i am one of those people who think that’s not romantic but toxic. They had to kiss or had sex because it’s like necessity for their life. Doesn’t matter the consequence which is hurting someone (Reggie)

“What did i miss when i was gone?”

Betty’s look sums it up lol 😕🙄😅

HONEY

They really did throw him a party huh?

“Take a seat lover, let me entertain you”

meanwhile

*Reggie dies internally while watching them*

Veronica wtf

Bughead was so cringe at the party they look so unnatural 🤢

Someone singing for you and looking into your eyes in front of a lot of people while your best friend is dying of jealousy hmmm love that

I watched Reggie the whole scene he literally try to act like he didn’t care offf

And Archie PTSD from the whole thing someone help him pls this town need a psychiatrist more than a sheriff

Archie you don’t study the SAT’s for a day or two it’s a processes you can take it again it’s okay

Archie is me taking an exam

Archie is not okay someone fucking do something

I was never tired of Varchie having sex too much but they really think ‘will you stay with me?’ means sex i-

Ras wtf? Veronica crying while taking her shirt off?

Thay act like a rebound relationship?

Varchie has been dead for a WHILE

JERONICA

THE POP’S SCENE

People say it’s a core four scene but i say it’s a Jeronica scene and you know it sis

“ two chocolate, one vanilla...” TWO BEING JUGHEAD AND VERONICA. These kind of subtle things make me wanna believe they know our existences and they are teasing us for a possible romance help

“Thankfully i hired the Serpents as my full time protecters”

JUGHEAD’S LOOK AFTER THAT SENTENCE IS EVERYTHING LADYS AND GENTLEMAN WE DID IT

it’s like gratitude.

“Sorry Veronica”

“Don’t be”

I-

HE FUCKING CARES ABOUT HER EMOTIONS AND RESPECTS HER NOW AGAIN IT’S OVER YOU BIETCHHES

VEGGIE

MY HEART BROKEN INTO MILLION PIECES CAN YOU HEAR IT????

“I get it. Archie’s back enough said” that is just i- And his voice is so sad like he is about to cry or something

I AM INCREDIBLY ANGRY TO VERONICA SHE COULD’VE HANDLE THE SITUATION WAAAAY BETTER

Don’t get me wrong i still love her very much but am i wrong on this? Maybe getting with Reggie while Archie was gone is way worse but idk i don’t think this as a character regression but she could’ve handled it better

The secret meetings they are doing idk maaan 

Reggie is pissed and i’m alllll for it

While he was shouting at Archie his voice cracked and i died at that point. ‘Like a little bitch’ that did it for me

“Love doesn’t come easily to me these days” I’m a Reggie stan now, okay? The damage has been done

That scene where they talked about cheating. WHY IS IT SO UNDERRATED? I love it, cause it was a whole misunderstanding and then it was too late to fix it’s such Reggie and Archie thing too

That hug at the hospital is 💗💞💘💝💕💕💖  “come here”

COOPERS

I AM SORRY I DON’T LIKE BETTY BUT UMMMM ALICE YOU ARE BEING A HOE STOP IT.

When she said collage found i lost it and she fucking gave it to the farm offffff when did she become a dumb person? When?

I actually felt bad for Betty i have a heart god dammit

I’m still not buying Hal as blackhood sue me

you know this whole messed up dad thing could’ve work if they didn’t make him so submissive at the very start

Celebrating with milk seems oddly psychotic to me

Betty talking to a serial killer aka her dad as if he is therapist killed me

BARCHIE

Omfg when Betty holds Archie’s hand Jughead’s look was sus

Barchie’s relationship is all about trust and if you ask me that’s one big thing bughead doesn’t have so Barchie has a strong foundation sissies you heard it from here first lol

DADDIES (Omg sorry)

Frad and FP

THAT’S HOT (insert will smith voice)

FRED WENT OF HE SNAPPED ON HIRAM and i support it fully and FP’s smile is fucking everything he is like “yes he is my boyfriend how are ya?”

“Sheriff Jones now boy” best part of the episode fight me

ACTUAL PLOT lol

I’m calling it now FANGS IS NOT SAVE SOMETHING’S GONNA HAPPEN TO HIM AND I WILL SUE JUGHEAD

And the most fucked up thing is that Jughead doesn’t even care he puts Fangs life into danger??? Wtf

You’re saying no one knows who Fangs Fogarty is or didn’t look him up? They don’t think a former Serpent member wanting to be in their inner circle sus?

The reaction of Fangs and Sweet Pea when they heard that he killed Joaquin 💖💕💘💗💓💞💖💗💘

So is THE GARGOYLE KING is really tall boy?

Okay hold on hold on JUGHEAD, wtf??? Baiting Archie to Hiram is so messed up? And you’re talking about it like it is a fucking marvelous of a plan

No, you obviously have some PTSD Archie omg

Sweet Pea and Fangs killing someone accidentally is the funniest dumbest shit ever i love them

That scene was really good

Oh btw Jughead ‘no crimes’ Jones how do they have a gun honey?

“We’re gonna throw a party”

“Okay”

AND THAT’S HOW WE FIX EVERYTHING IN RIVERDALE

Jughead being calm like that worries me you are 16 year old boy trying to cover up a murder AGAIN like that’s his friday night plansWe’re welcoming Fangs but not Choni love that for you guys heheheh

HERMIONE AND HIRAM 

“Hiram no”

“Hmmmm”

Damnnnn sis i’m surprised Hermione

Hermione will have an alliance with FP/Fred (they are one) and

Veronica will have an alliance with Jughead/ Serpents

“That’s how i stay alive” ashhsjskskskal

Hermione and FP love that ally

NO CHONI THIS EPISODE  :(

Share your comments if you want cause idk what to think about the whole Reggie-Veronica- Archie thing 

[sweetblink]

Heart Like Yours (7)

Prologue, (1) , (2) , (3) , (4) , (5) , (6) , (8) , (9)

____________________________

Chapter 7

___________________

Loud pants and a desperate cry escaped Amethyst's lips as she sat right back up, finishing her sit ups. She let out a small whine as her body gave out on her and she laid there on the floor, breathing heavily as she mentally cursed herself for not keeping in shape.

"Sweetie, estas bien?" She heard her father say. (are you alright?)

Amethyst just let out a small whine and Jose opened her door. "I'd ask but no. Anyways, have you read the paper yet?" he asked her. Amethyst nodded at him and let out a small sigh.

"Si, lo acabo de leer." she replied. (Yes, I just read it.) "Are we gonna be safe?" she asked him.

It was no secret that the Black Hood was terrorizing Northside, but just yesterday night, Jughead texted them about the newspaper, and this morning everyone who lives in Riverdale got the paper, that the Black Hood was testing everyone, that he had given a test that within the 24 hours no one was to sin.

That alone made everyone in Southside High for once look and act like a normal high school and not a war zone between two rival gangs.

Jose frowned. "Why? As far as I noticed he's not targeting Southside."

Amethyst just shook her head. "Papa, what if he finds out, I figured out why the man killed that teacher in Greendale. She was sleeping with a student in Riverdale High." she explained.

Jose just stared at his daughter and then let out a small sigh. "Fine, what do you want to do?"

"Let me join the Serpents, it's within the Serpent law protect on of their own, I can use that, and we have the Turner Twins, they'll be warned about protecting me. We're not risking anything, Carlos is almost coming home, people are buying my story about mom, which even if we're not on talking terms, we need this to end perfectly."

He nodded. "I've been talking to your mom, there's been whispering about Hiram making plans." Jose said.

Amethyst just frowned. "Plans? What kind of plans? And what do you mean you're talking to mom now, I thought you guys were on non talking grounds."

Before he can reply, the downstairs bell rang and the both sobered up quickly. Jose turned to his daughter. "We'll talk about this more later, and for now just tell the gang about your plans on joining the Serpents, I'll text the Turners to keep an eye out, and I'll talk to your mother, and find out more these things Lodge is planning."

Amethyst nodded and left to go take a quick shower, she can hear the voices of her friends downstairs, so she quickly got out of showering, changed into a cute black, off the shoulder, long sleeve romper, she paired it up with thigh high black socks with white lace on the thigh, and her spiked heel booties.

Grabbing her things, and phone she made her way out towards the kitchen. "Buenos dias." she greeted, entering the room.

Sweet Pea looked and felt his heart start to race a bit, Toni let out a wolf whistle and Fangs just smirked, Jughead and Betty had also join them. "Damn ma, you look smoking hot today." Toni greeted.

Amethyst just laughed and shook her head. "You're too much." she told her, hugging her, she kissed her cheek, and moved over to Fangs twirled her around and then managed to dip her. Amethyst just giggled, when Fangs brought her back up, she twirled her even more, but towards to Sweet Pea. She let out a small oomf, as she collided against his chest.

"Papas." she breathed out, smiling up at him.

Sweet Pea smiled down at her. "Hey there little elf, how's it going." he teased.

Amethyst smiled and glanced at his lips for a second and then up at his eyes, she blushed a little. "Bien. I'm good." she breathed out. Sweet Pea smiled and leaned down to peck her cheeks. Jughead let out a small snort, and then a small grunt.

Amethyst turned and saw Jughead and Betty sitting there together. "Betty!" She exclaimed, Sweet Pea let her go and she stumbled over to Betty, she hugged the blonde tightly. "It's good to see you here."

"It's good to see you as well." Betty greeted. Amethyst pulled away and hugged Jughead.

"Hola Jug. Are you guys gonna stay for breakfast? Mi Papa makes the best pancakes ever." Amethyst said. She watched as they all shared a look a shrug.

"Well can we take it on the go? Gotta drop off Betty at school." Jug replied. Amethyst smiled and nodded.

"Of course." Amethyst replied, making her way over to start on the plate, Jose also helped out, staring at Sweet Pea to see what was up. "So guys, is the offer for me to join you guys still on the table?" she asked.

They all looked up a her. "Wait, you mean joining the Serpents?" Fangs asked. Amethyst nodded.

"I don't see why not." Jose spoke up. "She has my permission."

Toni began to smile and let out a small squeal. "Oh my god, yes!"

Sweet Pea smiled at her and nodded, Fangs just clapped, and everyone turned to Jughead. "Well, if this is that you really want, Ams, then we'll prep to initiate you, and if your dad is alright with it, then we'll get everything prepare by tomorrow."

Amethyst turned to her dad and he nodded, she smiled, turning back she nodded. "Estoy lista." (I'm ready)

Jughead smiled and nodded, everyone went back to what they were doing, but Amethyst noticed Jughead tense up as he checked his phone. She looked away just as he looked up. "Well, I better get going, gotta take this one to school." he said, playfully nudging Betty. She let out a small giggle.

Amethyst gave them a plate of breakfast and smiled. "Fine, but you have to bring her here more often Jug, I'm trying to be her best friend." she teased. Betty just laughed and went to hug her again.

"You can always come and steal me away." Betty suggested.

Amethyst beamed and nodded. "Of course I will, just hit it my phone up and I'll steal you away." you told her.

