ghosts // riverdale

[4]

          Fred Andrews was home from the hospital. Veronica and Hermione were preparing for the return of Hiram. Betty had discovered that Brooke was her long lost sister. While things seemingly began to fall into place, they would soon fall apart. Still, the thought of my dad being with Betty's sister was enough to make me nauseous. My mom wasn't coming home and neither was Jellybean. A new sense of reality began to rally around Riverdale.

          Betty and I kept the secret between ourselves for the next few days. I didn't tell Archie and she didn't tell Veronica. It was a small pact but we knew that it wasn't going to last forever. Brooke had come to Riverdale for a reason and we were both too chicken to confront her about it. Betty was afraid of how it might change her family's structure, although the structure of her family was already cracked. I on the other hand just couldn't bear the thought of seeing my father be happy with a woman that wasn't my mom.

          So, there I was all over again, lying in Archie's bedroom staring up at the ceiling, just imagining the perfect reality. In only a few days, the image of my mom cooking breakfast for us had vanished as even a reality where my dad could hold a proper job had taken its place. A reality where he didn't reek of booze and stale sweat. A reality where one dark secret couldn't twist everything into a knot. But this was Riverdale....and I was expecting too much.

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"And you still haven't told anyone right?" Betty asks as she keeps her legs crossed tightly. Her porcelain face glances over at Jughead who fumbles with his hands. He presses his lips together as he raises his eyes at her. "No," he mutters in a low tone as he stops fumbling with his fingers and swings his legs over the edge of her bed. "Not even your dad?" She asks, her expression growing concerned.

"Especially not my dad," Jughead mutters again as he lets out a slight sigh. Betty sucks in a breath of air as she nods her head. "Yeah," she smiles, "I haven't told my parents either." As soon as the words leave her mouth, a familiar voice fills the room. "Haven't told your parents what?" Alice Cooper asks as she stands firmly in the doorway of Betty's room.

"Mom!" Betty shrieks as she quickly rises from her bed, "Haven't you heard of knocking?" Alice crosses her arms across her chest as she tilts her head at Betty. "The moment you want 100% freedom and privacy is the day you'll be paying rent to a landlord," Alice snaps back. "Now, what haven't you told us? Remember, no secrets anymore in this house Betty."

Betty catches a glance towards Jughead who struggles to come up with a lie as much as she does. He gives her a shameful shrug as he clutches his eyes shut in embarrassment. He was normally good at creating stories but his mind was too wrapped up in reality to create a lie. "Uh," Betty stammers, "um, about Hiram Lodge. He's supposed to be back in Riverdale any day Veronica tells me."

Alice looks her daughter up and down before glancing over to Jughead who gives her a subtle nod. "You're a god awful liar, Betty," Alice says as she looks back over at her daughter, "now tell me the truth." Betty's hands tremble slightly as she sucks in another breath of air. "Mom," she whispers, "it's about Brooke. Brooke Harlow."

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Hermione and Veronica Lodge run around with their newly hired cleaning crew pointing them towards what needs to be done and what should be left alone. "Your father is going to love it here," Hermione smiles as she wraps her teenage daughter into a brief hug. Veronica gives her mom a squeeze back as the two of them look over their tidy and well-decorated apartment. "Everything is just the way daddy likes it," Veronica smiles as she holds onto her mom.

A knock at the door interrupts their mother-daughter moment. Hermione breaks out from the hug and quickly opens the door to a frowning Smithers. "Smithers," Hermione beams as she opens the door wide, "come on in! Tell me what you think of our renovations." Smithers glances over at Veronica who lingers near the doorway before looking back towards Hermione.