Mickey sat with Archie and Fred outside in the Riverdale gardens that afternoon, silently listening to a classical recital, where Miss Grundy was performing.
The music teacher played her cello with an expert combination of passion and precision, her face locked in gaze of serine focus as she gracefully pulled her bow back and forth across the strings.
"She really is something," Fred whispered.
Archie nodded. "She's the best."
As his brother and father sang the music teacher's praises, Mickey stayed silent, the blue-eyed twin's face locked in a deep scowl. Grundy should be rotting in prison not playing Beethoven in the park.
As the recital came to an end, the Andrews men politely applauded the performance, Fred leading his sons over to Miss Grundy as Archie handed her a bouquet of flowers.
"Miss Grundy, that was beautiful," Fred praised "though, I'm partial to classic rock myself."
The music teacher blushed. "Thank you, Mr. Andrews."
"I was hoping that you would be willing to join us for dinner," he offered.
Miss Grundy paled. "Oh, I wouldn't want to impose."
"It's the least we can do," Fred insisted gently "after all you've done for Archie."
As the music teacher reluctantly agreed, Mickey got the feeling that this was going to be a long night.
Mickey walked into Pop's later that night, dressed in a light wash denim shirt, dark wash jeans, a brown leather jacket and matching work boots, with Archie Fred and Miss Grundy walking beside him. The young construction worker kept his eyes locked on the music teacher, his face set in a deep scowl. If she even tried to put her hands on Archie, Mickey would go full Mad Dog and rip her head off.
As the four of them sat down to eat, the Andrews family heard a familiar voice.
"Archie."
Betty stood in front of the cozy booth, a nervous tone in her tone in her voice as she spoke the brown-eyed twin. "Can I talk to you for a second? Outside?"
Desperate for an escape for an inevitable awkward meal, Archie got up from his seat and followed the blonde-haired girl into the parking lot.
Mickey turned stark white. He knew what Betty wanted to talk about. He and Jughead had been dodging it for weeks. As the blue-eyed twin's heart began to race, he spotted Veronica Lodge sitting in a booth with Kevin and Jughead, the New York native getting up from her seat and making her way outside.
"Archie," Betty spoke to the brown-eyed twin a nervous voice, an uneasy feeling filling her stomach as she asked. "Are you and Miss Grundy see other? Romantically?"
Archie paled as he struggled to answer, his heart going a million miles of hour.
"Oh my God."
The two childhood friends jumped as Veronica walked over, a shocked and intrigued look in her dark brown orbs. "Are you and your music teacher having an affair?"
Archie wanted to jump into a ten-foot hole. This truly could not get any worse. He was wrong.
"Please don't try to romanticize this, New York," Mickey pleaded as he walked over.
Archie wanted to curl up into a ball and hide.
Veronica shrugged. "I'm just saying, it doesn't sound all that bad to me."
"It sounds like jailtime to me," Betty stated worriedly "Illegal."
"Betty, don't got there," Archie implored her.
"We're already there!"
"Archie's not going to jail," Mickey assured them "Grundy is. I just spent the past three months with my lawyer mom," he reminded "and in every case like this, the minor never goes to jail. At worst, he'll just be in therapy for a few months. That witch is the one who's going to be rotting in a prison cell."
"Don't call her that!" Archie snapped.
"What else should I call her?" Mickey questioned. "A pervert? A psycho? A predator?"
"Ronnie," the brown-eyed twin gave the New York native a desperate look. "a little help here?"
"I mean," Veronica paused before admitted "technically, Betty and Mickey are right."
"Thank you, Veronica," Mickey told her.
"But ethically, what exactly is Miss Grundy to you?" she asked. "Your girlfriend? Your booty tutor?"
"I don't know what to call her," Archie answered.
"I do," Mickey scoffed. "sick and twisted."
"Stop it, Mick." Archie snapped.
"You lied to Sheriff Keller," Betty reminded "to everyone. And for what? To protect her?"
