𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕕𝕒𝕝𝕖

1

If you wanna know the truth, you've come to the right place.

Everyone in Riverdale lies... or, what some like to say, 'bend the truth'. They lie about their friends, they lie about where they're from, they lie about their lives in general.

One thing they couldn't lie about was the heartbreak they felt after what happened this summer.

Things changed for everyone on the Fourth of July. I mean, sure, some old guys signed the Declaration of Independence that day, but something even bigger happened in Riverdale a shit ton of years later.

One-half of the Blossom set died in Sweetwater River. Jason. He was particularly liked unlike his sister. It's not like everyone hated them; people just feared one of the wealthiest families in Riverdale. And there were only a few people who challenged the Blossoms.

For example, the Queens.

The Queens were nearly opposite of the Blossoms, personality wise. They definitely did not have as many secrets and they were actually kind people who often interacted with the town folk.

As for the youngest Queen, she literally acted like one. Arabella wasn't as bad as Cheryl, but she still wasn't the best.

It was her best friends since elementary school that kept her grounded and... stable.

And it was one of them that she was with now.

•••

"Jughead, you son of a bitch!" A short, nearly black-haired girl shouted, charging down the school hallway.

The tall, lanky boy with his black hair stuffed in a crown-beanie, looked confusingly at his best friend.

When she reached the boy, she restrained herself from throwing a hard punch and just punched him with a little less force. "What the hell, Ara?!" He whisper-shouted, clutching the area of his arm that the girl punched.

"We were supposed to go to Pop's last night and you didn't show!" The girl shouted in a whisper, mimicking her friend.

"Maybe I was just tired of seeing your face after the road trip," he said casually while grabbing a book from his locker. Arabella made a face of playful shock and punched him on the shoulder again.

The two began to walk together as the playful tension wore down, "please. The only reason that you actually liked that trip, was because I was there... and payed for everything."

"You wouldn't have payed for everything if Archie were there," he said simply, looking down at his friend, who was looking at the red-headed boy Jughead brought up.

"It's okay," Arabella said, shrugging her shoulders, "I know he's a Square now, but let's make the best of this."

"Betty's a Square but she's still friends with us," Jughead said with furrowed eyebrows.

"Betty's always been a Square," she laughed while Jug nodded.

When the two approached Archie more, Arabella knew that Jug wouldn't want to talk to him, so she said loud enough for the two boys to hear, "see ya, Jug. I gotta talk to my side chick now." Before the crowned one left.

"Nice to see you, too, Ara," Archie said, adjusting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder.

"What? You know you're my side chick. How does it feel that Jug's now my main man? Does it make you feel... inferior to him?" Ara teased.