The Dark Side of Riverdale

one

"Jason, Cheryl, would you join us in the parlor for a moment?" Penelope Blossom called up the stairs of Thornhill.

The twins emerged from their respective rooms and shared an apprehensive glance. They hurried down the staircase and uneasily joined their parents.

"Tomorrow, the Lodge family will be meeting with us to discuss a business deal between our companies. Hermione and Hiram Lodge are old friends of ours, so I suspect we should have little difficulty coercing them into an agreement. What would really seal the deal is to win over their daughter, Veronica." Clifford Blossom looked at his children with an unchanging expression.

Cheryl shifted uneasily and looked to Jason, who kept his eyes on his father.

"Will Veronica be attending Riverdale High?" Jason inquired, matching his father's stony expression.

"She has yet to enroll, but I suspect she will at registration." Penelope answered. As the principal of Riverdale High School, Penelope has all sorts of knowledge of the town.

She's also the one who made it possible for Jason to skip a grade.

And the one who made sure Cheryl didn't.

"Well, I would love to have her over this weekend. I'll make sure to extend an invitation." Cheryl added.

"That will suffice. The meeting will be over dinner tonight at the Pembrooke. I trust you will both be ready at five sharp, dressed appropriately." Clifford looked the two over.

"I'll be by to find your dress later Cheryl." Penelope added sharply.

"Thank you mummy." Cheryl faked a smile, then looked to her father, "May I be excused, daddy?"

Clifford gave a curt nod, and with that the twins returned to their rooms without a word.

~~~~~~~~~~

"There is absolutely no way you're going to that party. End of discussion." Alice Cooper looked to Polly sternly.

"But Mom, everyone is going! Getting an invite to one of Cheryl Blossom's parties and not showing up is like, social suicide." Polly argued.

"Polly, don't argue with your mother. Plus, wherever the Blossoms are, trouble follows. I don't want either of you anywhere near that party." Hal Cooper added.

"Ugh whatever. I guess I'll just start off my junior year being a social outcast like Betty." Polly groaned.

Betty rolled her eyes and looked down to her plate.

"You could learn a thing or two from your sister, young lady. If we see any C's on your report card this year, you know what's going to happen." Alice threatened.

"But cheerleading is literally all I have left! How am I supposed to stay relevant if I can't go to parties and I have to start paying attention in class?" Polly argued.

"That's the deal, no negotiating." Hal looked at Polly sternly.

"Ugh, this is literally going to be the worst year ever." Polly groaned, grabbing her phone and trudging upstairs.

Betty couldn't agree more.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Cheryl, I'm here to pick out your dress!" Penelope called into Cheryl's room.

"Come in mummy!" Cheryl responded, pausing Netflix and closing her laptop.

"What were you doing?" Penelope asked tonelessly as she looked through Cheryl's closet.

"Just watching a show on Netflix." Cheryl said, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

"What show?" Penelope pulled out a dress, looked at it a few times, then put it back with a scowl.

"Pretty Little Liars." Cheryl said, trying not to sound too happy. Penelope has always been pretty good at taking away things that make Cheryl happy.

"Oh? I'll have to look into that." Penelope added, while finding a red laced dress for Cheryl.

Cheryl's heart dropped. There's no way she'd be able to watch the show again once her mother "looked into it". Nothing good has ever come from Penelope Blossom "looking into" anything.

"So, while your father and I are out of town this weekend, I want your primary focus to be on winning over that Lodge girl. Although, of course, there's no need for her to spend too long here." Penelope looked back at Cheryl sharply, as if to give a silent threat.

Cheryl dug her nails into her palm to prevent her eyes from welling up and just gave a small nod and mumbled, "Yes, of course. I understand."

"Perfect. You have an hour and a half to get ready. I expect you to be early." Penelope finished, leaving Cheryl alone.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Mija, the Blossoms will be here around five thirty for dinner." Hermione Lodge stopped Veronica as she went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Watching other people move a bunch of boxes really is tiring.

"Five thirty? Will we even have furniture set up by then? It's only been a few hours, can't they give us time to breathe?" Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, I know. But, the Blossoms wouldn't take no for an answer, and you know your father, always one to scam his way to his goal." Hermione chuckled.

"Okay well do they have kids at least? If it's just two old people I think I'd rather move the boxes myself." Veronica shuddered at the thought.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Two twins, both your age, but the boy skipped a grade. They both go to Riverdale High, where you'll be attending." said Hermione, getting a glass of water herself.

"Great, I can't wait to meet some small town hicks and eat dinner with them. They probably own some really country business, like selling honey or something." Veronica scowled.

"Try maple syrup." Hermione corrected, smiling.

"Oh god, that's even worse." Veronica whined, returning to her room to continue unpacking.