Riverdale - Beneath The Town (English Version)

Chapter 4: The Last Picture Show

It's been a week since the discovery of Jason Blossom's body. But his death is not the first. Nor would it be the last casualty that the town of Riverdale would suffer. The Twilight Drive - In, where I work, my home away from home, a piece of town history, is closing for good just when we needed a place to escape the most. With Sheriff Keller knocking on every door and neighbor suspecting neighbor, Riverdale, every day that passes, is becoming more like Salem during the witch trials. And, meanwhile, the girl next door, our friendly neighborhood Hitchcock blond, Betty Cooper, was wrestling with the knowledge that her best friend, Archie Andrews, was caught up in a forbidden romance.

On Tuesday evening, we were at Pop's again, but this time with Kevin instead of Archie. We had just found out this afternoon that Riverdale's drive-in was going to close because something else was going to be built there, and Jughead seemed to be pretty involved. "The drive-in closing, it's just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale - no, forget Riverdale, in the coffin of the American dream! As the - as the godfather of indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino, likes to say -" Jug wanted to quote, but Kevin interrupted him. "Please, God, no more Tarantino references", he demanded, but Jug didn't seem to even think about it. "What? I'm pissed", he clarified and briefly looked from me to Betty, Veronica and Kevin, who were sitting on the bench opposite us. "And not just about losing my job. The Twilight Drive - In should mean something to us! People should be trying to save it", he insisted and Veronica tried to calm him down. "In this age of Netflix and video on demand, do people really want to watch a movie in a car? I mean, who even goes there?", she said and Kevin replied that people who wanted to buy crack went there. "And cinephiles and car enthusiasts; right, Scar?" Jughead then looked at me for help and I looked up from my Coke and nodded in agreement. "I have to agree with Jug. I really like going to the Drive-In and I'm not the type of person who wants to buy crack", I explained with a grin and a small knock to Kevin. "And as for Netflix and so on; in such old drive-ins or generally in old, small cinemas, they often show super cool old movies that are not available at video providers", I added, and Jug gratefully nodded to me. "Anyway, it's closing because the city owns it, but didn't invest in it. So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy an offer and she couldn't refuse...", he said, looking out the window. "An anonymous buyer? What do they have to hide? No one cares", Veronica said amused and Jughead looked at her uncomprehendingly. "I do! You guys should come to closing night", he then said and looked around. "I'm thinking American Graffiti, or is that too obvious?" Veronica replied that she would rather see something with Audrey Hepburn or Cate Blanchett. "Or The Talented Mr. Ripley", Kevin developed the idea further and Betty tossed in James Dean. "Your choices, Scar?", Kevin finally turned to me and I pondered for a moment. "How about John Travolta in the absolute classic and cult film Pulp Fiction?", I suggested, and Jughead briefly looked at me and smiled. I returned the smile and the next moment Veronica's mother, Hermione Lodge, who was a waitress at Pop's, came over and brought our fries. "Here you go, kids", she said as she put the plates in front of us and we thanked her. A few tables away, Cheryl was sitting with two of her friends, and Veronica's mother went to collect when we heard Cheryl's loud voice. "Be sure to put all that cash in the register", she said, and Veronica got up to go to her mom. "Cheryl", we heard Veronica say in a vicious tone, but her mother apparently wanted to sort it out herself. Veronica sat down again, and Kevin looked to the door where Archie, his father, and Miss Grundy had just come in. "Now, that's an odd combo of people", he said, and Betty stood up. "I'll be right back", she said, and I tried to stop her. "Betty, don't", I warned her, but my best friend ignored it and walked right past me. "Wait, what's happening?", Kevin now wanted to know from me and I exchanged a quick glance with Jug. It was better if nobody except the adepts knew about the story with Archie and Miss Grundy. "I think Betty wants to talk to him because they had an arguement the other day", I made up and hoped he would believe me. "An arguement?", Kevin hitched in surprise and I came up with another stupid lie. "Yeah, about the thing with Chuck; as far as I could tell, Archie got involved somehow", I kept on lying, and luckily Kevin left it at that. Jughead gave me a look that was supposed to say Saved by the bell, and we saw Betty and Archie talking outside Pop's. "What's happening out there? You do you, girl. I'll be back", Veronica finally said and stood up. "What was it like before she got here? I honestly cannot remember", Kevin just said, and Jug rolled his eyes and took a chip off his plate. Finally, we just saw Betty shaking her head furiously and then stomping away. Archie tried to stop her, but she ignored him and seemed to be making her way home. "Damn it", I murmured, reaching into my jacket pocket for the money. I only had a $10 note, and I put it on the table. "Sorry guys, I gotta go. The money should be enough, I've just spent someone a drink", I said somewhat absently and stood up from the table. "Well then, see you", I said a quick goodbye and followed Betty out of the diner. When I was outside, Archie and Veronica came up to me. "I swear I didn't hurt her... on purpose or anything. But I can't go after her, my dad's waiting inside, and-" But I didn't let him finish, and just nodded. "It's okay, I guess this is all a bit much right now. But it'll be okay", I said and then turned to Veronica. "I suppose now you know it too, but please don't tell Kevin about it", I asked and she nodded understandingly. Then I set off and ran after my best friend.