"Can I have my girlfriend back? I need to get her to school before her mother castrates me." Jughead said. Amethyst pouted but let Betty go. She walked them out to the door and watched them leave, waving once more as they took off.

Sighing her smile dropped and rubbed her temples. "I'm heading off, I'll call you later alright, honey?" her dad said. Amethyst watched him and he signaled her for later, she nodded ad left to join the others.

"So you guys read the paper yet?" Toni asked, Amethyst sat next to her and prepared her own plate of breakfast.

"Yeah." Fangs replied nodding. "You think he'd attack us kids at Southside?"

Toni shrugged. "I don't know, but we're not risking it so, Jughead warned us all that we're to go in groups, just to be cautious."

"This is all insane." Amethyst pouted, as she ate. She reached over to her bowls of strawberries and angrily munched on it.

"You know you look cute, angrily eating your strawberries." Sweet Pea told her. Amethyst just blushed a little and smiled up at Sweet Pea.

"I look cute doing anything." She flirted back.

Toni and Fangs watched the both of them flirt back and forth, smiling at them both. "It's cute watching you both just flirt, like an old couple." Fangs teased.

Amethyst and Sweet Pea blushed but laughed at what he had said, but said nothing. "Anyways, we gotta go, we have school." Amethyst told them all.

Toni nodded and took her plate over to the wash, while Fangs pouted and began to eat his breakfast a little more faster, Sweet Pea just chuckled and continued to eat his breakfast with a slower pace that Fangs.

"So what are you gonna wear for your Serpent Dance?" Toni asked, turning to her now.

Amethyst just gave a small smirk. "I don't know, but I will have my signature stockings."

Sweet Pea smirked. "I'm looking forward to it." he said as he took a drink of his water.

Amethyst turned to him and gave him a very seductive smile. "Of course you are, after all it's specially dedicated to you." she purred. Sweet Pea began to choke on his water, he started to cough harshly, Fangs moved to help him, while Toni and Amethyst both started to laugh.

Toni gave her a high five. "Oh that was a good one." Amethyst nodded and smiled as Sweet Pea finally managed to calm down.

"Jesus Christ, Amethyst." Sweet Pea coughed out.

"What? I didn't do anything." She said, shrugging as if she were innocent. Sweet Pea just sent her a small glare. "Anyways, are we ready to go, or que?"

Fangs just let out a small whine and Amethyst rolled her eyes. "I'm not done yet."

"Take the damn plate." Amethyst told him, as she gathered her things, Fangs just smiled and grabbed his plate and started to make is way out.

"I swear it feels like we have a child." Toni muttered as she got the driver seat of his truck.

Amethyst just giggled and shook her head. Toni and Fangs both took off on Fangs' truck, and she was left behind with Sweet Pea. She was making her way towards her car, when she noticed a figure, she frowned and she squinted a bit, she let out a small gasp and her heart began to pound.

"Ams, you alright?" Sweet Pea asked. She turned to him and gave him a smile.

"Of course, just I thought I saw something, I stayed up late watching scary movies." she laughed. Sweet Pea just nodded and got off his bike.

"I'm riding with you, I'm leaving the bike here, is that cool?"

Amethyst nodded. "Sure, but I'm driving." she replied, smirking. Sweet Pea just chuckled and got to work on chaining his bike, Amethyst looked back and noticed the figure was gone, she let out a small shaky breath and shook her head.

"Ready to go?" Sweet Pea asked.

Amethyst faked a smile and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

*******************

"Not gonna lie, this is more scarier that the Black Hood haunting every sinner, right now." Toni commented, watching everyone scattering to their class, as her and Amethyst calmly walked to their next class.

Amethyst just snorted. "You can say that again, I mean I know I've been here only for a few, pero like, Southside High is finally acting like a normal high school."

Toni chuckled and shook her head. "Well anyways, I'm heading to class, I'll see you at lunch?"

"Si, I'll see you at lunch." Amethyst replied, they waved each other goodbye and she continued walking, she felt her phone vibrate and she quickly got out of it from her backpack and checked the ID caller. She looked around and found an empty room and she quickly strode in, answering her phone. "Dad?"

"I got a bit more information. Hiram Lodge held some sort of business party just after you arrived, the same time I was gone." Jose began to explain.

Amethyst frowned, she was about to reply when she saw that it was the Turner Twins, enter the room. She smiled and held up a finger. "But why?"

"Mija, I gotta go, but ask around, ask about the Twilight Drive In." Jose said, and then hung up the phone, Amethyst just let out a small growl and turned to the twins.

"What did my father tell you guys to do?" Amethyst asked.

"To keep an eye on you." Eddie replied.

"Word is that you're joining the Serpents." Freddie said.

Amethyst nodded. "I'm not taking risks, we don't know if the Black Hood can strike us." the twins both nodded at her, and she let out a sigh. "Guys, what happened at the Twilight Drive In?" she asked.

"They sold it, supposedly it was bought but an anonymous payer." Eddie replied.

"But we started to investigate ourselves, that land was bought by the Lodges, with Hiram's money while he was still serving his time." Freddie added.

Amethyst started at the twins for a bit and nodded. "Did you guys by chance manage to sneak into that business party he held?" she asked.

"We did, but I guess one of the guests found out that we're Southside, because we got kicked out rather quickly." Freddie replied.

Amethyst just nodded. "Alright, hey by the way. Have any of you seen Jughead? I've been looking for him since I got here, and I haven't seen him." The twins shook their head and she let out a small curse. "Alright, I'm get going, I'll see you two around, alright?"

Amethyst made her way out the room and let out a small sigh. She looked around the empty halls and began to make her way out towards the girl's bathroom, when a voice stopped her.

"I've been looking for you."

Amethyst paused and turned to look up at Sweet Pea. "Well you found me."

"Yeah, where have you been?" he asked her.

"My dad called said, that he was coming home late." Amethyst pouted. Sweet Pea chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You seem off, you alright?" He asked her. Amethyst looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah, I have you to protect me." She teased. Sweet Pea chuckled and pulled her closer. "Although, have you seen Jughead? I noticed he was acting unusual before he left." she told him.

Sweet Pea frowned. "No, I haven't." Amethyst let out a small hum. "Anyways, what are you doing later on?"

Amethyst began to smile and turned to him. "Why Sweet Papas, are you asking me out on another date?" she teased.

Sweet Pea smirked. "Of course, get used to it. Cause I'm gonna randomly ask you out on dates."

Amethyst giggled. "Well, perhaps for our date, you can come over, I'll cook dinner for us and then we can just watch movies."

Sweet Pea thought about it and then nodded. "But I'm going to arrive early, I wanna help, with making dinner."

Amethyst smiled. "Bien romantico." she commented. (Very romantic)

Sweet Pea chuckled and the bell rung, he pulled her closer and made her walk in front of him, with his hand on her waist, guiding her, pulling her away from certain ghoulies that were still around. Amethyst smiled and felt herself just be relaxed.

The morning flew by pretty quickly, and Amethyst was still seeking for Jughead, but he was never around. She frowned as she made her way towards lunch with the others right behind her. "Hey, where's Jughead?" Toni asked, as they walked towards the caged tables.

"I thought he was gonna be here today, you don't think he's holed up at Riverdale High?" Fangs added. Toni shrugged, and walked away to get her food. Amethyst just frowned and then looked down at her phone to check.

"So this is the infamous Amethyst we heard so much about."

Amethyst turned and noticed that it was another of the of the people she knew, Raj Patel. She gave him small smile and noticed as the Turner Twins also made their way towards them as well. So word has gotten around.

"Hey, I'm Amethyst, Raj, right?" She asked, Raj smiled and nodded. "Yeah, my dad told me that you once helped him direct a small commercial of his mechanic workshop."

Raj smiled. "Yeah, nice to finally meet you." Amethyst smiled back at him and nodded, the Turner Twins and Raj just signaled her understood as they walked away and sat on the other tables.

"It's good that some Serpents are beginning to meet you. It would work being friends for when you get initiated." Fangs commented. Amethyst looked at him and smiled.

"You think?" She asked, Fangs and Sweet Pea just nodded and she smiled. "That's good." She looked back to the three and she winked at them. The three smirked and turned to talk to the rest of their friends.

Amethyst turned back and she felt herself smile a bit, things were going as planned. She looked at Sweet Pea who was in a heated debate with Fangs, and then looked over at Toni, who was walking back, if all things go well, and she trusts them enough, she'd tell them the truth.

*************************

Amethyst was finishing setting up the living room when the doorbell rang, she smiled and walked over to the door. "Papas!" she smiled, as she opened the door. Sweet Pea smiled and leaned down to press a kiss on her cheek.

"Hey there, I'm here to get our date started." Sweet Pea told her. Amethyst smiled and stepped aside to let her in.

"I can see that." Amethyst teased, she closed the door and turned to him, but Sweet Pea surprised her a small bouquet flower. She looked up at him, and accepted it. "Flores?" she asked in awe. (Flowers).

Sweet Pea smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I was in the mood to be very romantic."

Amethyst let out a small giggle and hugged the bouquet to her. "I love it Pea." she breathed out. "Gracias." Sweet Pea just smiled, and gave her a small shrug. "C'mon, let's get cooking, I want to cook us a very Mexican traditional plate."

"Before we do that, is it going to be like very spicy? Cause let me tell you, Fangs' abuela loves spicy food, and my stomach can't handle that." Sweet Pea warned.

Amethyst just began laughing and shook her head. "Don't worry, we'll make food, that's not that spicy." she assured him. Sweet Pea just nodded and clapped his hand.

"Alright, let's begin our date then." Pea said. Amethyst just smiled and led him to the kitchen.

"So what are we going to make?"

"Well, I was thinking, making tacos, of fajita mixed with a bit of chicken, and steak." Amethyst replied. "And make a small side dish I like to call a botana, and of course, rice and beans."

Sweet Pea smiled and nodded. "Everything sounds good, let's get started." Amethyst smiled and got everything out, and got out all the pans that was needed.

For the next hour or so, Amethyst, guided and helped Sweet Pea, cook simple foods and explained what everything was. Sweet Pea would occasionally, would stand behind Amethyst, and tease her, while watching at how fast she chopped things.

After a while Sweet Pea just sat down and watched as Amethyst played loud music in the kitchen and cooked, smiling wide. "You look so damn adorable, right about now." he told her. Amethyst just laughed and shook her head.

"Are you sure you're just saying that because I'm cooking you food, while you just stare?" Amethyst teased. Sweet Pea chuckled.

Suddenly a loud crash was heard outside, and Amethyst froze, Sweet Pea looked at her confused, and quickly Amethyst turned off all the stove, and rushed to turn off the lights in the kitchen. "My dad isn't supposed to be home tonight, whoever is outisde is someone I may not know."

Another loud bang followed by things falling were heard a bit closer. Sweet Pea crouched and grabbed Amethyst waist. A loud banging come on the door, and Ameythst jumped, Sweet Pea quickly grabbed out his knife while she grabbed the biggest knife she had on the table.

