#reggie learning about her every time she gets close and they confront one another

[invisibleraven]

Fridayyyy

I wish you would write a fic that...is completely out of your comfort zone! Let's say your favorite ship, but a style or genre you feel is challenging. (This is me wondering what you feel your comfort zone is, fic-wise, haha)

A shiver went down Julie's spine as she got closer and closer to the decrepit shack, but there was no turning back now. Now after wading through the fetid bog, smacking away a thousand mosquitoes and various other creatures intent on her blood. Yet she still hesitated a mere five feet from the home. Could she really do this?

The locket around her neck hung heavy, hitting her heart as she toyed with the chain. It reminded her of why she set out on this quest in the first place. So despite her fears and doubts, she soildered on.

A light rap of her knuckles against the door, a creak of wood from inside. Julie held her breath, awaiting the crone that was said to inhabit here. The person who would hopefully have a solution for all her problems.

The woman appeared to be ancient as she swung the door open; flesh so wrinkled and dotted with spots, she seemed more reptile than human. A few strands of wispy hair sprouted from her head, and her smile was gaping and yellow. "Come in dearie," she said, her voice sounding musty from disuse.

No turning back now, Julie thought, and stepped over the threshold, the door closing shut behind her with an ominous slam. "I've come-"

"I know why you've come. It's the only reason anyone comes," the old woman cut her off, easing down into a chair that looked to be carved from a tree stump. "Now the question is, did you bring the payment?"

Julie gulped, and nodded, holding out her bag of gold, the last of her coin. She had prayed it would be enough for a miracle.

"Pssh, no, none of that. I live in a hut in the woods dearie, what use have I of gold?"

Julie looked at the woman, confused. "B-but I have nothing else."

The crone eyed her up and down. "You could give me that pretty locket you wear. I do enjoy the odd trinket."

Julie's hand flew to the locket, clutching it in her palm. "No, anything else I have is yours, but this is the only thing I have left of my mother. Please, name another price."

The crone considered for a moment. "Well, I stopped asking for first borns a long time ago, and I've no use for a slave. Perhaps a fraction of your soul? A lock of hair? Your voice?" Then the woman stopped, grinning widely, and Julie shuddered. "A drop of blood. Maiden's blood is always useful."

"And then you will help me get my mother back?" Julie asked.

"You will be reunited once more, yes." The crone extended her hand, "Do we have a deal?"

Julie looked at the withered hand in front of her, and lifted her locket, the one containing the last portrait of her and her family, strands of their hair wound together. Her papi and Carlos had cautioned her against making deals with sorceresses, but Julie could no longer bear missing her mother so much, and had set off. She would do anything to bring her mother back, anything. So she thrust her hand forward, shaking the frail hand in front of her.

Only for the hand to become an iron vice as the crone grinned. Pulling out a large jagged knife, she drew it across Julie's wrist in a flash, blood immediately welling to the surface. The crone giggled with glee, wiping the stained blade against the rim of a flash, droplets of crimson falling into it.

Julie finally wrenched her hand free, pressing a handkerchief against the wound, praying it would not become infected. "You have your blood witch, now what must I do to bring my mother back from the dead?"

"Careful how you speak to me girl, I have your blood now, who knows how I may use it," the woman said with a sinister air. "If you wish to bring back a departed soul, you must find the spot in which they have been laid, at midnight under a full moon, and lament for them, letting the tears of purest love fall upon their grave. A drop of blood, a breath of air, and one kiss to the cold hard ground, along with a prayer to give them life once more. Then they shall rise, if they deem your sacrifice worthy."

The full moon was the next night, so Julie offered the crone thanks and rushed back out through the bog, the woods, ignoring how the trees seemed to watch her, how the night almost closed in as she reached her door. Her family gathering her into their arms, yet she didn't speak of her bargain, or her plan to bring back what was lost. Simply assured them that she was hale and whole, and done messing with magic.

Of course, that was a falsehood, as she snuck out the next night, creeping towards the cemetery. Counting the plots until she sat by her mother's final resting place. The dahlias starting to wither, but Julie knew if this went right, there would be no need to fetch fresh ones. She could hear the steeple clock chiming the hour, and thought of her mother, the overwhelming loss she felt at her passing, the emptiness it had left behind in their lives. Let the tears fall onto the soft ground.

The next part was harder, but her hair pin was sharp enough to draw a small pinprick of blood from her finger, the scarlet bead landing among her tears. She blew a breath over the mixture, and pressed a kiss to the damp earth, praying with all her might to return to her what was lost.

The problem was that the crone had not said how long it would take for the spell to work, so Julie sat, and sat, and sat. Wondering if she had been swindled. Perhaps her sacrifice lacked something? Was her love for her mother not strong enough? Had her tears not contained enough grief?

Julie laid down on the grave and wept, wanting nothing more than for the power to bring her mother back, for life to be fair, for someone to help her through the arduous task that was life. Eventually she fell into a fitful slumber, stretched out next to her mother's plot, the tears drying on her face, but not before one last droplet fell to the ground.

Pale dawn light awoke Julie, and she blinked open her heavy eyes. She felt stiff and sore from her night on the ground, and foolish for believing that anything could reverse the sands of fate. Yet when she blinked her eyes again, there was a hole in the ground beside her, and an empty casket within in.

But wait... that casket was not the one they had buried her mother in. It was too simple, too small to contain a woman grown.

Who had Julie mistakenly awoken?

"Good morning," came a rough and sandpapery voice. Julie shot up and stared. There before her was a young man, scarcely a year or two her senior. His skin was ashen though, and when Julie looked closer, she couldn't spy his lungs moving, nor the flush of life.

The man sitting there was dead, yet sitting and speaking to her as if they had met at the town square.

"W-who are you and what are you doing in my mother's grave?" Julie demanded.

"This is my grave. Has been for some time." Julie looked around the plots surrounding them, noting that most were covered in growth, and vaguely recalled the tickle of grass on her lips the night prior. Yet the plot at her back was fresh tilled earth, a recent burial, and Julie cursed herself for not insuring she had the right one.

"Anyways, I'm Reggie. Nice to meet you. Thanks for bringing me back I guess? How did you do it?" The man asked, smiling at Julie in a way that would be downright charming if it weren't coming from a corpse. "Are you a witch?"

"No, but I met one trying to bring my mother back to life. Only I got the wrong plot. Guess I have to try again next month." Julie then assessed Reggie. "Now what to do with you?"

"Letting me go back to my life seems like an option," Reggie offered. "I miss eating, and singing. Oh, and my dog, I really miss my dog."

"I don't think I can in good conscience let a dead man just wander around," Julie replied.

"You were going to let your mom do it," Reggie retorted. "Plus, you can't kill me, I'm already dead."

"Maybe I can't," Julie said, an idea forming in her mind, and a wicked gleam came to her eyes. "But I know someone who can."

Reggie gulped, and stumbled up, dashing away. Julie rose, feeling a power rushing through her, wondering if the old crone knew of her mistaken and wanted her to rectify it. Or was simply infusing her blood with unknown magics. Either way, Julie started off slowly towards the direction Reggie had headed, wondering how hard it could be to catch up to a corpse.

[takemyopenheart]

Reunion (Waiting series - part 3 of 3)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey and f!MC (Luz Beltrán) | Category: angst | Rating: T | Warnings: none | Word Count: 3k | Ao3 link | Part 1 | Part 2

summary: Ethan can’t run anymore. It’s time he confronts his fears. But will he be strong enough? (Book 2, chapter 1 rewrite)

62 days.

That’s how long it’s been since he’s seen her, heard her, or spoken to her. Yet he can still feel her electrifying presence, as if she were only mere inches away. He still sees the sparkle in her dark eyes, the way her lips curve into a sheepish smile whenever they meet his. The gaze doesn’t break, until he runs his hand over his perspiring face, and the vision fades yet again.

He ignores the hammering in his chest, like he’s been doing so for the past few hours, and he forces his feet to carry him out the door. The loud slam echoes down the hall, making him wince for a moment before he attempts to pull himself together.

His mind has been on nothing but the fact that for the first time in two months, Luz will be working with him closer than ever. It’s a fact he’s known since before he left for the Amazon, but he willed himself to push the thought away, thinking this escape away from her would be sufficient distance and time for him to finally be able to move forward.

What a fool he was.

The flashes of memories and visions have sequestered his mind. And there’s only one thing he’s found the courage to do: attempt to drown them away at Donahue’s.

Little does he realize, he’s leading himself right to her.

•

The country blues song emanates from the jukebox as he weaves his way through the throng of rowdy drunken patrons. The smell of alcohol, cheap cologne, and sweat permeates throughout the more crowded than usual bar. He squeezes past, thinking of nothing else but getting his drink so that he can finally be at peace.

The peace won’t come because as soon as he steps foot in the beer garden, a laugh so familiar causes him to freeze in his tracks and the thumping rhythm in his heart to return.

He remains frozen, everything but that joyful sound fades away. It’s all he can hear, it’s so loud he can feel the vibration of it on every inch of his body. He indulges in it for only a short moment before someone’s shoulder brushes his walking past, and everything comes into focus again.

"I’m so proud of us for making it this far. Together."

He can hear the smile in her voice. She’s happy. Happy without him. And he doesn’t know whether to rejoice in this or be displeased. His own selfishness leans toward the latter, but rushing guilt pulls him out of the bind, and he finally begins to move.

His head stays down as he mentally counts every step he takes, anything to keep his mind off of how much he’s missed that laugh. The fear that he’ll succumb to it is so powerful that he’s sure he’ll turn right around and run again.

No more running.

Her voice becomes louder. It’s too hypnotizing for anything to overpower it. It’s something he must learn to live with. Starting now.

He lifts his head, and their eyes meet. He’s hit with the spark that makes time seem to slow, and all he’s left with is the tingling sensation washing over every part of his body like a wave.

He wonders if she feels it, too.

"... Rookie."

Her voice is stolen from her at that moment. He looks different. But she’s immediately pulled in by those familiar ocean-blue eyes, and the comfort of them lets her know he’s still her Ethan.

No. Not anymore. He never was.

She recovers from the trance, squaring her shoulders. "Hello, Dr. Ramsey."

