More Kevin whump? With even more Kevin/Moose? Yes.
The winter had been harsh that year in Riverdale. Very, very harsh. Almost every single night it snowed and almost every single day it was below freezing temperature. Winter was one of Kevin's least favorite seasons. It would always be rid him of doing his favorite things, like jogging in the woods or going out for drives around the town. But this winter was surprisingly worse than the rest of the winters he's lived through. Because this year he had just lost his boyfriend, his best friend to the new rich girl that moved into the town and of course his father, who was consumed in the case of Jason Blossom's murder and currently the secret drug trade that Clifford Blossom was secretly withholding. The young man was miserable without Joaquin, Betty and Archie. That winter was going to suck and he knew it.
Kevin was basically alone to put it bluntly.
And he hated being alone.
Kevin Keller hated the feeling.
The young boy exited his last class as the bell rang, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. It wasn't just the feeling of loneliness that was creeping up behind him and giving him wet willies. No. It was also the fact that just the night before he had watched the video of Clifford Blossom killing his only son, Jason. Shooting him point blank in the head. With Kevin being the one that found the body and his father being nowhere to help him or even sit down and cat with him, he was traumatized. Then the video came. He watched it and had a panic attack coming home. Alone. He had been forced to tell himself to breathe and relax and his father didn't know a thing about it when he came home at four in the morning. Kevin never ever liked being alone. But ever since Cheryl was found at the river crying over her brother and ever since Veronica came strutting into the small town like she owned the bitch, Kevin was stuck with himself as a friend.
And no one wants that.
Kevin was putting his last book in his bag when his teacher approached him. Well, principal. Principal Weatherbee actually taught a few classes since some of the teachers dropped out due to their discomfort in a town that might have a killer running around in it. Kevin actually loved having Principal Weatherbee as his history teacher. "Hey Mr. Keller." the older man said with a soft smile with adjusting his glasses.
"Mr. Keller is my dad." Kevin said, kind of happy to have someone speaking to him that wasn't himself of his favorite singers. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"No. Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to ask you if you could Miss Blossom her test. She doesn't seem to be here today."
That was another person that seemed to leave Kevin. Now, Cheryl wasn't exactly the nicest person at Riverdale High. She wasn't even on that list unless it came Ginger and Tina. But Cheryl was always nice to Kevin. They always openly talked about sexuality and which freshman seemed hot enough to date. Even after Jason's murder, Cheryl tried to be a friend to Kevin, even if she came off as a little rude. But she stopped speaking to him for him reason. Kevin didn't know why everyone was leaving him alone.
Kevin put on a nice smile at his principal and took the test from his hands. "I'll make sure this gets to her." he said.
Weatherbee nodded. "The poor girl." he said. "I feel so bad for her after her brother and now this with her father. You make sure that she gets my condolenses."
"Of course Principal Weatherbee. I'll see you Monday?"
"Monday."
Kevin waved goodbye and walked out of the classroom. He didn't expect for anyone to be out waiting for him, after all his dearest friends were probably out solving a mystery and being the new Scooby-Doo gang. Kevin started to walk away and towards his locker when he saw two people blocking his locker. It was Moose and Midge. Moose, being another person that completely abandoned him after finding Jason's body, seemed to be saying something so heartfelt. The two looked so perfect having a heart to heart. Kevin rolled his eyes, salty that they had one another and that they weren't alone, and turned around, thinking that he should forget his coat for the day. He'd be fine. If he got a cold at least he wouldn't have to come to school and look at all the people that let him down and left him alone. Kevin walked down the separate hall away from the two, pulling his small cardigan closer to himself so that he could get a bit of warmth.
