Riverdale - Beneath The Town (English Version)

Chapter 8: The Outsiders

The Hayles; the Stepfords of Riverdale. Highschool sweethearts who got married and adopted a beautiful daughter; Polly. Until Jason Blossom happened. And now we would hear from the person who was closest to him, these days leading up to his disappearance; Polly Hayle. How a casual conversation turned into an epic forbidden romance. How, for reasons still murky, their respective parents tried to tear them apart. How their break up was short - lived because Polly soon learned she was pregnant with Jason's baby. How they became secretly engaged with his grandmother's blessing and her heirloom ring, and made plans to run away together. To start a new life. And how their dreams of escape went up in flames.

At the weekend, Polly had decided that it was time to talk to the sheriff and so he came to Pembrooke and Polly, Veronica, Hermione Lodge and I sat opposite him while he interrogated my sister. "When was the last day you saw him?", Sheriff Keller now wanted to know and Polly answered that he had secretly visited her in the home on July 2nd. "That's when he told me about the plan; to fake his own death and run away with me. But he didn't show up on the fourth of July", she said, and I interjected that one of Jason's teammates had said that he had been dealing drugs before he disappeared. "That was a one-time delivery. He had, uh - we needed money to get out and start over", Polly replied and the sheriff remarked: "So Riverdale's star football player becomes a drug mule." But my sister replied that he was in a bar across the tracks, making a deal with a biker gang. "The Serpents?", Sheriff Keller asked, but Polly didn't know. "He got an address, upstate; where he was supposed to deliver the drugs in exchange for cash", my sister explained, and the sheriff turned to me and asked if I had found those drugs in Jason's car. "Went up in flames", he added when I confirmed it, looking at Polly again. "Along with everything I had left of Jason. Including the ring his nana gave me, which he was keeping until..." But then she broke off and tears came to her eyes and I gently stroked her back with my hand. "Okay, sheriff, I think that's enough for today. I think Polly needs her rest", Hermione Lodge now spoke up and asked him to leave. "Yeah, well, I'll be in touch, ladies", he finally said with a nod and Mrs. Lodge brought him to the door while Veronica and I took care of Polly.

On Monday, I sat with my friends again in the lounge and this time Cheryl was there, too. "Polly is convinced that nobody wants her baby", I told the others right now and sighed. "Besides, of course, the child-snatching Blossom monsters", Kevin argued and gave Cheryl an apologetic look. "So the Hayles want Polly, but not the baby, and the Blossoms want the baby and not Polly", Jughead summed up the situation, and I nodded. "It's a true Gordian knot", he said somewhat resignedly and now Veronica interfered. "This is an annoying situation, but luckily I have been percolating on an idea; hellishly simple in its conception", she said with a mysterious smile and I looked at her with interest. "What if my mom and I were to host a baby shower?", she suggested, and Cheryl was thrilled and explained smilingly that she was in. "You want Polly to feel loved and supported, don't you?", Veronica continued, and I looked at her thoughtfully. "Yes, of course, but if possible from her... own parents; adoptive parents, I mean", I added and Veronica said that we had to take baby steps. "Get Polly and the Hayles in the same room; in a public setting where they can't fight. And... voila, let the healing begin", she said confidently and I thought about it as Jughead turned to me. "Am I... expected to come to this thing?", he asked cautiously and I couldn't suppress a grin, but Veronica did the talking for me. "Of course! You're Scar's boyfriend, so...", she said, taking a sip from her coffee mug while I exchanged a furtive look with Jug. Neither of us had ever said it that way before, but she was basically right and I could detect a minimal millisecond smile on Jug's face and was a little relieved. "Oh, my God, you guys, relax! It's just a word that starts with the letter B", Veronica said and I looked back at her from Jughead, smiling. "Scar? What do you say?", she finally wanted to know, but before I could say anything, Mrs. Hayle came through the door. "Scarlett Parks", she said my name aloud in a sergeant tone that almost startled me and made me sit bolt upright. "I need you", she began, pointing her finger at me before looking at Veronica, "and you. Right now!" Her tone made it clear that she would not tolerate any backtalk and Veronica and I looked at her with big eyes and then followed her to the school paper room. "Sheriff Keller told us everything. How you're hiding Polly at The Pembrooke", she said sternly and I exchanged a look with Veronica before answering her. "Better at Pembrooke than in a home", I replied with a shrug of the shoulders and Darleen Hayle rolled her eyes. "Actually, Mrs Hayle, that's on me. I was the one who suggested that Polly stay with us", Veronica now said and Mrs. Hayle looked back at me, stunned. "The Lodges only want to help while you and your husband are asking Polly to give the child up for adoption", I clarified and she turned back to me. "Scarlett, it's what's best for Polly and the baby", she replied, but I did not let her get away with that. "Wrong, because it's not your decision, nor your husband's, or anyone else's except Polly Fry's", I emphasized, and noticed from the slip of her facial traits that that had hit home. "Because the only person who knows what's best for her is Polly. And the most you can do is decide whether you want to be a part of Polly's life or not", I went on, and when Mrs. Hayle didn't reply, I exchanged a look with Veronica before telling her about the baby shower. "Well, that is hardly appropriate", Darleen Hayle just said, looking from me to Veronica with folded arms. "Is it? Because I think there is no better occasion for a baby shower than a woman who is about to have a baby. Actually, it's sad, because that would have been your job, but whatever", I said with bitterness in my voice and I would have loved to shake that woman so hard that she'd woke up and behaved like a decent adoptive mother. But one cannot always have everything, so words had to suffice in this case. "If you want to behave like a normal and loving mother and soon a grandmother by way of a change, you know where the baby shower is. Otherwise, just stay away; and don't worry, no one will miss you", I ended in a snappy undertone and Polly's adoptive mother looked at me shocked and a little surprised. Then she looked at Veronica, who now returned her gaze with a smile on her face, and I knew we had won. Apparently it was necessary to give this woman a decent verbal kick to make her take a step in the right direction. In the afternoon after school, I went with her to Veronica's house and we told Polly about our plans and the upcoming baby shower. "Are you sure that's a good idea?", she said and I did my best to sound as confident as I could. "What about Mom and Dad?", she asked, and Hermione Lodge asked her if she wanted them to come. "I do; I mean, Mom at least", Polly replied, and Veronica promised to get her here somehow. "I do not wanna fight with her", my sister reluctantly explained, and I announced that this would not happen. "I want the Blossoms there", Polly then said, and we all looked at her startled. "Cheryl, sure. She's on the guest list", Veronica replied, glancing at me, and I nodded affirmatively. But Polly also wanted Mrs. Blossom to come, and I tried to gently tell her that Penelope Blossom thought little of Polly as a mother for her grandchild. "Well, then this shower's the perfect opportunity for me to prove to her that I'm not", my sister replied with a smile and leaned over the dining table a little towards me. "Oh Vroni, a word?", Veronica's mother turned to her and they got up from the table and excused themselves for a moment to go into the living room. "Of course we'll invite Cheryl's mother as well, if that's what you want", I said to Polly and she nodded happily. "Oh, and I want your dad to come too", she added and I looked at her with a broad smile. "Really? I mean, are you sure?", I asked and my smile grew a bit wider. "Yes, I'm sure", my sister replied smiling as well and I did not know what the reason was but this news made me very happy.