Riverdale- a spinoff

Chapter 4: Audrey

It seemed like something out of the dream, everyone moved in a slow whispy moves and I couldn't seem to focus on anything. There were the sounds of sirens pounding slowly in my head.  I watched as police officer after police officer rushed down the hill and pushed us away from her yellow motionless body. I looked at the faces of all of us, Ruby's face was wet with tears, Zoe stared rigid and dazed at the water, Archie stood comforting Reggie who's fists were clenched and his jaw looking like it might snap in half. The police officers began lining bushes and trees with neon yellow tape and telling us to go back to the house. It took a moment for our frozen bodies to make their way up the hill. Cars pulled into the parking lot, I saw my mom's lingering at the end of the driveway. I slowly made my way to the large black car. She stepped out and wrapped me in a hug, I hadn't noticed but I was shaking and my eyes glassed with tears. "Let's go home," she pulled me in closer "we'll get your car later." I hadn't even thought about my car. The car was warm and the drive home silent. I focused on the illuminated yellow stripes on the road to keep my mind from wandering to the millions of questions swirling around in my head. That night I couldn't sleep I just laid on top of my covers watching the shadows that danced around my room each time a car drove past. Until the shadows stopped.
That morning I had slept probably for 30 minutes, each time I shut my eyes Malia's cold face clouded my thoughts. My phone buzzed and it took more strength than I thought it would to reach over to my side table and pick it up.

Ruby
Want to meet at pops?

I forced my fingers to type back

Me
I'll be there.

I didn't bother getting dressed in something nice, I slipped on a T-shirt and sweatpants. Without my car my option was to walk, I headed down the sidewalks seeing the same trees in yards and cars parked in driveways that I did yesterday. But they all seemed duller, gloomier, darker. When the brightly lit sign came into view memories pooled over me,
There we were all four of us sitting in a booth laughing. Malia and Ruby each with a chocolate milkshake, Zoe with a strawberry and me with a vanilla. Ruby was talking about how she ran out of history class before a presentation, and didn't come back until the end. We all thought it was hilarious. I didn't permit myself anymore tears when I flashed back to the present. I opened the door and the jingle of bells resonated throughout the diner. I looked for her blonde ponytail and half expected Malia's shiny brown hair to be next to her but of course it wasn't. But to my surprise a pile of messy long blonde hair sat next to her. I slowly walked down the slick floor past the empty booths and slid across the two of them. They both looked about as good as I did,
"Hi," I said after a second of sitting there. Ruby just smiled and Zoe looked at a menu even though I knew she knew it by heart.
"You didn't sleep either huh?" Ruby asked. I nodded no.
"So who do you think did it?" Zoe suddenly said. Me and ruby were both caught off guard and neither of us answered.
"Could have been Reggie?" Zoe was talking again.
"Or that Jughead kid, he's creepy."
"Zoe can you shut up?" Ruby jumped in and her tone was serious and on edge.
"What!" Now Zoe's voice was raised "I'm just trying to come up with some explanation," Ruby didn't say anything else and I was at a loss of words, "why did you even invite us here?" Zoe was still talking, "we all aren't exactly friends still." She paused clearly waiting for an answer. Ruby's voice cracked,
"I don't know," she looked down at her lap "I thought since we didn't really get the chance to say goodbye to Malia..." she dragged out her sentence. Nobody seemed to have anything to say back. The jingle of the diners door entered my ears. I quickly moved my head to see two officers walking through the door, I recognized one of them as my friend Kevin's father the other was younger and surprisingly cute but I didn't recognize him. They approached our booth and I watched as Zoe and Ruby filled my eyes to them.
"We need you guys to come down to the station for some questioning," Kevins dad gave us a concerned look and I swear my heart stopped beating. I saw Ruby gulp,
"Why is that?" She asked.
"We just need to get a clear picture of that night." Now it was the younger officer talking. We all nodded and followed them out to a police car positioned outside the diner. We all crammed in the back seat like criminals. The ride was silent besides the static of the cars radio and inside the police station it smelled like intense cleaning supplies mixed with the odd scent of pine like someone had a candle burning to mask the cleaner scent. We all sat in stiff waiting chairs and nobody spoke. I finally heard the sound of feet approaching and looked up to find the young officer standing above the three of us.
"Zoe we'll take your statement first," she slowly stood up and followed him down the back hallway. Me and Ruby waited until she walked back out and then it was my turn, the room he took to me was completely white with a desk and two chairs. I sat in one while the officer whose name tag I read and discovered his last name was Johnson sat in the other. He asked me my account of the night and I answered in short unrevealing answers. When the mundane questioning was done he opened the door and held it open for me to exit, I started to make my way out the door but found my feet stop and turn back to face him.
"What do you think happened?" My voice sounded the most stable it had all day. He sighed and took a moment to think,
"Honestly right now it appears to be a suicide." My chest tightened. And I quickly turned and walked back to the waiting room. Zoe and Ruby looked at me, but suddenly I couldn't breathe. The word suicide rang through my head. I pushed my way past the waiting room and out the doors. I let my feet carry me and soon my long strides turned into a run. I ran down street after street until I really couldn't breathe and had to sit down on the sidewalk. And while I usually would have cared that cars driving by could see me that was the last thing on my mind. I was starting to stand back up after I caught my breathe when a black car pulled up in front of me. Slowly the passenger side window rolled down revealing the face of A distressed Reggie.
"Need a ride somewhere?" My regained breathe left me again.
"No that's ok I'll walk," I looked around realizing I had no idea where I was. When he didn't say anything I began walking. His car slowly followed me.
"Just let me give you a ride." He called after me.
"No real-"
"Audrey let me give you a ride." I stopped and quickly opened the door and let myself into the car. He looked like he had been crying- not recently  but like he had all night, he mostly just looked tired.
"What were you doing?" His car had that new car smelled and looked practically new.
"Uh I was just at the police station," I hesitated.
"Do you know anything?" His voice showed the same tiredness his eyes did.   I didn't know if I should tell him.
"Do you even know where I live?" I changed the subject knowing it wouldn't really work.
"Yeah Archie showed me around town," he looked over at me and I quickly turned away "Audrey did you find something out?" His time was serious. I took a breathe,
"They suspect a suicide," I looke dover at him and was surprised to see no reaction from him, "but it was Malia she was the happiest person I knew, she'd never-you know." I was now rambling. He still didn't show any emotion.
"Do you think she could have?" My voice was a little angry.
"No." She quickly retorted "I mean I don't think so," His eyes focused on his wheel, "she'd been acting wierd lately." Now he turned to me again "She seemed different." We turned down my street and now the car was suffocating me.
"I know Malia she would never," My voice was still on edge. We came to a stop in front of my house and I jumped out before he could say anything else. I sensed his eyes on me as I walked to the door, but I didn't look back because I thought I might cry again if I did.
Audrey

Reggie

Ruby

Zoe