Finding Love ➸ Bughead

one ♡

❝ and every minute and every hour,
i miss you.. ❞

v e r o n i c a l o d g e

"Could you tell me what happened?"

Veronica fidgeted in her seat and didn't look Sheriff Keller in the eye. Her hair hadn't been brushed recently, and little raven pieces rebelled from her scalp and stuck up like she'd been electrocuted. The hour had just started; it was going to be a long session. "I don't want to be here."

The Riverdale sheriff didn't respond. After nearly twenty years, he was used to the resistance that teens showed toward expressing their feelings, especially after a traumatic event. It took time to accept what happened, and in this case, it would take a lot of work for Veronica to realize that what happened to Cheryl was not her fault. The unconscious—if such a mechanism did exist—was a powerful force, and hated to see the conscious mind suffer. He lifted his Riverdale High mug, fresh hot coffee steaming from the top, and let it hover before his lips.

"That's fine, Veronica. Let's talk about Cheryl. Tell me about her."

Sheriff Keller knew that it wasn't the best question he could've asked, but he was determined to accomplish something within the hour. Veronica repeatedly clasped and unclasped the fabric of the couch.

"You knew her," she grumbled.

"You knew her more than I did," Sheriff Keller replied.

"Not really."

"Who knew her better?"

"Definitely Toni."

"Her girlfriend." Sheriff Keller paused. "But I'm asking about your relationship with Cheryl, not hers."

"What does it matter?" Veronica spat. Her eyes were red from crying, and her voice wavered with the mention of Cheryl's name. "She's...Cheryl is..."

Sheriff Keller leaned forward in his chair. This could be it. "Tell me what happened that night, Veronica."

Veronica drew in a deep breath through puckered lips, as if sucking in all of the oxygen in the room would stop her from bursting into tears again. She bit her trembling lip and began.

"We were at my apartment working on a school project..."

*

It started to rain just as they were leaving Veronica's parents' apartment in Riverdale. The clouds had threatened to relieve themselves earlier in the day but instead they hovered over the greater area, stretching towards the shore. The longer they waited, the wetter the roads would be, and the longer it would take to drive Cheryl and Toni back to their separate houses.

Veronica was pleased with the delay, and planted her feet firmly in the kitchen. Toni gravitated towards the door, with Cheryl not far behind. That was the way it always was with them. Attached at the arm, or the hip, or both. Cheryl had this classic beauty about her that had recently become plastic to Veronica. Ever since she started dating Toni that year, she started wearing more eye make-up, especially on the days that she and Toni were going to spend time with each other after school. Her eyes were a dark brown, so chocolate that Veronica used to be jealous of them, back when they first met and Veronica was trying out for cheerleading. Most people would say that Cheryl's hair was ginger, but it was really a type of red that looked like fire in the sunlight. All Cheryl would ever talk about was Toni, and Veronica knew she kept the details to herself—something that she very much appreciated.