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...
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Jughead Jones
"THE BLOSSOMS SHOULD BE HERE SOON" CLARY ANNOUNCED, CLOSING HER phone. She leaned into my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her.
"Once we've talked things through with them, we'll call Mom and Dad," Betty said, looking concerned. "Are you nervous?"
"I'm thankful. At the home, the Sisters said each of us had a guardian angel. You're mine, Betty. And you, Clary," Polly replied warmly, smiling at both of us.
As we waited, the door swung open, and Cheryl walked in. Polly greeted her with a sigh, standing up. Cheryl's expression was one of apprehension, her hand unconsciously resting on her bump.
"I'm so sorry about Jason. I know how much you loved him, and he always talked about how much he loved you," Polly said gently, reaching out to take Cheryl's hand.
"Cheryl, where are your mom and dad?" Betty asked, her tone tinged with worry. Cheryl swallowed hard, visibly nervous.
"You have to leave. Now. My parents... I don't think they want to help you," Cheryl admitted reluctantly, her eyes darting around.
"What are you talking about?" Clary stepped forward, her grip on my arm tightening.
"They want you out of the picture, Polly. It's not safe for you with them. It's not safe for JayJay's baby," Cheryl explained urgently.
"Where am I supposed to go? I can't go back to the attic," Polly said, fear edging into her voice. Veronica spoke up reassuringly.
"No, Polly. You don't have to. And don't worry about my mom, Betty. She'll want to help.'
The tension in the room was palpable as we all exchanged worried glances. Despite the uncertainty, one thing was clear—we had to find a solution quickly, for Polly's safety and the baby's well-being.
"I'm sorry about my dad, and your dad," Archie said, his voice tinged with concern, as he blew up the air mattress for me to stay at their house. I sat on Archie's bed, lightly strumming his guitar.
"I'm not giving up on him, Arch. Not yet," I replied softly, my fingers tracing the familiar chords.
"You think he'll show up for work tomorrow?" Archie asked, his brow furrowing in worry.
"You never know. I hope," I said, returning to strumming the song Archie had set up for practice.
Hope. A word so close to home, yet so elusive. As much as we wished for Jason's killer to be caught and for our town, our home, to feel safe again, with each passing day, our hopes dwindled. There's that old cliché saying, "It's darkest before the dawn." But sometimes... there's just darkness.
The Coopers. The Stepfords of Riverdale. High school sweethearts who got married and had three beautiful daughters, Polly, Clary and Betty... Until Jason Blossom happened. And now, we would hear from the person who was closest to him those days leading up to his disappearance... Polly Cooper. How a casual conversation turned into an epic, forbidden romance. How, for reasons still murky, their respective parents tried to tear them apart. How their break-up was short-lived, because Polly soon learned she was pregnant with Jason's baby. How they became secretly engaged with his grandmother's blessing and her heirloom ring, and made plans to run away together, to start a new life. And how their dreams of escape went up in flames.
Archie and I spent most of our weekend playing video games in his room.
"Gotta stop blowing me up," I warned Archie as we played.
"You're going the wrong way. You're going the... What are you doing?" Archie mumbled as we both died "Come on."
"You're the one who keeps accidentally killing me," I chuckled.
"War is hell, Jug," Archie joked, and I looked at him seriously. "No, Archie, hell is other people."
There was a knock on the door, and Mr. Andrews walked in. "Hey, guys, getting pretty late... And..." He paused and waved a hand in front of his face. "Whoa! It's kinda ripe in here. Does someone wanna open a window?"
"I got it," Archie said, standing to open the window.
"You settling in, Jug?" Mr. Andrews asked.
"Oh, completely. It's like Archie and I are just roommates in a college dorm," I joked.
"Oh, great. What does that make me, the RA?" Mr. Andrews chuckled.
"No, you're the third roommate," Archie smiled.
"All right, guys. I got a big day tomorrow," Fred said, nodding. "Yeah, breaking ground on the SoDale project, right?"
"Yeah, indeed, we are," Mr. Andrews confirmed. He paused for a moment and then looked at me. "Sorry, 'cause I know it's kind of a sore spot with you, Jughead, about the drive-in."
"As long as you build something meaningful in its place," I said.
"Well, I don't know about meaningful, but it's gonna be big. Night, guys," Mr. Andrews said, starting to close the door.
"Night, Dad," Archie said with a nod.
"Polly's convinced herself that no one wants her baby," Clary said as she sat down next to me. I moved to put my arm around her, offering comfort.
"Besides, of course, the child-snatching Blossom monsters," Kevin quipped, glancing at Cheryl. She responded with a nonchalant shrug, "None taken.'
"So your mom and dad want Polly but not the baby, and the Blossoms want the baby and not Polly," I summarized, trying to wrap my head around the situation.
"That's a true Gordian knot," Clary remarked.
"It's an impossible situation," Betty sighed.
"Betty, come on. An impossible situation is being invited to both the Vanity Flair Oscar party and Elton John's Oscar party on the same night," Veronica chimed in. Kevin couldn't help but express disbelief, gripping Veronica's shoulder.
"Which happened to me one year, I know," Veronica continued confidently. "This is merely an annoying situation. But luckily, I've been percolating on an idea, hellishly simple in its conception. What if my mom and I were to host a baby shower?"
"Count me in," Cheryl offered her support.
"You want Polly to feel loved and supported, right?" Veronica continued, trying to rally support.
"Yeah, but ideally by her own parents," Betty replied with a hint of frustration.
"Okay, so, baby steps, girl. Get Polly and your parents in the same room in a public setting where they can't fight, and, voila, let the healing begin," Veronica suggested optimistically.
"Am I expected to come to this thing?" I interjected, feeling a bit out of place. Veronica leaned back casually, "Of course! You're Clary's boyfriend, so..."
The room tensed at Veronica's casual mention.
"Oh, my God, you guys, relax. It's just a word that starts with the letter 'B,'" Veronica tried to diffuse the tension.
"Betty, what do you say?" Clary asked, turning to Betty expectantly. Betty hesitated for a moment, then shyly nodded.
"Elizabeth and Clarissa Cooper," Alice Cooper's voice interrupted as she walked into the room. We all turned to her, surprised by her sudden entrance.
"Mom?" Betty questioned, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
Alice pointed directly at Betty, Clary, and Veronica. "I need you, you and you. Right now."