He began to lead Amethyst towards the hallway, and she stayed stuck close to him. "I want you to head to your room and stay there, alright?" he whispered.

"Are you crazy, I'm not leaving you alone down here." Amethyst whispered back furiously.

"Ams, we don't know what's out there. Go to your room and stay there." Sweet Pea told her.

Amethyst shook her head. "No, I can't. I'm not leaving you here."

Just as Sweet Pea was about to reply back, and loud scream was heard followed by an "Oh shit." Amethyst fronwed.

"I recongize that voice." Amethyst whispered, as she began waling towards the door, but Sweet Pea stops her.

"Nuh uh, you're staying right behind me, just in case." Sweet Pea told her. Amethyst just smiled at him.

"You're so hot when you're being protective, and trying to keep me safe." she teased. Sweet Pea began to smile, Amethyst let out a small giggle and pressed herself against his back as they quietly walked towards the door.  

"Oh crap, not my baby." the same voice said again. Amethyst heart began to pound, slowly Sweet Pea opened the door.

"You have five seconds to say who the hell you are, and why you're here." Sweet Pea snarled in a dark low voice.

The figure froze for a minute, and slowly turned around, Amethyst let out a huge gasp when the figure showed himself. He looked over at Amethyst, and smiled widely. "Hey, baby girl."

_________________________

Sorry for the late update! I’m posting H.Y.L casting soon.  

_________________________

SP & Amethyst insta. 

_________________________

Taggings: 

@fruiterias

@raisarabella 

@maryosprinkle

@swordsandserpents 

@riverdale-enthusiastt

@riverdale-enthusiastt-backup

@its-sweetpea 

@chaarrlieeeeee 

@broitsmydick 

@serpentinexqueen

[floggingink]

Riverdale, “Chapter Nineteen: Death Proof”

Death Proof is a great movie. there’s one man in it and he gets Pussycatted at the end. Vanessa Ferlito gives a lap dance. Zoё Bell’s abs have a starring role

Jughead is a Serpent now, so it must follow that he’s taking care of Hotdog voluntarily

did he take the couch? Jug took the couch. he’s writing again, so he’s got his groove back via an emotional plateau/Toni

Betty hung up and was like, Shit. SHIT!

Nick has a knife for...protection? cocktail garnishes?

Mrs. St. Clair seems thrilled to meet Betty and then not at all surprised that Nick has charges brought against him, the ennui of the ruling class

Betty gets a free pass for her suspicious appearance at the apartment for just having been that much of a pain to Sheriff Keller by now

I liked Betty’s tone of disappointed confusion when she says “You didn’t kill him.”

I don’t like BH talking about “nakedness” in any context, no matter who he turns out to be

I want to say those are Veronica’s shimmery blue pajamas?

Penelope’s icy disregard reverts Cheryl back to calling her “mommy,” which I think is like Cheryl’s PR thing? Cheryl continues to be fascinating. she’s called Penelope “mother,” hasn’t she? it’s all about context. it’s all about context with Cheryl

Jughead eats: at breakfast with Jug, Toni daintily eats fruit out of a parfait cup, like Veronica

Toni’s uncle locks her out of his house, so there’s that. the Serpents don’t have somewhere for her to sleep?

Jughead was honestly about to be like “Last night was…[fun/amazing, similar],” because that’s what people do in Bridget Jones and he’s flying without a net here

Every triangle has three corners, every triangle has three sides: in a remarkable turn, Toni puts an end to the whole affair, because she has better things to do (girls), which is a stress off everyone’s shoulders

Jughead’s “not over Betty” because it was like six hours ago?

also props for the classic bad girl-bisexuality revelation. it doesn’t get badder (it’s GOOD). this is PRECISELY what I want but now I want optical proof

Betty is done with the BH’s “Simon Says”

The Blossom spawn: “the people” at “the Farm” (CAPITALIZED in the closed captioning!) will help Polly “disappear” for while? I’m gonna need a Farm episode pronto. what the HELL is THE FARM

Archie checks up on Betty in the morning and takes care of her of best he can, because this is a Good Archie episode. Good Archie wants to know why Betty hasn’t fixed it with Veronica yet. Good Archie never lets you walk alone. Good Archie stops you from walking into your ex’s brunch

Certified pedigree: the sheer SPREAD of personalities at Alice’s living room shaming. the mayor and the sheriff and their felon children. BOTH Lodges showed up. can Fred handle any more disappointment? Reggie has a parent?? what’s next!!!

Nick’s party was “bacchanalian,” so it’s probably best Alice only saw Jughead’s birthday party from across the yard

Mädchen Amick, MÄDCHEN AMICK: “Except for my Betty”

I’VE HAD SOME WINE LET’S GET THIS BITCH DONE

SUCCUBUS VERONICA IS GREAT VERONICA. ARCHIE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT A SUCCUBUS IS

I relate to Kevin because “HASHTAG BUGHEAD IS NO MORE?” is coincidentally what I woke up screaming two Thursdays ago

Hiram says “ACID QUEEN ALICE” because there’s something in Riverdale’s water that just gives you that kind of inspiration!!!! apparently he knows some shit about her too!!! everybody’s parents seem to “know” about Alice. she’s got a lot of attitude for someone whose secrets EVERYONE KNOWS

—just like Betty!

“The Southside is the source of all our problems.” HOW’S THAT, HIRAM? because your northside succubus children were the ones who tossed it back like green apple sugar powder in a Baby Bottle Pop

Archie’s 180 with “Not all Serpents are dealers” is the kind of whiplash Archie is capable of. he knows he fucking broke up with his boy. fucking fix it with Jughead you twit before he gets a bigger tattoo

The 2001 Josie and the Pussycats movie was a masterpiece: Josie was SO HOPING she would get out of there with plausible deniability!

Jughead is like NODDING ALONG with every word Mr. Phillips reads, waiting to be abandoned

I’m writing a scene where it’s gay.: JUG LEAVES THE INSTANT HE GETS A CAPSLOCK TEXT FROM THE BOY HE LOVES

he interrupts a totally warranted scolding from his beloved English teacher to PROBABLY get reamed again by Archie, but he CAN’T RESIST WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN

Archie coming to get Jughead is probably Archie’s “WHAT’S UP IS I SAW YOU, ARCHIE” moment. it’s not equivalent but rather proportional in that you know this is the best I could hope for from Archie, but also—I don’t want to shortchange him! he went to the scary school where everyone hates him, through the metal detectors (OR NOT!!!!!!), and stood dithering in the hallway until he saw his Jughead!!!!!!! HE CAME TO RESCUE JUGHEAD

this is a great example of Archie’s hands-on “justice,” which is sometimes more in quotes than other times, but he didn’t CALL Jughead, you know, he ran over there! fuck! FUCK! WHEN ARCHIE IS GOOD HE IS VERY VERY GOOD

Archie is like hauling him out by the fleece collar too, like Jug wants to get Toni, and Archie, his arms locked around Jughead’s waist, teenage boys scrambling

What damn high school in America: Sweet Pea punches the locker when he gets arrested, because of injustice

I think Veronica would have listened to Betty if Kevin had not interrupted!

“She’s not worth it” is way harsh, Tai, but Betty did seemingly attack her out of nowhere

anyway of course Betty answers the phone, because she’s stressed, down two friends, and doesn’t want to have done all that for no reason

the “Sugar Man”? the “Sugar Man”? SUGAR MAN

if one more person tells Jughead that the Serpents deal jingle-jangle, he’s going to absolutely blow a gasket

“Tall Boy wants to parley” is going to be a code sentence of mine for something. if we’re on the phone and it suddenly sounds like I’ve dropped it and you just hear “TALL BOY WANTS TO PARLEY!!!!,” the Winter Solider is there

Fifth period is AP English: Cheryl is sunbathing, in the shade, outside Thistle House reading Baudelaire because...it helps her feel calm…

Cheryl’s sheaths: I want to say those sick black sunglasses are Miu Mius

“Is there no memory, however traumatic, you won’t defile?” is an Alice-level read

oh, Fred would like to know how Jughead’s doing? ISN’T THAT NICE, YOU PRAWN

I’ve seen Brick like thirty times: Malachi’s House of the Dead is exactly what I wish I’d had the guts to make my dorm room look like, like all the cool lesbians’ rooms in the art majors’ dorm building, like the cellars of the Opéra Populaire but in the Strand

Gay?!: quick question: if Tall Boy weren’t here, would Malachi be fucking Jughead?

Cheryl had so seamlessly incorporated the Sugar Man into her emotional life as a first grader that she drew a family picture with him in it, like in Children of the Corn (her parents are two TINY stick figures in the background, it’s incredible)

is Sheriff Keller letting Betty have “one question” a red herring? asking for Jughead

the zoom in on Betty looking at Veronica and the cut to her audibly sipping on a milkshake is classic art

Veronica is right that Betty needs to “break up” with BH, but Betty’s Bettiness instead makes her want to “turn the tables on him”

HOW EASY WAS THIS CONVERSATION, BETTY. YOU COULD HAVE JUST TALKED TO THEM TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AGO

OH MY GOD! Jughead and Archie, together again, it’s been like THIRTY YEARS!!!!!

Archie knows why Jughead joined the Serpents, has learned some lessons maybe? (no)

the second god-blessed cut to Archie (in his letterman jacket) and Jughead (fleeced, his man-about-town look) with the prison phones to their ears

“SP-24601”: FP Jones played by Hugh Jackman would be a sight to behold

poor FP has lost everything except his honor and now he’s lost his SON. his hair is such a mess. he’s gotta SLAM THE PHONE

“Ghoulies dress like fops” is great

they drive hearses, like Claire Fisher

“RIVERDALE DRIFT”? Jughead did NOT watch that franchise? (Archie’s expression is fantastic)

FP’s like, I hate that you joined my gang, but now you’re going to break some laws for me

Penelope eats hard boiled eggs with toast soldiers

the Caravaggio reproduction I liked from the wake escaped the fire!

did Penelope know about the drugs? I thought she didn’t know but I guess just knew the Sugar Man was sketchy and avoided him for Legal Reasons

“I wouldn’t even go cruising here.”

Reggie DOES look good in the county’s blue vest

I hope the reason Betty’s avoiding talking to Jughead, LIKE ARCHIE KEEPS TELLING HER TO DO, is because it’s too important and she’s scared to see him

Veronica’s purple pumps

God bless jingle-jangle: Verne the JJ dealer is a cutie!

you know he’s a Ghoulie because he hand-stitched a leopard-print patch onto his studded sleeveless vest

Veronica was rich: $150 for two stix of the JJ??? this is how you know it’s the northside kids with the drug problems!

“Drugstore Cowboy”

Sexy, aesthetic Southside:  these angels hot glue the ends of the stripey jingle-jangle sticks, because it’s a family-owned business. I kind of love the Ghoulies? like I’d rather hang out at Malachi’s than the Whyte Wyrm from what I’ve seen so far, as long as I get my next tetanus shot first

Jughead calls Archie his “boy” to impress Malachi, Archie is wearing his Riverdale jacket probably without thinking about the political symbolism

I couldn’t believe Maggie Kiley had the audacity to stage the “Veronica/Betty?” “Archie/Jughead?” face-to-face, but she’s this season’s Lee Toland Krieger, she is an artist

Y’ALL REALLY GONNA TAKE JUGHEAD’S FIFTH HOME AWAY FROM HIM?