Kevin opened the doors and started heading down the steps of the high school. He saw all of his fellow classmates and high school students speaking with one another, laughing and making plans. But Kevin was alone. It was just him as he walked down the steps of Riverdale High to get to his truck. He walked in and tried to start up the engine, but of damn course, the engine didn't start up. It was too cold and it would take the engine hours to warm itself up. Kevin rolled his eyes and decided to just walk. It might take awhile, but it was better than staying in this freezing car for hours. Kevin walked back out and he held his elbows, trying to warm himself up as best he could without his coat. He made his way out of the school and he started to walk down the sidewalk. He was already freezing and it felt as if his fingers would turn into icicles any minute now. He went inside his pocket to find his headphones and of course he didn't find them. They were probably in his bag and he didn't want to stop in the cold to find them. He continued walking, trying to breathe his hot air in his hands so that he could warm himself up just a little bit. After ten minutes of walking, he stopped looking out to see where he was and how close to home he was. It would definitely take him another fifteen minutes to get home at this rate, and if he ran he might pass out and freeze to death.
All because Moose blocked his stupid locker with his stupid girlfriend and his perfect tousled brown hair. Kevin rolled his eyes and breathed a bit more into his hands. He was going to keep walking or call himself a cab, when he saw something across the street from him. Someone with clad bright red hair walking out of a car dressed in white that was brighter than the snow. And it couldn't be Archie, because he had gone off with his new girlfriend and Betty and Jughead. It had to be Cheryl. Kevin watched as she walked away from the car, the driver side door still open, and into the woods that lead to Sweetwater River. What the hell was Cheryl doing? Kevin dropped his bag and he started to run as fast as he could across the street and road to follow her. He pushed through the trees and catch up with Cheryl, who seemed to be running. The older male lost her in the woods and looked around as best as he could to find her. Where did she go? Kevin felt a sneeze coming up and he quickly muffled it in his cardigan sleeve, so he didn't scare Cheryl away. He pushed through the woods and saw Sweetwater River in front of him. It looked beautiful. But then he saw red headed Cheryl walking across to the water. Kevin was no moron. He knew that the ice wasn't thick and that Cheryl wasn't exactly as heavy as paper. The ice would break and a fall into the deep, freezing cold water would kill her. She'd drown or freeze.
"Cheryl, wait! Stop!" Kevin yelled, pulling of his loafers and socks. It made him colder, but the adrenaline was running to his body. Warming him up in the slightest bit. He held his hands out in front of him. Cheryl turned around and saw Kevin. Her eyes were red and puffy and filled with tears. She looked miserable, just like Kevin was. Kevin slowly stepped onto the ice, feeling it freezing his feet. In her hands was a large piece of what seemed to be a tree branch or log. Kevin's blood ran colder than the outside temperature when he realized what Cheryl was planning to do. Commit suicide. Just like her father did. Cheryl deserved so much more than that. So much more. He slowly walked towards Cheryl, who was father in the lake than he was. "Hey... stay there okay. And just look at me. Look at me, okay?"
Cheryl sobbed and raised the log that she was holding. Kevin's eyes widened and he moved a bit closer to her, the ice cracking under him. "Kevin stop." she whispered. "I'm done. I'm so done... I'm so tired. I'm so alone... all the time!"
"It's okay Cheryl." Kevin said back, getting closer to her very slowly. "I know how you feel."
"No you don't! I lost my brother... my father is a murderer... my mother is so different now... and I have... I have no one. No one who thinks that I'm... that I'm still Cheryl Blossom anymore." Cheryl sobbed, dropping the log she had and covering her face with her hands. The log fell on the ice and made the crack beneath her grow wider. "I'm a joke."
"No, no, you're not Cheryl." Kevin said, moving closer to her because she was so far away. The snow on the frozen river was starting to sink into his skin and he would surely have frostbite if he out Cheryl out of this alive. "You're not a joke Cheryl. Look at me, okay?" Cheryl looked at Kevin, tears still dripping down her face and melting the snow that was atop the frozen ice. Kevin reached closer to her a smile on his face. "You're not a joke Cheryl. You're perfect just the way you are, to hell what your mom thinks or what anyone else thinks."
"But... but no one else loves me. I'm... I'm all alone. No one is here for me"
"I'm here Cheryl. Look at me. I'm right here for you." Kevin stepped closer, he and Cheryl were finally close enough for him to reach out. "Just take my hand and you and I will figure this out, okay? You don't have to be alone. We don't have to be alone. Please Cheryl... take my hand."
