Our story is about a town, a small town, and the people who live in the town. From a distance, it presents itself like so many other small towns all over the world… Safe. Decent. Innocent. Get closer, though, and you start seeing the shadows underneath. The name of our town is Riverdale. And our story begins, I guess, with what the blossom twins did this summer. On the fourth of July, just after dawn, Jason and Cheryl Blossom drove out to Sweetwater River for an early morning boat ride. The next thing we know happened for sure is that Dilton Doiley, who was leading Riverdale's Boy Scouts Troop on a bird watching expedition, came upon Cheryl by the river's edge. Riverdale police dragged Sweetwater River for Jason's body, but never found it. So, a week later, the Blossom family buried an empty casket and Jason's death was ruled an accident as the story that Cheryl told made the rounds. That Cheryl dropped a glove in the water, and Jason reached down to get it, and accidentally tipped the boat, and panicked, and drowned. As for us, we were still talking about the "July Fourth Tragedy" on the last day of summer vacation, when a new mystery came into town.
Veronica Lodge exited the black car with her mother and gaped at the entrance of the large estate before them, her pearls— a gift from her father, Hiram—resting gently against her collarbone.
"Now, brace yourself; the apartment's small, a pied-a-terre, but quality always." Her mother, Hermione Lodge, stood next to her, pointing up at the building before them. Veronica rolled her eyes as she spoke those last words in unison with her mother. "Plus, it's the only piece of property in my name and not your fathers," Hermione continued, walking toward the building entrance. Veronica smiled faintly, still looking up at the building, before following her mother inside.
"Ms. Hermione!" The doorman called out, smiling, as he walked up to the two of them. "Welcome home!"
"Smithers!" Hermione chirped back. "Oh, you are a sight for sore eyes."
"How was the ride?" He asked, holding her hands after placing a brisk kiss on her cheek.
"No traffic, thank God." She responded. "Smithers, I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Veronica." Hermione stepped aside as Veronica tucked her raven colored hair behind her ear, smiling shyly.
"It's a pleasure, miss." He said, reaching out his hand.
"Hi," Veronica responded, politely shaking it— She really just wanted to go inside and relax after the long trip she had endured all the way from New York.
"I'll get the bags." Smithers said as he quickly moved towards the door.
"Would you?" Hermione asked as Veronica looked around the lobby of the building, taking in her new surroundings.
"Oh, and would you like some menus, ma'am, so you can order in?"
"Oh, no," Hermione stated matter-of-factly, turning around to face him. Veronica quickly followed in suit. "I have been craving one of Pop Tate's cheeseburgers since noon. Is his Chock'lit Shoppe still open?" Veronica took a break from looking around the lobby to jump into the conversation.
"What is a Chock'lit Shoppe and why does it sell burgers?" She asked, looking back and forth between Smithers and her mother.
A group of three teenagers sat in a booth at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe telling stories of their adventures from the past summer. One, a blonde girl with light green eyes— Betty Cooper. Next, the tallest of the three tucked into the corner of the booth near the window opposite Betty, a dusty redheaded boy with chocolate brown eyes by the name of Archibald "Archie" Andrews. Finally, next to Archie, sat a girl similar in height to him with orange-red hair and piercing blue eyes, wearing a leather jacket with the "Southside Serpents" s-shaped emblem embroidered on the back; Archie's older sister, and the black sheep of the Andrews family, Lydia "Baby Blue" Andrews.
Everyone knew Lydia, the original HBIC of Riverdale High before Cheryl Blossom came to take over the school with a single glance. The Southside knew her as the Serpent Princess and the frontman for the Serpent punk/rock band Spitting Venom. She fiercely defended those that she loved and cared about; among the list were Jughead Jones, who shared a connection to Lydia not yet known by many of the teens throughout Riverdale, Elizabeth and Polly Cooper, two of her closest friends and the daughters of her mother's best friend, Alice Smith—now known as Alice Cooper— the Andrews family, who had taught her to keep her mind sharp and her heart full, the Serpent Legacy Antoinette Topaz— Lydia's first girlfriend and constant rebound— and Cheryl Blossom, the Red Queen that came into town and swept her off of her feet while she was still studying at Pembrooke Academy and Lydia had been at Riverdale Middle School.
Lydia had been thinking about her summer internship turned full-time job as the Lead Forensic Investigator and Blood Spatter Analyst for Riverdale's Sheriff's Department. She longed to be anywhere but in a booth with her younger brother and their neighbor, her best friend's younger sister, staring at him with the most obvious heart-eyes anyone could see from five miles away. People would tell Lydia that Betty looked at her the same way that she looked at Archie, but she could never see it. Besides, they were practically family, and Lydia wasn't one to stand for people mingling within their own bloodline.
"So, what was the highlight?" Archie asked, leaning on the table in front of him.
"Of my internship?" Betty asked, before continuing. "The Toni Morrison book release party I organized, by far. At the end of the night, Toni Morrison, who, as you both know is my literary hero, says to me…"
"Yes, yes, we know," the siblings respond, nodding. Lydia focused in and out of the conversation, really not caring about Betty gushing over Archie every second she opened her mouth. She wondered where Cheryl might have been at that moment in time; they hadn't said a word to one another since the Blossom girl had called off their on-again off-again relationship to, in her own words, protect her from what was to come. During that time, Lydia had left on a road trip with Toni to visit family in New York City—a cover-up for Lydia fleeing from Penelope and Clifford Blossom's wrath when they started to catch on to the fact that the Andrews girl had been romantically involved with one of their children—which quickly became a slew of accidental meetings between the redheaded Serpent and a New York socialite who had been enamored with the girl. They had shared a drunken kiss in the bathroom of a dingy hole-in-the-wall college bar, which the local girl had initiated. Lydia had immediately called Cheryl from a payphone the next morning and told her about what had happened in the dark bar with the stranger, having regretted the entire night before. There hadn't been any contact between the two girls since Lydia had left the City to return home for her summer internship, having received her certifications in the Big Apple with the NYC Port Authority. Although she had missed three months of her High School education and had to repeat her Sophomore year, she couldn't have been happier to be back in her small town where everybody knew everyone with spying eyes all over. That was, until Jason Blossom, Cheryl's twin brother, had gone missing at Sweetwater River roughly one week after Lydia Andrews returned home.
"Don't rush this time, Betty. It goes by so fast at your age. One summer can change everything." Betty pressed her thumbs to her lips. Lydia repeated those simple words in her head; One summer can change everything. She couldn't believe how much those words had resonated with her in that moment.
"Wow, that's deep," Lydia said, swirling her strawberry malt with her straw.
"Wow, that's so true," Archie said, talking over his sister, forcing her to roll her eyes.
"How was working for your dad?" Betty asked, eyebrows raised.
"It was… pouring concrete, every day, all day long." Archie shrugged as he talked. "To pass the time, I would start composing these poems in my head. And at night, I'd go home, I'd write them down…"
"You don't even like reading poetry." Betty cut him off, causing Lydia to chuckle. She knew Betty and Archie weren't going to ask about her forensics internship; everyone knew she was a part of the team on the Blossom case. How was your internship, Lydia? They'd ask. Oh, you know, I just trudged the place where Cheryl and I had our first date for days while searching for her brother's body. Usual Riverdale bullshit.
