𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐙𝐄, riverdale [1]

TWENTY TWO | Party Crashers

The next day, Mariah got a text from Archie that asked her to come over to his house. He actually begged her to come. He apparently needed help setting up for Jughead's birthday party. Mariah agreed to help though she was not happy about it, she wanted to get a few extra hours of sleep before getting ready for the party.

Mariah carefully applied her makeup and curled her hair. She put on a simple black dress that was snug, but comfortable, on the upper half of her body and flared out at the skirt. She paired the outfit with velvet like maroon heels and grabbed a random purse out of her closet, putting her necessities in it. When she was done getting ready, she grabbed Jughead's gift and drove to Archie's house mumbling profanities to herself at having to rush. She knew the route to his house by heart by now but took her time to get there.

When she arrived at his house, Kevin was the one to open the door. "Wow, you look hot!" He said, a proud smile adorning his lips. "Thanks, Kev," Mariah replied with a smile of her own. She entered the home and Archie was placing a bunch of balloons in the corner. She glanced around the house and noticed all of the over the top decorations. Mariah felt like gagging at the sight.

The blonde walked over to her boyfriend and sighed. "I think there are enough balloons, Arch," she said. He turned to face her with a frown. "Where have have you been? I texted you like, two and a half hours ago!" He exclaimed in annoyance, though Mariah knew that he wasn't mad.

"I had to get ready because I knew that I wouldn't be able to help you set up, then go back home to get dressed. And besides, it takes a while to look this good," Mariah answered, gesturing at herself as she spoke. Archie looked her up and down. His eyes raked over every inch of her body. From her legs all the way up to her face. A smirk formed on his face as his eyes travelled back down again.

"Hey pervert! My eyes are up here," Mariah said in mild disgust, snapping her fingers in his face. Archie looked up at her eyes quickly and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, you look r-really g-good. B-beautiful," he stuttered. Mariah rolled her eyes but nodded her head in thanks. Archie reached for the gift bag in Mariah's hand and she handed it to him.

"Do you still need help?" She questioned. "Um, you could finish setting up the food," he replied and she nodded, brushing passed him and entering the kitchen. Kevin's boyfriend, stood in the kitchen, sipping on a drink when she entered. "Hey, you're Kevin's boyfriend. Joseph, right?" Mariah said. The boy turned to her and smiled. "Actually, it's Joaquin," the boy, Joaquin, replied.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I'm not really good with names," Mariah apologized and he shook his head. "It's okay," he said. "I'm Mariah," the blonde introduced holding her hand out for him to shake. He took her hand and gave it a shake. "Nice to meet you," he said and she nodded. "Likewise," she replied.

The two lapsed into silence and Mariah milled around the kitchen, pulling out bags of chips and pretzels. She scoffed, "What kind of party snacks are these?" She placed the bags on the kitchen table and walked to the refrigerator, taking out various bottles of soda.

She rolled her eyes while shaking her head in mild disgust. "Maybe he should've asked me to help with the snacks," she whispered, placing the drinks on the table as well. Veronica entered the kitchen and walked over to the blonde. "Hey, you okay?" She questioned.

Mariah sighed, "I guess." Veronica placed an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Just relax. It's not one of those hardcore parties with alcohol and drugs or something. It's just our inner circle of friends. Think of it as a small gathering or get together," Veronica said as she rubbed Mariah's shoulder up and down.