AFTERLIFE :: Riverdale

II: Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

That night, I emerged from the hot, steamy shower a new person. The hot water resurfaced the memories of the hours before and made me contemplate my actions and the scales of their morality. There is nothing I've ever done that I regret; I'm a believer in the butterfly effect, where, if anything were to change, something would get seriously messed up. However, I did feel that I could've been less blunt with my feelings. Like always, I knew I should've kept everything to myself and just go with the flow. It was only that once I truly felt that open.

Betty, perfect Betty, was the only girl I ever had my eyes on. Girl next door to Archie, the two were destined to be a beautiful couple. Never would I have thought that I could've been anything to her. Always, I watched from afar as she and Archie awkwardly and inadvertently flirted. I couldn't imagine a world where Betty actually noticed me, of all people. Her silky blonde hair which was put in a tight ponytail, her big blue eyes, her dopey grin... but until we began working on the Blue and Gold together, I was just the boy next door's best friend. Now, I risked becoming this once again.

Still, I have no idea what happened that morning to make me snap so quickly. It was true that I didn't want to get involved in the drama all over again, because who knew what might happen. My father was already in jail due to our last excursion, so to attempt another investigation would only sink my life further. Even then, I felt an anger that was entirely not me surging through my veins.

Sighing, I peered into the foggy mirror above me. My reflection was completely gone, and nothing could be seen. I waved my hand across the glass, hoping to see my features, but it was still unclear and alien.

Coming out of the bathroom, I was dressed only in Bermuda boxers and a simple grey tank. Across the hall, I slightly pushed the door open to Archie's room which, for now, was also my own.

Archie was sitting at his desk by the window. His television was on the local Michigan news. He looked up from his phone to greet me with a small smile. I bit my cheeks and looked down, wiping the sweat off my forehead leftover from my shower. It was hard to avoid the judging eyes of my best friend. He was clearly still upset by my rejection of Betty earlier.

"Jug, should we go with them?" Archie asked, though I had no idea what he meant as I'm sure he could see by my troubled squint.

"With who where?" I followed up, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

"Betty and Veronica are going up Thornhill to see what's going on with the Jason sighting." Archie explained, leaning back in his seat which made the chair itself lean back.

I scoffed and crossed my arms, laying back on the bed. "You must be deaf and blind if you didn't see or hear what happened this morning. I'm not getting involved. I wrote one book, it doesn't need a sequel," I said, and yet here I am, writing the sequel.

"Don't you think you should try and make up for what you did?" Archie reasoned, twiddling his thumbs and staring out of the window.

Sending a guilty sneer his way, I rose to my feet, my head tilted back lazily and somewhat annoyed. "As much as I want to be there for Betty, I can't let anything happen to any of us, Archie. When we meddled in everything last year, your father paid for it, my father paid for it, and tensions became strained with Betty and Veronica's parents. There wasn't a soul unchanged by the drama of the year of the Blossom's. Do you really want all of that to happen again?"

"Of course not, Jug. I just want to help them with anything they need." Archie stood and unplugged his phone from its charger. "I'm gonna go down to the graveyard with them, but you can stay here if you want."

I shrugged my shoulders and allowed him to pass by me. It wasn't my call to stop him. If he wanted to start everything back again, he was free to. Who was I to get in the way of his business?