The Only Beanie - Book 4 (Riverdale Season 4/5)

The Ides of March - Part 1

"Hey, Toni," Aminity said as she picked up the phone. "I have a customer asking about La Bonne Nuit's other establishment. I was thinking..."

"I can meet her tomorrow night."

"Make sure to look at that paper that is sitting with the others on the desk in the back though. I think it might be helpful."

"Got it."

"Thanks, Toni." Aminity hung up, going back over to the lady sitting at the bar. "My associate can meet you here tomorrow night. Is there anything I can get you tonight?"

"One of those, please," she pointed to a mocktail that one of the other customers was carrying.

"Coming right up." She smiled, turning and going over to the back counter. "Reggie, can you get the woman with white hair a Charming Cinderella."

"You got it, boss," he teased with a smile, making her roll her eyes. "Your shift's over. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you," she said before leaving the bar area and finding her boyfriend off to the side of the dancing crowd.

"I still can't believe you run this place," he smiled, glancing down at her.

"Me either."

"Wanna dance?"

She glanced at the flooded dance floor. "Not really. Too many people tonight."

"I figured. So, I got us burgers from upstairs," he said, leading her over to his table.

"You are the best," she smiled, standing on her tiptoes and giving his cheek a kiss. He chuckled as she sat down and started eating.

"That phone call you were making looked pretty important."

"I've been referring customers for Veronica and Cheryl's rum to them. The lady at the bar was asking about it. Rosa Jevon, a connoisseur of rum. Or so she says. I think she's actually Veronica's half-sister."

"Interesting."

"She's a private investigator. Probably trying to find out some information about Veronica's business to give to Hiram."

"How do you know all this?" he asked with an amused smirk.

"You do know who I live with, right? Between Jughead, Betty, Alice, and my dad, I'm pretty well versed in figuring out things." She glanced down at her watch. "Thank you for the incredible food, but I have a test tomorrow and need to get home. I have to call my dad."

"Let me drive you. No use in calling your dad."

"I can't wait until my bike is out of the shop."

"Hey," he mocked being wounded as he held his heart, "I quite enjoy our rides together."

"Let's just go," she laughed, taking his hand as he led her out, helping her onto his bike, giving her his helmet. He waited until she was situated with her hands around his waist before starting the bike and pulling off down the street.

***

"Mr. DuPont is turning out to be worse than any of his villains in his precious Baxter Brothers series," Jughead grumbled as he sat at the kitchen island with Betty, Aminity, and his father. "It's clear he wants me expelled."

"Can't let your name be tarnished by these- these trust fund brats. Hell, it's my name. Our family name."

"If I let my reputation be destroyed by a baseless accusation, my career as a writer is going to be over before it even begins."

"There's no way that's happening, Jug," Betty told him.

"Do you have any idea where your laptop is?" Aminity asked. "Or maybe the draft date saved on the document instead of the computer."

He shook his head. "It's only on my other laptop."

"I think I have an idea," Betty said, placing her coffee on the table.

"Well, no offense, but can I be left out of it? I have to work tonight."

"Yeah, we got this," Betty assured her.

"Well, good luck. You've got less than twenty four hours. Let me know if there's anything I can do from here."

***

Aminity watched as Toni took Hermosa out onto the dance floor and Cheryl joined them after a few minutes. She chuckled as she watched their plan fall into place as they led her out of La Bonne Nuit and to the Five Seasons.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Reggie asked as he made a mocktail, Aminity checking their inventory.

"He's helping out at an event at the community center tonight."

"I was wondering what was keeping him away."

"What do you mean?" she glanced up at him, pausing as he served the drink.

"Well, ever since you two made it official, he's been here all the time. It's like you two are attached at the hip." She blushed. "It's not a bad thing, it's just weird to see you without him. I mean, it took long enough to be okay with seeing you two together."

"Reggie," she let out, blushing harder.

"God, you're adorable," he teased, chuckling as she tried to hide. "Look, everyone expected you and Sweet Pea to get together. We were all just guessing how long it would take."

"Really?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah," he nodded, coming and sitting next to her at the bar. "You and Sweet Pea have always had this... chemistry. I mean, he listened to you and not anyone else and the way you two got along... No one expected it at first and it didn't seem right, but eventually it did. We were just waiting for you two to see it."

***

"Make no mistake," Mr. DuPont spoke from where he sat with the board, FP, Betty, Aminity, Bret, Joan, Jonathan, and Donna watching as Jughead stood in the middle of the room, "the stealing of another student's work will not be tolerated at Stonewall Prep. If the accusation is found to be true, the penalty is immediate expulsion. But we're going to give you a choice today. One that you do not deserve. Nevertheless, you can either graciously, quietly withdraw from Stonewall Prep, which will save yourself and us the embarrassment of a hearing, or you can stay and fight the accusation of plagiarism in a public forum where you could win, but mostly likely, you'll lose, tarnishing Stonewall's name and destroying your future." The room was silent as Jughead thought it over.

"I'll leave," he said quietly before walking out.

"What the hell happened in there, huh?" FP asked as he followed him out, Betty and Aminity right behind him. "I thought you were gonna bring down the temple and instead you let them run roughshod all over you."

"What choice did I have?" he demanded, stopping and looking at his father.

"It's not like you to walk away from a fight. A fight you could have won."

"You don't know that! You don't know these people. This game is fixed. It's been fixed from the beginning. There was no way I was winning that today." FP looked at his son before walking away, Aminity looking between them as Betty came to stand by her boyfriend.