Asher and her father have just moved to Riverdale from the sunny state of California. Despite living on the south side, she will be attending Riverdale High due to Southside High being shut down. She prefers being alone and doesn't generally open up...
As Betty and I entered Pop's, I took a look around and tried to get familiar with my surroundings. It was a cute, little, 50s style diner with bright red booths along the walls. Neon lights outlined the windows, giving it a fun atmosphere. A counter with cushioned stools jutted out into the middle of the small restaurant. As we approached the register, a man was cleaning the bartop. He was on the older side, and his white and grey hair was a stark contrast to his dark complection. He looked up at us with a grin as we drew closer to him.
"Hey Betty!" he greeted cheerfully. "Who do you have with you?" he questioned, smiling in my direction.
"Hey Pop, this is Asher. She just moved here from California" Betty answered in an equally chipper tone.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance" said Pop. I responded with a nod and a smile.
"Veronica and Archie are sitting over there" he said handing us some menus "I'll be over there to get your orders in a minute". We thanked him and made our way towards the occupied booth. Their backs were facing us, revealing only one scruffy, ginger head with an arm slung around the shoulder of a perfectly styled black head of hair.
"Hey guys, this is Asher. She's the one I gave a tour to this morning" Betty explained as we took our seats.
"Hey, I'm Archie —"
"And I'm Veronica Lodge, but you can call me Ronnie. Glad to finally meet you!" she said with a smile. I recognized them from this morning when Betty talked to them after our little tour. I also remembered seeing Ronnie in the hangout room during my free hour. I started to feel a little better about Riverdale now that I was beginning to get familiar with some of the people here.
"So Asher," began Archie, pulling the attention away from Veronica, "I hear you're from California. How does Riverdale compare to the Golden Coast?"
"I mean, it's definitely colder here" I said quietly. The three of them laughed at my response, making me feel more comfortable in their presence. "But it's a nice change, I guess. I like the small town vibes, it's very cute."
"Yeah, well, pretty soon Riverdale will become less charming and you'll get bored" stated Ronnie, "trust me, I moved here from New York".
"It's not that bad." Betty chimed in. "You'll learn to love it". Pop suddenly appeared in front of our table armed with a notepad and a pen.
"So, what can I get for you kids today?" he asked. They all gave Pop their orders, mostly consisting of milkshakes and french fries. Then Pop turned to me.
"And what will you be having?" he asked.
"I'm fine with water" I replied.
"What?" cried Veronica. "No, you have to get one of Pop's milkshakes. They're the best in town!"
"I don't have any cash on me" I responded sheepishly.
"Oh, don't worry about it, we'll cover your check" Ronnie said, turning her attention to Pop. "She'll have the chocolate overload shake".
I had to admit, that sounded delicious, and who was I to pass up such a tasty treat? With that, Pop collected our menus and told us our orders would be out shortly. As he left our table, the bell on the front door jingled, and I looked up to see a darkly clothed and beanie wearing boy make his way towards us. He took off his jacket and squeezed in next to Archie.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late" said the boy, placing his leather jacket on the table. A flash of green caught my eye, and I quickly recognized the snake symbol patched onto the back of it. What was a South Side Serpent doing hanging around a group like this? From what I'd seen today, a serpent wouldn't be caught dead with a northsider.
Betty introduced me to the boy who was apparently named Jughead. Man, these weird names must be a southside thing. The group got to chatting, and I found myself envious of how close they all were. It made me miss my friends from California dearly. Pop came over with a tray and gave us our fries and milkshakes. He placed a large burger with a soda and fries in front of Jughead, even though he got here after we ordered. He must be a regular.
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I took a big sip of my milkshake, and damn, now I understood what Ronnie was saying. That thing was amazing. I slurped the whole thing down in minutes, along with the water that Pop had brought out for me. Due to my obnoxiously large consumption of liquids, I found myself in desperate need of a bathroom.
"Um, where are the toilets?" I asked awkwardly.
"I'll show you" answered Veronica, wiping her face with a napkin and getting up from her seat. "I have to go, too". She squeezed past the boys and I followed her to the bathrooms which were located in the far corner of the diner.
Once we got into the small room, she immediately went up to the mirror and started reapplying her dark, maroon lipstick. I took this moment to really look at her; she was absolutely beautiful, and she put herself together very well. Her dark hair was perfectly curled, and the small amount of makeup she wore was done flawlessly. The pearl necklace that hung around her neck matched the bracelet on her wrist. Her family must be loaded. She saw me staring at her through the reflection in the mirror, and I quickly looked away.
"Sorry" I said in an awkward and embarrassed tone, shifting me head around to find something else to focus on. She just smiled at me and kept putting on her lipstick.
I started for the bathroom stall, but she abruptly turned around and stepped in my path.
"So, what was that little scene in the hangout between you and Sweet Pea about today?" she asked.
"Um, I don't know" I stammered, a little taken back by the sudden change of conversation. "He was just being friendly".
"It didn't seem like he was being friendly" she said while raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest, clearly recalling the way he had confronted me accusingly before giving me a chance to explain myself.
"It was just a little misunderstanding" I explained. "He introduced me to a few of his friends".
"You mean the Serpents" she corrected me. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but you really shouldn't hang around with serpents, especially Sweet Pea. They're bad news."
"Well, what about Jughead?" I questioned, recalling the snake patch that covered the back of his jacket. "If they're so bad, then why do you guys hang out with him?".
"Juggie's different. He only joined to help out his dad. It's a little more complex for him" she said, her face softening as she explained. "Just trust me, they're not good company to keep. I'm just trying to look out for you". And with that, she walked past me and out of the bathroom.
I stood there in shock, trying to make sense of our conversation. I mean, obviously these serpents must be pretty bad considering the number of warnings I'd received about them today, but despite all of that, I still found myself being drawn to them. They were all so friendly and welcoming when Sweet Pea introduced me to them, especially Toni and Fangs. But maybe it was all just a mask they wore to pull people in before stabbing them in the back. For now, I decided that I would take everyone's advice and keep my distance. It would probably be for the best.