His eyes stay trained on hers, an unreadable expression crosses his features in a flash, as if the professionalism in her tone catches him off guard, but he quickly covers it with his stoic mask.

He nods curtly, not looking away. There’s a stretch of silence as they think of what else to say. Ironic, considering all the time they’ve had to bottle up everything inside. But they quickly realize that’s where it’ll have to remain.

He pulls his gaze away toward everyone else seated at the table. "Doctors, enjoy your night," he finally says, and with one final awkward nod, he walks away.

She sits silently watching his retreating form, until a hand on her arm pulls her out of the trance. She looks up to find Sienna staring back at her with a slight frown.

"Are you okay?" she whispers so the others won’t hear. Though by this point, they’ve resumed their conversation.

"I don’t know," she answers truthfully. She had prepared herself for this moment, but finally being in his presence has awoken the yearning she hoped would fade away.

Or maybe it never did.

She huffs out in frustration and gets to her feet. "Sorry, Sienna, I’ll be right back." She grabs her purse and makes to leave.

"Is there anything I can do?"

She softly smiles at her. "No, thanks. I just need a minute." She steps away, heading toward the bathroom. She can’t fully breathe, and she knows damn well it’s not from the cheap cologne hitting her nose as she passes through the crowd.

Ethan’s seated at the main bar keeping a fixed gaze at the wall in front of him, doing everything in his power to not look over his shoulder. The feeling of her eyes on his back as he walked away had become too much. Those beautiful eyes have watched him go far too many times by now.

He takes another long swig as his anger builds. An anger at no one but himself. He’s sick of the uncertainty. He can’t let it hold him prisoner any longer. If they’re going to work together, he has to confront and face what he’s been trying to avoid. She’s here, so he might as well get this over with. The last thing he wants is unresolved tension while working together; it’s better to let it all out.

Another pang of fear hits him that she won’t want to speak to him. That she’s shut herself off from him completely. There’s only one way to find out...

Her laugh rings in his ears again, so clear and captivating. He takes a deep breath and wills himself to turn around. He expects to see her smiling face, maybe even staring back at him—just maybe. But when he finally whirls around, she isn’t there. His eyes search the beer garden but finds no sign of her. The other residents remain seated at the table, and some part of him hopes she hasn’t left.

And then the thought occurs to him that he’s the reason for her leaving. That had to be it. She couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him. He heard it in her tone when she greeted him, which has still left a sour taste in his mouth. A part of him can’t bear her not saying his name the way she used to.

She’s left, and now he’ll have to delay their conversation for another day. If they ever have it in the first place, that is. He downs the last of his scotch and heads for the exit. He just wants to sleep the headache away and maybe not dream of her tonight.

He says his goodbye to Reggie and leaves through the front door. When he finally steps out he breathes in the much cleaner air, glad to be away from the fetid odor inside. It’s time to head home; his bed is calling his name. He turns the corner, only to come face to face with her.

She leans back against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes are closed, and he sees her chest rise and fall with every breath she takes. The light from the streetlamp spills over her like a spotlight. Everything he’s ever wanted stands right in front of him, though he doesn’t dare admit that to himself.

She doesn’t notice him until she hears a pair of footsteps. Of course they’d belong to the man who currently occupied her mind.

She holds her breath as he stands before her. His shoulders immediately almost go to his ears, and his hands are shoved deep inside his pockets. She gives him a once-over. Quickly taking notice of his new wardrobe for the first time that night. He’s traded in the cardigan for a faux leather green jacket, and his slacks and khakis for jeans. It’s a much more casual look for the reserved man, though his current stiff posture does nothing to reflect that.

They remain unmoving. The air suddenly feels heavy with every unspoken word. Words they’ve been holding back, and now feels like the time everything will finally be poured out.

"Ethan..." she whispers his name, quieter than she meant to.

He watches her lips move as they utter his name, and suddenly, his heart leaps in his throat, but he quickly composes himself and straightens his spine.

He clears his throat. "Rook—er, Luz. Sorry. Force of habit." He grimaces at the minor slip up, hoping she won’t notice. "How are you?"

She manages a smile, refusing to let this unexpected reunion affect her. "Good. How about you? You look,"— she throws a nod toward his new look — "different. Looks like we got ourselves a brand new Ethan Ramsey."

He looks down, the flood of memories of all he went through in the Amazon come rushing back. "This jacket’s been through a lot with me."

"It suits you."

He steps closer, relaxed by the sudden casualness of the conversation. His heart leaps in his chest with just one glance in her direction. How was he ever going to focus in front of her? "Duly noted. And the beard?" Her opinion matters much more to him than he’d like to admit. Dangerous territory, Ramsey.

She considers the question, letting her eyes travel across his jawline that is now covered under heavy stubble. It certainly doesn’t diminish his good looks, though she can’t help but miss the 5 o’clock shadow that showed off his sharp jawline.

"Everyone will miss your famous jawline."

His eyes widen, taken aback. "My famous what?"

"As if you didn’t know." She gives him a teasing smile.

He smiles back, not noticing he’s come to stand right next to her. "Why are you out here?"

She panics for a moment. She certainly isn’t about to admit the reason she bolted out of the beer garden as soon as he showed up. But she can admit the half-truth. "Oh. I just needed a breather. It was getting stuffy in there while I was waiting in line for the bathroom."

She averts his gaze. A tell-tale sign she’s being evasive. The realization that he can read her with just one glance makes him go rigid once again. He quickly dismisses the thought.

"Were you just leaving?" she asks, resting her head against the wall.

He looks over his shoulder, where a couple come stumbling out hand in hand and into their awaiting ride. It makes him remember the time he and Luz stepped out of those doors together, heading back to her place. The last time he ever had her...

He turns back around, though not facing her. "I was. It was too crowded in there. And besides, we have a full day of work ahead of us tomorrow." He meets her eyes this time. "Ready to begin your fellowship?"

A look of pride crosses her features at the thought of achieving all she ever dreamed of. She’d worked so hard for this position, and she deserved it due to her hard work and dedication.

"I am. It’s a position I’ve been waiting for."

He takes in her enthusiasm, making him smile down at her. But the smiles begin to subside when the reality hits that the dynamic will be back to the way it was once again. He’ll be her boss. The main reason for their distance.

She feels the literal distance yet again when he takes a step back. The uncertainty, and something akin to fear, etched on his face.

She won’t bite her tongue any longer. There’s one question that’s been plaguing her for weeks and weeks. She’s prepared for whatever answer he may give. Or rather, she hopes she’s prepared for it.

"I heard about the work you did in the Amazon. That was certainly extremely brave."

His body goes rigid at the mere mention of the word. If only she knew. He grows somber, which she immediately notices but lets him speak.

"That wasn’t bravery." I ran and didn’t bother to look back. The truth is at the tip of his tongue. The truth that he was nothing but a coward. The coward who decided that running was the only plausible solution because of what he felt for the only woman he gave a damn about. A woman he cares so much about that he won’t fail her. And that is why he’ll put that barrier between them if it means she’ll become the best doctor. A doctor better than him, even. It doesn’t make him feel selfless, it’s downright excruciating to be so near yet so far.

There’s a silent understanding in those words. The anger and hurt she’d buried deep is slowly being unearthed. She can read the guilt and fear in his eyes, even though he’s doing everything in his power to keep her from seeing it. He keeps his head down, unwilling to expose his true self to her.

She wants to tear down the walls he’s painstakingly put up again. She wants her Ethan back. Yes, that’s right. She doesn’t debate it anymore. Her Ethan is underneath that austere exterior everyone knows. Only she was able to break through it all.

He hears her lean away from the wall, her former relaxed state becomes tense, but her arms remain crossed over her chest, tighter around her than before. The crease between her brows deepens. He already senses the question that’s coming.

"Why didn’t you keep in touch? No word from you at all for two months? After everything that happened between us?"

The pain in her eyes is too much to bear. And he only has himself to blame. He’s made her suffer in silence. Two months that seemed to stretch on for eternity. Two whole months that were never enough to erase the memory of her. But enough time to prepare him for what he’s about to say and help her understand why.

"Everything that happened between us is exactly why I didn’t contact you. Luz, if we’re going to work together on the diagnostics team, we need a fresh start. Your professional development is too important to jeopardize it with whatever... whatever it is we had."

There it is. It’s what they had that made her so happy. She knew it made him happy too, but he made the decision to run from those feelings. Feelings she knows are still there. She feels it in the way he speaks. She hears it in the way he breathes. And she sees it every time their eyes meet.

"Had... past tense..."

"Yes. And the past is where it has to remain." He swallows the lump in his throat.

She looks up to find him standing only a few inches away from her, his eyes silently pleading for her to understand. They’re pained, the soft azure eyes are silently communicating the secrets buried beneath. She’s sure her eyes are conveying the same thing. She only breaks the gaze to stare at his tempting lips. The lips she once knew. The lips she’s missed the taste of. Without thinking twice, she leans forward, standing on the tips of her toes to reach him, and connects her lips to his.

For a moment he believes this is another dream. But the reality of the moment sinks in. He’s glued to the spot, not daring to move an inch, otherwise he knows he’ll give in and lose control. It’s the safest he’s felt in two months. Her lips are familiar, so familiar that he wants nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, but he keeps them at his sides with clenched fists. But he doesn’t want to pull back, he isn’t strong enough to break the kiss. They’re like magnets, drawn together and unwilling to part.

Finally, she leans back. But the spell doesn’t break. They catch their breath, unwilling to shake off the overpowering moment. Her face is mere inches away. He’s pulled in by those dark eyes, but there’s an internal struggle with himself. The secret wish to not be strong enough to resist the temptation wrestles with the steadfast decisions he’s made.

"Dammit, Luz..." he utters in a hushed whisper.

"If you don’t want to kiss me again, then just tell me—" Please don’t.

"It has nothing to do with ‘want’. I can’t. And if I give a damn about you, I won’t. How am I supposed to push you to be everything you can be if I..." He stops himself; the word lingers in his mind. The word that would change everything. The sole word he must remain locked and hidden away.