"They weren't poems, they were song lyrics." Archie looked over at his sister before looking back at Betty. "And working on them made me feel like…"
"What, Archie?" Betty cut him off again, begging him to get to the point. Lydia just watched the door to Pop's, waiting for someone, anyone, to come in and take her away from the conversation in front of her. She couldn't stand watching Betty's puppy eyes for her brother knowing that Archie didn't feel the same way about her.
"It made me feel like I had finally broken through to something real. About my life and what I should be trying to do with it. Music! Starting this year, tomorrow!" Archie mustered up all the energy he could in the tiny booth. Betty nodded and smiled while he talked. Lydia just sighed and looked down at her malt once more, finally putting the straw to her lips.
"Amazing! Will you ask Ms. Grundy to tutor you?" Betty asked. If Lydia didn't know any better she would have choked on her milkshake right then and there. Archie and Betty droned on as Lydia tried to conjure something, anything, to pull her out of this never-ending conversation.
"I'm not sure, maybe."
"What about football? Can you do both?"
"I'll try out, at least."
"Well, have you told your dad?"
"No. Until I've got things figured out, you're the only two people I'm telling, okay?" Betty and Lydia nod, as Lydia looked around the diner.
"Well, I'd love to hear them sometime. Your songs!" Betty grinned from ear to ear as she pointed an open palm at Archie.
"Yeah?" He asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah," she nodded, quickly.
"Yeah, I'm finishing a couple demos tonight."
"Great. Also… I've been thinking about us, Archie," Betty said, completely forgetting that Lydia was around.
"Oh boy," Lydia sighed, as she slumped in the booth, staring straight ahead.
"And our friendship, and how it's time we…" The bell to pop's jingled and Lydia sat up, locking eyes with the breathtakingly beautiful hooded girl entering the diner. The girl slowly removed her hood, eyes remaining locked with Lydia's as if they had recognized each other immediately. The redhead's mouth slowly opened as she swallowed hard. The raven haired girl slowly moved towards the booth that the three were seated in, forcing Lydia to mumble to herself.
"Oh, Fuck," she said, looking the girl up and down as she moved closer, quickly hiding her face and turning back to her strawberry malt, forcing Archie and Betty to look over as well.
"I called in an order for Lodge," The girl said to Pop as he made his way up the aisles.
"Two burgers, yeah, but you gotta wait." He said, blocking the group's view of the girl. He quickly headed towards the register on the other side of the diner.
"Hi," Veronica said, stepping up to their table, standing extremely close to Lydia. The Serpent cleared her throat and continued to pay Veronica no mind.
"Hey," Archie said, looking past his sister.
"How are the onion rings here?" She asked, looking directly at Lydia.
"They're the best I've ever had," She responded, talking into her glass.
"Can we get some onion rings too, please?" Veronica looked away and called out to Pops, giving Lydia the opportunity to quickly look Veronica up and down once more, making sure this was the right New York socialite that just walked into the diner as if the redhead's prayers were answered with the worst possible solution. Betty threw her coaster at her, clearing her throat.
"Yeah," Pops responded, dully.
"Thanks," Veronica said, looking back to the group at the table. "My mom and I just moved here, so…"
"From where?" Archie asked, all too eager.
"New York," Veronica looked to Betty and nodded before looking back at Lydia noticing that the Serpent had mumbled the same words under her breath. She looked to the girl, furrowing her brow. Betty gave Lydia a kick in the shin, which caused her to wince and look up. Once Veronica could see the girl's full face she had finally put the puzzle together in her head. "Blue?" She asked, her eyes wide.
"Who?," Lydia coughed, panicking. "You must have me confused with someone else, I'm sorry." Lydia quickly regained her composure, sitting tall. She picked up her glass and watched Veronica's face as she sipped from the red straw sticking out of her now melting shake.
"Uh-huh," The brunette replied, nodding with her brow furrowed. She quickly changed the subject and Do you guys go to Riverdale?" Veronica asked.
"We do. The three of us. Together." Betty said, talking over Lydia who was still locking eyes with Veronica.
"Yeah, we're sophomores," Archie said, nodding.
"Speak for yourself, I'm only a Sophomore for three months," Lydia said, rolling her eyes.
"Me too," Veronica responded, a half smile pointed at Betty. "I'm filled with dread."
"Why is that?" Lydia asked, spinning her straw in her cup with as she groaned internally.
"Are you familiar with the works of Truman Capote?" Veronica asked, looking back at Lydia. Of course, bar trivia, Lydia thought while wanting to crush the glass under her hands.
"Of course," Lydia responded. "Breakfast at Tiffany's, In Cold Blood, Miriam," She listed a few, her eyes scanning the room for any excuse to leave the conversation.
"I'm Breakfast at Tiffany's, but this place is strictly In Cold Blood." Veronica stated, looking between the three of them, her gaze landing on Lydia last. The two younger teens laughed, Archie and Betty look at each other, as Lydia glared at Veronica, practically begging her to cut the game out.
"Hey, I wouldn't say that so soon, you may learn to like it here," Archie said, winking at her, earning a smirk in return. Betty glared at the red headed boy as Veronica introduced herself.
"Veronica Lodge." She put her hand out in front of Lydia, which the girl reluctantly took in her own.
"Lydia Andrews," She said forcing a smile. "Uh, this is Betty Cooper," She let go of Veronica's hand and pointed across the table to Betty. "And this, behind me, is my brother Archie."
"Wait, are you two…" Betty cut Veronica off.
"Supposed to give you your tour tomorrow? Yes." This caused Lydia to roll her eyes, her blue eyes darkening with her attitude shift. "We're your peer mentors." Lydia locked eyes with Betty before she mouthed the words really? You're making me do this? to Betty, Veronica not noticing.
"Do you want to join us?" Archie asked "Hey, maybe we can un-fill you with dread."
"My mom's waiting for me. But, to be continued." Veronica winked at Lydia before slowly sauntering away. Lydia's eyes didn't leave Veronica until she had exited the diner. What was she doing here?
"What were you saying?" Archie asked, returning his attention to Betty.
"Nothing," she responded, looking into Archie's eyes.
Lydia sat in her garage-apartment, scribbling on paper with her guitar in her lap. Toni Topaz sat to her right, her bass in her lap and a pencil eraser between her teeth. Lydia began to play the chords on her guitar as Toni picked at the strings on her bass.
"These kids just talk and talk but somehow I can't seem to listen. I'm thinkin' bout the one who's dressed in black, got my head missin'." Lydia sang the words written on the paper in front of her as Toni watched her face.
"I'm switching up the order; I'm on top, that's my position. I eat 'em up, I spit 'em out, I got a bad condition." Lydia smirked, looking over at Toni, before looking back at the paper in front of her. "I got my finger on your trigger, here's your shot, I'm comin' for you." Lydia laughed as Toni leaned into her, grinning.
"The night is young so suck it up, that's what I came here to do." Toni sang the chorus with her, resting her head against the redhead's. "I wanna tear it all down, I wanna break some shit, want you to come right now. So I can bite your kiss. I'll open up my mouth so you can read my lips. Want you to come right now so I can bite your kiss." Toni played a riff on the bass, trying to play around with the song they're writing.