“SHARON”?????????

Cheryl’s red crop top and paisley trousers

“an unrepentant spore”

Penelope is Cheryl’s “cobra-like mother”

I swear Graham Phillips was darling on The Good Wife

Archie approached Reggie for the car and Betty approached Jughead about fixing it, and that’s that

Jughead consented to sulk next to her while she tuned it up, because he loves her but he’s mad

and it’s okay that he’s mad, for the record, because he’s been broken up with three times in two days

his voice cracks, preciously, when he’s like YEAH AND YOU BROKE UP WITH ME

I love how pissy and curt Jughead gets when he’s peeved. “You just called it a date.”

I’m curious about “You did the one thing that could hurt me.” EVERYTHING hurts Jughead

Betty’s in denim overalls and Jughead’s in a mechanic shirt for no reason except they’re next to cars

Cheryl is getting some grade-A maple syrup this episode! leveraging the St. Clairs’ check for dirt on the Sugar Man? GIRL

The female gaze: Veronica slept with Archie one last time because he literally might die today

aw, he’s proud of Veronica for her Ghoulie stunt

Hiram and Hermione are LITERALLY playing chess

OKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY WHEN VERONICA SAID “HE TRIED TO DO IT TO ME,” EVERYONE IN THE ROOM WATCHING WITH ME WHEN HIRAM LOOKED UP WAS LIKE OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!! I’M TELLING YOU!!!!!

Hiram is about to rip someone’s face off with his teeth and Hermione steps into frame and it rack focuses on her, GENIUS

These students are legally children: I want to say Tall Boy is the only adult at the race. the FP at Jughead’s party, if you will

Best costume bit: everyone of course looks fucking incredible at the race. the Ghoulies? slick and absurd dandies. Kevin’s powder blue bomber jacket? he’s not at Needle Park, and he’s cruising. Betty’s high-waisted post-WWII skinny Express trousers? she knows Jughead’s looking. Cheryl’s $1,000 leather jacket and Quentin Tarantino foot-fetish slingback? she knows I’m looking. and Jughead in all black? Jughead looks GREAT in leather. Betty, write this down

Fwoopy hair is the best hair: Betty’s bandana and ponytail

Please protect Betty: Veronica and Archie get to make out, while Betty and Jughead have to make do with Betty telling him she can never stop loving him and to drive good

Jughead doubts it: Jughead’s “You’re an enigma, Cooper” is the second-greatest thing he has ever said to her, after “That was haunting, Betty.”

so Jughead can drive? Jughead can drive STICK?

Toni and Sweet Pea got out on 1) lack of evidence or 2) Penny Peabody threatening someone

Gay.: Toni got a face full of Cheryl and she’ll be back. Toni, save Cheryl from the evils of this world

Cheryl’s a chaos angel from hell: Cheryl was ABSOLUTELY “born for this moment”

Sixth period is Intro to Film: I know this is Grease, and I can appreciate Jughead being the Danny Zuko of this moment, but I don’t want to forget the chicken run from Rebel Without a Cause, where Natalie Wood starts the race with only her elated sky-high jump and tiny 50’s waist

Jughead gives Cheryl a thumbs-up and Malachi makes the rock-and-roll index-and-pinky signal

Cheryl’s hair: God, the see-through scarf? her immaculate cutout shirt? her Jesus Christ Superstar heavenward arms? CHERYL WAS BORN FOR THIS MOMENT

I don’t think Jughead is shifting gears

BUT HE IS HAVING A GREAT TIME!

oh NOW you say “abort”

Archie > Dawson: TURNS OUT ARCHIE HAD A GREAT PLAN! WOWZERS

Jughead can drive very well, has very strong arms, and can run very fast. these things I didn’t know!

okay but the race is forfeit, right? buys them some time, maybe

Betty and Veronica watching Jughead go lite-ballistic from stress and Archie being like, Dude, dude, calm down, like something was not right with the world (Archie did a great job)

although Jughead is right that the power politics are complicated and everyone is in danger, although it was frankly that way before

I liked Archie using a chessboard analogue. Veronica is rubbing off on him

is Betty getting a ride home with Reggie? classic

“Careful you don’t get burned again.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Penelope’s left hand makes her so uncomfortable that she wears ONE leather glove

when one Sugar Man retires, another seamlessly takes his place, like the Dread Pirate Roberts

“Damn good coffee”: fucking correct me if I’m fucking wrong, but is that the nightmare painting hanging over the fucking fireplace?

Cheryl hands the check back over, because as you will remember Cheryl honors business deals, but Penelope decides to be “a mother”

Pop’s trademark blue purgatorial lighting bathes the girls in their plotting booth

The Blue & Gold is basically just Betty’s awesome blog at this point

her “Care to comment?” is WICKED though

Betty has resolved to find BH, which means he has about three episodes left. the Serpents should really start involving Betty in their maneuverings, as she is just as much a hereditary Serpent as Jughead and much more effectual 

50 Shades of Betty: SHE’S BREATHING DOWN HIS NECK AND SHE LOVES IT. this is her driving fast! they love danger!!!!!!

was Mr. Phillips protecting Jughead by telling him to stay away from the drug world??? (I mean obviously he was, but because Phillips was an insider and liked Jughead and didn’t want to have to kill him) or did he just not want Mini Woodward and Bernstein on the case?

he and Jughead make the exact same sort of grimly resolved/horrified eye contact, respectively, as FP and Jughead when FP got arrested last season

Toni TOTALLY knows this shattered something of Jughead’s Southside foundation. look at her little smile

Archie thinks his plan with the race backfired and he’s worried he’s losing Jughead, PUNKIN

Fred’s popping Chekhov’s Valiums, so he’s about to be addicted to drugs

I can’t even do it out here with the fucking Lodges sitting around their cream salon with Andre being like, the St. Clairs are dead or whatever, ma’am, and Hermione’s like, Thank you Andre, go get yourself something nice

Summer + Blair = Veronica: Veronica’s like, I HAVE HAD A STRESSFUL DAY AND IT MAKES ME FEEL POWERFUL

“CHECKMATE,” HIRAM? HIRAM, HAVE YOU MURDERED? DID YOU JUST MURDER?

Betty and Jughead I want to say are back together, but they did not kiss this episode, which means I have to start over with the tally marks on my wall

Betty’s reading The Silence of the Lambs, to better figure out what her game is going to be (Jughead had a copy)

Jughead looks over at her like, Damn. My girlfriend is fucking scary. I fucking love my girlfriend

SUGAR GETS GOT!!!!!!!! BODY COUNT OFFICIALLY TWO! he’s almost caught up to Hiram Lodge

NEXT WEEK: Sheriff Keller does me a solid and takes his shirt off

[bughead-is-riverdale]

Odd One Out Part 2 - Soulmate AU (Jughead x Reader)

Summary: After you find out that your soulmate has been intentionally hiding you connection for six years, you assume it’s because he doesn’t want you. Running away from the trailer park in distress, you find yourself on the Southside of Riverdale, in the heart of Serpent territory.

Approx. 1930 words

Part 1 here Part 3 here

“Ron...Ronnie? Pl... please can you come and pick me up?” you cried down the phone, your stammering the result of your erratic breathing. After your encounter with Jughead, your head had been clouded with too many emotions to focus on where you were running, you just wanted to get away from him, and now you found yourself wondering round a part of Riverdale that you had never set foot in before. You began to panic slightly as you guessed you were probably on the Southside, and consequently in Serpent territory.

“Y/N? What’s wrong? Of course I’ll come get you, where are you?” Veronica’s voice was laced with concern.

“I... I... I don’t know where I am” you wailed down the phone, the pitch of your voice rising in accordance with your panic. “I was at the trailer park and then... Ronnie I think I’m somewhere on the Southside.” Your voice wavered, you had the sudden sinking feeling that you might actually be in danger.

“Okay honey, look around and give me a street name, or the name of a shop and I’ll pop it into Google maps and be with you in no time.” Veronica’s voice was steady and calm, you almost laughed as you realised she sounded exactly like your mother. You looked around helplessly. The streetlamps were just beginning to glow as the darkness of evening etched across the sky like spilled ink. You shivered as you realised that you hadn’t seen the sun set and suddenly felt even more vulnerable in the ever-growing darkness.

“Uhh –” you narrowed your eyes as you tried to read the name of the bar across the street from you through the persistently pouring rain. “I’m next to a bar called the Whyte Wyrm.” You heard Veronica inhale sharply and correctly suspected that you were right in the heart of Serpent territory.

“Don’t go anywhere; I’m coming to get you right now.” Veronica’s calm tone faltered slightly. You heard the screech of tyres down the phone just before Veronica hung up and felt comforted knowing that, at the speed Veronica usually drove, she was probably only five minutes away in any direction.

As you slid your phone into your pocket and looked around, your heart quickened as you realised that you were no longer alone on the street; a young man had just exited the bar across the road. He was clearly not the kind of person you should be alone with; you eyed his leather jacket nervously and suspected that he was probably a member of the Southside Serpents. His arms were more ink than skin, gang-like tattoos were etched all over his arms and neck, and his brown hair was so closely cropped that from a distance you had mistaken him for being bald. As you watched his gaze settle on you, an amused smirk flickering across his previously hardened expression, you decided to busy yourself with your phone again and pretended to be texting someone, hoping that he would lose interest and leave you alone. You were wrong.

“Hey sweetheart, you lost?” he hollered at you from across the road. You pretended that you hadn’t heard him and continued scrolling through your phone. You gasped as you felt someone touch your back, spinning around to see another guy in a leather jacket just behind you, grinning wickedly. The smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke hit you like a brick wall and you looked around the street quickly, noticing that two more guys had appeared from the shadows of the pub. The four guys had made a wide circle around you now, cutting you off from every direction like a trapped animal, you gulped. “You didn’t answer my question” the guy, who you suspected was the ringleader, purred again. “What is a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?” His tone was verging on threatening, dragging out his words like a predator playing with its pray.

“I’m just waiting for my friend, she is coming to pick me up” you said evenly, trying to sound confident, but your nervous glance up and down the road betrayed your words. The men laughed.

“You don’t seem so sure about that, babe” another guy sniggered as he reached out and tried to grab you by the arm. At that moment Veronica’s black Mercedes screeched around the corner and stopped abruptly next to you on the road, the guys around you backed off slightly.

“Y/N get inside the car now” Veronica demanded, the driver’s window rolling down so you could see her furious expression. Noticing that the driver of the car was a woman, the guys scoffed and regained their gang-like exterior, their momentary surprise vanishing. The same guy reached for you again, but you wriggled out of his grasp and scrambled into the car. “Touch her again and I swear to God I will have each and every one of you shot” Veronica hissed, eying the group of men with a seething expression.