He sounds like a broken record. "If you what?" She just wants to see the word slip from his lips. But that won’t ever happen. It’ll remain with him, hidden beneath the pile of his other secrets.

He bites the corner of his lip to keep himself from destroying his resolve. He’s unable to tear his gaze away. He wants to drown himself in those eyes for one last time.

There was a tenderness in those eyes for a fleeting moment before he finally broke the spell and turned away. She blinks away the tears prickling her eyes. He’s made his choice.

"Okay. I get it. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Ramsey."

As she walks past him, it takes everything in him to not reach for her hand.

"Goodnight, Dr. Beltran."

He’s not sure she heard him. He watches her continue walking before she steps back inside the bar. He’s alone, yet he feels some part of her remains with him.

•

@openheartfanfics

[newyorksportstours]

NYC Public Library - Favorite NYC History Books

The NYPL Milstein Division of United States History, Local History & Genealogy recommends our favorite, most readable, most memorable New York City nonfiction. These are the true stories of New York that engaged us, that intrigued us, and that we thought you might like to read as well.

97 Orchard: An Edible History Of Five Immigrant Families In One New York Tenement

Jane Ziegelman

Explores the culinary life that was the heart and soul of New York’s Lower East Side around the turn of the twentieth century—a city within a city, where Germans, Irish, Italians, and Eastern European Jews attempted to forge a new life. Through the experiences of five families, all of them residents of 97 Orchard Street, she takes readers on a vivid and unforgettable tour, from impossibly cramped tenement apartments down dimly lit stairwells where children played and neighbors socialized, beyond the front stoops where immigrant housewives found respite and company, and out into the hubbub of the dirty, teeming streets.

Staff says: “Food history and New York seamlessly woven together in a easy-to-read yet meticulously well researched book. I learned not only about the foods that certain immigrants ate, but how this changed over time, how Americans viewed ‘foreign’ cuisines over many different eras, and how this was a description of New York history and not just a reflection of imported appetites.”

American Passage: The History Of Ellis Island

Vincent J. Cannato

A chronicle of the landmark port of entry’s history documents its role as an execution site, immigration post, and deportation center that was profoundly shaped by evolving politics and ideologies.

Staff says: “The history of the island and the immigration station, and also of immigration policies in NY and the US. This book is well researched, scholarly and a very easy read. If you only read one book on Ellis Island, then this is it!”

The Battle For New York: The City At The Heart Of The American Revolution

Barnet Schecter

Provides a dramatic account of the seminal role played by New York City during the American Revolution, from its September 1776 fall to the British under General William Howe, through years of occupation, and beyond, interweaving illuminating profiles of the individuals on both sides of the conflict with a study of the cultural, political, social, and economic events of the eighteenth century.

Staff says:“It sticks in the mind, especially for the quality of the research and the tour of today’s New York in light of the events of history.”

The Big Oyster: History On The Half Shell

Mark Kurlansky

For centuries New York was famous for its oysters, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city’s economy, gastronomy, and ecology that the abundant bivalves were Gotham’s most celebrated export, a staple food for the wealthy, the poor, and tourists alike, and the primary natural defense against pollution for the city’s congested waterways.

Staff says: “Lots of good NYC history in there along with the fascinating world of food history and bivalve science.”

Dark Harbor: The War For The New York Waterfront

Nathan Ward

Traces the historical influence of the Mafia on New York’s waterfront, drawing on the investigative series of New York Sun reporter Malcolm “Mike” Johnson into the region’s racketeering, violent territorial disputes, and union corruption.

Staff says: “The real story behind the film On the Waterfront. I also get annoyed when films are historically inaccurate for the sake of plot, ending, etc when the truth is probably just as exciting: see Bridge On The River Kwai. Well researched, and exciting.”

The Great Bridge: The Epic Story Of The Building Of The Brooklyn Bridge

David McCullough

Evaluates the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge as the greatest engineering triumph of its time, citing the pivotal contributions of chief engineer Washington Roebling and the technical problems and political corruption that challenged the project.

Staff says: “A favorite that everyone knows for good reason!”

Eat The City: A Tale Of The Fishers, Trappers, Hunters, Foragers, Slaughterers, Butchers, Farmers, Poultry Minders, Sugar Refiners, Cane Cutters, Beekeepers, Winemakers, And Brewers Who Built New York

Robin Shulman

Traces the experiences of New Yorkers who grow and produce food in bustling city environments, placing urban food production in a context of hundreds of years of history to explain the changing abilities of cities to feed people.

Staff says: “This interesting collection of micro histories tells the story of such New York food industries as beekeeping, fishing, urban farming, brewing, winemaking, and butchering. The author profiles people currently involved in each industry and then traces the origin, rise, usual fall, and then resurgence of that field. It was fascinating to learn about the methods of the different food industries within the unique environment of New York City.”

Five Points: The 19th-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, And Became The World’s Most Notorious Slum

Tyler Anbinder

Details the notorious neighborhood that was once filled with gaming dens, bordellos, dirty streets, and tenements, that welcomed such visitors as Charles Dickens and Abraham Lincoln, and brings to light the hidden world that existed beneath the squalor—a world that invented tap dancing and hosted the prize-fight of the century.

Staff says: “An accessible and broad work looking at the notorious downtown slum’s population and sociology.”

The Island at the Center of the World: the Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America

Russell Shorto

A history of the Dutch role in the establishment of Manhattan discusses the rivalry between England and the Dutch Republic, focusing on the power struggle between Holland governor Peter Stuyvesant and politician Adriaen van der Donck that shaped New York’s culture and social freedoms.

Staff says: “The book is well-researched, the stories are well-told, and it will flesh out that point of history that most people only remember as song lyrics: 'Even old New York was once New Amsterdam…’”

Just Kids

Patti Smith

In this memoir, singer-songwriter Patti Smith shares tales of New York City: the denizens of Max’s Kansas City, the Hotel Chelsea, Scribner’s, Brentano’s and Strand bookstores and her new life in Brooklyn with a young man named Robert Mapplethorpe—the man who changed her life with his love, friendship, and genius.

Staff says: “I rather enjoyed the descriptions of Patti and Robert are discovering New York, especially Brooklyn, together. She writes prose like a poet, with detail and care and without an overabundance of imprecise words.”

Ladies And Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, And The Battle For The Soul Of A City

Jonathan Mahler

A kaleidoscopic portrait of New York City in 1977, The Bronx Is Burning is the story of two epic battles: the fight between Yankee Reggie Jackson and team manager Billy Martin, and the battle between Mario Cuomo and Ed Koch for the city’s mayorship. Buried beneath these parallel conflicts—one for the soul of baseball, the other for the soul of the city—was the subtext of race.

Staff says: “During the 1977 World Series, Howard Cosell really did say "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is burning” as flames licked up in the distance from Yankee Stadium. 1977 was the crux of the “bad ol’ days” of New York City—white flight had taken its toll; unemployment was outrageous for everyone, but close to 80% for young blacks and hispanics; infrastructure was in disrepair; crime was outrageous. This was the New York that inspired movies like “Death Wish” and “The Warriors.” NYC had bottomed out in 1977 and this is the history of that fateful year.“

Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York

Luc Sante

Luc Sante’s Low Life is a portrait of America’s greatest city, the riotous and anarchic breeding ground of modernity. This is not the familiar saga of mansions, avenues, and robber barons, but the messy, turbulent, often murderous story of the city’s slums; the teeming streets—scene of innumerable cons and crimes whose cramped and overcrowded housing is still a prominent feature of the cityscape.

Staff says: "This book sparked an interest in shady urban histories for me. Now that I know a lot more about the city and the context of the time frame, I even read it again. Fun, even if sensationalistic.”

Native New Yorkers: The Legacy of the Algonquin people of New York

Evan T. Pritchard

A comprehensive and fascinating account of the graceful Algonquin civilization that once flourished in the area that is now New York.

Staff says: “New York history from the Native point of view, and it will make you confront every sentimental myth you may have heard before. Everyone should read it.”

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

Deborah Blum

The story of how poison rocked Jazz Age New York City. A pair of forensic scientists began their trailblazing chemical detective work, fighting to end an era when untraceable poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime.

Staff says: “Absolutely fascinating. I was surprised when I found myself at the end already. Unlike a modern forensic science drama on TV, the chemistry is all there—yet still readable and interesting. The era (late 1910s-mid 1930s) and setting are both equally captivating. So many times I thought I knew something that I clearly didn"t. This book taught me tons and still read quickly like a mystery novel, only the mysteries were all actual cases and hence more interesting than usual literary invention.”

Up in the Old Hotel

Joseph Mitchell

Saloon-keepers and street preachers, gypsies and steel-walking Mohawks, a bearded lady and a 93-year-old “seafoodetarian” who believes his specialized diet will keep him alive for another two decades. These are among the people that Joseph Mitchell immortalized in his reportage for The New Yorker and in four books—McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon, Old Mr. Flood, The Bottom of the Harbor, and Joe Gould’s Secret—that are still renowned for their precise, respectful observation, their graveyard humor, and their offhand perfection of style.

Staff says: “Mitchell, in an incredibly vivid writing style, tells the tales of some of the people he met in NYC in the '20s - '50s. The people are the history of New York.”

Source: NYPL’s Favorite NYC History Books

[hiitshannahbananah]

(Riverdale) Phanie 2.0 | Sweet Pea

Summary: Stephanie learns what it means to be under the Serpent's protection, with all it's pros and cons.

A/N: Okay....I Kind of got inspired 

Warnings: Sexual harassment

Part 1

@iamaunicorn4704

It's been a week since Stephanie's visit at the Whyte Wyrme and things were just like they had been before. Jughead was still not talking to her, just with the difference that she was not calling or texting him either. Her visit at the Serpent's bar had proved to her that the last ten years were worth nothing and she was not going to spend more time running after him. It broke her heart, but she knew she had to get through that. 

“Hey, stranger” Stephanie slowed down when she felt an arm wrapping around her own. Veronica Lodge was now walking next to her with a bright smile. “Hey V. Is everything alright? You seem...unusually happy” Veronica shrugged her shoulders lightly. “I'm good. I was thinking about some milkshakes after school. You in?” Honestly Steph missed the afternoons at Pop's with her friends. Until now she couldn't stand the fact that Jughead was still talking to all of them but not her. Another thing she knew she had to get over. “Sure. Why not. It's been a while” Veronica smiled even wider. “Great. Can't wait. I'll see you after last period” Stephanie shook her head as she watched her friend walk away. 