"My name is on your tongue, and girl, I bet it tastes like Venom. You heard the rumors 'bout these legs? Well I'm the one who spread 'em." Lydia and Toni laughed as Lydia sang.
"I'm like an animal, I'm on the hunt, and girl I'm comin' for you. The night is young so suck it up, that's what I came here to do." Toni once again joined Lydia for the chorus, smiling as they sang together.
"I wanna tear it all down. I wanna break some shit. Want you to come right now so I can bite your kiss. I'll open up my mouth so you can read my lips. Want you to come right now so I can bite your kiss." Lydia played around with some tabs, adding some definition to the song while Toni played the bass riff again.
"I just can't help but picture this: me riding shotgun on your lips. I just can't help but picture this: me riding shotgun on your lips. I just can't help but picture this: me riding shotgun on your lips. I wanna tear it all down, I wanna break some shit. Want you to come right now so I can bite your kiss. I'll open up my mouth so you can read my lips. Want you to come right now so I can bite your kiss." The girls laughed as they finished playing the song together. Lydia put down her guitar as Toni reached over and grabs her face, kissing her. Lydia froze, shocked that Toni had made a move on her after their previous talk about the fact that Lydia wasn't going to be seeing anyone for a long while. She pulled away from Toni and looked down at her hands.
"T, we talked about this," Lydia said, sighing as she shook her head.
"Lily, it's been 7 months. Don't you think she's moved on by now?" Toni asked, tucking a stray hair behind Lydia's ear.
"So what if she has?" Lydia asked, not looking up from her hands. "I still haven't." She looked up at the ceiling, sighing, before speaking again. "It's getting late."
"I should get going before I get locked out again and face to stay at the Whyte Wyrm." Toni responded, putting her bass on the floor before collecting her things, preparing to head out the door.
The next morning, Archie called down from his bedroom. "Hey, Dad. First day of school and I'm already late." Archie ran down the stairs and saw the family dog on the way into his dad's study. "Hey, Vegas."
"Hey, you, uh, you stopping by the sight later?" Fred Andrews asked. He was slightly taller that Archie with deep brown eyes, brown hair and a full beard. The purple around his eyes showed that he hadn't slept a wink the night before.
"Dad, it's my first day." Archie said, shoving his books into his bag.
"Oh, we got to get you going in the office, so next summer you're not on the crew." He said, looking concerned.
"Well, I… I can't. I've got football tryouts." Archie quickly replied, zipping up his book bag. "Or is that not okay?" He asked, looking up and seeing his father's concerned face.
"No, no, it's uh… It's okay. Good luck." Fred said, nodding. "Oh, and you'll want to catch up with your sister. She left with Betty about 15 minutes ago." Archie threw his backpack over his shoulder and hurried out the door.
Archie stood at his locker before being bombarded by one of his football teammates, Reggie, about his workout routine. Lydia walked past them, rolling her eyes when she heard Reggie questioning Archie about his sex life. She was sure that she was the only one who knew about Grundy, having caught them together while she was on a run near Sweetwater River. Lydia quickly made her way to where she was to meet with Betty and Veronica, wishing that she hadn't been voluntold for the position as Betty had done to her so many times before. She leaned against the lockers where Betty asked her to meet them, watching her phone to make sure she hadn't missed anything from the early River Vixen's meeting. As so-captain, it was her duty to be there if anyone had questions, knowing full well that Cheryl would never answer any, but the Blossom girl knew well in advance that Lydia would be missing due to Betty's sheer resilience. The bell rang and the two girls in question exited the door in front of her. Betty looked at Lydia—dressed in ripped jeans, a flannel shirt with a band tee underneath and solid black converse—before rolling her eyes.
"I know I totally asked you to change into something more presentable, Lydia," Betty scoffed, causing a chuckle to erupt from the red headed girl.
"Hey, just because I'm a Vixen doesn't mean I have to dress like Cheryl." Lydia said, walking on the opposite side of Veronica.
"Anyway, I usually start my tours with a little history and context. Riverdale High first opened its doors in 1941 and…"
"And hasn't been redecorated since apparently," Veronica chirped, earning a laugh from Lydia. "Honestly I feel like I'm wandering through the lost epilogue of Our Town." She looked over at Betty who really doesn't seem to be amused.
"I told you, Cooper, not everyone wants to know the history of Riverdale High," Lydia shrugged. Veronica giggled quickly before continuing.
"Uh-huh. So, what's the social scene like here? Any night clubs?" Veronica asked.
"A strip club called the Ho Zone…" Lydia was cut off by a friend passing by before she could continue.
"And a tragic gay bar called Innuendo. Friday night footballs games, and the tailgate parties at the Mallmart parking lot. Saturday night is movie night, regardless of what's playing at the Bijou, and you better get there early, because we don't have reserved seating in Riverdale. And Sunday nights…"
"Thank God for HBO," Lydia finished his sentence as he wrapped his arm around Betty's shoulder. "Veronica Lodge, meet Kevin Keller."
"Veronica's new here, Kevin is…" Betty was cut off by Veronica once more.
"Gay, thank god. Let's be best friends." Veronica shook Kevin's hand as Betty raised her eyebrows at Lydia. The redhead shrugged before Kevin started asking questions.
"Is it true what they say about your dad?" He asked, a grin across his face.
"Veronica, you don't have to answer that question," Lydia said, placing a hand on her shoulder before glaring at Kevin, his smile quickly fading. She quickly removed her hand, not wanting to give off the wrong impression.
"That he's the Devil Incarnate?" She asked, leaning into Lydia's side, causing the taller girl to swallow hard before stepping back, creating distance between them.
"I stand by my father. Does everyone here know?" Veronica questioned, crossing her arms before stepping away from Lydia and glaring at the three of them. Kevin lifted his head, Betty opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out, and Lydia rubbed her hand on the back of her neck. Just as Lydia was about to make a sound, Veronica continued.
"Wonderful, ten minutes in and I'm already the Blue Jasmine of Riverdale High." Veronica walked off, Lydia quickly shaking her head and taking off in the direction of the gym to get the notes on the Vixen meeting from Cheryl and her goons. Betty glared at Kevin before following Veronica down the hall.
"Oh, and of course there's the back to school semiformal dance this weekend…" Betty continued, walking out of a hallway with Kevin and Veronica. Lydia, who was a Teacher's Assistant for the last block's chemistry class, walked down the hall in front of them, out of earshot, heading to her locker before she continued the tour.
"Oh!" Veronica pulled Betty towards her. "There's the hottie you were with last night. The red-headed Deborah Ann Woll. Is she your girlfriend?" Veronica asked, watching Lydia saunter down the hallway, finally stopping at her locker.
"No, gosh, we're just friends," Betty said, Kevin talking over her.
"No, I'm gay." He piped up, looking at Veronica.
"In that case, mind putting in a word? I've tried every flavor but Orange." Betty looked at Veronica, her mouth agape, unable to believe that Lydia would just be a conquest to her until she remembered that Veronica would just be another conquest added to Lydia's already long list as the Wolf of Riverdale.
"Actually, to clarify…" Kevin chimed in, "Betty and Lydia aren't dating, but she's in a really shaky on-again off-again relationship."