“And how are you going to do that honey?” one of them teased.

“Oh it is quite within my power, my father is Hiram Lodge after all” Veronica’s eyes glinted with amusement as she watched the men’s expressions change from arrogance to pure fear. Before they had the chance to utter another syllable however, Veronica had already sped off down the street, taking you in the direction of her place on the wealthier side of town.

Veronica didn’t say anything about what had just happened, or why you were in the Southside, or even why you had been so upset on the phone on the whole journey back to her house. In fact, her silence was unnerving you. You had always relied on her to fill your life with constant chatter and buzz; you suspected that the fact that she wasn’t doing that meant she had been really shaken up by the whole ordeal. As strong as she seemed, even Veronica Lodge got scared sometimes. It wasn’t until you had showered and changed into a pair of Veronica’s satin pyjamas that she asked you what had happened.

“Talk” she demanded, handing you a glass of wine and patting the spot next to her on her luxurious king-sized bed. You paused, unable to figure out where to begin.

“I found my soulmate – ”you began.

“You found your soulmate?” Veronica’s eyes lit up with excitement and she clapped her hands like a child. “Wait” she stopped, “it wasn’t one of those gang-members was it? Because I was really not getting the soulmate vibe...”

“No definitely not” you reassured her, “my soulmate is Jughead.”

“Jughead? Oh my God!” Veronica squealed, “that’s amazing! Wait, why aren’t you excited? I thought you liked Jughead?” her confusion was obvious, she couldn’t understand why you looked so crestfallen, you had always wanted a soulmate after all.

“He doesn’t want me” you mumbled, “he has known for six years that we were soulmates and he hid it from me all this time because he doesn’t want me.” The tears that you had tried to suppress itched in the corners of your eyes once more, threatening to escape.

“That selfish bastard” Veronica growled, “how can you not want your soulmate? God, that boy loves to be melodramatic.”

“Melodramatic?” you frowned slightly, confused by Veronica’s view of the situation.

“Yes, Jughead is the brooding type who doesn’t know what’s good for him. And we are going to show him exactly what he is missing out on.” You narrowed your eyes at your best friend, she was smiling at you innocently but the glint in her eye betrayed her.

“And how are we going to do that?” you asked sceptically. Veronica laughed as she disappeared into her walk-in wardrobe. She appeared a couple of minutes later with a black-lace mini dress and a pair of dangerously high stiletto heels. Handing them to you, she wiggled her eyebrows comically at your bewildered expression.

“It’s still your birthday, and I’m taking you clubbing!”

You held your breath as the security guard examined both you and Veronica’s fake IDs. Unsurprisingly, he lets you in without a blink, a present from Veronica’s dad; they were probably the best fake IDs that money could buy after all. Once you were both inside, your eyes had to adjust to the darkness, as well as the bewildering strobe of multicoloured lights on the dance floor. The club was crowded; people packed together, the smell of sweat and alcohol like a haze in the air. You already felt tipsy, the bottle of wine and vodka shots that you drank with Veronica before heading out had taken effect almost immediately and you had the sudden urge to giggle. The alcohol had given you a new air of confidence as well, your heavy makeup and unfamiliar outfit seemed to mould you into a new identity, and you could forget about everything for once and just have fun. Veronica pulled you over to the bar and slammed down a fifty-dollar bill on the counter.

“Eight tequila shots if you please, you can keep the change.” She winked at the attractive bartender and he grinned widely at her, glancing down at her tight-fitting dress as he grabbed a bottle of tequila, a salt shaker, and eight lime wedges from under the counter.

“How do you do that Ronnie?” you asked, four shots later.

“Do what?”

“Flirt so successfully” you giggled, “I’m sure guys would run for miles if I did.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Y/N, it’s all about confidence. And I can assure you, in that dress, you could flirt with any man here, they’ll practically fall at your feet.” Handing you yet another tequila shot, which you downed willingly, she grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the dance floor. You both danced for what felt like hours, taking regular breaks to buy more drinks, but by the time it reached closing at 3:30am everyone had been kicked out of the club, and you and Veronica found yourselves giggling on the street outside, completely intoxicated. Veronica phoned Archie, who had agreed to pick you up, and within five minutes his truck had pulled up next to you. You giggling stopped immediately however when a familiar figure jumped out of the passenger side of the vehicle.

“Y/N? Are you drunk?” Jughead demanded, clearly disapproving of your illegal activity. Under normal circumstances, you would probably have something witty to say, but your intoxicated brain just forced you into fits of giggles again.

“Yes Juggie!”you squealed, “and you can’t do anything about it” your voice slurred slightly and you poked him playfully in the chest. “I even danced with some random guys! I didn’t think you would mind though, I mean, just because my soulmate doesn’t want me doesn’t mean I’m repulsive to the whole male population, right?” Jughead was staring at you in utter shock, his lips parted and his eyes conveying concern for your intoxicated state. You began giggling again, but your laughter quickly broke into sobs and the tears that you had kept at bay all night finally blurred your vision and smudged your mascara. Jughead took a step towards you cautiously, his arms outstretched.

“Y/N, I can’t take you home like this.” His voice was calm but also guarded, like he was scared of rejection, or maybe he was just scared of the state you had gotten yourself into. You inhaled deeply, catching the familiar scent of him in the light breeze, he smelt like coffee and mint. That was the last thing you remembered before you passed out.

TAGLIST: @kelly27crickett @cjhorseback @rory-is-in-ravenclaw@littlefearsdoodles @happyyjensen @dr-tardis-who

[lostinafictionaluniverse]

Riverdale 1x12 thoughts

It took days for me to finish this, I wondered if I would in time, so I rushed it somewhat towards the end. Under the cut, so as not to clutter up your dash

So the episode of the big reveal finally! It did feel deflating to me, so many of the theories I’d read (and come up with) seemed more shocking and chilling than this.

But moving on -

When Archie and Ronnie first tell Betty about not finding the gun in FPs trailer, she’s not so quick to believe them. Perhaps she’s afraid to hope? Just like Juggie? Eventually she comes around. It’s telling how Archie is the only one who wants to go to their parents with this piece of information. It speaks volumes about the trust he shares with Fred. The other two are reluctant and understandably so. I wonder if that trust between Archie and Fred will take a beating in the finale? With some of Fred’s secrets revealed?

Anyway, the adults react predictably. Fred nodding at what Mary was saying before she even got to her point was hilarious.

Betty and Archie deciding to go together to look for their best friend/ boyfriend was a sweet throwback to the pilot and them being BFFs and constantly texting each other. I like Archie much better when he’s being a friend than a boyfriend.

The scene at the bus-stop was a heart-breaker. Gladys, idk what your reasons are, but when your boy calls you in the middle of the night saying in that broken voice that he wants to come visit, you fucking let him! Idk how long it’s been since Gladys left FP and Juggie left home though. It must’ve been a while since he saw them? Did he never used to visit his grandparents when he was younger? What really went down when Gladys left FP? What made Juggie decide to stay? His love for Riverdale? Or his faith in his dad? I really need these answers. To think Juggie wanted so badly to get away he was willing to take the first bus to anyplace without a plan to what he would do when he gets there.  This seems like he was escaping. But Juggie doesn’t run away from his problems. I think he just went through some moments of extreme despair when he felt like the whole world was against him and he didn’t want to be around anyone who was familiar with his situation. Common sense still prevailed though and he headed off to Pop’s when the lobby closed. Juggie is nothing if not clear headed, even in a desperate moment.

Archie puts two and two together and decides Juggie wanted to go to Ohio. Betty totally understands his actions – the only friends he has completely betrayed him. Archie, you better admit you fucked your friend over! He doesn’t really own up to his actions, does he? Even when they find him, it’s Betty who says sorry. He just says - We all screwed up (Betty wasn’t part of it though!) and then immediately that something good came of it. Like it didn’t matter what they did, because they were gonna save FP. I get his intentions were pure, to protect Jughead, but that doesn’t make what he did okay. That’s the difference between intent and impact I guess.

Now we come to FP’s story and I’m pretty conflicted about how much of it is true. First, if Jason was so against his dad’s drug dealing business and that’s the reason he decided to run away, it seems pretty weird to me that he would seek out FP and agree to deal the very thing he’d ditched his family for. I know it was a one off job, he needed the cash to set up him and Polly, but still weird. So was FP lying to Keller? Did Jason actually approach him to seek his help to expose his dad? And were the drugs actually Cliff’s that he was going to drive upstate to a higher authority (everyone knows the Blossoms had Keller in their pocket)? Also why would Jason tell FP his entire plan about Cheryl rowing him across the river and him pretending to be dead unless he trusted him a little? And Jason would’ve trusted FP if he thought they were on the same side.  

FP confessed to stealing the files which we know Hal did. What if he lied about everything else too? Sidenote: I do think all the scenes we were shown in flashback were actually what happened. FP torching the car, FP stashing the body in the freezer – the last one was corroborated by Joaquin as well, so FP is definitely an accomplice if nothing else, and hiding felony is obstruction of justice. I really want to know that all those FB scenes were what actually happened though. Still doesn’t prove he wasn’t helping Jason expose his dad though, we didn’t hear that conversation between him and Jason, because we never get to hear Jason talk.

Polly suspected Cliff from the beginning, did Jason hint at something to her? Did he say he wanted them to run off together because his family was against them being together, same as hers? Or did he hint there was something more sinister in the offing. Seriously though, how could Hal and Alice put Polly through all that just because they were third cousins? And Alice didn’t even know! So she was going along with Hal’s plan just because of personal vendetta? How petty could you get Alice? Lying to Betty, lying to Polly, keeping her trapped in that place, not letting Betty visit her – so extreme!

Keller letting Cliff meet and be alone with FP? What police officer does that? Of course this means the Blossoms have him firmly under their thumb.

OMG- why is Ronnie so convinced that Hiram had something to do with this? She thinks he hired someone else to plant the gun now? Archie and Ronnie holding hands under the table was sweet, but why are they still keeping their relationship a secret? Possibly because it’s not the right time for it I guess. Still it was a supportive Archie moment and that’s always good.

I didn’t realize Kevin was so high on morality quotient, Juggie is at the station being grilled by Keller AGAIN??? I mean once was bad enough, how does Keller get away with talking to minors without an adult present? And Kevin thinks that’s okay? Really? And then when Betty brings up Joaquin, he’s immediately all – don’t bring my boyfriend into this! He knows Joaquin is a Serpent and that Serpents do shady things and he won’t even consider that he may be involved? But he’s so ready to believe in FPs guilt. I love how Betty doesn’t even care that FP confessed, she’s just convinced there’s more to it than that. I love determined, badass Betty!

Juggie walks in to apologize to Cheryl and oh my God, it takes so much fucking courage to do this? In front of the whole crowd? I think he kinda anticipated her reaction, he feels shitty about what his dad did so he’s taking the beating in place of FP.  Juggie taking responsibility for FP when FP never did for him is all kinds of fucked up. He doesn’t owe FP shit. He doesn’t owe Cheryl shit. Yet he apologized. His voice broke me. This boy is such a fucking gem.