When she left school that afternoon, she noticed it the first time. As she walked towards the school's parking spot, she saw a motorcycle standing at the other side. On it was the boy she had met that night in the bar. Sweet Pea. He sat there on his bike, eyes fixated on her, a cigarette stuck between his lips. Stephanie couldn't help herself but stare back. He was handsome. And Steph always had a thing for the bad boys. Not the wannabe bad boys at her school. The real deal.

“Steph! There you are! What....What is that South Side trash doing here” Archie had pulled Steph out of her trance and was about to approach Sweet Pea if it wasn't for her hands which held him back. “Just ignore him. He's not doing anything” She said and turned around and walked towards her car. “It's kinda creepy...the way he just stands there” Betty said as she got into the passenger seat while Archie and Veronica sat down on the backseat. “Yeah, I got chills. What do you think is he doing here?” V asked and turned around to look at the Serpent. “Nothing good, that's for sure. Those guys are always trouble” Archie said and Steph wanted to disagree. Tell them how Toni and Sweet Pea were kinda nice to her, but she stayed silent. Not seeing how she could out of that discussion ever again.

Sitting at Pop's with her friends felt freeing. The others knew about her situation with Jughead so they did everything to avoid this topic and keep the mood light. And they managed to actually distract Stephanie for the time being. For her this was like a well deserved vacation from reality. Making stupid jokes, talking about gossip and just being carefree teenagers eating burgers and drinking milkshakes.

“This is nice. Like...seriously. Thank you” Stephanie said genuinely as they paid their bills. “I needed this” “Of course, Steph. We're always here for you. You know that right?” Betty said with a sincere smile as she took her friend's hand and squeezed it. “Right. Doesn't make things easier but yeah” I felt Veronica hugging my side slightly before we all got up. “Does anybody need a ride home?” I offered but they declined and after we said our goodbyes I went to my car. And again I noticed. A motorcycle at the other side of the road across from Pop's.

What the hell was he doing?

And this went on for the following days and weeks. I only saw another Serpent two times. All the other times it was always Sweet Pea. And it was stressing me out. The constant feeling of being watched, even though I knew they weren't there all the time, it pissed me off.

“Call back your dogs!” The door of the trailer closed with a loud bang behind me and Jughead and Betty who were cuddled together on the couch jump. “What?” “Your all for muscles but no brains monkeys that are following me around for weeks now!” Jughead looked at Stephanie like she was holding a gun to his head. “Ohm...I'll give you two some privacy” Betty excused herself and went to the back of the trailer. “What are you talking about?” “That guy, Sweet Pea and some other snake! They keep following me around and watching me. It's fucking creepy” Steph kept on yelling. “Hey, Hey Steph. I have no idea what you're talking about, but I will confront Sweet Pea about this, okay?” Jug said calmly and made a few steps towards Steph, which she quickly stepped back, keeping distance between them. “Fine. Tell them if I find them lurking in the dark again, I will call the cops and press charges” Stephanie threats and turned around to leave. “See you tonight, Betty!” She yelled over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. “What's tonight?” Jug's voice was muffled through the door but she could still hear it as she walked down the stairs.

A few hours later Stephanie was in the middle of a High School party held at Reggie Mantle's place. His parents were out of town so like every Jock would do, he threw a party. Stephanie was dancing with Veronica, Josie, Melody and Valerie when there was an outraged roar and the music stopped suddenly. “What? That was my favourite song!” Val exclaimed disappointed and the girls turned around, looking to find the source why everything stopped so suddenly. And they soon found it. Betty had walked into the house. Followed by her boyfriend and a few of his new friends, all in their Serpent jackets. “I need something stronger than beer” Steph mumbled as she detected Sweet Pea in the group of Serpents and made her way to the kitchen. By the time she had poured herself a red cup of hard liquor the music was turned on again.

“You do realize it's not polite not to say hello, right?” Stephanie bit the inside of her cheek as she recognized the deep voice. “Well, you're one to talk” Her voice was cold as ice and the look on her face was just as cold when she turned around to face him. Sweet Pea stood in front of her, a proud smirk on his face like he hadn't been stalking her for the last few weeks. “Touché” His voice was so deep it was basically a growl. Steph emptied her cup in one swig, needing the alcohol running through her veins right now. “Why do you keep following me?” She asked boldly. Now that he was here, talking to her. She needed to know. “I told you the night we met. We're taking care of our family” “What does that even mean?” Steph was getting frustrated. All those weeks of being constantly followed and she needed answers now. “You're Jughead's family, and even though I don't like that little thug, he's one of ours. So we will protect you” He explained but it only created a bigger mess in her head. “I don't need your protection. And neither am I Jughead's family. Not anymore” Stephanie grabbed the liquor bottle she had just poured herself a drink from and left him in the kitchen. On her way she tried to talk to Veronica or Betty but both seemed quite occupied with their boyfriends, so she sat down in Reggie's garden alone with her bottle.

Everything that had happened that day had her riled up again. Visiting Jughead in his trailer, seeing him at the party and her encounter with Sweet Pea. The fact he mentioned that Jug was still her family, brought all kind of feelings to the surface. She knew that Jug was still family and he would always be family. It wasn't something you could just check out from. Well, you can. At least it's what her own father did when Steph was only a little kid. Leaving her mother and herself behind to start a new life with the waitress that worked at Pop's at the time. He left without a word and only a shitty letter.

An hour later Stephanie had emptied half the bottle and was more than just a little tipsy. “Well, look who we have here” When she looked up she saw the host himself approaching her. “Hey Reggie” Steph's words were already a slur, which Reggie noticed right away. “Whoa, how much did you drink?” He chuckled and sat down next to her. “Obviously not enough” She mumbled and took another swig straight from the bottle. “I see” Reggie smirked and took the bottle from her when she was finished and took a sip himself. “Why are you out here alone and not with us inside?” Stephanie shrugged her shoulders, which made her lean to the side a little, since her balance was infected by the amount of alcohol she had consumed. “Not really in the mood to dance, I guess” “Pity, the show you pulled before with the pussy cats, was fucking hot” He whispered and put his hand on her inner thigh.

Even though Stephanie was drunk, she knew where this was going. And she wasn't up for it. “Maybe I should find Veronica” She stumbled a little while standing up, which encouraged Reggie to grab her arms after also standing up. “Veronica left, probably to bang her ginger boyfriend” A dirty smirk was on his lips and suddenly Steph felt sick. “Then Betty” “Oh? Goody Two Shoes? She left basically right after she came. Left the trash though. But you don't need her. I can take care of you as well” Stephanie felt one of his hands gliding down her arm and then grabbing her hip. “Let me go” Her voice was barely a whisper. “What?” “I said...let. Me. Go” Steph's voice got louder, but there was nobody outside but them and the music inside was awfully loud. “Steph, can't you see. I'm trying to help you. You're so drunk you can't even stand straight” Deep down Stephanie knew he was right. She was too drunk to run. It was too loud for her to scream. Terrified. If there was one situation in her life, which would describe this feeling perfectly, it was this one. “Reggie, please let me go” Her voice was a whimper and she hated herself for sounding so weak. “And, why would I do that?”

“I'll give you a reason” Sweet Pea was slowly walking towards them. “And what is it to you, South Scum?” Reggie asked as his grip around Stephanie's arm and hip got firmer in his rage. “You're hurting me” She said and tried to free herself from his hands, but the pressure on her skin only increased. “I'll only say this once: Let her go” The Serpent was towering over Reggie by now, a look on his face that could murder someone. “Hm, alright. I'll let her go” Steph could see a nasty grin on the Bulldog's face before she was violently pushed to the ground. Her knees made a hard contact with the cobblestone ground that surrounded the pool. She could barely see a thing but the sounds that came from the boys proved a fist fight.

“Hey, Steph...Come on. Let's get you out of here” Sweet Pea carefully wrapped his hands around Stephanie's shoulders and helped her stand up. “That fucking...” When he saw your bleeding knees, he was about to go back and add some kicks to the punches he had just thrown at that pig, but a small hand that suddenly held onto his arm stopped him. “Don't...I don't think I...” Stephanie couldn't even finish her sentence before she felt Sweet Pea's arms picking her up. He carried her all the way to the street, right next to his bike. “I'm driving you home. I'll be careful, okay?” But Stephanie shook her head. “No...I can't go home to my mum like this” Sweet Pea ran his hand through his hair as he looked at the bleeding girl that was leaning against his bike.

Her make up was smudged, her eyes were watery and her arms were crossed over her chest while her hands stroked her upper arms. This was not the person he had met weeks ago at the bar. The person with a fucking inferno in their eyes. The person of punched a Serpent  in the face, right in the snake's nest. The person he had been watching the last weeks. And he was glad he did, otherwise he probably wouldn't have offered what he was about to.

“Fine. I'll bring you to my place” He decided and handed her his helmet. “I've never been on a motorcycle before” Stephanie said as she watched him climb on top of it. “Doesn't matter. I'll do all of the work anyway” He smiled at her and took the helmet to put it on her head himself. She took his hand when she wobbly climbed up behind him. “Just hold on tight, alright? I'm not letting you fall” Sweet Pea felt her shifting closer to him until she was flushed against his back, her arms circling around him, seeking hold. “Sweet Pea?” His heart skipped a beat when he heard her say his name for the very first time. “Yeah?” There was a short silence. Sweet Pea feared that her words had been so silent he missed it. But then “Thank you” A genuine smile spread across his face, a smile not many people got to see. “As I said...you're family”

[peri-the-writer]

Far Longer Than Forever-Chapter 1

Well this has been a long time coming, hasn’t it? But finally! I kicked myself into gear and finally finished chapter one of the Swan Princess AU! I can’t promise speedy updates, but I am at least going to do better about writing a little bit every day so I can at least ensure it gets finished. Anyway, please enjoy!