"Maybe I should ask her to the semiformal then," Veronica said, her eyes still locked on Lydia as they moved through the hallway.
"You should, but I heard it might be getting cancelled," Kevin said, shaking his head. "Because of what happened to Jason. They're gonna tell us at the assembly."
"Who's Jason and What happened to him?" Veronica asked as they approached Lydia's locker. Oh boy, Lydia thought, not ready for this conversation. Here we go.
"Jason was Cheryl Blossom's brother," Lydia started, shaking her head. "Not only that, he was a decent friend to a lot of us. But, in old Riverdale fashion, he went missing on July 4th and hasn't been seen or heard from since." She slammed her locker door shut and took off down the hall, really not in the mood for any more questions from her Manhattan-sized regret that stood before her.
Veronica sat between Betty and Lydia at the assembly while Cheryl Blossom gave a speech about her brother at the podium below. "So I speak with the confidence only a twin could have… Jason wouldn't want us to spend the year mourning. Jason would want us to move on with our lives."
"And that means moving on from Lydia too," Betty mumbled, earning a glare from Lydia, accompanied by a finger dragging across her throat for extra emphasis, and a weird look from Veronica. Cheryl's hazel eyes met with Lydia's blue ones for support before she quickly looked back at the podium in front of her.
"And that's why I've asked the school board not to cancel the Back-to-School semiformal." Cheryl looked back up as the crowd in the bleachers cheered. "But rather, to let us use it as a way to heal, collectively, and celebrate my brother's too, too short life on this mortal coil. Thank you all." Lydia looked across the bleachers and saw her brother staring at someone. She followed his gaze and saw that he and Ms. Grundy had locked eyes while the rest of the crowd was celebrating. She rolled her eyes, frustrated that her brother was so blatantly obvious about his unconventional relationship, before bringing her attention back to the group she was with.
Veronica walked out of the cafeteria with her tray of food, looking around from table to table, searching for a familiar face. She approached a table where Betty and Archie sat across from Kevin and Lydia.
"Can I join?" she asked, looking between Betty and Lydia.
"Yeah," Betty replied as Lydia scooched down so Veronica had a place to sit.
"What are we doing?"
"Listening to one of Archie's songs," Betty boasted, looking at Archie.
"I thought we were going to have to pretend to like it, but it's actually really good." Kevin said, sandwich in hand.
"Yeah, who would've known my brother had such a talent," Lydia smirked, winking at her brother.
"Wait, that was you singing? Something you wrote?" Veronica asked, picking at some food on her tray.
"It's rough." Archie shook his head, a complete lack of confidence in himself clearly evident.
"No, It's great," Betty said before Archie could say anything else about it.
"It's incredible, actually, the little snippet I heard. Who were the female vocals? Was that you, Betty?" Veronica leaned in, her elbow on the table.
"No, actually, that would be me," Lydia said, pointing her finger as she picked up the blueberry muffin off of her tray.
"Aah, a science nerd and a musician, who would've known." Veronica responded, nudging Lydia before turning her attention back to Archie. "Is that your thing? Music? Are you doing something with that?"
"Yeah, that's the plan," Archie nodded, taking a sip of his water. "So how's your first day going? Good?"
"Not to be a complete narcissist, but, I thought people would be more…" Veronica was cut off by Kevin chiming in.
"Obsessed with you?" He asked, leaning past Lydia to look at Veronica. Lydia smacked his shoulder, scoffing. "Any other year you'd be trending number one, for sure. This year though it's all about Cheryl trying to win the Best Supporting Psycho Oscar for her role as Riverdale High's bereaved Red Widow."
"Kev, can we not? You know it's a touchy subject." Lydia asked, looking at Cheryl moving towards the table. Oh boy, here we go. Cheryl had known the name Veronica Lodge since that night in the city, and it had left a bad taste in her mouth ever since.
"Hey, I should go. I got that meeting with Grundy and then football tryouts, so." Archie said, before Kevin could answer his sister.
"You play football, too? What don't you do?" Veronica asked. If Betty didn't know any better she would have thought that Veronica was into Archie way more than she was into his sister. She refused to acknowledge that the opposite might be true for her. As Archie walked off, Kevin jumped back into the conversation.
"Before you ask, Blue Jasmine, no she has not invited him to the dance yet…"
"Not yet, and don't talk about Archie." Betty mumbled as Cheryl approached the table.
"Veronica Lodge, I'd heard whisperings. I'm Cheryl Blossom, may I sit?" Without even receiving an answer she invited herself to the table. "Betty, would you mind?" Betty scooched down and Cheryl sat across from Veronica, locking eyes with Lydia. She gave the Serpent a glare as if to keep her mouth shut, needing information from Veronica and Veronica only.
"So, what are you three hens and the big bad wolf gossiping about?" She asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Archie's Efron-esque emergence from the chrysalis of puberty?" Lydia scoffed at Cheryl's statement as she shoveled food from her tray into her mouth.
"Extracurriculars." Veronica stated, looking over at Betty.
"Oh, I'm sure Lydia can tell you all about those," Cheryl said sarcastically, causing Lydia to choke on her food. She smirked at the blue-eyed girl, giving her a quick wink while Veronica talked.
"Weatherbee wants me to sign up for a few." Veronica continued, placing her hand on Lydia's back as she catches her breath. Lydia tensed up at the brunette's touch and stared at Cheryl with wide eyes.
"Cheerleading! You must. I'm senior captain of the River Vixens." Cheryl pulled her hair from one shoulder to the other, not making eye contact with Lydia.
"Is cheerleading still a thing?" Kevin asked, staring at Cheryl. He hated how she treated Lydia after Jason went missing and was still upset about how they ended things. Little did he know, it wasn't about how things ended but instead about a certain incident from New York involving the two girls seated across from her.
"Is being the Gay Best Friend still a thing?" Cheryl retorted, causing Lydia to clear her throat. "Some people say it's retro, I say it's eternal and iconic." Cheryl shifted her weight, redirecting her attention to Veronica.
"At Spence, I sat at the top of the Elite Pyramid. I'm in." Veronica said, nodding before turning and smirking at Lydia. "Betty, you're trying out, too."
"Of course! Anyone's welcome to try out, but Betty's already got so much on her plate right now and being a Vixen is kind of a full-time thing. But, open to all!" Lydia laughed again, shaking her head at Cheryl.
"If that was true, I would've never been a River Vixen," Lydia mumbled under her breath. Cheryl glared at her quickly, as if telling her to shut up.
"Follow me on twitter and I'll do the same," Cheryl said to Veronica, completely ignoring Lydia's comment. "My handle is cherylbombshell." Lydia proceeded to leave the table to throw away her tray of food.
"Okay, go ahead and hate on cheerleading but if Hipster Princess Anna…" Veronica was cut off by Betty's sincere words.
"I'd love to be a cheerleader. It would look great on my college applications. But last year, when I tried out, Cheryl said I was too fat." Betty smiled and cocked her head to the side as Lydia returned to the table.
"Too season 5 Betty Draper. It was a great line, but, not at all true." Kevin said, quickly catching himself.
"Hey, at least you weren't only on the team because you were sleeping with the she-devil," Lydia said, rolling her eyes as Veronica let out a slight chuckle. "And you know I never agreed with why she wouldn't let you be a part of the team. I mean, you used my routine, which Polly and I spent half of a summer teaching you, and she still wouldn't budge."
