Riverdale - Beneath The Town (English Version)

Chapter 2: A Touch of Evil

I think many of us, maybe the entire town, had been hoping against hope that somehow Jason Blossom hadn't drowned on July 4th. That we'd come to school Monday morning, and there Jason would be. Or that we'd see him and Cheryl in a booth at Pop's. But that was before the undeniable, irrevocable fact of his bloated, waterlogged body. A corpse with a bullet hole in his forehead and terrible secrets that could only be revealed by the cold steel blade of a coroner's autopsy scalpel or the telltale beating of a guilty heart.

On Monday at school, of course, everyone was talking about Jason Blossom and flowers had been laid out and candles placed in front of his locker. "Now that romance is off the table, I'll say it directly", Kevin just said, and I gave him a very amused look. "That's something new", I said with a grin, but he didn't go into it and went on talking. "Are we one hundred percent sure Archie's straight? Because no straight man has that body", he said enthusiastically as he looked at Archie, who was walking along the corridor in front of us. "Speaking of bodies, have you recovered from finding Jason's?", Betty wanted to know and Kevin replied that it was more traumatizing to explain to his dad what he had done with Moose down at the river at night. "Surely a sheriff's son can't do that", he imitated a head teacher's tone and I looked at him a bit pityingly. He hadn't come out to his father yet and I hoped that his dad would accept it without making a problem out of it. When we arrived at the office, there was a big bouquet of yellow roses on the desk. "Oh, my God, those are gorgeous! Are those for Betty, Mrs. Phillips?", Kevin asked as he walked towards the flowers. "That's why I called her", the somewhat older secretary at River High explained. "Dear Betty, please forgive me. XOXO, V." Kevin read the text on the little white card that was stuck in the flowers. "Who the hell is V?", he asked, but before I could express my suspicions about who was behind it, Veronica came into the room. "The yellow's for friendship", she said somewhat embarrassed, pointing at the flowers. "If we ever argue and you want to apologize to me, then better reach for chocolate than flowers", I half-jokingly threw in and Veronica smiled at me. "Don't listen to her, the roses are beautiful", Kevin replied and I smiled at him. "Not everyone can be as much a girl as you", I jokingly returned and Veronica finally turned to Betty. "Oh, I've got some chocolate in my bag, too. I had Magnolia cupcakes flown in from New York", she said, looking from me to Betty. "Well, by now I'm a little impressed", I half-admitted as a joke and Veronica continued talking to Betty. "Because, as my mom likes to say, there's no wrong the right cupcake can't fix. Also, I booked us for hers - and - hers mani - pedis at Chez Salon, blowouts too", she continued, and Kevin and I looked at Betty. "I am so, so sorry, Betty. I don't know what happened to me that night, it was such a basic - bitch move; it was like I was possessed by-", Veronica went on, but Kevin interrupted her and finished the sentence. "Madame Satan?", he suggested, but Veronica finished the sentence herself. " ... the old Veronica", she said, looking down at the floor before facing Betty again. "And I will never, ever do anything like that to you again, I swear on my mother's pearls. Can you please give us, give me one more chance?", she finally ended and Betty looked from Kevin and me to her. "Okay", she simply said with a little smile and Veronica and Kevin asked equally astonished and completely perplexed: "What?!" Betty shrugged and Veronica looked at her with delight. "Really? Awesome! I'll take it, you won't regret it! I'll bring something to lunch so we can celebrate", she said excitedly and Betty nodded smiling when the bell rang. Veronica handed her the box of cupcakes and then went to class. "Bye", she said as she left the room. "It's the path of least resistance, Kev", Betty then explained at Kevin's questioning expression. "A week ago, Veronica and I weren't friends, next week we'll nod to each other as we pass in the hall, but that's it. In two weeks she won't even remember my name and in three, she'll have latched on to some other girl to destroy", she said and Kevin exchanged a look with me. I didn't believe it would happen as Betty predicted, but I kept that to myself for now. "Good morning, students; this is your principal