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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Clarissa Cooper
I SETTLED CHERYL IN FRONT OF THE WARM FIREPLACE IN MY ROOM,
wrapping her up in one of my coziest blankets.
"Here you go," I handed her a cup of peppermint tea.
"You saw him too?" Cheryl asked softly, her voice trembling. "That's why you screamed 'let her go'?"
I nodded quietly. At Sweetwater River, I had seen Jason's ghostly figure, reaching out towards Cheryl, and it had terrified me.
"Cheryl, I'm so sorry. I've been caught up in all this family drama that I couldn't see how much you were hurting," I said, pulling her closer to me. "After the jubilee tonight, I'll be officially moved in here."
Cheryl nodded solemnly, her eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and understanding. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Penelope's voice floated in.
"Ready, sweetheart?"
I stood up, taking a deep breath. "Almost."
"Don't be nervous about your speech. Just be your wonderful self," Penelope encouraged.
"It's not about the speech, Penelope," I admitted, feeling the weight of my emotions. "It's about Jughead. He's moving in with a foster family and transferring to Southside High. He says it won't change anything between us, but..." My voice caught, and tears welled up in my eyes. I smoothed down my skirt, trying to compose myself. "It will."
"Welcome, one and all, to Riverdale's 75th anniversary Jubilee celebration!" Mayor McCoy's voice filled the town hall. "I couldn't be more thrilled to introduce my daughter, Josie, and her Pussycats, as they perform alongside our local heroes, Archie Andrews and Clarissa Blossom!" The crowd erupted in applause as Josie and I approached the mic. "Hi, everyone! Tonight, we're switching things up. We're singing a song that my buddy Archie Andrews and my favorite gal pal Clary wrote about love and unity in our town."
I glanced around and caught Jughead's smile in the crowd, standing next to Veronica.
The band started playing, and Josie and I stood back to back, facing the audience.
"I promise that you'll never find another like me," we sang together, but Josie took the lead.
"I know that I'm a handful, baby, I know I never think before I jump, and you're the kind of guy the ladies want."
Melody and Valerie echoed, "And there's a lot of cool chicks out there."
"I know that I went psycho on the phone, I never leave well enough alone, and trouble's gonna follow where I go," I sang with a chuckle, thinking of my family.
"And there's a lot of cool chicks out there," echoed the Pussycats again.
"But one of these things is not like the others, like a rainbow with all of the colors, baby doll, when it comes to a lover," Josie and I duetted, and I finished with, "I promise that you'll never find another like..."
"Me-e-e, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, I'm the only one of me, baby, that's the fun of me, Eeh-eeh-eeh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh," I pointed at Jughead and Veronica as all of sang besides Archie.
"You're the only one of you, baby, that's the fun of you, and I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me-e-e," the Pussycats harmonized with me. I turned around and laid an arm on Archie's shoulder as he took over.
"I know I tend to make it about me, I know you never get just what you see, but I will never bore you, baby."
"And there's a lot of lame guys out there," sang the Pussycats.
"And when we had that fight out in the rain, you ran after me and called my name," I sang, smiling at Archie.
"I never wanna see you walk away," Archie smiled back at me, and we glanced at Veronica and Jug.
"And there's a lot of lame guys out there," Josie continued.
"'Cause one of these things is not like the others, livin' in winter, I am your summer, baby doll, when it comes to a lover," we duetted.
"I promise that you'll never find another like," Archie started, and then the Pussycats joined in with me. "Me-e-e, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh,"
"I'm the only one of me, let me keep you company," Archie soloed, and I walked over to Melody as we sang.
"Eeh-eeh-eeh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh,"
"You're the only one of you, baby, that's the fun of you," he pointed at Veronica, who blew him a kiss, and Archie and I faced back to back.
"And I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me-e-e," then we rushed out into the audience with our mics.
"Hey, kids!" Archie said, and I chuckled, "Spelling is fun!"
"Girl, there ain't no I in 'team,'" Archie sang, and I pointed at myself.
"But you know there is a 'me.'"
"Strike the band up, one, two, three," Archie pointed to the Pussycats.
"I promise that you'll never find another like me," the girls sang, dancing on stage.
"Girl, there ain't no I in 'team,'" Archie encouraged the audience to stand as he sang, and I ran to the front.
"But you know there is a 'me,'" I gestured to those in front to get up and dance with us, and Archie flexed one arm.
"And you can't spell 'awesome' without 'me,'"he sang, and I lightly pushed his head as we both sang.
"I promise that you'll never find another like..."
"Me-e-e, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, I'm the only one of me, baby, that's the fun of me, Eeh-eeh-eeh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh" we all sang.
"You're the only one of you, baby, that's the fun of you, and I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me-e-e," Archie and I sang, and I ran off stage to prepare for my speech as the Pussycats and Archie finished the song.
Jughead texted me, saying he had to go talk to his dad but would try to be back for the speech. After Betty finished hers, it was my turn "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Mayor McCoy for inviting me to speak on this historic day," I began, my voice projecting clearly through the microphone.
"Seventy-five years of Riverdale..." I paused, gathering my thoughts as I noticed Jughead appearing in the doorway. A smile crept across my face, bolstering my confidence. "But what is Riverdale? It's about the people, isn't it? Each one of us—our friends, our neighbors. Riverdale is Archie Andrews," I declared, eliciting cheers from the crowd, which warmed my heart.
"Kevin Keller is Riverdale. Veronica Lodge is Riverdale., But do you know who else embodies Riverdale? FP Jones, whom we were quick to accuse in Jason's murder," I continued, my voice unwavering despite the murmurs beginning to stir among the audience. "Jughead Jones is Riverdale, the very soul of our town. Without him, we might never have uncovered the truth about my brother. Yet, how do we repay him? By casting him aside. This is what happens when Riverdale shies away from confronting uncomfortable truths."
"The truth is, Clifford Blossom was also a part of Riverdale," I proclaimed boldly. "Riverdale finds itself at a crossroads. If we continue to deny who and what we are, if we persist in keeping secrets from each other, then what happened to Jason could happen again. Or, God forbid, something even worse. Riverdale must aspire to be better. We must do better," I concluded, stepping back from the microphone, a deep breath escaping me.
From the back of the room, Jughead started applauding, their applause soon joined by Kevin rising to his feet, and then the entire audience followed suit, a wave of relief washing over me as the room filled with heartfelt appreciation.