Jesse knew that many people thought the life of a royal was something like living in a fairy tale. They expected it to be grand balls and magic and romance. But at seven years old and being shipped away from her home, her friends, and her family to spend an entire summer with a boy she was expected to marry, it was decidedly nothing at all like a fairy tale.

She’d never even met the prince, three years her senior, but somehow she already disliked him. It was his fault after all that she was to be uprooted from her like for the next three years and every summer after that, wasn’t it? At least that’s what she told herself, despite somewhere in the back of her mind knowing that he had just as little choice in the matter as she did.

Jesse’s only solace was Reuben. The little pig on her lap was the only friend allowed to accompany her for the summer, and probably the only reason Isa had managed to drag her this far. 

To say Jesse was unhappy with the arrangement was an understatement to say the least and while she said nothing, it was clear to her mother from her expression that Jesse was anything but pleased. Isa let out a tired sigh at the sight. “Has it ever occurred to you that you may actual enjoy your time here, Jesse? It will be much more likely that you do if you don’t decide to hate it before you’re even there.” She punctuated the comment with a pointed look at her daughter, which was only met with the same grumpy expression turned pouting out the carriage window. It was going to be a very long summer, and Isa wasn’t even going to be there for most of it. The queen said a silent prayer that Soren was at least half as patient as he was eccentric.

Ten year old Lukas was in no better spirits about the whole arrangement. Standing outside the palace with his father, he had no idea what to expect. Supposedly he had met Jesse once shortly after she was born, but he barely remembered the encounter, and even if he did have a clear memory, meeting someone as a baby was hardly a good indicator of what her personality would be like now.

Up until now summers had been something to look forward to. There were fewer lessons, more time he could spend with his friends, and the weather was always nice enough to spend outside. Now he’d be spending his summers entertaining a foreign princess who may well end up being the most insufferable person he’d ever met.

Lukas half hoped that they’d change their mind and not come after all, but his hopes were dashed as the long line of horses and carriages came into view. Maybe she won’t be that bad, Lukas told himself, but as the chestnut haired little girl stepped out of the carriage, that hope too was long gone. Princess Jesse looked anything but pleasant with her angry scowl that seemed to be directed in his direction. His own irritation at the situation seemed to double and he adopted a similar expression to match hers.

The two were so absorbed in their impromptu staring match, neither noticed the concerned look shared between their parents. The uncomfortable silence was quickly broken by Soren. “Now Lukas, staring is no way to greet our guests. Remember what we discussed.” He said, urging him forward with a not-quite-gentle pat on the back. 

Still scowling, Lukas closed the distance between himself and Jesse and took her hand. “We’re so pleased to have you with us, Princess.” He forced out as coolly as possible before a brief kiss on the back of her hand, abruptly letting go of her as soon as he was finished. Neither of the children looked anywhere near happy about it, both now refusing to even look at each other.

A long summer indeed, Isa thought to herself as they were led inside.

At the point that everyone present thought that things couldn’t be going any worse was the point Lukas’s three young friends decided to make themselves known. Soren couldn’t say he’d ever been fond of the trio of children that his son had chosen to be friends with, but their parents were members of his court and Lukas loved them, so he had no choice but to tolerate them.

At this particular moment tolerating them was the hardest it had ever been for Soren as the hopes for Jesse and Lukas warming up to each other were quickly waning each moment Aiden, Maya, and Gill hung around them. Currently the three of them were sneering at Jesse and the piglet in her arms, Aiden at the front of the group, as Lukas hung back and observed.

“Huh, I always knew you foreigners were weird, but man I didn’t realize what freaks you could be. I mean who carries around a stinky pig? Pigs are for food, idiot.” He said with a cruel laugh.

“Reuben’s my friend, and if you’re smelling anyone around here, it must be you.” She bit back with a pointed look in his direction. Even if she hadn’t already been in such a foul mood, there was no way she was going to stand for someone insulting her friend.

“Oh yeah? Is that the best you’ve got?” Aiden snorted, getting uncomfortably close to her face. Jesse, though young and small, fixed him with an icy glare reminiscent of her mother as she set Reuben down on the ground with a surprising calm. Then in one smooth motion she straightened herself, pulled back her arm, and connected her first with his face.

The other three gaped at the sudden act while Reuben squealed in a way that sounded suspiciously like laughter. “Why you-! You’re gonna regret that!” Aiden barked when he’d recovered enough to respond, raising his fist to reciprocate. 

“And what are you doing? Threatening the princess?” Reginald, the captain of Isa’s guards, was looming over them now with his arms crossed and a very angry frown.

“What, I wasn’t-She started it!” Aiden yelled suddenly, pointing an accusatory finger at Jesse. Gill and Maya nodded enthusiastically in support of the wild claim.

“Is that so? Jesse?” Reggie’s eyebrows shot up as he turned to the young girl to hear her defense. 

“Me? Why would I ever do something like that? The last thing I’d want to do is make them angry when I have to spend the whole summer here.” Jesse was innocent, at least of instigating the confrontation, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t playing it up for all it was worth. One of the most valuable skills she’d learned in her short life was that she was cute and that it very often worked in her favor.

“That’s what I thought. Young man I’d better not see or hear about you raising your hand to the princess again, or you’ll be answering to a lot of powerful people.” His eyes narrowed threateningly for good measure. “And people who are very good with a sword.” He added, patting the sword on his belt.

As he walked away Jesse gave the 4 other children the most pleasant, and entirely insincere, smile she was capable of, and without another word, she picked up Reuben and followed after him.

Aiden glared at her as she left. The lines had been drawn now, and he was not going to make things easy for her, and there was no way he was going to let his best friend marry some snotty, brat of a princess.

The next summer Jesse came armed with more friends, and human ones this time, though of course Reuben was there too like her previous trip. If Lukas could have his cronies, she’d argued to her mother, she should at least be able to bring some friends of her own along. Isa hadn’t appreciated her referring to them as his cronies, nor any of the other colorful names she’d come up with for them, but she couldn’t deny the request, especially not if it had the chance to warm Jesse up to the idea of the summer visits. 

As it turned out, the only thing Lukas’s friends liked more than taunting Jesse was taunting her friends. They’d made it their mission to annoy and harass them all in whatever way they could without getting themselves into trouble.

Lukas was more indifferent to all of them after the initial displeasure at the situation wore off, even polite and outright kind when his friends weren’t around, much to the confusion of Jesse, but she didn’t often dwell on it, too busy trying to avoid his friends. 

And the summers continued on, all more of less the same for several years. Each group of friends content to despise each other, waging their own personal war, much to the frustration of both Soren and Isa. To say their plan wasn’t going the way they’d hoped was an understatement to say the least.

Soren in particular, who was experiencing it all first hand, was growing more impatient, until finally he chose to take matters into his own hands, deciding maybe something a little less subtle might work better. 

“Why don’t you take Jesse on a ride around the grounds. I’m sure she’d love to take in some of the scenery.” The king suggested to his son on a sunny day when the two opposing groups were sitting in the garden shooting unpleasant looks at each other across a flower bed and pretending they weren’t.

“Father, she’s been coming here every summer for years. I’m sure she’s seen the scenery by now.” Lukas said, casting an uncertain glance in Jesse’s direction. Despite their initial introduction and how his friends treated her, he’d long ago decided he had no issues with her, though he was sure she felt the opposite. He had a fairly good feeling that being forced to spend time alone with him was the farthest thing from what she’d want.

“No reason she can’t see it again.” Soren pushed, unwilling to accept his refusal.  “Besides I’m sure there are at least some places you could ride to that she hasn’t seen before.” 

Lukas sighed, knowing his father wasn’t likely to give up the idea any time soon. “Fine. Princess, would you care to join me?” He asked as politely as he could muster through his frustration.

Jesse only nodded curtly in response, wasting no time in making her way towards the stables. Her friends, as well as Lukas’s made to follow, but Soren once again intervened. “Aiden, why don’t you and the others show our other guests the updates made to the east wing. I’m sure it would be much more interesting for them than a ride, don’t you think?” Everyone present knew that it would be anything but interesting, but it was another request that wasn’t really a request at all.

Glaring daggers at Axel and Olivia, both of whom, along with Reuben, looked none too pleased with the idea themselves, Aiden agreed. “Of course, Your Majesty.” Then a wicked smile spread across his face, deciding this was the perfect opportunity to torment them, and even better without Jesse or Lukas around to curb his attempts. “It would be our pleasure.”

Lukas stopped just as he was passing Soren. “She hates me, you know that don’t you? I’m not sure forcing her to spend even more time with me is really going to help that.” And without waiting for a reply Lukas strode off, hurrying to catch up with Jesse, if not to also avoid a lecture from his father.

They prepared their horses in an uncomfortable silence, and rode for what felt like an eternity in a similar manner. Lukas wasn’t sure how many times he thought about saying something, anything really, just to break the silence, only to change his mind when finally he didn’t have to. “I don’t hate you, you know.” Jesse said suddenly, the break of the tense silence surprising Lukas.

His eyebrows lifted curiously at her comment. “I don’t hate you either?” He wasn’t sure if it was more of a surprise that she had finally spoken to him or what she’d chosen to say. 

“I heard what you said to your father earlier.” She offered in explanation for the sudden declaration. “I don’t hate you, I just...I hate not having a choice in all this. They say we have a choice, but I think we both know that isn’t true.”

“Yeah...” Lukas responded with a sigh. It had always been the worst part of the arrangement. For all they were told that they would always have a say in how things ended up, how often their parents shoved them at each other and spoke about their marriage as if it were already decided, it felt like the exact opposite.

“And I don’t like your friends.” She added with a dark expression. “They’re bullies, I don’t know why you keep hanging around with them.” Then her face softened. “You don’t seem anything like them.”

Lukas wanted to be angry at her for insulting his friends, but he found that he couldn’t. “They’re my best friends, you just don’t know them like I do.” He halfheartedly argued, though whether it was more for her sake or his, he wasn’t sure.

Jesse bit her tongue, deciding the snarky reply that almost left her lips wasn’t going to get them anywhere except backtracking in a relationship where there wasn’t much farther back to go. “I want us to be friends.” She said finally.