Cheryl looked at Kevin's reddening extended hand. She sniffed away some tears and wiped her face. A smile was on it this time. She moved to take Kevin's hand, but the ice beneath her cracked harder, extending around her. Cheryl yanked her hand back afraid. Kevin held both hands out to her. "I can't!" she cried. "I can't... I can't. I'm sorry... I don't wanna die anymore!"
"I know Cheryl. I know. Just take my hand, it's okay." Kevin said.
"No... no I can't." she cried again, taking a dangerous step back. Kevin tensed, seeing the crack get larger. Cheryl heard a loud cracking noise and Kevin moved forward himself. He took Cheryl's wrists and pushed her towards him while he pushed himself in front. His father taught him that. It would push the other person farther away from the danger. Cheryl fell down onto the ice closer to Kevin, where it wasn't cracked yet and Kevin landed on her shattered glass like ice. It broke and Kevin went down below into the waters. Cheryl turned to look at her savior and screamed instead seeing that he wasn't there.
Her eyes widened and she screamed loudly.
"Thanks for trying. I'm going to be with Jason now?"
Veronica just read to text aloud and she couldn't lie when she said that she was vaguely confused. She, Betty and Archie had rushed to Southside High to check on Jughead because they were scared for his life, only to see that he would be okay. They now stood outside the school, getting ready to leave when Veronica gotten the text. Archie had asked her to read it to him and she did. The two didn't know what it meant or what Cheryl could be talking about when she meant that she was going to be with Jason. Veronica looked up at Archie deep in thought about what happened to Jason. She knew the tale of the murder, being just seen the video a day ago. Her eyes widened, realizing what Cheryl meant.
"Oh my God." she gasped.
"What?" Archie asked, still not understanding the situation.
"Cheryl... she's gonna do it." Veronica said. "She's gonna kill herself. We... we need to think. Where would Cheryl go to be with Jason?"
Archie looked down, thinking, before looking up and nodding at the location he knew Cheryl would be. "Sweetwater River."
"We have to go." she said, patting Archie shoulder and rushing to the bike rack where Betty and Jughead were speaking. She called out to them, the worry in her voice getting the attention of the two investigative writers. "Guys... we have to go."
"What is it?" Betty asked, getting up.
"It's Cheryl."
Moose had been waiting for Midge by her locker, wanting to talk with her. Moose wanted to get the conversation over with and not deal with it later. He looked over and saw Midge approaching him, she was dressed in a bright red coat that looked warm and cozy. "Hey." Midge said with a smile. "Your note said that you want to talk. And I never get notes from you in my locker so... it must be serious. Is everything okay?"
"Midge... I... look Midge, what you and I have... it was amazing but..." Moose sighed and slapped his head. "I just think that we're better as friends."
Midge's sympathetic smile grew wider and she went over and took Moose's and in hers. "Moose... I'm glad you told me."
"You're not mad?"
"God no! How can I be mad about your feelings? This is how you feel and I don't want to make you upset, it would only make me upset."
Moose smiled. "Thank you Midge. Listen can I uh... can I drive you home?"
Midge smiled and nodded. The two walked out of the school approaching the car that Moose stole from his dad. Midge stopped and frowned. "Hey." she said pointing at a truck that was still in the lot. "Isn't this Kevin's truck?"
Moose turned at the sound of Kevin's name. He noticed that Midge was right that Kevin's car was still here. Why was it still here? Moose brushed it to the side and opened the trunk of his dad's car. "He probably just has some after school activity." he said, taking her purse and book bag and shoving it in the trunk. He went into his car, allowed the engine to warm up for five minutes and then he started to drive off towards Midge's house. Moose was looking out the window of his car, thinking about Kevin. Kevin, the sweet young boy that caught his attention the night of the back to school dance. Moose broken up with Midge she wasn't the one for him now. He thought that it might be Kevin. That Kevin might be the one to open his heart out. Moose was pulled from his thoughts when Midge grabbed the steering wheel. Moose jolted back into reality and slammed on the breaks. "Midge what the hell?!"