Betty meeting Cheryl at the lockers was her explaining Juggie, but also being understanding of what Cheryl was going through, and Betty is so good to do this.  Cheryl was in grief yes, but saying barely touched him? Juggie had a cut on his lip! Archie is so useless at defending Juggie but at least he tried. Don’t know who’s a bigger dick – Weatherbee or Keller. I get why Juggie is so upset and why he isn’t in the mood to believe in his dad’s innocence. He’s not in a great place. He’s been asked all kind of probing questions by unsympathetic dickheads and just been pummelled by Cheryl for being her brother’s murderer’s son. Plus he hasn’t slept all night. He must be such a mess and unable to think rationally. He’s angry -of course he is -and tired, who can blame him for venting it out on his dad? But that line- I’ve been waiting my whole life for that man to do the right thing- broke me. And made me angry at FP all over again for putting Juggie through that emotional rollercoaster.

Weatherbee is a dick – concerned for Jughead’s safety my ass, immediately after he’s worried about other students reaction to it. Archie was defending his bro, and I loved it. Fred was looking out for Archie and that is his job as a dad, but couldn’t he see that Jughead isn’t to blame for his dad’s actions? Okay, becoming his guardian was a bit much and Archie was pushing, but Fred’s – trouble seem to follow the Joneses” was unnecessarily harsh. Not done. Fred! That look Archie gave him when Juggie said he’s sleep in the garage said it all!

Okay, so now onto the big reveal Coopers = Blossoms, I have just this to say, I don’t know why this is such a big deal and Hal, why couldn’t you just tell Polly if you thought it was??? The Coopers immediately think the Blossoms would be even more deranged than Hal when it came to third cousins dating but it actually wasn’t the case? OMG that scene was so OTT and hilarious and so Riverdale! Alice and her witching references and Dr Moreau experimentation and Penelope’s utterly cracked line about nothing being more purely Blossom than those babies. I swear I was Polly in that scene, her face was my face! And Hal going – what is wrong with you people! And Penelope with her crazy eyes! OMG- such drama! Juggie would’ve loved to witness it! Sidenote: Cheryl looked truly heartbroken that Polly left – remember her immediately holding Polly saying she’s not going anywhere? Madelaine killed it in every scene this episode. She brings out Cheryl’s conflict so well.

Mary tells them that FPs one phone call was to Joaquin. Juggie’s quip even in the most despondent of times – at least he’s honest murderer - that’s his armour, to hide his pain, by making those sardonic quips. My heart hurts

And in the next scene it literally ached. Skeet and Cole killed it. Oh god, the pain in FPs eyes when Juggie was recounting his feelings. And the hurt in Juggie’s voice when he talked about how his hopes came crashing down!

-          You paid attention to me

-          I was so happy for the first time in so long

And then FP with the Never come back here and Juggie turning around to look at him for the longest time. My God I was shook. They have the most intense chemistry, so much was flowing between them in that scene without exchanging a single word. And then – Got it. It was like some secret father-son code exchange that happened, that we were privy to, but didn’t understand until later when Juggie called Betty to tell her he knew his dad was hiding something.

So I’m assuming this part of FPs story is true because it’s being told by Joaquin as well. Obstruction of justice is an offence, though I’m not sure perjury counts because he wasn’t actually lying under oath.

I assume that shot of FP reaching something with a cloth in his hand is actually him covering the camera? The same one that recorded Cliff shooting Jason?

Kevin being all shocked at Joaquin and calling him a criminal- I was like, dude-  did you not know who you were dating? He’s a Serpent for Chrissake!

Ronnie now begins to annoy me with her obsession with her dad being in the middle of everything. Why?

Okay when Juggie calls Betty from I assume the station his eyes follow a man in a hat who’s walking away with something (a file?) under his arm. Is this supposed to be significant?

So Mustang is dead. Was it an overdose or did Cliff kill him? Because he was blackmailing him? Also the bag they found was similar to the one Hermione gave to the Mayor. So how did it come to be with Mustang? Is she mixed up in this too?

Is Archie actually crying when Fred tells him in the car that he’s trying to protect him and doing his job bcos it’s the only one that counts?

I maybe dim but what happened that made Hermione break down like that? Was she surprised the bag was found next to a murdered man? Did she think Hiram was responsible for killing Mustang? Or Jason? Or both? Or was she just worried for Ronnie and what her snooping is leading to? Is she just now realizing what a dangerous man she’s married to?

Now this is what I mean by deus ex machinas in this episode, just conevenient little coincidences that happen and just everything leads neatly to the murderer? Like Joaquin suddenly deciding to tell Kevin about the bag he’d stashed away? Or that FP had a recording of the murder that he saved on a USB? Or that Betty had a brainwave that told her something was missing? – okay maybe that last one was logical reasoning because why would a jacket be so precious that he had to hide it away? Still, the whole lead up to the reveal felt pretty – unsatisfactory?

Okay, Betty says who’s he protecting and the shot shifts to Penelope. I must admit for a moment I thought it might be her. But really she knew too much about her husband and the things he was doing, the fact that Jason didn’t want any of it and that he threw the ring on their face. How could she not suspect Cliff even a little? Or was she afraid to? Like Cheryl? Who knew something was off and FP was not the real killer? She knew about the drug business. She knew Jason couldn’t stomach it. She knew Cliff was upset about it. I see where Cheryl gets her extra –ness from, Penelope is just too dramatic. She dragged Cheryl right to the barn, and then said – drown in it, why don’t you? Does she really think its syrup? Does she not know the truth?

Okay they ruled out Hal and Hermione, but not Hiram? He was in prison, no? Or they believe he orchestrated it through someone like Ronnie does? He couldn’t have actually held the gun that killed Jason.

I know what you’re going to say, mom

They found another body

Okay, maybe not that – lol

Sheriff Clueless – lmao. But Alice doesn’t think they’ve got the right person? She was all aboard the FP is guilty train and suddenly she thinks the bow is too tidy?

What was FPs contingency plan with Joaquin? Did he also tell him to flee Riverdale if he got arrested? Déjà vu – the exact same spot the car was! And the same place they found the jacket before! That got me thinking - who put the car there? Was it Jason or FP? If FP knew where the car was why didn’t he torch it before? Was he following Bughead hoping they’d lead him to the car? How did he know they would? Arrggh so many questions!

Ahh Ronnie is convinced it was her dad too, but she seems much too calm dealing with that realization. I love how Betty takes one look at Juggie’s dejected face and immediately her Nancy Drew senses begin to tingle. Girl wants so bad to help her bae!

I still don’t get why Archie had to wear the jacket for Betty to look into the pockets but it was worth it to see befuddled Archie standing there like a mannequin while Betty got her sleuth on. Voila – there’s the USD aaannnnndd very conveniently, the murder all taped and saved in HD quality mp4 - okay maybe not, but you get what I mean!

Cheryl was so eerily calm when she got Betty’s call, like she almost expected it.  I noticed that Archie actually covered his mouth when they showed us the kids reacting to the video the second time round. Did they film that twice?

Okay so when is later? When did they learn why FP confessed – to protect Jughead? Did he come right out and say it? Did he tell Juggie or Keller? Of all the charges Keller was stating off the top of his head, perjury doesn’t really quality, he wasn’t under oath, was he?

I love fierce and passionate Juggie, took me back to when he was arguing his case with the Mayor about the drive-in. Archie wanting to stay because his friends need him was so heartwarming. This is the Archie Andrews I want to see, not the selfish, needy fuckboy we’ve been shown thus far.

I found Penelope and Cheryl creepily directing the Sheriff to the barn so weird and so suggestive of foul play. Almost as though they knew what happened bcos they made it happen. Whydonit will be in the next episode, but really , the reveal was so underwhelming for me (mostly because of that Madelaine spoiler that Cheryl would be ruined) that it felt like a cop-out. They went with the safest choice. No one will miss Cliff Blossom, his being the killer or being dead isn’t going to impact anyone except Cheryl  and perhaps Penelope, and that feels a bit hollow somehow. Too tidy, as Alice would say. The reason why he did it seems pretty straightforward too – Jason wouldn’t cooperate and maybe he threatened to expose his dad, so he had to be killed, Unless they surprise us with another quite different reason. I somehow don’t think so.

[wordgirl80]

Chapter 21: We’re All Crazy

Chapter 21 of my ongoing Bughead fanfic is up of AO3

Chapter 21

: We're All CrazyChapter Text

“What!?” Jughead asked, sitting up fast, almost knocking Betty off of the bed and onto the floor.

She sat up, too, pulled on her robe, and tied it around herself. She stood up and went over to her dresser and picked up an old photo album from Alice’s senior year and handed it to him. “After my mom gave birth to my secret brother, she and my dad broke up briefly, and she fell in love with Snake.”

“So was your mom a Serpent?” Jughead asked. He got up, got dressed, and put his beanie back on. He sat on the window seat and rested his elbows on his knees, a stance she knew usually meant he was thinking, piecing together information into a story that made sense.

“Not exactly. Turns out my mom was from the Southside-just one of the many secrets she kept from me. Remember when we were in kindergarten and had to write a report on our mothers? She told me she was born and raised here in Riverdale, even showed me the house where she said she grew up.”

“That was the first time you had to read something out loud in class,” Jughead said. “Reggie Mantle laughed at you when you accidentally said your mom was the homecoming king instead of queen. He made you cry.”

She smiled, recalling the memory. “And I ran into the girls’ bathroom. You found me and sat with me while I cried. You told me my article was the best thing ever written. And then you punched Reggie in the mouth during recess.” She had forgotten until now, but Jughead remembered. He remembered everything. “You were the first kindergartner at Riverdale Elementary to ever get suspended.” She sat down next to him on the window seat.

“First and only,” he said. “I told you that I've loved you my entire life.”

She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. “I love you,” she said.

He grinned at her before going back to the topic at hand. “So Alice and Hal were Riverdale High’s retro Romeo and Juliet? Rich boy falls for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks.”

Betty flipped the photo album open and showed him a few more pictures of Alice and Snake. “They didn't last long, she said. Just a little rebellion before Alice fully committed to my dad.”

“So that Romeo and Juliet end up together,” Jughead said.

“But my parents aren't happy. They pretend to be, but they aren't. You make me happy, Jug.”

“Ditto,” he said. “So what is Goldhead? What did your mom say?”

“As far as she knows, it really was a dance club where they all used to hang out, but it was beneath the Whyte Wyrm. Kinda a speak-easy of the 90s. High school kids could drink. Some did drugs. The owner looked the other way and let the kids engage in whatever debauchery they wanted. They only let Keller come because his dad was the original Sheriff Keller, and they thought if young Keller was with them that the Riverdale Police Department wouldn’t bother them.”

“In the basement,” Jughead said. “What happened there twenty-five years ago?”

Betty shrugged. “She swears she has no idea. After she and Snake broke up, she slipped into a depression. With having to put my brother up for adoption and losing who she said was the love of her life, it was too much for her. She finished up her senior year at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.”