"Well, you're a total smoke show now. I mean it. As hot and as smart as you are, you should be the Queen Bey of this drab hive. Look, if you want to be a River Vixen, I'll help you prep. I have moves." Betty smirked, apple in hand.
"Okay. You know what? Show me your moves." Betty bit into her apple, smirking.
Lydia sat next to Cheryl in her River Vixen uniform, watching the waves of girls trying out. Wave after wave she and Cheryl marked down scores for the girls until it was finally Betty and Veronica's turn.
"We're blue and gold! We're dynamite! We'll take you down, and fight the fight! Whoo! Go, Bulldogs!" Betty and Veronica chanted in unison, using bland stereotypical moves. Lydia sighed and shook her head; she expected more from the two of them.
"Hmm. Ladies, where's the heat? Where's the sizzle?" Cheryl asked, looking at Lydia, half expecting the pair to use another one of the Serpent's personal routines to try-out.
"We want to see energy. New moves we haven't seen used thousands of times before," Lydia chimed in, looking between the two of them. "I know you both can do better than this."
"Well, you haven't seen our big finish yet." Veronica said, her hands on her hips. She turned and grabbed Betty's arm before whispering to her. "Don't freak out. Just trust me." Veronica grabbed Betty's face and waited for a moment before the blonde followed through and pulled her in for a deep kiss on the lips. Lydia practically choked on her water, spitting half of it out on the floor in front of her. Cheryl rolled her eyes and handed her clipboard to the third cheerleader sitting with them. As the finally separated, Veronica locked eyes with Lydia and smirked. The Serpent rolled her eyes, seeing through Veronica's play.
"Check your sell-by date, ladies, faux lesbian kissing hasn't been taboo since 1994. So let's see if you do better with the interview portion of our audition." Cheryl mad herself very clear before turning to Lydia, only now realizing that her face is beet red from frustration. "Betty, how's your sister doing?"
"Um, Polly's fine, thanks for asking." Betty said, confused.
"Veronica, has betty told you about her sister yet?" Cheryl asked, earning Lydia's attention.
"Cheryl, why are you asking these questions. You don't need to probe into Betty's life like this." She placed her hand on Cheryl's thigh, rubbing small circles. Cheryl removed Lydia's hand and turned to face Veronica, causing the other redhead to grasp her clipboard and roll her eyes.
"Uh, no." Veronica responded, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Go ahead, Betty," Cheryl prodded. "Tell Veronica about your sister and my dear brother."
"Polly and Jason dated," Betty sighed, not understanding the point of this interrogation.
"I wouldn't say dated," Cheryl scoffed.
"It didn't end well."
"In fact, Jason's probably why your sister had a nervous breakdown and now lives in a group home, isn't it?" Cheryl continued to push at Betty, knowing how sensitive of a subject this is for her. Lydia, being the only team member who has ever spoken against Cheryl, spoke up once again.
"Cheryl, as your Co-Captain I'm asking you to stop. Betty isn't your little puppet and neither am I."
"That's what my parent's think," Betty said, speaking over Lydia.
"What do you have to say about that, Betty? Go ahead, the floor is yours. Whatever you've been dying to spew about Jason and how he treated Polly, unleash it. Destroy me. Tear me a new one. Rip me to shreds. Annihilate me." Lydia practically threw her clipboard to the ground, watching Betty clench her fists in anger.
"I just…"
"Finally," Cheryl said to herself. Lydia placed her head in her hands and sighed.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry, about what happened to Jason. I can't even imagine what you and your family must be going through." Betty continued, looking down at the ground. Lydia looked up and saw Veronica studying Betty's face before looking next to herself and seeing Cheryl's face fall.
"Right." She took a moment to compose herself and Lydia wondered if she should lend a comforting hand. "Veronica!" Cheryl's facial expressions completely changed. "Does Betty know how you know dear Deedee here?"
"They met at Pop's the same night we did," Betty said, highly confused.
"Wrong!" Cheryl called out, throwing her arms into the air. She turned to Lydia and tilted her head, almost as if to beg her to spill the information at hand before she did it herself.
"Lydia and I met in New York City over the summer," Veronica spat out quickly, shaking her head. "She told me her name was Blue and that she was in town visiting her mother. We kept running into each other, so I asked her if she wanted to grab a drink at a quiet spot, and, one thing led to another, and…" Cheryl cut her off before she could go any further.
"And you defiled Lydia in a dingy musty college-bar bathroom." Cheryl was practically shouting, still angry over what had happened between the two girls while Lydia was on the run.
"Cheryl," Lydia warned, glaring at the Blossom girl. Cheryl raised her hand as if to silence the other girl.
"Did you or did you not defile Lily in a bathroom, Veronica?" Cheryl asked, her chin turned up in a regal manner.
"We made out?" Veronica said, a mixture of defense and confusion in her tone of voice. "And then I never heard from her or saw her again."
"Wait, you two did what?" Betty asked, looking between the redhead and brunette quickly. Before Veronica could ask her next question, Lydia answered it for her.
"I called Cheryl the next morning and told her everything. I was regretful and drunk and I shouldn't have even accepted the offer in the first place. If I hadn't agreed to go out for drinks, we would have never," She stopped to talk in a much less rushed pace. "If I hadn't gone out for drinks with you, you would have never kissed me, and I wouldn't have felt so terrible for having left to visit my mo—my aunt Evie."
"Great!" Cheryl said, in a much more chipper tone than she had been speaking in previously. "Now, as for my decisions, Ladies. Betty, Veronica… I'm sorry but neither of you are cut out to be River Vixens. Better luck next year!" Cheryl stood up to dismiss try-outs but was met with the frustrated face of the taller redheaded girl.
"Cheryl you literally can't just turn people away because you're upset with them." Lydia piped up, defending Betty and Veronica.
"Why? I did the same thing with you when Jason died because you were interning his case," Cheryl snapped back, causing Lydia to grit her teeth and look away.
"That's not why you pushed me away and you know it, Cheryl," Lydia whispered, causing the Blossom girl to swallow hard, and face Betty and Veronica once more.
"Scatter, ladies! I told you, try-outs are over; better luck next year!" Cheryl tried to shoo them away but was met with an angry Veronica Lodge.
"Wait, What? Why?" Veronica asked, shocked. "Because you couldn't bully Betty into being a bitch?"
"I need girls with fire on my squad. It's one of the only reasons why Lydia's still on it." Cheryl said simply, causing Lydia to roll her eyes.
"I know what you need, Cheryl, because I know who you are. You would rather people fear than like you, so you traffic in terror and intimidation. You're rich, so you've never been held accountable, but I'm living proof. That certainty, that entitlement you wear on your head like a crown; it won't last. Eventually, there will be a reckoning. Or…" Veronica paused and began to move forward. Lydia looked between the two girls, her eyes wide and her heart in her stomach. "Maybe that reckoning is now. And maybe, that reckoning…" Veronica stopped right in front of Lydia and Cheryl, arms crossed once again. "Is me. You wanted fire? Sorry Cherylbombshell, my specialty's ice." Cheryl took in a sharp breath as Lydia shook her head at the catfight about to begin before her eyes.
