𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 | 𝐉𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 |

Search Party

Chapter eleven: Search Party

Drea sat in the student lounge with her friends as Betty talked about her missing sister, Polly, who had run away from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Betty sat next to Jughead, Drea, on the floor by Archie's feet.

Archie looked down at her. "Why are you always on the floor?" He asked the brunette. "It's comfortable." She smiled with a shrug.

Betty continued talking, "My parents don't want to get the police involved. They don't want anyone to know that she ran away or about her 'shameful condition'."

"Please, what decade is this?" Veronica spoke.

"Well, since she knew where Jason's getaway car was, they're afraid they'd think that she burned it. And that if she did -"

"She could be the murder trying to cover her tracks." Jughead finished for her.

"Well, who did burn the car then?" Archie questioned.

"Sheriff Keller said it's possible someone was following us." Drea told him.

"Oh my God. Honestly, guys, we should just, we should just move." Veronica said, causing Drea to let out a quiet snort.

"Guys, what if Polly is really hurt. What if whoever killed Jason is coming after her next?" Betty worried.

Jughead wrapped a comforting arm around the girl's shoulder, causing three out of the other four teens to give them a look.

Drea only smirked at the two. Jughead glanced at her. Seeing her smirk, he slightly shook his head with a smile.

"Betty, even though your parents don't want to, maybe you should go to the police." Archie told the blonde.

"Seconded. We can talk to my dad together about how he has to be discreet." Kevin spoke up.

"No offense, Kev, but your dad answers to a higher authority than God. The Blossoms. They're the first people he would tell." Jughead told the boy.

"And if there's anyone to keep this a secret from, it's the Blossoms. They'd twist it around and go after Polly out of spite." Betty said.

"How can we help?" Drea asked.

"Tell us, B. We'll do it." Veronica added.

Drea was walking down the hall with B and V when Kevin rushed up to them. "You guys oh my God."

"What's wrong?" Drea asked.

"Cheryl just tweeted #Polly Copper killed my brother, #no where to hide, #sharpen your pitchforks." Kevin read from his phone.

"Oh no." Betty spoke as she took the phone from Kevin reading the tweets for himself.

"We need to find Polly before the Blossoms do."

After school, Drea was placing her camera in her messenger bag when her father, Michael, knocked on the open door.

"Hey, pumpkin." The man greeted.

"Dad, when are you gonna stop calling me that?" Drea questioned, pulling on her coat.

Michael pretended to think. "Uhm, well, you're still 6 in my eyes, soo, never." He told his daughter. She rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen you in a bit. How did it go?" Drea referred to his first day at work. When they arrived, her father was still recovering from an injury, but he was back at work as a trauma response at Riverdale General.

"It was interesting."

"Where are you going?" Her dad asked as he examined her warm clothing and hiking boots.

"Uhm. My friend, her sister, she's... she's missing, and some of the students are going to help look for her." Drea told him truthfully.

Michael nodded. "Leave it to my daughter to step up to help." Michael smiled. "I learned it from my parents." She smiled.

After sharing a few more words with her father, she went on her way.

"Ok. The Sisters of Quiet Mercy are due north. The getaway car was west on the old route 40." Betty told the search party as her and Jughead stood in front of them. The search was going to take place in Eversgreen forest.

"Closest bus station is to the east. Headed towards Sweetwater. If Polly wanted to leave Riverdale without anyone seeing her, she probably would have left through - " Jughead spoke.

"Right here. Eversgreen forest."

With that, everyone went off in search of the Cooper's older daughter.

Drea walked beside Jughead as Betty and Archie were in front talking.

"So how is it going with your mom?" Jughead asked her.

"Uhm. I haven't really talked to anyone about her living here before." Drea said honestly. There was no point in lying to the boy.

"You're scared." Jughead said as more of a statement than a question.

"My mother doesn't lie Jughead, yet she did about living in Riverdale. I'm afraid to find out what was so bad that she had to leave, and honestly, I'm afraid of Cheryl's grandmother." Drea admitted.

Jughead nudged her with his arm. "I'm sure nana Rose isn't as scary as she seems." He tried to assure the girl who only rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

When Drea looked up, her eyes widened slightly. "You're kidding." Jughead looked to where she was looking.

There they were. The Blossoms, Sheriff Keller, and their party.

"Alice Cooper. Where is she? Where is Polly?" Penelope questioned.

Drea raised an eyebrow. That really was a stupid question.

"You think if I knew that I would be out here with the mosquitos?" Alice  retorted.

"Face facts, mommy dearest. Polly killed Jason." Cheryl spoke up.

"She escaped the asylum once. Who's to say she didn't before. Say the day Jason got murdered." Clifford said.

Alice Cooper couldn't believe what she was hearing. How dare they accuse her daughter of being a murderer.

"The noose is tightening around your murderous daughter's neck. I know it. Sheriff Keller knows it." Penelope spoke.

"Hold on now." Sheriff Keller interjected, which was ignored by Penelope.

"And I promise you when we find her, and we will find her. The entire town of Riverdale will know, too." Penelope spoke in a threatening voice.

Drea wasn't sure what the Cooper's were going to do, but she sure as hell didn't expect Alice Cooper to be in front of the cameras talking about the rumors being spread about Polly.

Even then, Drea took it upon herself to take a few photos. More so of the parents than the younger daughter standing behind them.

Drea watched as Alice continued to speak, but the words that exited her mouth were more of a shock than anything else she could have said.

"You see, my daughter, Polly, is pregnant with Jason Blossom's baby."

"Polly wouldn't hurt a fly. Let alone the father of her unborn child."

The Blossom parents quickly left with Cheryl close behind them. Drea couldn't help but notice the girl tearing up.

"Polly, darling, if you're watching this, please come home."