Chances ▻ Riverdale

35

Time Jump; Three years after graduation

Eliza Clarke, now Eliza Munroe, wore her signature overalls and her hair styled in dutch braids, just as she always did when working at her newly bought shop named Alex's Auto Shop. She held a wrench in her hand as she tightened up a few bolts on the motorcycle rested in front of her.

She let out a large sigh as she finally finished fixing up the bike. She turned to Bobby, a newly recruited Serpent. Eliza had recently hired him to work with her at the shop, "Thanks, Eliza. I would've never thought that that could've been the problem," Bobby thanked Eliza with a smile on his face.

Eliza smiled back at him, lightly patting him on the chest as she handed him the crescent wrench, "Anytime," She replied, "You know, you've been working for me for about two weeks now and it feels like I still don't know a single thing about you. We've got about an hour until closing, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Bobby quietly chuckled at Eliza's question, wiping a bit of oil that was on his hands on a dirty rag that laid on the table beside him, "Well, I was born and raised in Greendale. Graduated from Baxter High about three years ago. I didn't really ever fit in there though. Anyways, I didn't want to college after high school so I traveled a bit with the money I had saved up and found myself in Riverdale at the end of it. I decided to make a home for myself here. That's when I found the Serpents and I finally found a place where I belonged."

Eliza hummed in response, not really knowing how to reply to his story, "Interesting." Was all she said, earning a laugh from Bobby, "What?"

"So how did you find yourself becoming Queen of the Serpents?" Bobby asked her curiously and Eliza couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I was sort of forced into it all. Did the Serpent dance at only fourteen, did the male initiation at sixteen, both being orders from my father and lastly, I became leader of the gang by my eighteenth birthday. My dad was leader before that alongside FP Jones' dad." She explained to him.

"Is that why FP always seems to help you with all of your decisions regarding the Serpents? Because he's your second in command?" Bobby questioned curiously.

"Yeah," Eliza answered, nodding her head, "About a year ago, I named him as my second in command."

"Why? Why not your boyfriend? Johnny, was it?" Bobby asked her confused.

"He's my husband, actually, not my boyfriend," Eliza corrected him, "And the reason I had FP become my second in command is because it's what my father wanted before he died. Every generation since the gang was created, someone from the Clarke family and someone from the Jones family have always ruled together. When FP has a kid and I have a kid, there's a great chance they'll be leading together after FP and I retire."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Bobby told Eliza, referring to the death of her father.

"Somehow, I found myself crying while sitting beside his deathbed," Eliza confessed to Bobby, "I hated his guts, but for some reason, I still cried when he died."

"Of course you would cry, he's your father," Bobby commented and Eliza laughed humorlessly.

"He beat me nearly every week from when I was ten until I was eighteen. He claimed it was to toughen me up, but I know the real reason," Eliza informed him before pausing, "I look almost exactly like my mother. To him, I was a daily reminder of how my mother left him with my sister and me to be with another man."

"And where's your mom now?" Bobby asked curiously, walking a bit closer to her.

Eliza looked up at Bobby, raising a brow at him, "You sure do ask a lot of questions, don't you? If I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to gain intel on me to find my weaknesses," She commented sarcastically and Bobby shifted uncomfortably, nervously laughing, "Kidding! If you'd really like to know, my mom died in a car accident when I was a baby. It was right after she packed up her bags and left my father's trailer. She was on her way to meet Johnny's father when a deer, of all things, stepped in front of her car. She ended up swerving off the road and into a ditch. She ended up bleeding to death before anyone could come find her."

"That's really sad," Bobby commented, "Wait, did you say Johnny's dad?"

Eliza sighed, nodding her head, "Yup. They were having an affair when Johnny and I were babies. It's pretty odd that Johnny and I ended up together in the end though."

There was a moment of silence before Eliza checked the watch she was wearing on her wrist, "Crap! I need to get to the Wyrm to meet Johnny, FP, Nate and sadly, Gladys." She informed him before pausing, "Would you like to join?"

"Actually..." Bobby trailed off awkwardly, "I better get home. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Eliza smiled, nodding her head, "Most definitely." She replied with a smile on her face.

Meanwhile later, after locking up the shop, Eliza headed across the street while Bobby walked toward his mustang. He sighed out, realizing that someone was following him, "You know, that's totally unnecessary, Cole," He spoke up, turning to face the leader of the Ghoulies, "I don't need you to follow me around twenty-four seven. I got this under control."

 Cole scoffed loudly, walking closer to his younger brother, "You're flirting with her a little too much. The plan is to get close to her, gain intel on her weaknesses and strengths. You don't have to get in bed with her to figure that all out."

"Yeah, but it's much more fun when it involves sex," Bobby replied, smirking, "Plus, what better way to get revenge on her by ruining her marriage."

"It's impossible. Your plan to sleep with her will never work. Her bond with Johnny Munroe is too strong," Cole told his brother, shaking his head, "And may I remind you, you have a girlfriend and a baby boy at home waiting for you when this is all over."

 "Marisol won't let me anywhere near Malachai after finding out I was apart of the Ghoulies. I don't have a family to go home to. This bitch killed our brother, vengeance is all I have left now." Bobby explained, giving his brother a cold stare, "I'm going to make Eliza Munroe pay for what she did."