He felt himself grinning in response. “Yeah, I’d like that too.” If they were forced to be in this mess together, it would be much easier on both of them if they actually got along, let alone actually enjoyed each others’ company.

Jesse beamed at him in return. “Good! Friends, then.” Then her expression shifted in a way he couldn’t quite place. “Well, since we’re friends now, why don’t we have some fun? As friends?”

“What do you mean?” He said, giving her a curious look. Jesse had meant what she’d said before, hadn’t she? And yet he couldn’t feel like she was up to something.

Jesse grinned mischievously at him, and suddenly the shift in tone made sense. “Race you! Go Winnie!” Before Lukas could register what was happening, she was urging her horse on, bolting ahead of him, her laughter echoing in her wake. Lukas could only grin as he urged his own horse after her. 

Their situation wasn’t ideal, but maybe, just maybe they could do this after all.

[certifiedskywalker]

What About Me?! - Archie Andrews

Archie imagine where the reader and reggie are dating but he's constantly making mean subtle remarks about her to her face and finally Archie stands up for her and yeah? Sorry if it's not too specific

can you do an Archie imagine. Y/n is Archie's best friend and they use to date and she finds out about Ms.Grundy and she confronts her about it or something like that. You can change it around if I want but thanks

@sleepy-stilinski-24

I hope you don’t mind it, but I had an idea to make this angsty, but it required combining these two requests

With any good story, you have to include a sensible plot line, a pinch of drama, and a main conflict. Another aspect are the characters, the reasonable and the irrational, that affect the outcome of the conflict itself. The story is dictated by the characters actions in a way that hopefully brings about an, overall, pleasant ending.

The story of you and Archie Andrews was anything but pleasant. Your novel started with a firestorm of drama that burned a hole through the romantic structure of your relationship. It left the characters themselves, you and Archie, struggling to get a grip. So the editor decided to throw the drafts in the trash and never wished to see it again. Despite the rough start and the grating chapters, it ended rather peacefully. You and Archie both agreed that you both were much better off as friends than as romantic partners and you both parted ways before summer started. You would text each other off and on during the summer months, even visit one another on occasion; but soon the messages stopped and you fell away from the other. You moved on to greener pastures with a different football star, Reggie Mantle, and Archie moved on as well. Everything was kosher until school started back up again.

You were walking down the halls, rushing to your next class when you stopped mid-stride. You turned your head to peer inside the music room and you saw him. It wasn’t just Archie though, even through the small window, you could see Ms. Grundy getting way too close to him. You pulled away from the glass, hoping you weren’t seen. You heard the bell ring, signaling that you were late to your next class. You turned and walked to your classroom, hoping that the teacher would make an exception. Luckily for you, you had Dr. Phylum as your Biology teacher and he is very easygoing when it comes to giving out tardies. You found a seat next to Reggie, whose eyes were boring into your head. Class started and you pulled out a notebook to take down information. “Where were you?” You turned and saw Reggie leaning in awfully close. “I went to the bathroom and loss track of time,” you said, trying to sound strong. Reggie squinted at you, “You were seeing Andrews, weren’t you?” You almost wanted to scream; every time you were late to a date or didn’t reply to one of Reggie’s texts right away, he always assumed you were with Archie.

It was this pestering that lead you to give yourself more space, staying away from Archie over the summer. Although it seems, Archie also had his hands busy. You turned back to face your boyfriend, “I’m not doing this right now, Reg.” He just scoffed, muttered something hurtful under his breath and you went back to the lesson. While you were learning about the parts of an ecosystem, in detail, th to the classroom opened and Archie walked in. He was holding a slip of yellow paper and he approached the teacher. “It’s a pass from Ms. Grundy,” he said and you met his eyes when he turned around to find a seat. You stiffened when he walked past you and Reggie seemed to notice, letting out a cough that hid the word “liar.” The class quickly resumed and you tried to ignore the look Reggie was giving you.

When Dr. Phylum closed up the notes, you let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t hand out homework, which meant you could find Archie and talk to him about what you saw. “Hey, babe, you going to the football game tonight?” You looked up at Reggie, who was now standing. You shrugged, not uttering a word, and he suddenly sat down. “Give me an answer when I ask you a question, pig,” he whispered harshly. You swallowed hard, “Sorry Reggie, I don’t know if I’ll be able to,” Reggie just rolled his eyes. “Too busy being a whore to come, I thought so.” The bell rang and you got up quickly, pushing past the door and ignoring the fact you saw Archie darting after you. You just kept doing, rushing to your next class.

You felt insanely grateful when you realized that you didn’t share a lunch period with Reggie. You grabbed some food and found a spot where you could eat in peace. Half-way through you favorite sandwich, you saw Archie walking towards you. You set down your sandwich as Archie took the seat across from you. “You sure your fan club doesn’t mind you sitting with me?” You asked, gesturing to Archie’s friends who were sitting at a different table. “I just wanna talk for a bit,” he said seriously, “about what Reggie said in Biology.” You rolled your eyes, “He always does stuff like that, I’m fine Archie.” The reed head just stared at you, “Y/N, that’s not okay, you need to dump him.” You felt a fire lit in your heart at his words.

“How do you know what I need to do? I’m doing just fine, but what about you?” Your voice was a loud whisper, trying to calm yourself down. He raised his eyebrows, “What about me?!” You stared into his eyes, “I saw you and Grundy, Archie. That’s toxic.” Archie’s demeanor changed suddenly, panic reached his eyes. “So before you judge my relationship,” you said, standing up, “think of your own.”

“Y/N wait!” You turned to face Archie once more and you saw the hurt on his face. You felt tears burning behind your eyes and the temptation to hug your friend was overwhelming. A part of your realized that he probably wasn’t actually worried about you now. He was worried about his relationship with Grundy. “Don’t worry Andrews, your secret is safe with me.” You whispered and walked away, finally letting the tears fall down your face. You made your way into the girls restroom, hiding in a stall until your tears stopped falling. You pulled up your phone to use your camera to look at your face. You jumped a little on your seat when the door slammed shut and the clicking sounds of heels met your ears. “Did you hear what Reggie said about his girlfriend?” You looked away from your phone and towards the voices. “Yeah, but I mean she isn’t the brightest girl in Riverdale,” You just sat, listening while the other girls talked about you. The warning bell rang and you stormed out of the stall, pushing past the girls and to your next class.

The rest of the day went by rather fast and before you knew it you were at your locker getting your books. You shut your locker and almost gasped when you saw Reggie behind the door of it. “We’re hanging out in the lounge,” he said simply, grabbing your hand roughly and pulling you along. Despite your dislike of most everyone on the football team, plus the incident with Archie, you didn’t dare fight Reggie. You just followed closely behind him and sat next to him on the couch in the lounge. You stayed silent as the others around you fell into conversation. Reggie was talking to Moose about some new football tactic while you were spacing out.

“Look who decided to join us,” shouted Reggie, causing you to turn and watch as Archie entered the room. Upon seeing you, his gaze shifted away and to the nearby vending machine. Reggie grabbed your jaw, pulling you to face him. His brown eyes were so dark, it was like looking into a deep lake, with danger lurking in it’s dark waters. A wicked smirk spread on his lips, matching his equally evil gaze. “Don’t say a word to him, slut,” your muscles ached to move, punch, kick, or slap him, but you didn’t. “What’s wrong with you Reggie?!” Reggie let go of your face, standing to face Archis who had spoken up. “Don’t treat Y/N like that,” despite being slightly smaller, Archie faced your boyfriend dead on.

“Whatever Andrews, you know what’s she’s like,” Reggie started, you caught a glimpse of Archie's fists, “she’s brave enough to stand up to me, so she’ll never leave me.” Before Archie could land the blow, Reggie ducked and tackled him to the ground. You started screaming and Moose darted up, struggling to pull Reggie off of Archie. The football coach came running in, “Mantle! Andrews! Break it up!” The coach helped Moose and freed Archie from Reggie’s rage. You darted towards Archie, pulling him up carefully. “Go home, Andrews, I’ll deal with you tomorrow!” The coached yelled, as he pulled Reggie into his office. You looked at Archie, whose eye was already bruising. “Let’s get you home.”

“That was really dumb, Andrews,” you said as you picked through his freezer for a bag of peas. When you found them, you handed the cold peas to Archie and he placed them on his eye. “I wasn’t going to just let him say that, Y/N, you don’t deserve that.” You leaned over the counter and watched as your friend tended to his face. “Well you don’t have to worry about it now,” you whispered, causing Archie to look up at you. “I want nothing to do with him, I don’t think I ever did,” you said and it felt good saying it out loud.

“Then why did you start dating him,” Archie asked, now leaning over in wait of your answer. You looked down at your hands and shrugged, “I just wanted it to seem like, breaking up with you didn’t effect me. That I could move on.” You looked up at him and noticed his raised eyebrows. “I moved on, trust me, but as soon as I did, that’s when Reggie took a turn.” He nodded and the conversation grew silent. “I’m sorry I wasn’t around over summer,” Archie said suddenly and you looked up and smiled at him. “It’s okay, well not really, seeing who you were busy with.”

“Yeah, I’ll do something about it. I know it’s not...normal,” he murmured and you smiled. “Good, that’s not a healthy relationship Archie, so I’m glad you’re going to get yourself out of it.” He gave you a small smile and you looked at the clock. “It’s almost five,” you said, grabbing your things, “I should get going.” He nodded and lead you to the door. Before he opened it, you wrapped your arms around him in a tight hug. “I’m sorry,” you whispered and he just hugged you back. “It’s going to be okay, Y/N,” he murmured softly, “you’re okay and I’m going to be okay.” You pulled away and nodded at your best friend. He opened the door and you stepped outside. As he watched you walk away, he could help but feel his heart grow heavier with the weight of his newest lie.

[briannaslist]

Riverdale, S1E6: Recap

Chapter Six: Faster Pussycats! Kill! Kill!

The best way to start the day is with an awkward breakfast. Betty invited Jughead over for breakfast as part of a crafty plan. He asks where the restroom is and Betty’s mom decides to show him; while they’re out of the room Betty sneaks into her mom’s purse to take a picture of her checkbook. This way she can figure out where Polly is being kept. I’m curious to know what plan B was if her mom didn’t do what they expected; I guess it’s good that her mom is overbearing.

