𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐙𝐄, riverdale [1]

FIFTEEN | Performances

Gif by geckoes

"How was the dinner?" Mariah asked her mom the next morning. "It was so fun. Just to sit back and enjoy some time with my friends and not having to worry about work," her mother gushed happily.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun. I'll take my money now," Mariah said, holding out her hand. Amara narrowed her eyes. "What is with you kids? All you care about is money," she said. "You said that you would pay me back," Mariah defended.

"Oh yeah," Amara mumbled. She went to her bag and grabbed her wallet, pulled out a stack of money, and handed it to her daughter. "Mom, I didn't spend this much money," Mariah said. "Well then consider it a thank you. And your allowance," Amara said.

"Now get to school. Oh, and I'll be at the Variety Show, to support Veronica. If you had decided to audition then it would've been great to see you perform," Amara said as she gave Mariah a look. "Sorry to disappoint," Mariah said, though she wasn't sorry. "Maybe it's not too late," Amara said hopefully. Mariah shrugged and picked up her bag. "I'll see you later mom," she said.

"Yeah, see you later," her mother replied somewhat sadly.

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When she got to school, the first thing she did was look for Kevin. She spotted him at his locker and quickly made her way over to him. "Kevin, do you think it's possible to squeeze me into the Variety Show?" Mariah asked. He gaped at her and shook his head. "Are you crazy? We're already booked," he said.

"Oh come on. There has to be a way for me to perform on stage," she said, her eyes pleading. "I'm sorry Mar, but there's nothing I can do," he replied, closing his locker. "Please, Kevin. My mom has wanted to see me on stage for the longest time and I didn't realize how important it was for her until this morning. Please Kevin. I want to make her happy," Mariah begged.

Kevin sighed and looked around the hallway. "Okay, I'll squeeze you in. But only because I think your mom is awesome," he said. Mariah smiled and hugged him tightly. "You're the best!" She exclaimed. "I know," Kevin replied. She pulled away and gave him one more smile before walking to her own locker.

Archie stood at her locker waiting for her and she sighed. "You know, we argue almost as much as an old married couple," Mariah said as she reached her locker. Archie smiled. "So you're actually talking to me?" He asked. "I told you I wasn't mad," she answered, opening her locker. His face fell, "Yeah well I would rather have you mad at me than disappointed."

"That's too bad," she answered. "I get why you are. Hell, I'm disappointed in me. I don't know what's wrong with me, why I do the things I do. I'm always messing everything up," Archie said and Mariah nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you are," she said. Archie looked at her incredulously. "You're not supposed to agree with me," he said and  Mariah shrugged  "Well it's true," she stated and he sighed.

"How can I fix this?" He asked, taking a step closer to her. "You can start by apologizing to Veronica. Make it dramatic, she loves that," Mariah answered.

Archie sighed. "I'm serious," he said. "So am I," she replied. The bell rang and she closed her locker. "See you later Archibald," she said and went to class.

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After school was the Variety Show. Kevin managed to get Mariah a spot and she was thrilled. Her mother texted her that she arrived and Mariah couldn't contain her excitement. She couldn't wait to surprise her mom. She was backstage getting ready and Kevin was onstage and presenting.

"Hello, Riverdale High, and welcome to the 75th annual Variety Show!" Kevin announced to the audience who cheered in response. She applied her lipstick and grew nervous all of a sudden. "Hey, what are you doing back here?" Archie asked, walking up to her. She turned to look at him, "Getting ready to perform."