𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕕𝕒𝕝𝕖

43

Sheriff Keller kicked out Arabella and her friends before she could share the news, but she had told her mother what Archie and Veronica had found out on their way back home.

Over the weekend, Arabella and Jughead talked. Whenever he wanted to have alone time with Betty, Arabella would visit Eric. He liked to take her out for ice cream and she didn't mind.

Monday morning at school, Jughead wouldn't be coming into school because Sheriff Keller wanted to question him. Arabella was relieved to know that he wasn't going to be subjected to the cruel bullying that the students of Riverdale High would've done if he were here.

At lunch, Arabella sat with Eric again — this time Cheryl was with them. After a group of people giving their condolences to Cheryl dispersed, Arabella smiled weakly.

"It will get better." Arabella said, reaching out to hold her new friend's hand. Cheryl took it and gave it a squeeze. "Just remember that Jason's not really gone. He's a part of you."

Cheryl nodded. Eric had put an arm on her shoulder and smiled. "Just give it some time," he said. "You'll always have us."

Arabella handed Cheryl her pudding cup, hoping she would eat it. Cheryl didn't bring lunch; she couldn't really eat. It was out of the corner of her eye and the whispers from fellow classmates that made Arabella look up to see Jughead approaching Cheryl.

He walked up and stood in front of her. Arabella swung her legs outwards to get up if she needed to stop something bad from happening.

"I'm sorry, Cheryl." Jug said. Cheryl stood, looking haggard in the eyes before slapping him and punching his chest. Arabella's breath hitched in her throat as she got up to stop this. Eric stood and pulled Cheryl off of him and Arabella pushed herself to stand in front of Jug.

"Are you okay?" Arabella asked. Jug gave her a slight tilt of his head, answering yes. Principal Weatherbee took Jughead to his office even though both Eric and Arabella told him that Jughead just apologized.

Cheryl had gone to an empty women's restroom — Arabella found her in the one closest to the cafeteria.

"Cheryl?" Arabella said.

"I barely touched him." She said, turning. She had been crying over a sink.

"You can't just use Jughead as a punching bag for something his father possibly did."

"I know."

"What's really troubling you?"

Her face was puffy and her eyes hinted with red. Arabella wanted to hug her, but she refrained.

"Everyone's comforting me and telling me how much I'm probably relieved that Jason's killer's been caught. But then why doesn't it feel that way?" Cheryl said, wiping a tear before it stroked her cheek. Arabella took Cheryl's hands in her own and smiled weakly.

Arabella agreed with her. There's no way Jughead's father could do something like this. If her mother trusted him enough to make him her godfather, then he couldn't have done something like this.

The door of the girl's restroom creaked open and Eric popped his head in, his hand over his eyes. "May I come in?" He asked. Arabella told him he could and he smiled at Cheryl while embracing her. Arabella's heart felt fuzzy when she watched Cheryl nuzzle her head into his chest. This is what she needed; her true friend.

"Cheryl, do you believe that FP Jones didn't kill Jason?" Arabella asked softly, knowing she probably didn't want to talk about it, but she needed to know.

Cheryl looked at Arabella; the white of her eyes tinted red. "It doesn't feel right." She said. Arabella nodded.

Arabella and Eric tried to stay with Cheryl as much as they could throughout the school day and even after, though Cheryl said that they shouldn't come to Thornhill — that her parents wouldn't want company right now, especially not company like Arabella.