Ghost Town • Riverdale

Three

I think many of us, maybe the entire town had been hoping against hope that somehow Jason Blossom hadn't drowned on July fourth.
That we'd come to school on Monday morning and there Jason would be.
Or we'd see him and Cheryl in a booth at Pop's.
But that was before the undeniable, irrevocable fact of his bloated, water-logged body, a corpse with a bullet in its forehead, and terrible secrets that could only be revealed by the cold, steel blade of the coroner's autopsy scalpel, or the telltale beating of a guilty heart.

______

"Now that romance is off the table, I'll just say it. Are we 100% sure Archie's straight? Because no straight man has that body." Kevin said, trying his best to lighten the mood. It had been a hard night for Betty, and Poppy and Kevin had made it their sole purpose to comfort her in any way possible. The three of them were walking to the office after an announcement had been made, calling for Betty Cooper. None of them knew what it was for. It could have been literally anything.

Betty shook her head, "Speaking of bodies... Have you recovered from finding Jason's?"

"It was more traumatizing having to explain to my dad what I was doing with Moose at the river. Yet another perk of being the sheriff's son." He said sarcastically.

"No offense," Poppy joked, "But your dad has to be blind to not know you're gay." The trio entered the office, all giggling amongst themselves until they saw the giant bouquet of yellow roses sitting on top of the counter. Poppy gasped loudly, more loudly than she had intended, gaining the attention of the good old Mrs Philips who sat behind the counter. She smiled at the three teenagers politely.

Kevin ran forward with an expression similar to Poppy's, he gaped at the yellow roses, "Oh my god, these are gorgeous. Are those for Betty, Mrs Phillips?"

"That's why I called her," The old woman replied monotonously.

Betty walked forward hesitantly, clearly knowing something that neither of her two friends knew. She had a resigned look on her face but Kevin Keller did not seem to notice, instead, he opened up the small card eagerly with a child like grin on his face. He read off the card, " 'Dear Betty, please forgive me. XOXO, V.' Who the hell is, V?" The two girls rolled their eyes at his obliviousness.

"Veronica." They both said, only a third voice joined in this time. Poppy's eyes shot up to the doorway where Veronica stood, filled with remorse and a box of cupcakes grasped in her hands.

"The yellow's for friendship," she explained, "also had Magnolia cupcakes flown in from New York. Because, as my mom likes to say, 'There's no wrong the right cupcake can't fix.' Also I I've booked us for hers-and-hers mani-pedis at Chez Salon. Blowouts, too. I am so, so sorry, Betty. I don't know what happened to me that night. It was such a basic bitch move. It was like I was possessed by-"

"Madame Satan?" Kevin suggested sarcastically. Poppy tried to stifle her laugh, he was not wrong.

"The old Veronica," she finished, not amused by what Kevin had said, "And I will never, ever do anything like that to you again. I swear on my mother's pearls. Just, can you please give me one more chance?"

If Poppy had been in Betty's place, she would have forgiven the girl in a heartbeat. What she and Archie did was not her fault. After all, it takes two people to make out in a closet. She had even bought Betty cupcakes and flowers to apologize for hurting her. But Betty Cooper bit her lip and thought deeply for a few seconds before she finally said, "Okay."