𝚂𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚂𝚔𝚒𝚗// 𝚂𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝙿𝚎𝚊

𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚕

Dinner was a lot more tense than I would have suspected it to be. Nobody had spoken since we sat down at the table. All I heard was the silverware clanking against the plates and the light chewing coming from everyone. After a short while, I finally broke the awkward silence between all of us.

"Thank you for having me." I smile and Penelope looks over at me.

"Cheryl invited you. I have no idea why you're here." She says and I continue eating.

"Me neither. I thought there'd be other girls." I mumble and I look around.

"Nana Rose, would you like some more ham?" Nana Rose doesn't answer and Clifford rolls his eyes.

"Anna, would you like some more maple ham?"

"I'm good. It's delicious, though. You can really taste the maple."

"You do know that Riverdale was founded on the maple syrup industry."

"I did, actually. It's fascinating though."

"That's where Sweetwater River got its name. Perhaps you should ask your father about it, sometime. How is he, by the way?"

"Okay. He's working hard."

"There are worse things than being a Serpent." Penelope mumbles and I roll my eyes at her comment.

"Like this dinner party." Cheryl mumbles and her mom looks up.

"What did you say?"

"Hmm."

"It must be hard for you and your brother to watch your father throw away his life. Sometimes I wonder how your mother has dealt with it all these years." Clifford says and I clear my throat.

"My dad isn't a Serpent and he hasn't been for quite sometime now. He's a hardworking man with a great life and has a good family to support him. Although I don't deny that he was a serpent at one time but he said goodbye to his old life. That's why I think it's so great. You're all getting a chance to say goodbye to Jason tomorrow..."

"Not all of us."

"That's because some people already got to say goodbye to Jason. While rowing him across the river to his death." Penelope gets up from the table, taking her plate and cup with her to the kitchen.

After dinner, we went up to Cheryl's room and we sat on her bed. She was showing me pictures of Jason and the family and I smiled.

"I hope this isn't weird, but I always thought Jason was crazy handsome."

"The handsomest. He adored you, you know that." She smiles and I smile back.

"Why did you invite me tonight? Why not Tina? Or Ginger? Aren't they your besties now?"

"And yet, that night at the pep rally, after I had my panic attack, you helped me. Not them. You were always there even when I was mean to you. You've always been there for me, for everything in my life and I can't thank you enough for all that you have done for me and my brother." I hug her and lay my head on her shoulder as we continue to flip through the picture album.

"Cheryl. You're allowed to say goodbye to your brother. But, why does it have to be..."

"In front of people?"

"Yeah."

"Everything with Jason's been so... Public. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has been gossiping. Saying he got what he deserved, or that he didn't. I just... I want everyone to know that I'm... I'm sorry. And that Jason deserved a... A better family than what he got."

"Then do it. I'll help you. And let Penelope and Clifford Blossom do their worst."

"Oh, they will. They'll kill me."