"God damn it. Go get your fucking uniforms from Tina," Lydia said, waving Betty and Veronica away. "I will not stand here and watch a catfight unleash because a third heir is fighting for the Iron Throne. This isn't fucking Westeros, it's Riverdale." She shook her head as she placed a hand on Cheryl's arm, prepared to pull her aside. "Oh, and don't forget that the Night King is weak to Valyrian Steel, dear Veronica. By the way, my specialty is with a needle." Cheryl laughed as Lydia dragged her away.
"Lily, I know you were trying to be intimidating, but that was a terrible reference to Arya Stark," Cheryl said, trying to catch her breath.
"You ruined it by laughing, you ass," Lydia chuckled as they made their way into the hall. "Just because you're in charge doesn't mean I gave up my crown. Would you rather I had used Marjory Tyrell instead of Arya?" She scoffed as Cheryl's eyes lit up.
"You know how much I love Natalie Dormer," Cheryl said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh, bite me," Lydia rolled her eyes, beginning to walk towards the girl's locker room to gather her things.
"Wait, Lily?" Cheryl asked, softly.
"Yes?"
"I'll pick you up for the semiformal at six o'clock sharp." Cheryl smiled up at the taller girl, a gleam in her eyes.
"And only a day's notice. Look at you, getting better at letting me know when we have plans," Lydia said, sarcastically. Cheryl rolled her eyes and turned around to collect her things. "I'll be ready by the time you get there."
Lydia wore a royal blue cocktail dress covered in black lace with Cheryl by her side in a red floor length gown. They stood near the stage where Josie and the Pussycats were preparing for their opening number, taking in the atmosphere around them before looking back at each other, smiling.
"I'll be back," Cheryl said, beginning to move toward the stage. "Save me a dance?" Lydia nodded in response, a cheeky grin on her face.
"Anything for you, Cher-Bear." Lydia watched the smaller girl walk away before looking around the room. She immediately caught sight of the group that walked in the door fashionably late. Archie entered in a black tux with Betty on one arm and Veronica on the other. Betty was in a pale pink dress, and Veronica wore a dress similar to Lydia's, but, instead of black lace on blue fabric her dress had black lace on cream fabric.
"Well, it's not the Met Ball," Veronica said, earning a chuckle from her Betty. The three of them look around the room and noticed large banners with Jason Blossom's photos printed on them. Blue ribbon laced with small white lights lined the ceiling. Lydia decided to take the time to walk over to the group, watching the stage as she made her way through the crowd
"Hey, when do you have to let Coach Clayton know about football?" Betty asked, looking up at Archie.
"This weekend," He responded with a sigh.
"Guys, can't we just liberate ourselves from the tired dichotomy of jock/artist? Can't we, in this post James Franco world, be all things at once?" Veronica asked as the Andrews girl appeared to her side. Lydia and Betty let out a soft giggle, both shaking their heads.
"I'm working on it, Veronica." Archie said, looking up at the ceiling.
"Work faster. I'm getting punch." She responded, grabbing Lydia's hand. "You've got this," Veronica whispered to Betty.
"I guess I'm going too," Lydia shrugged, looking back at Betty and her brother. When Lydia and Veronica reached the punch bowl, the Serpent turned around to see Kevin grabbing Betty's hand, her brother nowhere to be found. "Wow, my brother is a wonderful impromptu date," She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Veronica. It seemed like as soon as they approached the punch bowl, Cheryl was announcing the music entertainment for the night; Josie and The Pussycats.
"Good evening, friends," Cheryl looked around the room from her place on the stage as she spoke. Lydia could tell that Veronica was talking to her about something, but all of her attention was on the Blossom girl across the room. She watched the way the fitted mermaid-style red dress moved as Cheryl spoke—fit for a princess, and Cheryl wouldn't have it any other way. "Are you all having a good time?" Lydia cupped her hands in front of her mouth and cheered. The girls locked eyes and smiled at each other. Cheryl lifted her hand to signal that she was about to speak again. The crowd went from an eruption of cheers to dead silence, and Lydia smirked at the power Cheryl had over the room.
"As honorary chairperson and de facto queen of tonight's semiformal, it is my great pleasure to introduce this evening's main entertainment." Cheryl caught a glimpse of Veronica talking Lydia's ear off, which caused her demeanor to falter slightly. She quickly regained her composure and continued to address the room.
"To know them is to be obsessed with them. Though they usually perform their own material, and their lineup has changed over the years, tonight, they're making an exception and debuting a cover of the song my parents claim they were listening to the night Jason and I were conceived." Lydia glanced over at Betty, seeing that Archie had returned to her side. "This one's for you, JJ," Cheryl said, looking over at Lydia once more, seeing that Veronica was frustrated about something, her arms crossed over her chest. "I give you Josie and the Pussycats." Cheryl calmly turned and left the stage, signaling Lydia to meet with her. As Lydia moved to leave the punch bowl, Veronica grabbed her attention.
"Did you hear a word I said?" The Lodge girl asked, frustrated.
"Huh?" Lydia responded, extremely confused as she turned to face Veronica. "N-no, I'm sorry. And I-I have to go." Lydia turned away, confused, as she made her way towards Cheryl.
"May I have this dance?" Lydia reached her hand out for the Blossom girl to take. They moved toward the center of the crowd as Josie and her band began to play.
"What did Veronica want?" Cheryl asked, her eyebrows raised as Lydia's hands snaked across her hips and she draped her arms over the Serpent's shoulders.
"I'm not sure," Lydia shrugged, smiling down at the girl. "I was too busy watching someone special from across the room." Cheryl blushed and looked down at her feet. "How much longer do we have to pretend to hate each other?" Lydia asked, her eyes sad as she scanned Cheryl's face. "I'm tired of pretending I don't love you."
"Not much longer, I promise," Cheryl responded, looking up at the Andrews girl. Lydia looked over at her brother and watched Veronica edge Betty to ask Archie out from a distance. Cheryl looked over in the same direction in the exact moment that Archie distanced himself from Betty. A devilish grin formed on her face as she concocted a plan.
"Oh no," Lydia said, running a hand down her face. "I know that look all too well. What are you planning?" Cheryl turned and caught the eye of her goons, Tiffany and Ginger, and waved them towards her. "Oh, no," Lydia whispered, gripping Cheryl's hip tight. When the Vixen's were involved, nothing good ever came of the events that followed.
"Make sure those two turtledoves come to my after-party," Cheryl glared at Archie and Betty as she spoke, her hands on top of Lydia's which had found its way onto her abdomen. "Veronica, too. I'm in the mood for Chaos." She leaned back against Lydia's frame, grinning from ear to ear.
"When aren't you?" Lydia asked, shaking her head in disappointment.
"It's game time at Chez Blossom, kiddies. We're going old-school tonight. Seven minutes in heaven. Who wants to tryst in the Closet of Love first? My vote is B for Blue." Cheryl stood in the middle of a room full of people, wearing a red cocktail dress that Lydia had picked out for her. Boyfriend by Tegan and Sara played on the speakers in the background. 'A song about spin-the-bottle and secret female relationships, how fitting' Lydia thought, shaking her head. She wore black slacks with a brown belt, brown dress shoes, and a slate-blue button up with the sleeves cuffed at her elbows; an outfit picked out by the hostess when the two returned to set-up the after party. She looked up at Cheryl as she brought her red solo cup up to her lips. Cheryl held an empty cherry cola bottle in her hand loosely as she looked around the room for hit number two. Knowing the Serpent wouldn't dare betray their secret relationship, she found confidence in herself that anyone she picked would just back down and give her the closet with her Co-HBIC. Lydia hoped Cheryl would just vote for herself, really not wanting to be a part of this game she'd decided upon playing.
