𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐙𝐄, riverdale [1]

SEVEN | Pep Rallies Are Fun

*Please please please read the AN at the end of the chapter :). And again, pretend that she's wearing a River Vixens uniform lol.*

The rest of the day dragged on slowly. When lunch came around, Mariah had never been happier. Not only to eat, but to get out of those suffocating classrooms. The stares that her classmates gave her were annoying her to no end. Every time someone gave her a look if pity, she wanted to run them over with a bus. It's safe to say that she almost lost her shit multiple times already. And the school day wasn't even over yet.

For the first time since school started, she was pleased to be eating lunch outside. She hoped that the cool air would calm her down. She also needed fresh, clean air. The air inside the school made her want to choke. Whether it was the smell of sweat or the waves of body heat, that radiated off of everyone, she didn't know.

With her tray in hand, Mariah walked to her usual lunch table. She placed her tray down and sat, slipping her backpack onto the bench. She didn't hesitate to start eating. Suddenly, the sound of a guitar filled the air and she sighed. "Can't I just have some peace and quiet, just for a few minutes?" She groaned out, looking around to see who was playing the guitar.

Her green eyes landed on Archie and she squinted. He was playing the guitar and singing, it seemed. She could barely hear the words he was saying and she wanted to get closer so that she could hear him. Instead, she looked away and continued eating as she waited for Cheryl to arrive. Betty, standing from her table and walking away caught her attention though. She watched as Archie went after her, desperately trying to talk to her. She figured it had something to do with what happened at Cheryl's party. Or rather, what didn't happen.

From where she sat, it looked as if Archie was trying to talk to Betty but the girl wasn't having it. Betty started walking away from Archie and he tried to go after her again but Principal Weatherbee called him over. Mariah furrowed her eyebrows wondering what Weatherbee could possibly want. She looked after Betty as she walked away and then looked down at her food. She repeated the process, looking back and forth between the two before sighing. She got up, grabbed her bag, and hurried after the blonde.

"Betty!" Mariah called after the blonde. "Betty, wait up!" She tried again. Betty slowed to a stop and turned around, placing a smile on her face. Mariah knew the smile was fake as she walked closer to the girl. "Hey! What's up?" Betty said. As Mariah stood in front of her, she could see that Betty had been crying. "Are you okay?" Mariah asked slowly. Betty nodded her head quickly and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she replied, though Mariah wasn't convinced.

"I saw what happened. With you and Archie. I don't know what happened but you looked pretty upset. I just wanted to see if you were okay. But you're not," Mariah explained. Betty laughed sadly. "Is it that obvious?" She asked. "A little bit," Mariah said. Betty sighed and looked away.

"Is this about what happened at Cheryl's party?" Mariah asked. Betty didn't answer, she just continued looking down at the grass. "Nothing happened between Archie and I. We didn't kiss or do anything, we just talked." Betty looked surprised, "Really, nothing happened?" Mariah shook her head. "Did you want something to happen?" Betty asked seriously.

Mariah's eyes widened and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks as she looked down. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I get it. You and Archie have this weird thing going on. He doesn't like me the way I like him. He probably likes you a lot more than he'd admit," Betty said. "I'm sorry Betty," Mariah said.

The blonde smiled, a genuine smile. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It just wasn't meant to be, I guess," she said. "Well, boys are stupid. We don't need them. Us girls gotta stick together," Mariah said, bumping her hip against Betty's. Betty laughed and Mariah wrapped an arm around Betty's shoulders. The two blondes walked back toward the school.