Collateral Damage ▻ Riverdale [1]

2.19

THE AFTERMATH
CHAPTER NINETEEN 

"You must be loving this, Forsythia Jones," Alice said as she sat in a booth at Pop's with Queenie. Queenie had called her, telling her that they should meet and speak one on one about Polly together. Even if Queenie was only a teenager, she knew how to play peacekeeper and make deals, seeing as she always did that with the Serpents, "Providing sanctuary to my daughter? Asking me to what? Gloat?"

  Queenie sighed as she shook her head in response, "I came here because I'm trying to help. So, what the hell is your plan for Polly? What do you want?" Queenie asked as if she were equals with the blonde.

  "I want my daughter back. I want her as far away from the Southside and as far away from the Southside Serpents as humanly possible. And I also want my family back together." Alice answered in a calm voice.

  "Well, then, it's time to face facts." Queenie told her, stating it as if it were the most obvious statement.

  "Queenie, Polly is a teenager, just as you are. She hasn't even finished high school. You may be able to live the rest of your life as a Southside Serpent and raise your two unborn children with the help of all of your Serpents buddies, but Polly doesn't have that advantage. She needs to finish her last two years of high school and gain a career before she has a child of her own. The father of her baby was murdered, which happens to be the father of yours, too. You want to play house with her and help the Lodge hold a baby shower for both yourself and Polly, fine. But the very next day, all of those things will still be true. And she's supposed to what? Raise a child?" Alice complained to her.

"Mothers do it everyday, Alice. You did it, I'm even going to do it," Queenie replied, causing Alice to scoff as she rolled her eyes at the teenage girl, "Come to the baby shower, be there for Polly. Help her. Otherwise, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life."

   Alice stared at Queenie as she began to realize that she may be right. Queenie sighed, getting up from the booth and began to walk away. Before she could walk any further than she already was, Alice grabbed Queenie by the wrist, causing Queenie to look down at her confused, "How do you do it?" Alice asked Queenie curiously.

  "Do what?" Queenie replied, not knowing what Alice was talking about.

  "How do you stick by Polly, your best friend, knowing that she's carrying your boyfriend's baby at the same time as you are. I knew FP, your mother, and FP's wife back before you and Jughead were born. They went through something close to what you and Polly are going through, just Jason is dead in your case, unlike FP's. How are you not mad at my daughter for her kids having the same as yours? And the two of you are almost the same amount of months pregnant." Alice asked her curiously and Queenie began extremely nervous.

She never thought about what people would say about it; two best friends, supposedly impregnated by the same kid, yet they still are as close as ever. It seemed almost psychotic.