"Wait, Actually," Lydia was cut off by Reggie chanting "Yes, Andrews, Yes!"
"I thought I wasn't playing," Lydia glared between Cheryl and Reggie.
"All right, gather round, kids. Let's see who's riding the ginger wolf tonight." The bottle spun for what felt like an eternity. Finally, it landed on Veronica. "It's clearly pointing to the new girl, this should be fun." Cheryl rolled her eyes, realizing she just set herself up for disaster. She hopped she could spin the bottle hard enough that it would just land on herself, truly needing some alone time with the Serpent after being forced to not speak to her for so long.
"Um… I'm not doing this." Lydia said, leaning forward. She let the red solo cup in her hand rest on the edge of the couch in front of her, her fingers loosely tracing the rim of the cup as she spoke.
"That's up to you, Lily, but, if you don't, house rules decree the hostess gets to take your turn," Cheryl smirked, sauntering towards her. She smiled up at the girl before looking at Veronica with daggers for eyes. Reluctantly, Lydia chugged the contents of her cup and made her way towards the closet door.
"I know her brother died and everything, but… Cheryl Blossom truly is the antichrist." Veronica looked up at Lydia, both of them laughing.
"Yeah, well, she wasn't always like this. Do I miss the adventurous, not manipulative Cheryl? Yeah, but I don't know who I'd be without learning from my past mistakes." Lydia said, tucking Veronica's hair that has fallen in her face behind her ear. Veronica nodded, feeling slightly awkward that her moment to truly talk with Lydia was being spent in a closet in a stranger's house. "So, uh, do you miss New York?" Lydia asked, trying to strike up conversation as she dropped her hand back down to her side.
"It's been less than a week. But… yes." Veronica said, looking down at Lydia's stopwatch.
"Six minutes and twenty seconds," She said, sighing. "Okay, your turn." Lydia looked in Veronica's eyes. Even in the dark she could see the confusion wash over her face. "Ask me a deep probing question to kill time." Veronica laughed and looked down at her feet.
"It seemed like we were having fun at that bar. What happened?" Veronica said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"What do you mean," She asked, furrowing her brow.
"You ran out the door in tears that night," Veronica added, standing up taller. "Did a certain Red Witch summon you back home?" A devilish smirk crawled across her face as she shifted her weight back and forth.
"Veronica, I was in New York because I was on the run." Lydia looked down at her feet before continuing. "Cheryl's parents are completely homophobic and aren't fond of me in any sense of the word. They found out I had been seeing one of their golden children for a very long time and wanted to send me away." Lydia shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut and sighing. "Verbally, we had broken up, but my heart has always been hers. We always find our way back to each other at some point and I let a pretty, smart girl from the city cloud my better judgement and sneak into my head."
"So you think I'm pretty?" Veronica said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Is that all that you grasped from that?" Lydia asked, confused. "Yes, I thought you were stunning. But I'm not going to let a pretty face tear apart everything I spent years building with Cheryl."
"I understand," Veronica said, looking into Lydia's eyes.
"This place we're in now, physically, this is Thistlehouse. The reason it seems like no one lives here is because no one truly does. The Blossoms have two properties in their name. This one and Thornhill. The one we're in now is the one Cheryl and I snuck away to in order to get some alone time together without the eyes of people who would tell her parents and send out a mob with pitchforks and torches for the monster that fell in love with their daughter. This is the house they found my bugout bag in when they found out I was seeing a Blossom child." Lydia slowly moved closer to Veronica as she spoke.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Veronica said, also taking small steps forward. "Were you and Jason close?"
"Not at first, no. He wasn't the nicest person to Cheryl in private. She boasts about how perfect of a brother he was, but he was a true monster to her, and not in the way you're thinking either." Lydia shuttered at the thought of what he did to Cheryl. She clenched her fist, remembering the last day she pulled him off of his sister. Jason hated hearing the word no and he hated other people telling him what to do. When Lydia found him pinning her girlfriend down on her red silk sheets, she was immediately filled with rage and took it out on Jason himself.
- Lydia wandered up to Cheryl's bedroom after not hearing from her for a while. The girls were working on a project together when Cheryl had gone up to her room to grab a sweater due to the cold temperature in the foyer of the Blossom home. When she heard the pleading whimpers of her girlfriend, she burst through the bedroom door.
"Jason, please," Cheryl cried, trying to force him off of her. "I told you no, don't you get it?" Lydia stomped into the room, her face becoming red with anger.
"We're Blossom's, Cherry," Jason responded, grinning from ear to ear. "We get what we want when we want it with no questions asked." Lydia cringed at the use of her mother's nickname for the girl; Cherry Blossom, after the trees with the prettiest pink flowers Lydia had ever seen. Jason pinned Cheryl's arms above her head with one hand while he used the other in an attempt to remove the buttons from her shirt.
"I have a question," Lydia asked, clenching her fists. "How many times do I have to stop you before you get the message, JJ?" Lydia grabbed her brand new Southside Serpent jacket out of her bag and threw it over her shoulders. It was the first time she'd ever put on her skin and it felt like power was suddenly surging through her veins.
"Lily!" Cheryl called out, trying to kick her brother off of her to no avail.
"Who died and made you a Blossom?" Jason asked, laughing.
"No one, they made me a Jones instead." Lydia smirked as she ripped Jason off of the smaller redheaded girl, throwing him backwards off of the bed. "Run and call Fangs, my phone is downstairs," Lydia said to Cheryl, who immediately took off down the hall. Jason made an attempt to follow his sister but was stopped by Lydia's fist colliding with his face. "I'm going to tell you this one last time, Jason," She grabbed him by the shirt collar as she spoke, pulling him towards her. "Cheryl is not your play-thing. Now, my friends and I are going to teach you one last lesson to get it through that thick skull of yours." She smiled at him with a devious grin before hitting him directly between the eyes once more. While dragging the redheaded quarterback down the stairs, Lydia heard the rumble of multiple motorcycles pulling up in front of Thistlehouse. Taking Jason out to the Serpents was just as bad as feeding him to the wolves, except, in this case, she didn't have to do all the hard work herself. -
"Have you ever loved anyone?" Lydia asked, lost in her head. Veronica was taken aback by the question, not entirely understanding where it had come from.
"Maybe once," Veronica replied, looking between Lydia's eyes and lips before asking another question. "You're a little more dangerous than you look, aren't you?" She asked, inches away from the taller girl. "All girl-next-door-ish."
"You have no idea," Lydia smirked, looking down at her feet before taking a step back. She wasn't going to let the Lodge girl get in her head again.
"You're turn. Ask me a question, Lydia. Ask me anything you want." Veronica said, only moments before Lydia's timer went off. Sighing heavily, Lydia turned and opened the door, scanning the room for her friends. Veronica noticed that both Archie and Betty had left and turned to Cheryl.
