Never Leave me...

Young Cheryl Blossom slept in her bed, feeling as cozy as possible. She heard a loud shout as she shot out of bed, terrified. Was Jason okay? What about her parents? Carefully, the redheaded girl started to tiptoe down the long and looming stairs. Her only thoughts were of her dear brother, Jason Blossom, who she loved more than anything. Cheryl would do anything and everything to protect him. Even though she was only seven years old, Cheryl cared so much, almost too much, about her twin. If he wasn't okay, her perfect little world would come crashing down to the ground in a frenzy of her tears. In order to prevent that chaos, she grabbed a bat and continued going downstairs, she may need to protect Jason. The next thing she saw was horrific. A man in a black mask towered over her brother, a gun to his head. He wasn't familiar, but his presence was unnervingly known to her. She was scared to look at his face. Cheryl's heart was racing and she could hear her blood rushing. She broke into a clammy sweat and Cheryl dropped the bat, mortified. He couldn't get hurt, Cheryl wouldn't allow it.

"Stop! Please don't hurt Jay-Jay!" Her voice was hoarse as she screamed. Jason shook his head, a warning for her to let him go. He was always trying to protect her, but she couldn't live without him.

"Cheryl.. I'm fine.." As the man cocked the gun, he gave her a weak smile.

"No.." The words passed her lips softly as she realized there was nothing she could do. The gun was fired and Jason Blossom was shot between the eyes. A deafening screech rung throughout the entire house as everything faded to black.

Cheryl woke up screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks. Jason was gone, forever, and there was nothing she could do. She failed him, they all did. What was she supposed to do?

"Cheryl... Cheryl, you're okay.. Just breathe," a tiny voice said. She opened her eyes to see Jason with concern shrouding his features.

"Jay-Jay..? You're okay?" Tears welled in her eyes as she took in the situation. Jason was okay. Everything was going to be alright. A sob rippled through her body as she wrapped her arms around Jason's neck. She continued to cry loudly, shaking in her brother's arms. Jason held her tight, gently smoothing out her hair in hopes of calming her down.

"Shhhh... What's wrong Cheryl?" Jason sighed when all he got in response was more crying. "We don't want to wake up Mommy and Daddy.. They don't even want us in the same room.." After he explained the consequences of her waking their parents up, Cheryl got quieter and calmer. "Tell me what's wrong?" She took a quivering breath.

"I had a nightmare, Jay-Jay..." She explained vaguely. Jason nodded, his expression urging her to continue. "It was about you... and you d-died." Cheryl's eyes watered as she fought back tears. "I could never live without you Jason." He gave her a small smile.

"I love you, Cher-Bear." Jason said, laying down next to Cheryl. She beamed at the nickname as butterflies tumbled around in her stomach.

"I love you too, Jay-Jay.." Cheryl turned her head as she heard a click. There, standing at the doorway, was her mother and father, exasperated looks on their faces.

"Jason, what are you doing in your sister's bed?" Penelope glared at the boy, crossing her arms. "We've discussed this before. Go back to your room and go to sleep," the mother said sternly. Cheryl wanted to scream and cry and protest, but she knew that would only get the both of them into more trouble. Jason sighed softly, not bothering to argue. He kissed the top of his twin's head and left the room. Cheryl shot an angry look to her mother, who was also leaving the room. She needed Jason like she needed oxygen. They were two peas in a pod. Inseparable. They were best friends, even at the age of seven. And right now, she needed her best friend to comfort her and love her.

The next night, the nightmare continued. Cheryl saw Jason get shot again and again and again.. and then it stopped. She ran to her dead brother's side, crying loudly and shaking with each new wave of tears. Cheryl stared at the killer, wondering why someone would ever want to kill Jason, he was a shining star, her role model. The killer took off their mask and Cheryl realized she was facing her own father.

"Daddy?" She whispered, shocked to the point of no words. When she calmed herself, she continued to speak. "Why?" Clifford shrugged, and there was a minute of tense silence before he turned the barrel of the gun towards his own head, and then he shot himself. Cheryl began crying again. "No, no, no, no.. You can't leave me too!" Not caring how loud she was, Cheryl screamed over and over. How long was this nightmare supposed to last? She wanted it to end, for Jason to come back to life. For her dad to laugh and say it was a joke,but that wasn't the case. She was trapped inside her own recurring nightmare, forced to watch her greatest fear over and over. What would she do if this was real life? It was a good thing that she didn't need or have to think about that.

Cheryl woke up again, shaking uncontrollably. This time, Jason wasn't by her side. Was he really dead? She took a deep breath and got up, quietly venturing down the hall to her possibly murdered twin brother's room. Opening the door, Cheryl was relieved to see the slow rise and fall of Jason's chest. She crawled into bed next to him, causing him to wake up. He groggily looked over to her.

"Cheryl? What's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?" She nodded silently as Jason wrapped his arm around her slim figure.

"Jay-Jay?" Cheryl asked softly. "Can you promise me something?"

"Anything for you, Cher-Bear."

"Promise me you'll never leave me.." Her voice was soft and desperate. Jason nodded.
"Of course.. I promise I will never leave you." Cheryl held out her pinky finger and Jason smiled, hooking his finger in hers.

Unfortunately, that simple little promise was broken almost ten years later on July 4th.

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Hey guys! This was written by, yours truly, Erin! This piece actually written as an assignment for the Riverdale Journal on the app 'Archie Amino' so.. there's that.. Also, Cheryl and Jason are the cutest ahhh! I hope you liked this! By the way, I did not put much effort into this if I'm going to be honest.... whoops... 

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We have an Archive Of Our Own set up (Under the same username!) so please PLEASE look for us there. We also have an Instagram where we post about the cast, characters and shows! If you have an 'Archie Riverdale Amino' check out The Register where Kai works! Also check out the Riverdale Journal where I just started working as a writer! We do hope to post more on this account later and eventually grow into a huge account with too many stories to count. Please show us to your friends cause we're cool and would appreciate reads. ~E