“So she has no idea what the secret is that got Fred shot?” he asked.

Betty shook her head. “No idea. We need to find out who else was in that picture that Eric has. Should we go talk to Fred?” Betty suggested. “I mean, he's the one who was shot, after all. Maybe he'll tell us why.”

“Yeah. Let's do that. But there's something I want to show you first.” He pulled out his phone and showed her a screenshot of the article he’d found in Fred’s files.

She read it and then said, “So? What does an obituary about an old man have to do with anything?”

“I found it in a file labeled Goldhead,” Jughead said. “I think this guy used to own the Whyte Wyrm.”

“So we have a shooting, this old, dead man, a 90’s dance club, and a secret shared by seven people, and we still don't know who two of those people are. We don't know much anything. It's just a few random clues. What if they don't mean anything or aren’t even related?”

“That's never stopped us before. You'll figure it out.”

“We will. Together.”

He stood up and offered her his hand. “Let’s make a trip to the hospital.”

They found Fred asleep in his hospital bed, hooked up to machines regulating his vitals, his breathing rough and shallow. The hollows of his cheeks sunken in, his skin yellowish in tint. His usual stubble was a full beard now. His wheeled serving tray was pulled up to his bed, over his lap. The warming lid still covered Fred's uneaten food, and surrounding it was small folded up pieces of paper with cramped, unreadable lettering the serving tray.

Jughead eased into the seat next Fred's bed, and took the man's hand in his. Betty stood back and watched them--Jughead and his stand-in father, the man who had loved and protected him when his real family had written him off. Jughead didn't let people in easily, but when he did, it was for life. If Fred didn't pull through, and if with FP locked up in a federal prison, Jughead stood to lose both his fathers, the only family he had left. She squeezed his shoulder, kissed him on his temple. He'd always have her.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He rested his hand on hers, his fingers tightening around hers. “I love you, Betts.” His head tilted as he kissed her.

He loved her. Everything was good between them. Then why was it still there, looming over her like a thick black cloud, blocking out the light, weighing her down. Her emotions went slack, her vision tunneled. She grabbed ahold of the back of his chair. How long would it be before he stopped loving her? Until he no longer wanted her as a part of his family? How long until he saw her for the fucked up girl she really was. Jughead Jones had enough to deal with in his life. Why would he want to deal with the mess that was Betty Cooper? She had been such an idiot. Why did she leave herself so vulnerable? Why was she like this? She was worthless, stupid, unable to control her own mind.

She glanced at the sink next to Fred's bed, to the drawers and cabinets, and wondered if there was a hidden scalpel, maybe Fred's shaving kit. She didn't deserve Jughead. She did deserve anything. Her fingers curled into her palm, sinking into her flesh. The biting pain was grounding, euphoric. She squeezed harder, felt her skin sliced, break open, and she signed.

“Betts? Betty?”

Her eyes focused and Jughead was standing right in front of her, hands on her shoulders, leaning his head down. His eyes were the blue of a summer sky after a storm. He was her anchor, a reason to step back into the light. Wanting to hide the shame of her self-harm, Betty shoved her hands into the pocket of her coat. But Jughead knew. He knew her. He pulled her hands out and uncurled her fingers.

“Betty. . .” he said gently, his mouth turned down. “What’s wrong?” He kissed the fresh wounds on her palms.

She didn't want to tell him. There was nothing wrong, not really, just her own irrational fears plaguing her. She could trust him. He wouldn't judge her. She could tell him anything. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the hospital room door swung open.

But it wasn't a nurse who interrupted them. “Visiting hours are over,” said a man dressed in a silvery blue suit that looked like it cost more than her mother's station wagon. He was probably in his mid-forties, tanned skin, black hair slicked back from his face, and dark brown eyes that were unlined with wrinkles. She'd seen those eyes before.

In protective mode, he stepped in front of Betty. She still held onto his hand, but everything was steady now.“Who are you?” Jughead asked, squinting at the man.

“Hiram Lodge,” Betty said. She'd seen his framed pictures in Veronica's bedroom.

“I thought you were in jail,” Jughead said.

Hiram flashed his straight, pearly whites at them. “Out for good behavior,” he replied. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down in the chair Jughead had just vacated. “Maybe I should send my lawyer your father's way. Pro Bono, of course. I know the Joneses haven't been as financially blessed as the Lodges have.”

Jughead’s body stiffened, and he took a step forward, so Betty clutched his hand, keeping him next to her, keeping him from a fight he should not get involved in right now.

“Does Veronica know your home?” Betty asked. This time, she stepped in front of Jughead, shielding him.

“Oh, yes,” Hiram chuckled. “Meet her jock, red-headed boyfriend, too. I got to know him a little too well, if you know what I mean. Betty, you must tell your best friend to lock her bedroom door when she has a male friend over. You know, like you do with FP’s kid.” He cocked his head towards Jughead. “Some things are best kept a secret, like your white trash boyfriend here.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Betty asked. She reached behind herself and held Jughead back. What was wrong with people in this town? If Riverdale was full of snobs who judged a teenager boy on who his parents were and how much money they had, she would happily move to the Southside with him and never look back.

“I’m Hiram Lodge. I own this town and I think it’s time to take out the trash.”

Betty didn’t remember making the move, but she was suddenly attacking Hiram, her hands wrapped around his throat, her fingers pressing in, his tendons popping. She had pushed him against the wall next to Fred’s bed. Her ears rang, almost drowning out Jughead yelling her name, clawing at her, trying to get her to let go of Hiram. His dark brown eyes were wide, bugging out of his head, bloodshot and red.

“Oh my god,” Betty said, her hands dropping at her side as she realized what she’d done. Jughead grabbed her around the waist and hauled her out of the room as a nurse rushed in. Jughead dropped her to her feet, but kept her upright by holding on to both of her elbows.

“Betty! Betty!” Jughead repeated until she looked at him. “Are you okay?” She nodded, and he guided her down the corridor, to the back stairway, and out of the hospital exit. Her hands shook as she fastened her seat belt while Jughead cranked over the truck’s engine.

“Where are we going?” Betty asked.

“I don’t know. Away from here.”

“I choked him,” Betty said, looking down at her balled up fists. Her fingernails were digging into her skin again, cutting into the fresh wounds. “I . . . I don’t know how. . . He was saying horrible things to you, Jughead. I couldn’t let him hurt you.”

“It’s okay,” he said. He reached across the seat and placed his hand over her fist. “It’s okay. You just need some time to calm down, a place where we can be alone for a little while.”

As they drove, Betty concentrated on the clock radio in the dashboard, watching the green analog numbers, the seconds clicking past. It wasn’t even seven in the morning and already she was so exhausted. Why had she reacted that way to what Hiram had said? Yes, Mr. Lodge was rude and out of line, but that didn’t make what she had done okay. Shit, what if he pressed charges? What if he called her mom and told her what she’d done? She was crazy. Just like her mother, just like her sister, just like every other person in her family. Betty Cooper was the queen of the crazies. Betty sighed in relief when Jughead passed her neighborhood and went over the railroad tracks to the Southside. He parked the truck in front of the trailer and helped her out.

“I’m so tired, Juggie,” she said as they walked in the door. Hot Dog came up to greet her. He licked her hand, and then she rubbed his head.

“Go lay down,” Jughead said. “I’ll make some breakfast.” He kissed her forehead and scooted her off down the hall. Hot Dog followed him into the kitchen.

He didn’t ask her why she’d done what she did. Or if she was nuts. As always, he was kind and gave her space when she needed it. She laid down on the bed, pulled the thin covers up over her face, and closed her eyes. But sleep didn’t come. Instead flashes of Hiram Lodge, gasping for air jolted her awake. It was no use. She couldn’t quiet her mind enough to allow her to rest.

Jughead was in the kitchen, but he wasn’t standing in front of the stove frying bacon. Instead he sat at the kitchen table, looking over small folded up pieces of paper. The ones that had been sitting on the tray next to Fred’s uneaten dinner in the hospital room.

“When did you take those?” she asked. Jughead jolted when he heard her voice, but relaxed when he looked up at saw her leaning against the doorjamb.

“Right before Hiram came in,” he said. “I told you about it, but you didn't register that I was talking. You were staring off into nothingness.”

“I'm sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry that your girlfriend is crazy.”

He turned his face up to her and he took her hands in his. “No, Betty, you’re not crazy.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he wouldn’t let her. “You’re not.”

“I just choked my best friend’s dad. I throw birthday parties that no one wants. I gouged my fingernails into my palms so hard that I have scars. I cut myself last night. And there are times that I’m so weighed down by it, by the darkness or whatever you want to call it, that I can’t move, can’t speak, can’t breathe.”

“We’re all crazy,” he said, smiling, trying to lighten the mood. It was what he’d said to her the first time he kissed her. Back then, he didn’t realize just how serious she was about worrying over her sanity. When he could tell she wanted to keep this conversation serious, his demeanor changed. He palmed her cheek, his eyes wide and loving. “Elizabeth Cooper, you are not crazy. I love you just the way you are. There is nothing wrong with you.”

“But there is,” she replied. As much as Jughead wanted to looked past her mental illness, to only see the good, she knew she couldn’t. There was danger in ignoring the signs she knew were there. “I think my mom is right. I need to be back on my medication.”

“Then start taking it again. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“I can’t get control of this on my own and it makes me feel weak. I don’t like the stigma attached. I know I hate the word perfect, but that’s still how I want most of the world to see me. I don’t want people to know.”

“But no one will know. And medication doesn’t make you weak. If you had a broken arm, and your doctor said you needed to wear a cast to repair the bone, you wouldn’t say nah, it’ll heal up on its own. You can’t will a broken limb to set itself. Getting help isn’t weakness, but a strength."

Everything he said made sense, but she still didn’t like the idea of medication. While it helped regulate her moods, sometimes it made her feel nothing at all. But wasn’t numbness better than overwhelming sadness, better than choking Hiram Lodge or trying to drown Riverdale’s football captain in a hot tub? She nodded in agreement with him. “I’ll refill my prescription.” She opened the drug store app on her phone and did just that. The pills would be ready in about half an hour.

She looked back to Jughead and the papers he was studying. She turned one over in her hand, trying to make out the chicken scratch. “What does it mean?”

He shrugged. “Dunno. I needed you to help make sense of it.”

She sat down next to him and spread all the pieces out on the table. Nothing stood out. She shuffled the papers, moving them around in a different order. Nothing. She tried again and stared down at them for a few minutes while Jughead went to the stove and started pulling out frying pans. As he bumped around in the kitchen, the papers started to make sense. Each paper had one word written on it, but only one letter on each was really legible. She rearranged the pieces once more, and finally the letters formed a word.

“S-W-E-E-T-W-A-T-E-R. Sweetwater,” she said.

“Sweetwater River?” Jughead asked. He turned down the burner and came over to look over her shoulder.

“Only one letter on each paper stands out. It spells Sweetwater.”

“You’re so smart, Betts.” But then he pointed to the five extra papers she hadn’t added in. “What about those?” he asked. He placed all the pieces beneath the others and they both stood back. “Cabin! Those spell cabin.”

