Secrets We Tell -Reggie Mantle-

What Happened on the River?

***

Sometimes I wish that Riverdale would go back to being it's quiet self, although Riverdale was never your family cookie cutter town in the first place. Maybe I just wanted to only know the image it presented itself as and not the dark shadows and secrets that lie at its under belly.

Having lived in Riverdale my whole life, it wasn't possible to not know how everyone in this town actually was. I just happened to be on the more excessive end of finding these secrets, especially after Jason Blossom died.

In a way I felt bad that Cheryl lost her twin brother, but then she wasn't the best person to try and be around. Her parents on the other hand were completely bratty, evil, conniving and wasn't afraid to show it. They thought they were better than you and they didn't stop until you believed it too.

Then that leaves the Coopers, Betty, Polly, and their parents Hal and Alice Cooper. For much longer than either me or my brother had been alive, the Blossoms and Coopers have been at each other's throats. They were the two biggest founding families of Riverdale, my family being the third, but less noticed one. No one really knew why they hated each other so much, only the family members. Neither wanted a bad image on their family, that's why they kept to themselves, why they pushed their children to keep at such a high standing, socially and educationally (although the Blossoms succeeded with the social standings a little more than the Coopers). Our family stayed out of their feuds, choosing to go about our lives quietly, and normally. Our parents having died two years ago, I now lived with my brother.

So having explained the feuds between the Blossoms and Coopers imagine the outrage when Polly Cooper and Jason Blossom began dating. I'd liked to believe that they truly liked each other, maybe even loved, but no one knows what happened between them. They broke up, Polly, supposedly, had a break down and was sent to a group home. Jason went on about his life, until July 4th, when he died. So the question that still reigns on the town and in the gossiping adults and teens, and the topic still on people's tongues was "What Happened on the River?"

***

"Come on Gemini, we're gonna be late!" Josie, the lead singer of the band I was in (The Pussycats) yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm coming!" I answer, snatching my keys off my desk and checking my makeup in my mirror before bounding out of the bathroom and down the hall to the stairs and skipping down the steps.

Josie eyes me as I come to stand in front of her at the base of the stairs. She glances at my head checking for my cat ears. I smile as she sighs pinching her nose.

"My mother always told me that you have to be early to be on time and that if you're on time, you're late."

"Well my parents weren't politicians so my on time, is on time." I laugh at her, turning to my brother, who stood in the kitchen watching us in amusement, telling him bye before scurrying after Josie to her car.

"Have a good day!" He yells to my retreating figure. "And no boys!"

I smile closing the door behind me ready to face whatever Riverdale high was going to give me this year. I slide into her car as she starts it up and peels off down the road.

"You know Josie, it's still two hours till school starts." I inform her, glancing at the time. She scoffs not turning her head from the road.

"We have practice this morning."

"Still we're technically early, so that means we're on time." I explain to her. She rolls her eyes at me in false annoyance.

"Shut up" she retorts, causing me to giggle.