The Damaged -RIVERDALE-DISCONTINUED

TWENTY FOUR

After breaking down in front of everyone Madelyn couldn't stand the looks of pity thrown her way and had made her way back upstairs, where she could mourn in peace.
She choked back a sob as she approached Jason's bedroom, not having been in it since before her love died.
Manic slowly opened the door, clutching onto her skirt as her nerves built up at the thought of entering his room.
But what was on the other side of that door was not what she expected. She had expected to find the empty room of Jason Blossom, but that room was not as empty as she thought.
"What the fuck are you two doing in here?" Manic asked angrily, glaring between the wannabe Nancy Drews' in Jason's room.
Betty Cooper jumped in shock, having been hunched over and unsuspecting of the redhead's presence while Jughead Jones quietly swore, knowing that his sister would be the first to tear them apart for entering the deceased boy's room.
Betty stood slightly behind Jughead in fear, having heard stories about the terrifying serpent princess.
When Madelyn got no answer she walked further into the room, practically slamming the door shut behind her as she glanced from Jughead to Betty.
"Well?" Manic seethed once more, "why the fuck are you in Jason's room!"
As his twins voice continued to rise Jughead surged forward, clamping his hand down on her mouth and glancing at the closed door nervously.
"Shh!" He hushed his almost livid twin, removing his hand quickly as she tried to bite him, "Manic, stop it."
The redheaded twin rolled her eyes before closing them and taking a deep breath, hoping to calm down before she completely freaked out on the two.
"Jughead," she started, staring into his eyes, "why are you sneaking around in my dead boyfriends room?" She pursed her painted red lips. Jughead barely hesitated before spewing out a lie.
"Betty was just thinking about her sister and needed to get away from all of, uh it. This was the first room we came across." Jughead's voice never once wavered, but he knew his sister was not stupid. Betty was clearly on the ground searching for something when she came in.
"Mmhm, totally. And Betty was just so distraught over her sister that she decided staying in the room of the guy who was making her think of her sister was a good idea?" Madelyn asked, cocking her head to the side mockingly, "oh Juggie, you should know better than to lie to your sister." Jughead looked down in shame as Betty clenched her fists together, her fingernails digging into her flesh.
"We were looking for something," Jughead caved, ignoring the look Betty sent him.
"Looking for what?" Madelyn snapped, getting more upset the longer she was in the room.
Jughead looked at Betty for help, not knowing what to say.
"We heard that Jason was dealing drugs before he died," Betty started, neither her nor Jughead catching Manic's void face falter, "we were looking for something that would tell us why." The two Riverdale High students guiltily stared at the floor in hopes of escaping the redheads seedy glare.
"Get out," Manic ground out, "get the hell out!"
Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones fled the scene as the Jones girl yelled at them, leaving the heartbroken teen alone in the room of her dead boyfriend.
After the door shut she sank down onto the bed, crying into her hands as the reality of Jason Blossom's death and what she had been dragged into from birth pushed its way to the front of her thoughts.
Her father had dragged her into his immoral lifestyle at birth, and Jason Blossom dragged her in even deeper with his death. Because only the lord knew what would happen if anyone found out about Manic being Jason's way in with the serpents.
The door creaked open and Nana Rose wheeled her way in, startling the sobbing girl. Manic looked at the grandmother through glistening eyes, a weary look on her face.
"Hello, dear," Nana Rose croaked, waiting for the girlfriend of her dead grandson to calm down and reply to her.
"Nana Rose," Manic said, her voice cracking a pathetic amount of times, "I'm sorry, I was just..."
Nana Rose cut the girl off, glimpsing down at the redheads ring finger.
"Well, of course you're not wearing it," Rose said, relief flooding her features, "god bless."
But Madelyn had no clue what the poor old women was referring to.
"Not...not wearing what?" Manic asked, confused. Rose Blossom gave the young girl a look of pity, sighing.
"Why the ring, child. Poor boy never even got to give you the real one." Again, Madelyn stared at Rose confused.
"Oh, you poor girl. Can't even remember your own boyfriend proposing to you," Nana Rose sighed once more. She then rolled up to where Manic was perched on Jason's bed, grabbing her hand and resting her closed fist on it.
"Now don't let Penelope see it, she ought to chop off your hand just to get it back," the old women cooed as she opened her fist and dropped a sparkling engagement ring in Manic's hand.
Manic held the ring with delicate fingers and stared at it as Rose wheeled herself out of the room once more, praying that the tiny old ring would encourage her memories to come back.
But they didn't. Instead of remembering why she was found floating in Sweetwater River unconscious, all the redhead got was a splitting headache.