speaking. There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally. So let me state clearly, it is happening as scheduled. Now, on a less felicitous note, if you could give your attention to Sheriff Keller", we heard the headmaster over the loudspeakers and the next moment, Kevin's dad took over. "Most of you already know the details. Your classmate Jason Blossom's body was found late Saturday night. So as of the weekend, Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide. It's an open and ongoing investigation", he said through the loudspeakers and suddenly Cheryl's voice came in. "Uh, and may I interject: Neither I nor my parents will rest until Jason's death is avenged and his cold-hearted killer is walking the Green Mile to sit in Old Sparky and fry. I , for one, have my suspicions. Hashtag Riverdale stay strong", ended the short interlude before Sheriff Keller took over again. "If you know anything that could help us find and apprehend Jason's killer or anything about what happened to him on July 4th, I strongly urge you to come forward immediately. You can speak with me or Principal Weatherbee. A death like this wounds us all. Let's not let Jason down." That was the end of the announcement and my friends and I set off for our courses. First we all had biology together and I was working with Betty when we saw Moose was going to Kevin to work with him. We had to dissect a frog and I did most of the work until the break rang. "So, what did Moose want?", Veronica wanted to know from Kevin as we headed to one of the tables. "Oh, my God, I don't even think he knows. I mean I am devastatingly handsome in that classic, pre - accident Montgomery Clift kind of way", Kevin started and we laughed and twisted our eyes jokingly as he continued. "And sexuality is fluid, but can someone namend Moose actually be that fluid?", he said skeptically and I laughed inside myself. "Okay, well, I ship it", said Veronica, and Kevin objected that as a big city girl, she was more relaxed about things. "No, I agree with Veronica. Anyway, it wouldn't be impossible", I agreed with her and looked at Kevin challengingly. "You don't count either, you're from California originally", he just said, and we looked at Betty while Kevin went on talking. "I just meant that Moose has an official girlfriend, Midge", he said, and now I remembered. "Anyway, it's terrible to say, but part of me wishes he would just stay in the darn closet", Kevin said, and we were silent when we arrived at the table where Archie was sitting and looking up at us. "Obviously, I didn't mean literal closet...", Kevin tried to save the situation and we sat down at the table. "Archie, any new material you wanna try out on a very forgiving audience?", Veronica asked, but he shook his head. "Oh, I...", he wanted to start, but Veronica looked at him forcefully. "Please", she said with a quick glance to Betty, who had sat down opposite him. "Would you? I'd love to hear it", she agreed with a smile and Archie said that he was still working on the lyrics and picked up the guitar that was lying next to him on the bench. "Come on, turn the radio on; and honey we'll dance, dance, dance; for the rest of the night", Archie sang, playing a nice tune on the guitar. Betty looked at him and I could see that maybe this was a little too soon. Archie also seemed to notice it at the end of his little recital and looked at her. "Betty? You okay?", he asked cautiously and I saw that my best friend had tears in her eyes. "I'm supposed to say yes. That's what the nice girl always says, but..." She broke off and got up from the table. "No, I'm not; I want to be, I thought I could be, but it's too much, too fast, Archie", she finally brought out and wanted to leave. "Betty! Betty, wait!" Archie wanted to stop her, but she walked away the other way. Archie put down the guitar and followed her and I looked at Kevin and Veronica for a moment and then got up, too. I saw Archie catch up with her just in front of me, touching her shoulder and then her turning to him. "Listen to me", he said, but she freed herself from his grip. "No", she said aloud and I remained standing at a slight distance from them. I couldn't really understand much of what she said to him, but it was clear to me anyway. Finally she turned around again and went on. "Betty! Betty!", Archie called after her, but she didn't listen to him and I followed her. "She'll be all right, just give her some time", I said when I reached Archie's height, gave him a little smile and then ran after my friend.