At school, it’s time for the annual Riverdale Variety show auditions. This is apparently a big deal since this is a small town and there’s nothing to do. For whatever reason, these are open auditions. That can make sense since they’re all going to be performing in front of people during the show anyway, but it always seems strange. Anyway, Archie walks out there and immediately gets hindered by stage fright. It doesn’t help that Reggie and some other football players are there heckling him and Josie almost looks delighted by his failure.

Valerie tries to reassure Archie about the fact that every performer gets stage fright. Archie suggests that maybe it’s because he didn’t have his “team” up there and would feel better if she performed with him. But she reminds him that she’s in a band and they’re headlining the events. Headlining band for a high school talent show. What is Riverdale?

At lunch, Betty and Jughead decide to continue having a conversation about Polly; of course, this is a secret so they’re keeping to themselves at the table. They did some further investigating and found out that Polly is being kept in a home for “troubled youth”. Archie asks them what’s up and if he can help and Jughead immediately shuts down his offer because they need to be stealthy. Let’s start with not having private conversations in public. But also, Archie, Jughead is clearly interested in Betty; read the room. Luckily Veronica and Kevin come to the table so Archie can feel included in something. Since Kevin is the host/organizer for the Variety show, Veronica talked him into letting Archie have a spot in the show. And to put Archie at ease, Veronica also offers to sing with him.

Later, when Valerie is rehearsing with Josie and the Pussycats, things go awry. Josie is on edge, which puts Valerie on edge. So much edge they could be called Jughead. Josie is being a diva and Valerie says she doesn’t have this issue when she sings with Archie. Josie says Val either sings with them or Archie. So Valerie decides to quit. Which hurts Josie, clearly. But none of this would have happened if she wasn’t being such a bitch.

Meanwhile, at Andrews Construction, Hermione and Fred discuss the state of the finances at the business. It’s bad. Hermione suggests downsizing with the employees. But Fred says he can’t do it because the guys trust him and the last time he fired someone it didn’t go so well. (FORESHADOWING) So Fred tells her that he was actually hoping to talk to the mayor for some help in getting the contract for developing the land at the old drive-in theater site. Of course, the dramatic irony is that he doesn’t know the buyer is Lodge Industries. He asks Hermione to co-host with him and she agrees, also suggesting that they host dinner at her place. They’re standing all close and one thing leads to another and then they’re kissing in front of an open window. Which Veronica happens to see since she was coming to bring her mom a little plant for her desk.

Meanwhile, Josie is telling her mom about Val quitting (conveniently leaving out that her behavior is the reason why Val left). Her mom says it doesn’t matter because Josie is the most important member anyway, but she has to fix it soon because Josie’s dad is missing two concert shows to come and see her. Her mom tells her to find someone skinny and pretty, but not skinnier and prettier than her. And a woman of color – can’t forget their branding. And in case you were wondering why Josie is the way that she is, that was your explanation.

When Hermione comes home, Veronica confronts her about kissing Fred. So glad Veronica addressed this right away. She asks if Hermione is going to leave her dad when he’s released. Hermione says that it was the first time they kissed and it just kind of happened and that she can’t really say what’s going on because she doesn’t know.

So Veronica joins in on the edge the next day as she walks into the student lounge and sees Archie practicing with Valerie. He’s all excited to tell her that Val quit her band and is going to be performing with her, totally missing that Veronica feels slighted by this. And also how it’s not really great that Valerie had a fight with her friend and left her band. So Veronica yells at him about his lack of loyalty and he’s wondering why she’s so mad, and Veronica says that his dad kissed her mom. Archie tries defending the kiss by saying that it was his understanding from his dad that they were both into it. And Veronica says, “They’re married! To other people!” It’s Archie’s counter that really just drives his obliviousness home – his parents are separated and her dad is…incarcerated. He had a moment to back track and he decided to double down. Veronica reminds him that it’s only been three months since that happened to her dad and Archie finally realizes his mistake and then tries to offer her the part back. Incredibly this makes the entire situation worse because if she accepted then where does that leave Valerie and it leaves Veronica mad because she doesn’t want Archie to do her any favors.

Veronica goes for immediate revenge by responding to the flyers that Josie and Melody are putting up looking for a new band member. She walks down the hallway as a member of Josie and the Pussycats, right by Archie and Valerie, making sure that everyone feels slighted.

And now for a major storyline shift – Betty and Jughead go to see Polly in the home for “Troubled Youth”. Jughead has to wait in the lobby, but Betty can go see Polly. And she learns the real reason why Polly was sent away – she’s pregnant. But that was kind of obvious from the talk in the previous episodes. The real twist is what Polly tells Betty about July 4th:

Jason’s parents made them break up because a Blossom dating a Cooper was abhorrent to them. But then she told him about the baby and he was super happy and they planned to run away together.

Polly packed her bags and was going to meet him on July 4th, but her parents figured it out. They had the people from the facility take her away and board her at the home for troubled youth.

She still remembers where she was supposed to meet Jason. She tells Betty exactly where it’s parked.

She has no idea that Jason is dead.

Which leaves Betty to break the news. Talk about a reunion. Polly is distressed and they make Betty leave her.

But hey, who cares about that when we can see Veronica at band rehearsal. Josie is annoyed by Veronica’s distractions and Veronica says she’s just a little stressed. Josie tries to pull the “poor little rich girl” Pot meet kettle, Josie, daughter of the mayor and a prolific jazz musician. Veronica explodes for a moment about her problems but stops mid-sentence and just decides to let it go. Josie tells her she’s sorry about her dad.

Back to Betty – She’s being held in an office when her mom bursts in to get her. She tells Betty that she’s notified if Polly gets a visitor. She and Betty start leaving with Jughead trailing behind, when they run into Polly. Polly is distraught and angry that she wasn’t told about Jason before. Alice says, “Baby it’s for your own good!” and Polly yells back, “You always say that and it’s not true!” while she’s being dragged away. Can’t possibly be good for the baby. And seriously, what kind of stuff has been going on in the Cooper household?

Meanwhile, Archie and Fred are having dinner with Hermione and Josie’s family. It’s another awkward meal! Two in one episode, what a treat! Josie and her dad are both making snide little comments that are just unnecessary for a polite dinner. Josie’s dad finds out about Val leaving the band and is clearly unhappy because he thinks Val is “the real deal”. Doubt that helps Josie’s esteem. After dinner, when Fred gives his presentation, Josie’s dad decides to be condescending to him. When he doesn’t even have any actual influence or stake in this. He’s literally just there because it’s polite to invite the whole family. Josie’s mom says she likes the presentation and wishes she could help, but the buyer is already in the process of closing the deal and it would take two shareholders’ signatures to give Fred the contract instead. So this whole dinner was a complete waste of Fred’s time. And she and Hermione knew that.

Back at the Coopers, Hal and Alice are questioning why Betty even went to see Polly. It’s super stupid. She hasn’t seen her sister in months and they didn’t even give her a real, concrete reason why she was gone. Of course she would want to go. In fact, if they had been more forthright, this whole incident wouldn’t have happened. As if Betty would not eventually figure out that her sister is expecting a child. Betty wants answers and she says considering what she heard today and putting it with other information makes her think that Hal has a motive. She points out that he was also missing from major stuff happening while Sheriff Keller’s house was broken into and she wonders if he’s the one that stole the information. Which, spot on Betty. She asks him point blank if he killed Jason. Note: This is not an appropriate way to find out if anyone committed a crime. Hal just stares at her in disbelief while Alice laughs and says there’s no way someone as spineless as Hal could actually do that and that Betty is sounding crazy like Polly. They tell her Polly’s story is all fake.

Josie and Veronica hang out at Pop’s. Wait, where was Veronica during the dinner being hosted in her apartment? Everyone else had their kids there. Josie vents about how critical and demanding her dad is about the music. Veronica tells her about Hermione and Fred kissing – that strikes me as a bad idea. They had a brief bonding moment and don’t have any real issues with each other, but that’s kind of a big thing to share with someone you don’t really know. The least number of people should be hearing about that. Josie says that Veronica should be open hearing her mom’s take on some things.

So Veronica decides to talk to her mom. But her mom talks first and tells her that she wants to award Fred the contract and she needs Veronica to sign the document. See, when they took Hiram away, he made Veronica a legal officer of Lodge Industries, so she’s the second signature that they need. Veronica is very uneasy and she asks if her mom will stop seeing Fred if she signs it; her mom says she can’t do that, so Veronica says that she can’t sign it because she wants not part in rationalizing what Hermione and Fred are doing. She storms out and her mom just forges her signature instead. This may have been avoided if her mom just explained that the business is failing and Andrews Construction is an honest business unlike the people Hiram was trying to hire.

Archie tells Val that she should perform with the Pussycats; he says he does still want to sing with her at some point in the future, but she belongs up there with them. Plus, after meeting her dad, Archie can see why Josie is the way she is. Val didn’t know that Josie’s dad was in town, and she quickly sees why Josie has been so rude.

Valerie talks to Josie and asks her why she didn’t say anything about her father coming into town. They have their heart-to-heart and Val tells her she wants back in the band. Josie says, “I guess there’s always room for one more kitten in my litter box.” Terrible phrase, not cute at all. There must be something else with cats that can be used.

They perform “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer. Out of all the Donna Summer songs they do the one that had three lines and is super inappropriate to sing in front of your parents and peers at a high school show while wearing cat leotards. But their voices do sound nice, so I guess that’s something. I haven’t liked any of the covers that Josie and the Pussycats have done so far. As they’re performing, Josie’s dad gets up and leaves. Josie can see this from the stage and has to keep it together until the end. There are only like three decent parents in this town; it’s almost comical.

While all of this was going on, Jughead went to visit Betty. He decides to by-pass the awkwardness of ringing the bell by using a tall ladder to get to Betty’s window and knocking. Where did this boy get this ladder? And the window is to the front of the house, so it’s not like it’s sneaky or subtle. Betty lets Jug in and tells him that her parents are crazy and she has to wonder if Polly is crazy too considering how she was talking the other day. (I don’t think Polly’s crazy; she was excited and animated to share everything with her sister.) Betty then wonders if she’s crazy too. Jughead consoles her and says, “We’re all crazy Betty. We’re not out parents. We’re not our families. Also….” And he kisses her. It’s very cute. But it’s during this kiss that Betty remembers Polly telling her about where Jason’s escape car was parked. They decide to go check out the validity of this.

