Witch | Veronica Lodge

04 | cher, you're not alone

four
cher, you're not alone.

IF YOU WERE to ask her about it, Josie wouldn't even be able to tell you the truth. There's no logical explanation for how Josie found Jason Blossom's body. But she did.

After leaving Cheryl's party, she went for a walk on the edge of Sweetwater River. She had removed her power dampening bracelet to dip her hand into the water, considering going for a midnight swim when she slipped and fell. Once she got up, she realized she tripped on the leg of a dead body. More specifically, Jason's dead body.

But that's not even the worst part. The worst part was that Jason had a bullet hole in his head, which means that his death was a murder instead of an accident.

By the next morning, everybody was talking or posting about it. On Monday morning, the autopsy on Jason's body will take place and the town will be changed forever.

Secretly, the whole town had been hoping against hope that Jason hadn't died on July Fourth. That he'd just show up one day, and everything would go back to normal. But it didn't.

And on Monday morning at school, everybody's eyes are on Josie. She tells everybody the same story-that she had gone for a walk and just stumbled upon the body.

But she knows there's more to the story. She had seen Jason shortly before he died, and unlike the rest of the town, she knew that Jason didn't die on the Fourth of July. It was later. She doesn't know who killed him, but she does know her powers helped her find the poor Blossom boy. It can't be a coincidence that one of the only witches in Riverdale found Jason.

And she's still thinking about it at lunch on Monday. She finds herself sitting with Kevin, Veronica, Betty, and Archie. Betty is giving Archie the cold shoulder, but he doesn't seem to mind since he's focused on writing a new song. Kevin is going on about him and Moose spent Saturday night together, and Veronica's going on about how she totally ships them together. But Josie is completely zoned out on their conversation, the memory of Jason's dead body stuck in her mind.

It's not until Archie begins singing the song he wrote that she's sucked out of her haze. "Come on, turn the radio on and, honey we'll dance, dance, dance for the rest of the night. I'm not ready to go-"

He cuts off as Josie turns her head to the side, growing concerned once she realizes that Betty has tears pooling in her soft blue eyes. "Betts?"

"Are you okay?" Archie asks, furrowing his eyebrow at her. Kevin was pretty vague on the details, but apparently, Archie found Betty on Saturday night and told her he could never see them being anything more than friends. Betty didn't take it well, and ended up crying for the rest of the weekend. Josie would've gone and checked on her, but she was stuck at the police station. And this morning, Betty forgave Veronica, and if Betty could forgive Veronica for making out with the guy she's in love with, then Josie can forgive Veronica for making her feel like a jealous bitch.

Betty laughs at him, knowing that none of this is funny. "I'm supposed to say yes. That's what the nice girl always says, but no, I'm not. I want to be. I wish I could be. But it's too much, too fast. Archie..."

"Betty-" Archie begins, only for the blonde to turn on her heel and run away. Archie quickly gathers his belongings and runs after her frantically. "Betty, wait!"

Josie watches them go tiredly before she brings her coffee cup to her lips, hoping the elixir she put in it earlier will kick in and she won't be so tired. "It is way too early in the week for all of this shit."
--

That evening, there's a pep rally held in Jason's honor. Josie puts on her best smile, hoping nobody will notice how off she's feeling today. And she does a great job of it until she sees Cheryl run off the football field with tears shining in her eyes.

Old habits really do die hard, because out of habit, Josie runs after her. She finds the redhead in the girl's locker room sobbing. Josie tentatively takes a seat next to Cheryl, feeling sad for the girl who lost her brother. She knows that she would die without her own brother. "Cheryl, what happened out there?"

"Jason," Cheryl whispers, not able to face the girl she hurt so long ago. "He's gone..."

"I know-"

"No, you don't," Cheryl shakes her head frantically. "You don't understand. He was supposed to come back."

Josie can't help but think that her choice of words are a bit odd, but she chooses not to question it. Cheryl doesn't need the Josie that questions everything, she needs the Josie who's always there for her friends. Her Josie.

So Josie gently sweeps Cheryl's hair to the side, knowing that Cheryl had always found her touch comforting. But Cheryl doesn't feel better, it makes her feel sadder, because she had lost her brother and best friend in a matter of years. "I'm alone."

"Cher, you're not alone," Josie replies, and it's her old nickname for Cheryl that makes the redhead let out a choked sob. She then turns around and throws her arms around Josie, hugging her tightly. She stays with Cheryl a while, stroking her hair and whispering soothing things. Once Cheryl composes herself, she has Josie leave, but by that point, the game has ended.

She heaves a sigh before she lays eyes on Veronica, looking stunning as ever in her cheerleading uniform. The Lodge girl is about to leave, but when Josie calls out her name, she turns. A small finds its way to her face as Josie hurries over, keen on making things less awkward between them.

"Ronnie," Josie breathes, her eyes shining as she stares at the raven haired girl. "Do you, maybe, wanna go get a milkshake at Pop's?"

Veronica seems surprised by the offer, but is happy Josie did it. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Then, I'd love that."

UNEDITED