Witch | Veronica Lodge

01 | the new girl

one
the new girl.

LIKE MOST SUMMERS, Josie Scratch spent the last one at the Academy of Unseen Arts catching up on her studies of witchcraft. Not that her mortal friends in Riverdale know that. They think she was with her mother at their vacation home in France, but she was just a town away.

She came back two days before the school year started, and easily unpacked all of her things. Now it's the first day of the school year, and Josie finds herself at her locker when some of her best friends-Betty Cooper and Kevin Keller walk by with a new girl. The second the new girl lays eyes on Josie, she gapes. Josie is by far the most beautiful person she has ever seen, and to Veronica, Josie's features are almost angelic, like she had been crafted by a God.

"And of course there's the Back-to-School semiformal dance this weekend-" Betty begins, only for Veronica to discreetly point at Josie.

"And who is that dark headed goddess?" Veronica questions, crossing her arms curiously. "Does she have a boyfriend?"

"That's Josie Scratch. And no, she's gay."

As soon as the words leave Kevin's mouth, Veronica's face lights up. "In that case, mind putting in a word? I've tried every flavor of boy and girl but never one whose looked like that."

Betty and Kevin continue to talk to Veronica before Josie turns around and spots them. She's about to walk over and say hi, but then the bell rings, signaling the beginning of the pep rally they're hosting for Jason Blossom, the school's golden boy that disappeared on the Fourth of July. So she waves at them before turning on her heel and prancing down the hallway to the gymnasium. Josie ends up sitting with her friend, Archie Andrews during the pep rally, and afterwards, the duo head to lunch.

They're only at the table for a few minutes before Betty and Kevin join them. Betty then talks Archie into playing one of the songs he wrote over the summer, but then the new girl prances over. "Can I join?"

Josie's head snaps up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. She then looks Veronica up and down, from the girl's long raven hair to her black Louis Vuitton heels, and as soon as she does, she sets the book she'd been reading down, giving Veronica all of her attention. "And who might you be?"

"Veronica Lodge," Veronica introduces herself, sitting down across from Josie.

"I'm Josie Scratch, but my friends call me Jo," Josie quips, dipping one of her fries into her ketchup and popping it into her mouth. "We were just listening to one of Archie's songs."

"I thought we were gonna have to pretend to like it, but it's actually really good," Kevin admits, taking a bite out of his cheeseburger.

"Wait, that was you singing?" Veronica pauses, instantly growing curious with the redhead. "Something you wrote?"

"It's rough."

"No, it's incredible," Betty corrects him quickly, thinking she's doing a good job of hiding the fact that she's in love with Archie. She couldn't be more wrong, because everyone knows but Archie.

"Arch, stop putting yourself down all the time," Josie rolls her eyes, finding that Archie does it a lot more than he cares to admit. "It was incredible."

"I agree," Veronica nods, before raising an eyebrow at Archie. Betty grits her teeth, thinking Veronica is flirting with Archie. Kevin also notices it, but Josie suspects that Veronica just has a flirtatious personality. "Is that your thing? Music? Are you doing something with that?"

"Yeah, that's the plan," Archie answer's, a frown finding its way to his face. He still hasn't told his dad he wants to be a musician, and isn't sure how Fred will react. "So, how's your first day going? Good?"

"Not to be a complete narcissist, but I thought people would be more..."

"Obsessed with you?" Kevin infers, knowing exactly what Veronica was thinking. "Any other year, you'd be trending number one, for sure. This year, though, it's all about Cheryl trying to win the Best Supporting Psycho Oscar for her role as Riverdale High's bereaved Red Widow."

"Incoming," Josie warns, watching as Cheryl herself begins to walk over. As soon as he spots Cheryl, Archie begins to gather his things.

"Hey, I should go," he breathes, wanting to get the hell out of here. "I got that meeting with Grundy and then football tryouts, too."

"You play football, too?" Veronica deadpans, surprised that Archie could juggle so many things at once. "What don't you do?"

Archie flees the table before Kevin leans down to whisper to the trio of girls. "Before you two ask, no, Betty hasn't invited him to the dance yet."

"Betts, you need to tell him-" Josie begins, only for Betty to freak out.

"Don't talk about Archie," Betty snaps in annoyance as Cheryl reaches their table, smiling fslsely at Veronica.

"Veronica Lodge, I've heard whisperings," Cheryl beams, wearing her usual attire. She's wearing a dark blue sweater, tucked into a Blossom red skirt that falls just above her knees. She also has her signature spider broach pinned to her sweater. "May I sit? Jo, would you mind?"

Josie rolls her eyes as Cheryl shoves her over so she can sit beside her. She then pushes a strand of fiery red hair behind her ear. "So, what are you four hens talking about? Archie's Efron-esque emergence from the chrysalis of puberty?"

Veronica's eyes slowly shift to Betty and Josie, who gently shake their heads, not wanting Veronica to mention Betty being in love with Archie. "Extracurriculars. Weatherbee wants me to sign up for a few."

"Cheerleading. You must!" Cheryl's face lights up. "I'm Senior captain of the River Vixens."

"Is cheerleading still a thing?" Kevin remarks, wanting Cheryl to leave.

"Is being the gay best friend still a thing?" Cheryl retorts, narrowing her eyes at him but quickly silencing him. "Some people say its retro, but I say it's eternal and iconic."

"At Spence, I sat at the top of the Elites' pyramid. I'm in," Veronica grins, before turning to Josie and Betty. "Betty, Josie, you two are trying out too."

"Of course!" Cheryl's smile tightens. "Of course, anyone's welcome to try out, but Betty and Josie already have so much on their plates right now and being a Vixen is kind of a full-time thing. But open to all!"

She then stands up, winking at Veronica. "Follow me on Twitter and I'll do the same. My handle is @cherylbombshell."

"She's such a fake bitch," Josie rolls her eyes, being one of the only people who knew the real Cheryl, the one that was kind. But freshman year changed everything for Cheryl, and after that, she became a stone cold bitch and iced out Josie.

"I can deal with fake bitches," Veronica assures. "Go ahead and hate on cheerleading, but if Hipster Prince Harry-"

"I'd love to be a cheerleader," Betty cuts Veronica off, successfully surprising everybody. "It would look great on my college applications. But last year, when I tried out, Cheryl said I was too fat."

"Too season 5 Betty Draper," Kevin exclaims, remembering how Betty had gone through a bit of a binging phase from being so stressed by her schoolwork. "It was a great line, but not at all true."

"Betty, you were hot then and you're hot now," Josie smiles fondly at Betty, squeezing the blonde's arm gently. She then smirks at Veronica. "We're gonna try out with you."

"I can help you guys prep," Veronica declares, elated they're gonna try out with her. "I've got moves."

"Oh, I bet you do," Josie tilts her head to the side, gently admiring the Lodge girl. "And I look forward to you showing me every one of them."

UNEDITED