𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 | Riverdale

𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍. terminate

𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑, 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖. The Black Hood had been caught and arrested, not to mention identified as Hal Cooper, the owner of the Riverdale Register and the father of Betty Cooper, a childhood friend of Aria's. Nobody could believe it; people expected the Black Hood to be someone who showed off their vileness, like Hiram Lodge or Claudius Blossom. Maybe even Betty's false brother, Chic. Nobody would've thought Hal was guilty. Not even Samuel and Adelaide Queens, as they were sat the next morning with copies of the Register and glasses on faces. Young Elle was finally at peace, and she had nothing to worry about anymore.

Now the Black Hood was gone, Adelaide and Samuel had even considered giving Aria until the end of the month for her period of being grounded. Aria had stuck to the rules of staying in her house with only her belongings and intermediate family, and had kept updated on what was going on via school, calls and texts between herself and her friends. Fangs had turned out to be fine, and their friendship was strong and steady. Aria and Reggie were going strong, and after a serious conversation with him, the couple had a phoenix-like transition. Like their relationship had reborn from the ashes. They were closer than ever, like they were when they first got together.

♕

"Now, Aria," started Samuel at the dinner table around two weeks later. It was the day before Aria's final day in sophomore, and the girl was desperate for the year's closure to come. After being hounded by teachers, coming down on her like bricks and pressuring her into heightening her grades, the girl needed her summer break. "Your mother and I were talking today, and as you did amazingly well on your end-of-year exams, we'd like to lift your grounding."

Aria looked up, a smile pulled through her pink-coated lips. "Really? That's great. I've been meaning to visit my frie--"

However, the girl was, as always, interrupted by her mother. "About that. Honey, if you're about to say 'serpent friends', we need to have a serious discussion. Elle, you've finished; would you mind going upstairs? I'll bring up some ice cream and jello for you."

Elle nodded her head obediently, glancing towards her older sister before delicately pushing her empty plate forwards. With a small screech of the chair leg against marble flooring, the brunette girl had departed, and the three elder family members waited until the thumping on the stairs stopped before they could continue the conversation.

"Your father and I... we don't want you near any serpents, whatsoever." Adelaide started. "And that includes your aunt Natalie."

After what had seemed like a great fortnight of victory, Aria was fuming. She slammed her palms on the table and stood up. "What? Mom, why? Dad, you can't possibly agree to this, can you?"

"Aria, you've been at your best without them in your life just recently," Samuel pointed out. "And as for your aunt, she has proven that she wants nothing to do with your mother and I."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Last time I checked, it was the other way around."