"Look!" she said, pointing out at the window. Moose looked out and saw what Midge saw. It was a bag on the sidewalk. But it was a bag that he recognized and that he knew. It was Kevin's book bag. Moose put the car in park and walked out, grabbing Kevin's bag. Why would it be laying here? Where was Kevin? What if something happened to him? He looked over at Midge, who was still in the car and looking just as worried as he did. Moose was going to start calling out to the young man when he saw another car barelling onto the other side of the road. Moose threw Kevin's bag in the car and looked at Midge, who was confused. "Come on." he said to her.
They ran to the other side of the road and saw Archie, Betty, Jughead and Veronica get out. Archie was the first to notice Moose and he walked over to him. "Moose, what's going on?" he asked. "Why are you here?"
"We found Kev's backpack on the sidewalk." Midge said.
"Come with us." Betty said. "Maybe we'll find him on the way."
"On the way to-"
Moose's question was cut short when a loud ear piercing scream ran from the woods. Midge's eyes widened and she and Veronica were the first to start running. Midge knew that voice. Cheryl. Everyone took off into the woods. They ran as fast and as quick as they could towards the river where the scream was coming from. The made it to the long river and they saw Cheryl in the middle. "Cheryl, stop!" Jughead screamed.
Cheryl looked up from digging into the snow and she screamed at the group. "Help me!" she screamed, before turning to continue digging in the snow and ice.
"Cheryl... just come to the shore and we'll figure this out together okay?" Veronica called.
"KEVIN'S IN THE FUCKING WATER!" Cheryl screamed angrily, making Moose stop breathing. "HELP ME, PLEASE!"
Moose pushed through everyone first and started running across the ice. Everyone else following suit. Moose stopped in front of Cheryl and looked down at the hole that the young man had fallen under. "The current's got him!" Betty said.
"Spread out!" Jughead yelled.
Everyone started digging around the snow, looking for a clear image of Kevin through the ice cold water so they could break it and save his life. Moose knelt down, brushing snow away as tears started to form in his eyes. He needed to find him. He needed to find Kevin. Betty kicked away and snow and her eyes widened. "HERE!" she screamed. "He's here!"
Archie, Moose and Cheryl all got up at the same time and started to brush the snow away as fast as they could. The ice got cleared and they could see the young man floating around in the water. Archie made a tight fist and started punching the ice. Everything seemed to go so silent. Betty was crying her eyes out, Midge was screaming out for help, Veronica was praying, Jughead was telling Archie to be careful, Archie was punching bloody ice, Cheryl was begging for Archie to save Kevin's life and Moose was just... frozen. He couldn't move. He was captured by fear. It wrapped itself around him and held him tightly, forcing him there and just watching as he cried in unison with Betty. The ice started to break and turn red from Archie's blood, but it didn't break enough for him to reach Kevin. Moose shook away his captor of fear and raised his own fist, punching the ice as well. After three more punches, the ice broke and a deep hole opened in the frozen lake.
Moose and Archie plunged their hands in the freezing cold water that was pushing to the other side of the river and they reached for Kevin. Moose grabbed one of Kevin's arms and Archie grabbed his shoulder. They pulled the boy out as fast as they could, laying him down on the ice that wasn't broken and cracked or more prone to breaking. Betty looked down at him and knelt beside them, checking his pulse. She couldn't feel it. Fear was evident in her eyes. Archie leaned forward to see if he could hear of feel his heartbeat. Nothing. Moose moved forward and gently cradled his face. He was as cold as the ice he was kneeling on. He pinched Kevin's nose and he started to puff some breaths into Kevin's mouth. Cheryl looked up and screamed out as loud as she could from help. Moose looked up and he kept pressing onto Kevin's chest. "Come on, wake up!" Veronica cried.
Moose went over and pressed another breath into Kevin. The boy opened his mouth and spit out the water in his mouth. Moose sat up and smiled. Betty let out a sigh of relief, crying hard along with Midge and Cheryl. Cheryl moved forward and grabbed Kevin's hand. "Cheryl... y-you're okay." he whispered, his body shivering.
"You saved my life... thank you." Cheryl said with a smile.
Moose and Archie held Kevin's shoulders. "You're okay." Betty whispered. "You're okay."
