Hell's Only Angel

Twenty Three

Adeline's P.O.V

I was with Veronica and Cheryl in the student lounge. Cheryl went over some of the events that got cancelled until the intercom was turned on. 

"Attention, students, we are hereby closing the student lounge. Please exit immediately..." Weatherbee said. I sighed in disappointment before we grabbed our things. We started to head out of the room before Veronica started talking.

"First, they cancel sports and extracurriculars, now they're shutting down the lounge? What is going on? As Student Body President and Vice President, please tell me you guys have some insider information to share," Veronica said. 

"We get emails involving the school all the time. As of later tonight, they're having a meeting with all of the parents," I tell her.

"We think they might be shutting down the school," Cheryl tells her as well.

"And um, Veronica. Your parents are leading it," I mentioned. 

"Of course they are. That is exactly what my dad did with Southside High, and he definitely had ulterior motives then," Veronica tells us.

"Oh, my God," Cheryl said. I looked up to see Weatherbee with a group of men in blue hazmat suits.

"And now Riverdale High is officially a hot zone?" Cheryl asked.

"Those two are one of the infected," Weatherbee said, pointing at Veronica and I.

"Go, Adeline. Go, Veronica. Run!" Cheryl said. Veronica and I started to sprint to get away from them.

"Drugs, gargoyles, mystery men in hazmat suits, and secret School Board meetings? How does it all tie together?" Veronica asked. We were with Reggie in the La Bonne Nuit after our run away from school.

"Not sure, but I got some suss for you. According to my sources, the Fizzle Rocks distributors, aka the Gargoyles, are giving their product out to people for free," Reggie tells us.

"I've seen enough episodes of 'Narcos' to know this scheme," Veronica said. 

"You hook them with a first taste, then they're customers for life," I finished. I've seen the show as well. Only because I thought that Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook were good looking.

"And Daddy's always playing the long game," Veronica tells us.

"For sure, and here's the kicker. Fizzle Rocks are coming from the Southside, right out of the prison your dad's been building," Reggie said.

"That must be where he moved his candy factory to after Cheryl, Toni, and I - busted his lab at the Whyte Wyrm," Veronica said. She thought about something before looking up over at me.

"Adeline, what time is that school board meeting and where?" Veronica asked.

"It should be happening in about ten minutes at Weatherbee's office," I tell her. 

"Then we should get Cheryl and head over there now," Veronica said. I nodded at her before we left the La Bonne Luit.

"Stop it right there!" Veronica said as her, Cheryl, and I walked into the meeting.

"The CDC hasn't set foot in Riverdale High," Veronica tells them.

"Fact!" Cheryl supported.

"And now my parents are bullying you all into closing it. Sounds exactly like what you did with Southside High, which you're now using as a drug factory," Veronica said.

"Wait a minute. I thought Southside High property was being developed into a prison," Mrs. Cooper said.

"That's what we all thought, Mrs. Cooper," I tell her.

"That's just his cover, Mrs. Cooper. Is that your plan here, too, Daddy? Trump up a way to get another huge parcel of land on the cheap, then expand your ever-growing drug empire, which now consists, almost exclusively, of Fizzle Rocks?" Veronica asked. 

"Veronica, what are you even talking about?" Mrs. Lodge asked her.

"It's okay, mi amor. There's a reason for this meeting, right? To air out concerns. We called the CDC. They wouldn't send anyone to investigate such a low priority crisis. They think it's all psychological. So, we took some initiative. The men you saw in hazmat gear, they were hired from a private firm to run exhaustive tests. And Southside High is becoming a prison, not a drug factory. If you'd like the names of the guards we've recently hired, I'd happily provide a list. Have I left anything out?" Mr. Lodge asked her.

"Yes, you have. The part about how you're producing Fizzle Rocks and giving it away for free to get every teenager in Riverdale hooked," Veronica said.

"And I suppose I'm also the Gargoyle King, as Jughead Jones accused me of being?" Mr. Lodge laughed at his comment.

"Oh, poor deluded girl. I hear tell that these seizures cause hallucinations, and isn't this child one of the afflicted? As well as Ms. Andrews over here," Mrs. Blossom asked.

"On that note, where are the cheerleaders? I speak for the disappeared Vixens. What of them? Where were they taken? And by whom?" Cheryl asked.

"Those girls went to Riverdale General where I'm sure they're receiving the best medical care possible," Mr. Lodge said.

"And being dissected like fetal pigs, no doubt! You messed with my squad, which means you messed with me. Now I demand real answers!" Cheryl said. Mrs. Blossom stood up making us look over at her.

"What? What is it, you viper?" Cheryl asked. Mrs. Blossom started to have a seizure making the three of us look at each other. I felt bad for not helping her but at the same time, Mrs. Blossom was someone to be cautious about.