The Serpent Queen

3.1

Dear Diary, 

Guilt, innocence. Good, evil. Life, death. As the shadows around Riverdale deepened, the lines that separated these polar opposites blurred and distorted. "I'm guilty," Cheryl said in Biology class. But of what?

***

Veronica glanced at Kevin with a hint of curiosity. "So, are you a suspect now?"

Kevin sighed, his expression tense. "My dad says we all are, including me."

Veronica shook her head confidently. "Not me, girl. I don't know these people."

Cali chimed in with a hint of frustration in her voice. "Lucky. Since my whole entire family basically despised the Blossoms, I feel like I'm going to be pulled into that stupid station for questioning any second."

Kevin, trying to lighten the mood, suggested, "Guys, should we maybe re-binge Making a Murderer on Netflix tonight?"

Betty, already preoccupied with her own concerns, regretfully declined. "Sorry. Can't. Gotta stay late to work on the paper."

Cali jumped at the opportunity to distract herself. "I'll come. I need to take my mind off of my mother." She leaned in closer to Betty and whispered, "Betty, I think we should put our little 'trying to find my mom' game on hold until we know what the hell happened to Jason Blossom that night on Sweetwater River."

Betty nodded in agreement, a shared determination settling between them.

Veronica decided to opt out as well. "Count me out, too. I've got a date tonight."

Archie, intrigued, chimed in, "You do?"

Kevin couldn't hide his curiosity. "Which Riverdale hottie made the cut?"

Chuck entered the conversation with confidence. "Hey, Vee-Lo. I'll swing by the Pembrooke to pick you up at 8:00?"

Veronica accepted with a sly smile. "I'll be waiting."

Betty couldn't help but express her surprise. "Chuck Clayton?"

Kevin added his two cents, "You're going on a date with Chuck?"

Betty voiced her concerns. "He's kind of a player."

Kevin brushed it off with enthusiasm. "Who cares? He's the hottest of hot, and he's the varsity football coach's son. In Riverdale, that's like dating a Kennedy."

***

"So, how'd it go with Chuck?" Kevin inquired, a playful smirk on his lips.

Veronica let out a melodious laugh, her dark tresses framing her face beautifully. "Chuck has muscles for days, but his conversation is not the stuff of Oscar Wilde, or even Diablo Cody."

Their exchange drew the attention of a passing student, who couldn't resist joining the conversation.

"Hey, Veronica. How was the Sticky Maple you had last night?" the student quipped, a sly glimmer in their eyes.

"The what now?" Veronica responded, clearly puzzled by the unexpected inquiry.

"The Sticky Maple Chuck gave you? How was it?" the student elaborated, their tone filled with mischief.

"We had a brownie sundae, if that's what you hyenas mean," Veronica replied, her voice laced with a touch of sarcasm.

Amidst their banter, Kevin's cell phone rang suddenly, causing a momentary interruption.

"Oh, my God," Kevin exclaimed, his attention shifting to the unexpected call.

Without hesitation, Veronica seized Kevin's phone, her curiosity piqued to the maximum.

"What? What the hell is a Sticky Maple?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing.

Kevin, still grappling with the shock of the situation, attempted to explain, "It's kind of what it sounds like. It's a Riverdale thing."

Veronica's features darkened, her amusement giving way to anger and determination.

"No, Kevin, it's a slut-shaming thing. And I'm neither a slut, nor am I going to be shamed by someone named, excuse me, Chuck Clayton. Does he really think he can get away with this? Does he not know who I am? I will cut the brakes on his souped-up phallic symbol."

Betty Cooper, always the voice of reason, chimed in with a more conventional suggestion.

"Or we can go to Principal Weatherbee," she proposed.

Cali, unafraid to speak her mind, injected her own perspective into the discussion.

"He's done this to multiple girls. He deserves worse than an after-school detention," Cali declared, her tone resolute.

Betty continued to brainstorm alternatives.

"Or I can expose him in the pages of the Blue and Gold. Yeah, I can do that!"

However, Veronica, ever the rebel, dismissed these conventional approaches.

"No. Spoken like a true good girl who always follows the rules," Veronica said, pushing Kevin against a locker. "Well, I don't follow rules; I make them, and when necessary, I break them."

She walked away, leaving a challenge hanging in the air.

"You wanna help me get revenge on Chuck, Betty, and Cali? Awesome," Veronica called back as Betty and Cali followed her. "But you better be willing to go full dark, no stars. What do you say, in or out?"

As the trio entered the unfamiliar territory of the boys' locker room, they were met with surprised looks from their male classmates.

"Excuse me," Veronica declared, asserting her presence.

Archie Andrews, taken aback by the unexpected intrusion, attempted to intervene.

"Veronica? Betty, what are you guys doing here?" Archie questioned.

Veronica didn't waver, her tone firm as she responded, "Don't worry about it, Andrews. Hit the showers and stay out of my way."

She cleared her throat, signaling the seriousness of their mission.

Chuck Clayton, not one to shy away from controversy, entered the scene and made a crude remark.

"Huh, I didn't know they let snakes into the locker rooms," Chuck taunted.

Cali, true to her fearless reputation, responded with a hint of sarcasm.

"Real original, Chuck."

Veronica, determined to set things right, showed Chuck the damning evidence on her phone.

"This is disgusting. Take it down," she demanded, her resolve unwavering.

Chuck, however, remained unapologetic and tried to belittle Veronica.

"Whoa, whoa. Why are you so wound up? It's a badge of honor, and you're not exactly virgin territory after your closet date with Andrews," he taunted.

Betty stepped in, defending her friend and taking a stand against Chuck's reprehensible behavior.

"Okay, that's beyond irrelevant, Chuck. You're not allowed to go around humiliating girls, for any reason, under any circumstances, you jerk," Betty scolded.

"Let's keep this simple, so that your preppy-murderer half-brain can grasp it. Take. This. The hell. Down," asserted, her words laced with defiance.

Chuck's response was equally audacious, as he reveled in the tension he had created.

"Okay, that high-toned bitch attitude may have worked on the betas you dated in New York, but you're in Bulldog territory," he retorted, with the boys barking and laughing in the background.