Truth [Riverdale Season 1]

The End or a Perfect Beginning

 I thought things would get better now, calm down at least. I was wrong. Julio was never home and if he was it was only for him to sleep. Jughead was always busy at the station with his dad or with Betty and Archie. Archie and Veronica had their... relationship? I don't really know but the circle seemed to get tighter and I didn't really feel like I fit in. I tried to visit the Coopers to talk to Polly but Betty's mom shut the door in my face, after all I was the 'man stealer' as Alice so maturely called me.

The town was in full swing to get ready for the jubilee. It wasn't anything big in my opinion, or maybe I just didn't care. In a moment like this I would normally talk to Cheryl, but she has enough on her plate as is. I just didn't want to burden her or anyone else. So I kept my distance. I fell into the background, which was easier than it should have been. Even Reggie, Moose, and the other few Bulldogs stopped talking to me.

Was this what being invisible felt like? Here standing at the entrance of the lunchroom watching the quartet talk amongst themselves, it just felt like I was a ghost. My eyes drifted across the room to the Bulldog table were Reggie and Moose were animatedly talking. Lastly my eyes reached the Vixen table, I knew those girls since freshman year but when I dropped out this year none of them acted like I was even a person on their radar anymore. Taking a deep breath I turned and left Riverdale High and walked home. What I wasn't expecting to see was Julio sitting at home.

"You're supposed to be in school, Yas." My brother mumbled, rubbing his face before looking up at me from where he was sitting on the couch. "I just wasn't feeling it. Why aren't you at work?" I dropped my bag and moved to my older brother's side. "Hermione Lodge sacked me and the rest of the Serpents.." he sighed as I leaned my head onto his shoulder. "We'll get through it, we always do. Maybe Pop Tate can help?" My brother huffed out a small laugh as his arm wrapped around my shoulder. "Mayor McCoy is cracking down on the Southside. Had Sheriff Keller pull me over on the way home." It was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "I know I said when mom and dad left that I would let you make your own choices within reason but I think you need to switch schools. The Serpents at Southside High can watch your back and I don't want you ending back up in jail. I can't see you in there again." I could hear the worry in my brother's soft voice as he held me close. "I'll do it. Come on." I hit his leg sitting up. Julio looked amazed at how willing I was to change schools. "Now?" His voice was breathy as he was clearly still shocked. "Yes now. It will take a few days to process the paperwork. We'll stop by Southside first."

Julio got up grabbing his serpent jacket before we left the trailer. We took Julio's car to Southside High where we met with the principal and got started on the paperwork. From there we went back to Riverdale High to do the paperwork there. While Julio was with Mr. Weatherbee I went to my locker and grabbed everything that wasn't a textbook, those would be handed in on my last day. By the end of the week I would be a new student at Southside High.

++++

I was walking through the halls on my way to the lunch room on my last day when I was stopped by a huge crowd surrounding a locker. When being nice and politely asking people to move didn't work I began pushing my way through the crowd. The locker being blocked was Betty's. Her locker was covered by the front page of the school newspaper that claimed FP's innocence, on top of the lockers in a red substance, which looked a little too much like blood, was written 'Go to hell serpent slut', and there was a weird looking doll hanging next to it. Jughead pushed his way out of the crowd and stood in front of her locker, blocking Betty's lingering stare. "Betty," he spoke as his girlfriend stepped forward, "Betty. Hey, no.." He stopped her from going to tear it down. "It's nothing Jug, it's just a jerk with a can of spray paint." The blonde tried to argue and get past her boyfriend. "I don't think that's spray paint, okay?" Jug spoke softly looking into her eyes. Jughead took her away from the locker and I glared at everyone around. "Show's over get your sorry asses somewhere else!" I shouted at the crowd, with an edge to my voice.