"Where's Betty?" Veronica asked, furrowing her brow.
"She spiraled and fled," Cheryl said, stepping forward until she's directly in Veronica's face. "Between us, she's a lot more high-strung than she looks."
"You shady bitch," Veronica stated, making an attempt at grabbing Lydia's arm and pulling her out of the room. Lydia pulled her arm back and shook her head; Veronica was going to deal with this mess on her own. Cheryl watched Veronica leave with a fake pout on her face before talking to Lydia.
"So!" She said, fake enthusiasm in her voice. "How did the closet with the Ice Wench go?" She raised her brow and looked at the redhead before her, noticing her black lipstick was still completely intact. She took an extra moment to look Lydia up and down, smirking at the slacks and button-up that she had picked out for the girl. She bit her lip as she looked back up, running her hand up the taller girl's arm.
"All we did was talk, Cher," Lydia said, watching the Blossom girl's movements. She wished they could sneak away like they used to, but without Jason around to keep an eye on the party their only option was to wait until everyone else went home. They'd have Thistlehouse to themselves for the rest of the weekend, she could wait until the party disbursed to spend some quality time with the girl she hadn't seen all summer.
"Good," Cheryl smiled, turning back to the party guests. "Who's next?"
Lydia was pulled from her slumber late that night by a phone call; A body had washed up on the beach of Sweetwater River. She quietly stood up from the bed, slowly removing the silk sheets from on top of her now naked body, making sure not to wake Cheryl. Lydia put her clothes from the party back on before she tiptoed to her bugout bag to grab her badge and gear—she kept a set in her bag just in case of emergencies. She was in the middle of writing a note to Cheryl when she heard a tired voice coming from the bed behind her.
"Lily?" Cheryl asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She looked at the other girl confused as to why she would be sneaking out in the middle of the night. Lydia turned to the girl whose body was barely covered by the silk sheets on top of her.
"You don't know how badly I want to come back to bed," Lydia said, sadly, as Cheryl sat up.
"Then why don't you come over here and come back to sleep," Cheryl said, smiling as she leaned forward onto the palms of her hands. Lydia watched as the silk sheet slid off of Cheryl's chest and down her abdomen. She bit her lip as she stood up and made her way to Cheryl's side of the bed.
"As badly as I want to, I got called into work and they're not going to take no for an answer." Cheryl pouted at the Serpent, her bottom lip sticking out as she pushed her arms together, placing her hands on top of her knees. "Fuck," Lydia said, looking down at the Blossom girl. "Don't you tease me like this." She shook her head and leaned down to kiss the smaller girl.
"But, Lily," Cheryl said, sarcasm dripping off of her every word. "You know it's my favorite thing to do!" She laughed as Lydia kissed her goodbye, laying her head back down on her pillow when the taller girl pulled away.
"You're gonna pay for that later," Lydia said as she walked away, picking her Serpent jacket up off of the chair in the corner of Cheryl's room.
"God, I hope so," Cheryl responded, smiling from ear to ear. Lydia laughed as she flipped the other girl off, grabbing her helmet on the way out of the bedroom door. She quickly rushed down the stairs and out the door, jumping onto her bike and sped to the river as the sun came up in the distance. As quickly as Lydia arrived on the scene, the Riverdale community began to file in. The caution tape had already been placed, and Kevin and Moose, the two who found the body, were being interrogated by the Sheriff's department. As Lydia got off of her bike she threw her Serpent jacket across the seat and pulled her equipment out of her saddle bags, placing her helmet on top of her jacket. Lydia flashed her badge and moved over to where the body had been found.
"What took you so long?" Sheriff Keller asked, raising his eyebrows at the redheaded girl. Lydia blushed as she came up to the body covered in a white sheet.
"I had personal business to take care of before I left," She lied through her teeth. She pulled a pair of black latex gloves from her bag and snapped them on before hearing a comment made by someone on her team.
"Ah, shit, Andrews had another tally in her bed?" The investigator said, laughing. "Whose name you adding to your list now?" Lydia's head snapped in their direction, glaring at the poor soul that had the nerve to talk about Cheryl that way.
"Watch yourself, Hendricks," Lydia spat at she crouched down, pulling the sheet off of the body below her. "You don't want to be the first on the team to learn why they call me The Wolf." She laughed at the scared look on the intern's face as she looked down at the body before quickly dropping the cloth and standing up, gasping.
"What, something finally scary enough to make the Wolf shit herself?" One of the older investigators asked as the color drained from Lydia's face. This isn't right, he was supposed to make it out of here, Lydia thought, swallowing hard. She looked over at Kevin and Moose, forcing herself not to look back down.
"You didn't tell me it was Jason Blossom, sir," Lydia said, practically shaking.
"I didn't think I needed to," Sheriff Keller responded, confused. "The last thing we needed was for word to get out that it was Jason before we could complete our investigation."
"Understood, Sir," Lydia said, leveling her breathing before completely removing the sheet off of Jason's body. She quickly began to photograph the scene, wanting to get this done and over with as soon as humanly possible. The first familiar face to arrive to the scene was Cheryl, dressed in the gown she wore to the party the night before with a black sweater to fight the chill in the air and a red scarf to cover the love bites that scattered the sides of her neck. Penelope and Clifford had called her and told her the news over the phone, Jason Blossom hadn't made it out of Riverdale after all. The security in place couldn't hold her back, and she immediately ran to see Jason. Lydia blocked Cheryl and grabbed her before she could see anything. She buried her face in the Serpents chest as she sobbed.
"Cheryl, I swear, they didn't tell me," Lydia said, holding the Blossom girl tightly with one arm as she waved another investigator to run over and cover the body. She kissed the top of Cheryl's head, petting her hair to comfort her. As Penelope and Clifford arrived, Lydia walked Cheryl back to the other side of the caution tape, making sure there was ample security blocking their line of sight. Lydia continued her work, with the rest of her friend group slowly filling in the area. She finished taking the photos she needed and nodded to the coroner to take Jason's body away.
As she turned around, she could see Cheryl watching the entire procedure. Lydia removed her gloves and returned to the opposite side of the caution tape, looking around the Riverbend. She stopped and placed her hand on Cheryl's shoulder before speaking, quickly attempting to wipe the tears from Cheryl's face with her other hand.
"Cher-bear, I'm so sorry you had to see this," She said, hanging her head as Cheryl continued to cry. She moved from Cheryl to her father and brother standing not too far away from her and nodded, noticing Archie was still wearing the same clothes he wore to the semiformal. Lydia looked across to Betty, seeing she was also still in her dress from the night before. Finally, as Lydia made her way back to her bike, she saw that Veronica had been watching her from behind the trees, standing next to her mother and not too far away from where Lydia had left her bike. She gave Veronica a soft smile and a nod before standing next to her bike, watching the pastel yellow body bag as it was loaded into the back of the coroner's van.
By morning, everyone would be talking, texting, and posting about it. We'd all be feeling it. That the world around us had changed, maybe forever. That Riverdale wasn't the same town as before. That it was a town of shadows and secrets now. On Monday, the autopsy on Jason's body would take place, and on Tuesday, halfway through fifth period, the first arrest would be made.