Betty touched each lettered piece of paper. “So Fred wanted us to know something about a cabin in Sweetwater?” she asked. “What about it?”

Jughead snapped his fingers, pulled out his phone, and then he showed her a picture of the article he’d told her about. “This obituary I found in Fred’s files said that Michael James died in a cabin on Sweetwater River. And he owned properties on the Southside.” Jughead went over to the hook where his messenger bag hung and took out his laptop. He brought up the public records search page online and looked up Michael James. He had several properties listed. “Look! He owns a piece of unincorporated land on Sweetwater. That has to be the cabin.”

Betty read the list, too. “And that’s the address for the Whyte Wyrm. All properties were in his name until 1992. Then they were sold to Hector Lodge at Lodge Industries. That has to be Veronica’s grandfather.”

“Hiram was right. The Lodges do own this whole damn town. They’ve spent generations buying up land. I’m sure they saw that Michael James didn’t have any living relatives at the time of his death and bought the Whyte Wyrm on the cheap.”

“Do the Lodges still own the Whyte Wyrm?” Betty asked.

With a few strokes on his keyboard, Jughead had the answer. “No. Public record says that some comowns it now. FAL, LLC.”

Betty took that info in, but it didn’t mean anything to her. “So maybe Goldhead, aka the Whyte Wyrm, has nothing to do with anything. Maybe Goldhead is just code for something else. We don’t really know anything.” “There has to be a connection. What does this old guy, the Whyte Wyrm, and seven pesky teenagers have in common?” Jughead asked.

“I have no idea,” Betty replied. Her brain was so foggy from exhaustion that she was having trouble thinking. “We need to get in touch with your dad.”

“Or go to the cabin where Michael James was killed.”

“But it burned down,” Betty said.

“Doesn’t mean there isn’t anything there for us to find.”

“I guess you’re right.” She caught the smell of something charing on the stovetop. “Your pancakes are burning.”

“Oh, shit!” he said, getting up and going over to the stove. He scraped the blackened pancake into the trash. “I guess we know who the real cook is in this family.”

He turned back to the bowl of pancake mix and stirred it. He hadn’t even realized he’d called her family, and maybe that meant more than if he’d said it intentionally. She knew they were way too young, but she couldn’t see her future without him. One day after college, they’d have their own kitchen to make breakfast in. Their own house, children, a life together that would never be separated. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder. But then she caught sight of the lumpy disaster that was the pancake mix. She took the bowl and whisk out of his hands.

“Let me help you,” she said and went to work. Within a few minutes, she had fluffy pancakes stacked on a plate for him, and she joined him at the table.

Knife and fork in hand, he grinned at her. “Sorry to sound antiquated and a little masochistic, but damn, woman, you can cook!” He took a bite and sighed. “I would have loved you even if you couldn’t, but I’m happy you can.” He ate the entire dish without taking a break, and then leaned back in his chair. She stood up and took his plate, but he stopped her. “I’ll do the dishes,” he said.

“Shall we go look around a creepy, deserted forest for the remains of a dead man?” Betty asked.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday,” he said. “Or maybe I could.” He tugged gently on her hand until she landed on his lap. He nuzzled against her neck, kissed her thin skin and then drew it between his teeth. “You taste good.” He worked his hand in between their bodies, up the skirt she was wearing. His fingers slipped up her thigh and ducked underneath the elastic of her panties. “You know what else tastes good.” He stood up and set her on the table, knocking off her plate of unfinished pancakes onto the floor. He spread her thighs apart, but before he reached his knees, her phone rang. They both froze.

“It could be my mom,” she said. “She probably is wondering why I’m not home. I didn’t tell her where I was going.” She picked up her phone, but it wasn’t her mother. “It’s the pharmacy.”

Even though Jughead knew what the call was about, she stepped into the hallway to listen to the recording tell her that her prescription was filled and ready. She leaned against the wall. She knew that taking the medication again was in her best interest, but it felt like a failure, a loss of control.

Jughead came into the hallway with her, his jacket was on and he handed her the Serpent leather one. “We’ll stop at the pharmacy on the way to Sweetwater River,” Jughead said. He put the leather jacket around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “It’ll be okay, Betts.”

A sob hitched in her throat. She curled herself into him as his arms went around her. He kissed her hair as he whispered words of reassurance to her, and after a moment, she felt balanced, and steady. She nodded against his chest and then took his hand and lead him outside to the truck.

On the way through town, the morning sky began to blacken, dark clouds rolling in from the east. Jughead pulled into the drug store and went in with Betty. Once they were back in the truck, she unscrewed the pill bottle and washed a pill down with the bottle of water she’d purchased. As they drove to the outskirts of Riverdale, Betty closed her eyes and tried to figure out if she felt any different. But she didn't. Maybe the medicine wouldn't work anymore, the dose wrong.

But everything around Betty went hazy as they drove toward Sweetwater River. Her emotions dulled, her limbs felt like they were packed with sand. Don’t do this, Betty. You’re fine. You are stronger than this. She repeated the words over and over again in her head, but nothing changed. Her feelings didn’t return. She was numb.

The sky rumbled with thunder, lightning crackled, sending electric ribbons through the sky. The clouds cracked open and released the rain they'd been holding as the truck jostled and jolted drove down a tree-line path toward the property address they’d found for where the cabin once was. The windshield wipers struggled to clear the rainwater from the glass. The sky had darkened so much that Jughead had to turn on the headlights to guide them. After about three miles, the trail opened up into a clearing. Address numbers were nailed to one of the trees.

“3856 Deertail Rd,” Jughead said, reading the address. “This is it.” He hung a right and proceeded down a narrow driveway. The headlights flashed across a cabin. The structure hadn’t been well maintained. Shingles were falling off the roof, the wooden logs had splintered, but the cabin was in-tact. Jughead huffed out a breath. “It’s not burned down at all.”

Betty wanted to reply, to say something, but the words did not come. The darkness had closed her throat. She stared at the forgotten cabin. When Betty didn’t move, Jughead came around to her side, unbuckled her, and with his hand on hers, she came out of the truck. The downpour fell on them as they rushed through the front yard, the raindrops coming down with such force that they stung her skin when they hit. And it felt good, a sharp reminder that she could feel something.

The stairs that lead up to the cabin were missing, so Jughead jumped onto the porch and pulled her up with him. Weeds had grown through the slats of the wooden porch, and a porch swing dangled from one chain. The front door wasn’t locked, but swung open when Jughead pushed on it. By some miracle, the electricity still worked. Inside the cabin consisted of a main room and was both a living room and a kitchen. Nothing had been touched in years, the cabin frozen in time, somewhere in the 80’s. Everything was a little dusty, but nothing was out of place. Jughead pulled off a sheet from the couch, dust clouding through the air for a moment. He fluffed the pillows and then set Betty down there. He must have sensed that his girlfriend was out of it. He kissed her forehead and went about searching the cabin. As lightning flashed, Betty stared at the stuffed deer head on the wall. Its fur was a golden brown, but its eyes were black, unseeing, dead. Is that how she looked to Jughead right now?

“I can’t feel anything, Juggie.” Her voice was just a whisper, but he heard her.

He turned from the bookshelf he had been going through and sat next to her. “What do you mean? Is numbness a side-effect of you medication?” He squeezed her hand. “Can you feel that?” he asked.

“That’s not what I meant,” she said.

She rose up and swung her leg over him, her knees resting on either side of his hips. Her lips moved against his neck as she pushed his jacket off his shoulders and unbuttoned his shirt. Bending herself down, she kissed his stomach, the middle of his chest as she pushed his shirt up and over his head. She tossed it behind the back of the couch.

Jughead’s hands moved to the back of her neck and kissed her throat. She could feel the hardness of his arousal pressing against her inner thigh. That’s what she needed from him right now. He clawed at her shirt, struggling with the buttons until she impatiently brushed his fumbling fingers aside and removed the shirt herself. She unhooked her bra and threw it in the same direction as she’d thrown his shirt and jacket. He sat back and just looked at her for a moment, drinking her in. With both hands he reached out and cupped her breasts, squeezing and molding them. He leaned down and took one pink nipple into his mouth, sucking hard. His other hand snaked between them, his fingers slipping into the front of her panties, finding her wet and wanting, ready for him, alive with need. His fingertips circled her bud of nerve endings, sending a jolt of passion through her, making her hips buck forward.

He surprised her when he lifted her up and plopped her to sit down on the couch. He spread her knees apart as he knelt in front of her. He pushed her skirt all the way up to her hips. His hand brushed up her thighs as he reached up and pulled her panties down until he removed them. He kissed his way up, from her calf to her inner thigh. But then he waited, stayed where he was, his mouth against the softness of her leg. She felt the rush of his breath, the slight tickle of his hair, but his lips did not touch her. Not yet. The anticipation made her impatient, alert, bustling with need. Alive.

He smiled against her inner thigh, grabbed onto her hips, and tilted her forward. His tongue was tentative at first, but not because he was shy, but because he was teasing her, building everything up inside her. His lips drew in the bud of flesh, causing her to rise up off the couch cushions a little, wanting to be closer, wanting more. His tongue darted, stocked her up and down, around in beautiful circles that made her cry out. She combed her fingers through his hair, keeping him fix against her.

And then every fiber of her being buzzed to life. She felt more than she thought she was capable of feeling as she quivered. As she lay on the couch replete, she heard Jughead stand and readjust his clothing, and then he was inside her, filling her up.

He thrust into her. “Can you feel that?” he asked. She shuddered and nodded her head. He slipped out and drove himself into her again, harder this time. “Can you feel that?” he repeated.

“Yes,” she replied. “Yes.”

This was what she needed. This. Him. She felt everything now. Every inch of her was buzzing with love, with life. Her inner walls clenched around him as he pumped faster. The release was blinding, bright, light bursting into her soul.

He lay there, his weight resting on top of her, but this was a weigh she did not mind. It was comfort, steady, a firm body and love against her, keeping her grounded. After a little while, he rose off of her. Even though the rain outside was freezing, her clothes were damp with perspiration, twisted around her body.

Jughead kissed her and the rolled off the couch and onto his feet. She watched him as he stretched his lean body. God, she was so lucky to call him hers. Jughead pulled on his shirt, but stopped when he was halfway finished with the buttons. He leaned in to look at something on the dusty bookshelf. He picked up a 3x5 framed photo, studied it for a moment, and then handed it off to Betty.

Seven teenagers were posed together, some looking at the camera, some at each other, all smiling. This was the first time Betty had seen it, but she knew this had to be the picture Eric had found. They were all there, standing in front of a gold lettered sign that said Goldhead, the five people they knew about--Fred, Mary, Snake, FP Jones, Sheriff Keller--and the two they didn’t.

To get a better look, Betty grabbed the frame from Jughead. She recognized the two people on the ride side of the photo. “That’s Hermione and Hiram Lodge!” Betty exclaimed. “And they both are wearing Southside Serpent jackets.”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10213313/chapters/22666340