When Jason Blossom is presumed dead, Riverdale shifts on its axis. Letting in the horror, and darkness that had been held at bay.
Archie, Veronica, Clary, Jughead, and Betty grapple with desires, love, drama, and murderers all while coping with the...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Jughead Jones
I WALKED INTO CLARY'S ROOM, WHICH WAS FILLED WITH MUSIC SHEET, ART supplies, and the creative chaos that defined her space. A piano stood proudly in one corner, next to it a guitar. Her walls were adorned with tasteful decorations: pictures of friends near her bed, sketches hanging by her desk, and above her closet, her favorite vinyl records by ABBA, The Beatles, and Fleetwood Mac.
Clary was just finishing tying back her hair, pulling it into sort of a crown around her head, as I entered. She wore a black plunging neckline dress that brushed her shins, a departure from her usual attire, and black heels instead of her customary boots.
"Ready to enter the belly of the beast?" I asked, noticing her finishing touch with a gold necklace—a U-shaped pendant—that complemented her outfit.
She turned around, smiling as she saw me in my suit. "It was the best I could do," I remarked, hands in my pockets.
"You look great," she replied warmly, eyeing me up and down.
"I'm almost ready, Juggy," she said, walking past me and grazing my arm. She put on gold stud earrings and then approached me. "Ready?"
"Ready," I said, offering my hand. She took it, and together we walked out of the room.
When we all arrived at the funeral, Clary was actively avoiding the Blossoms like the plague.
"Hey, what's up with you?" I asked her quietly.
"The Blossoms... they've gotten weird, Jug. They've started treating me like their own kid, almost better than Cheryl. I was over there for dinner yesterday, and they couldn't stop being maternal. I don't want them to think I can somehow replace Jason," Clary explained as we settled down with our friends.
As Penelope Blossom passed by, Archie stood up to offer his condolences. He held out a blue jersey with a big yellow number 9 on it – Jason's number.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Blossom," Archie said softly, handing her the jersey. Mrs. Blossom reached up and touched Archie's hair.
"You're so much like him," she murmured, then quickly composed herself. "Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you, Archibald," she excused herself, leaving Archie to sit back down next to Kevin.
"Did she just touch your hair?""Kevin asked incredulously. Clary leaned forward, rubbing Archie's shoulder.
"That was really sweet what you did," Clary said warmly.
"She deserves it. More than I do," Archie replied humbly.
Veronica approached us solemnly. "Days like today really put things in perspective, huh?" she remarked as she settled down next to Val. "I mean, at least we're here. At least we're alive."
The funeral music began, and everyone turned in their seats to see Cheryl Blossom, dressed persistently in white, walking solemnly down the aisle of seats. I glanced at Clary beside me, and she leaned in to whisper, "It's the outfit she was wearing when Jason... left." Clary swallowed hard, her expression pained.