They find the car right where Polly said it would be. And the car is all packed up. Jason’s jacket is in there along with some bags and drugs. Jughead takes a video off the trunk and Betty says they need to get the sheriff and then they can get her sister. But they’re being watched during this whole thing. They get to the school to get Sheriff Keller while Archie is performing. They can hear him in the hallway over the speakers. The sheriff says he got their text and ask what’s going on. They tell him that Polly and Jason were going to run away together and they know where the car is. Betty chooses to go with them, but she acknowledges that she heard Archie singing.

So, quickly – before Archie went on, he and Veronica apologized to each other. He does a great job and people clearly love it. And while we’re here, following the show, Archie and Valerie kiss, Josie cries and is comforted by her mom, and Veronica finds out that Andrews Construction got the contract. From Fred. While she and her mom exchange super uncomfortable looks.

But while all this was happening, the police go to Jason’s car only to find it on fire. Of course, if they had used that phone that they texted the sheriff on to call him instead and just tell him like that, they may have reached the car in time. Betty and Jughead go to get Polly, only to find the window broken with blood on some of it and Polly gone. Though in hindsight, how was Betty going to get Polly out of there? Everyone is a minor.

Questions: Who was watching Betty and Jughead? And I didn’t mention this in the recap because it’s already too long and it just really didn’t fit, but Archie had two incidents where he was freaked out by a wolf mask and some of the football players in the mask – what is that about? I guess we’ll see.

[month9books]

Riverdale Recap and Review - Season 1 - Chapter 7 - In a Lonely Place by Andrew Buckley

That 50’s style comic book opening scene with Jughead wearing his crown and Archie in the sweater with the bowtie was beautifully shot, iconically accurate, and all sorts of creepy. This is something that Riverdale does well, I’ve seen it since episode one and they’ve managed to maintain it almost every single week so far: they commit to the weekly theme and they hit it hard right on the offset. Sure, they’ve only got 42(ish) minutes to work with so there’s no time to beat around the bush, but major props have to go to the producers, writers, and showrunners for consistently hitting the right notes in what’s become an almost perfect symphony of characters and story arcs. This week’s themes of ‘home’ and ‘hope’ are driven like a knife through Archie’s back during that opening sequence that narratively asks the question as to what a home truly is. We’ve seen so many different homes in Riverdale already, it’s easy to see why that particular theme probably gets revisited more than most but it was especially poignant this week with Jughead’s story. So let’s get to it . . .

I feel Archie redeemed himself a little this week after last week’s severe dip in his collective IQ. While he doesn’t shine through as being incredibly intuitive (he managed to ignore the fact that Jughead was homeless for how long?) he grabs some major points for having a heart of gold. He feels bad that he wasn’t there for Betty during her time of need and he fights to help Jughead by arranging for Mr. Jones to go back to work even though he doesn’t even have the full back story yet, he just wants to help his hurting friend. His dedication as a friend despite differences or awkwardness actually gave him a few moments to shine. Yes, he’s completely overshadowed by everyone else on the show but I still feel he gained a little ground this week.

After Polly’s magical escape from the mental institution, she sneaks (like a ninja) into her parent’s attic only to be found by Betty. All the characters in Riverdale have such strong personalities and stories, I’m having a little trouble getting behind Polly though. While she’s obviously not the ‘party girl’ that the Blossoms paint her to be, there’s something not quite right about that girl, and her continuing to cling to wanting to go live on a farm somewhere just doesn’t seem grounded in reality.

Either way, Betty helps her, first by appealing to the Blossoms via Cheryl, and then by Veronica’s intervention to move her into the Lodge residence. The Blossoms once again reiterated that they’re the big, evil, rich family of Riverdale by pulling a Rumpelstiltskin. They want Jason’s baby but they couldn’t care less about Polly, and I can’t completely blame them for that because we really haven’t been given enough reason to sympathize with Polly just yet. The Blossoms want the baby, but Cheryl, in an off-character moment of morality, wants what’s best for Jason’s unborn child and turns on her own family to place Polly in a safe place. This is sure to cause even more conflict in the Blossom household but it looks like Cheryl is beginning to hold her own against her deranged mother, which is nice to see.

We should get this out of the way before I get into this next story point. I love Veronica. Not the character as such, but more Camila Mendes’ portrayal is just so spot on that it’s scary. Which is why this one is tough to write about because her grandiose sweeping gestures and on-point wordplay has been stunning so far. But this week our dear Ronnie headed into some cliche-ridden waters and it was a shame because the character deserves better. Veronica holds a grudge against her mother for forging her signature, not because it was wrong, funnily enough, but because it would paint her in a negative light with her father (daddy issues much?). She proceeds to head out for a night on the town (Riverdale has a nightclub? And a busy one? On a school night?) with Kevin, Reggie, and Josie in order to defy her mother into negotiating with her. It feels like a classic rich girl move and that is too much of a departure from what we’ve come to know about Veronica. While it represents her past life, it’s a life she’s determined to leave behind but goes ahead with it anyway. In the end, all it boils down to is a quick convo with her mother, and all is well again in the Lodge household. Although it will be interesting to see how Mr. Lodge reacts to Hermione’s deception. 

Hats (and paper crowns) off to Skeet Ulrich for almost completely dominating the performance side of this episode of Riverdale. I say ‘almost’ because Jughead is the one that steals the show and delivers the feels. Jughead has pulled a Harry Potter and now lives under the stairs at school. We learn the reason why is because his Dad is somewhat of a deadbeat and his Mom and sister have left town. Father/son stuff always rips my heart a new one so I fully felt the story this week. Jughead wants his Dad to get his act together and he’s holding onto hope that it can actually happen and that it will eventually lead to a happy home, in one form or another. After Archie and Jughead get FP his job back, it all seems to be going well, until they head out for dinner and old demons join them at the table at Pops. We learn the backstory of Fred and FP’s friendship, their doomed partnership, and the clear signs that they hold each other responsible. I think Fred comes out on top here as FP obviously has some issues when it comes to making the right decisions above his own self interests, but they’re both a little at fault and I was shocked that Archie actually cut through the crap and addressed the issue with his Dad. Sure, FP was bad for business but did Fred ever consider what it would mean for Jughead’s family? In true Fred Andrews fashion, he quickly redeems himself by inventing an alibi for Jughead to help prove he’s not the murderer.

Jughead getting taken downtown and questioned was a bit of a leap for Sheriff Keller but I think he’s really grasping at straws at this point. The killer is in town, we’ve already met him, but no one knows who it is. There were a lot of great scenes between Jughead and his Dad but their relationship, and the weekly themes, are driven home by the confrontation behind the police station. We can truly believe that FP wants to clean up his act and wants Jughead to be proud of him, but he lacks the motivation and willpower to do it and prefers to continually blame others for his actions. Jughead on the other hand clings on to hope that his Dad can turn his life around and rebuild their home as a family, but it was clear in that scene that Jughead doesn’t truly believe it to be possible and, furthermore, his Dad knows it too. Which is why Jughead moves into the Andrews household and FP willingly lets him go.

This week’s cliffhanger piece is the sight of Jason’s jacket hanging in Mr. Jones’ closet. We last saw that jacket in the hidden car last week so it could be that Mr. Jones torched the car, Jason had multiple jackets, or someone else fired up the vehicle and then planted the jackets in Mr. Jones’ trailer . Mr. Jones is too obvious to be the killer so we can scratch him off the list. (As my Polly/Betty multiple personality theory got shot all to hell, I have a new one . . .  which I’ll share before next week’s episode. Stay tuned!)

What is a happy home in Riverdale? It almost doesn’t exist because every household is so rife with drama and problems that it seems impossible. But this episode was all about hope for a happy home and we can only assume that our dear characters will find exactly that, in one form or another. Even if it’s just an air mattress on a friend’s floor. Just hopefully not anytime too soon because the drama on this show is just so much wicked freakin fun! 

STRAY THOUGHTS OF AWESOMENESS . . .

- Polly jumped out of a window and, despite there being blood on the glass, she survives completely unscathed. I think it’s safe to say that Polly is a mutant/immortal/vampire or something to that effect.

- The Cooper’s attic is the place scary things go to die. What’s with those freakin dolls?!

- The Betty/Jughead (Bughead as the kids are calling it online) is still pushed to the back of the bus again this week. Juggie putting his arm around Betty causing Archie and Ronnie to address the gesture brought some of it to the surface but it’s still not sitting at the forefront of the story. Understandable though as there’s a ton of other stuff going on.

- The Team Blossom hunting crew has actual hunting dogs. Dogs are well known to be very useful when tracking pregnant teenagers.

- I’m seriously looking forward to when we get to see Mr. Lodge in the flesh. It has to happen. We all know it!

- Mr. Blossom’s wig disturbs me more and more every single week.

- Alice Cooper continues to be evil. Not Penelope Blossom evil. But evil. Press conference outside the church? What? Why? Worst mother of the year award goes to . . . 

Andrew Buckley attended the Vancouver Film School’s Writing for Film and Television program. After pitching and developing several screenplay projects for film and television, he worked in marketing and public relations, before becoming a professional copy and content writer. During this time Andrew began writing his first adult novel, DEATH, THE DEVIL AND THE GOLDFISH, followed closely by his second novel, STILTSKIN both published by Curiosity Quills Press. Andrew also writes under the pen name 'Jane D. Everly' for his HAVELOCK series of novels. Look for his first upper middle grade novel HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES available now fromMonth9Books with the sequel scheduled for release in August 2017.Andrew also co-hosts a geek movie podcast, is working on several new novels, and has a stunning amount of other ideas. He now lives happily in the Okanagan Valley, BC with one beautiful wife, three kids, one cat, one needy dog, and a multitude of characters that live comfortably inside of his mind.Andrew is represented by Mark Gottlieb at the Trident Media Group.

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