"She believed in me when nobody else did," Archie justified, earning a hurt look from the blonde-haired girl.
Veronica sighed. "Okay. We get it."
"I don't," Mickey snapped. "Archie, the reason Grundy was the only one there for you is because you cut everyone else off all summer."
"Betty," the brown-eyed twin kept his eyes locked on the blonde-haired girl "say something. Please."
Betty stayed silent, her mind racing as she tried to process what she'd just learned. Was that the real Archie didn't want to be with her? Because he thought she was childish? That she wasn't mature enough?
"Screw this." Mickey stated, "I'm telling Dad."
"No!" Archie gave his brother a panicked look as he grabbed his arm, stopping him from making his way back into the diner. "You can't."
Mickey whipped his arm out of his brother's grasp, shoving Archie back as his eyes blazed with anger. "You gonna try and stop me?"
"That's enough!" Veronica insisted.
"Guys, stop!" Betty pleaded.
The two girls stood in between Mickey and Archie as they fought, the redheaded brothers glaring at each other as they balled their hands into tight fists.
Mickey jabbed a finger at his brother's face. "You need to wake up," he insisted intensely "before she gets you into real trouble." The blue-eyed twin backed away from his brother, grinding his teeth as turned around and marched off into the night.
At that moment, Alice Cooper drove to the diner in her car, a judgmental glare in her eye as she spotted her daughter with the New York native and the brown-eyed twin. "Get in the car, Betty." She ordered "Now."
The blonde-haired girl stayed silent as she did what she was told, looking back at Archie as they drove off.
Archie had seen that look on her face before: At the Back-to-School Formal. When he broke Betty's heart.
"Oh Archiekins," Veronica sighed as she saw the pain in his deep brown orbs. "You're in it deep this time."
After that fiasco with Archie and the girls at Pop's, Mickey needed to hit something. Which is why he called Reggie and went straight to the batting cages.
The Asian-American athlete leaned against the chain-link fence, dressed in a black Nike sweatshirt, dark jeans, and white Nike high-top sneakers, a baseball bat resting on his shoulder as he waited for Mickey to finish his turn behind the plate. "So, let me get this straight: Archie's been hooking up with a senior?" Reggie chuckled. "You Andrews boys sure stepped up your game."
"Don't try to sugarcoat it, Reg." Mickey grunted as he got another hit, sending a baseball soaring down the field. The blue-eyed twin now wore a white tank top with his jeans and boots, his shirt and jacket resting on a bench next to Reggie.
The young baseball player took in a deep breath as he hefted his bat over his head for the next pitch, his forehead beading with sweat. "Archie never should've been with her in the first place."
Reggie frowned as he heard the spiteful tone in his best friend's voice. "Is she really that bad?"
"You have no idea," Mickey let out a sharp breath as fired off another line drive hit, continuing to talk in between swings. "She's twisted. Manipulative. She's got Archie cutting off everyone who actually cares about him and just the thought of it… makes me want to tear her head off!"
CRACK!
Reggie ducked as his best friend unleashed a majors-worthy hit, snapping his bat in two and sending a large chunk of wood flying at the chain-link fence. "You seriously need to invest in metal bats."
"Reggie," Mickey gasped for breath as he sat down on the bench, giving his best friend a desperate look. "What do I do?"
"Clearly, your brother's got a bad case of booty-blindness."
"What?"
"Booty-blindness," Reggie repeated. "It's when your brain stops working after you meet a hot girl," he explained, "Think about it. You've had hots for Cheryl since your hormones came out of deep freeze. So, she booty-blinded you last spring turned you into a boy toy."
He had a point. Mickey couldn't think of a time where he wasn't interested in Cheryl. And when things heated up last spring, he was just happy that she was still interested in him after all the fights he got into. "So, what are you saying?" Mickey asked, "that I have to get Archie to Chicago, so he can get his head back on straight?"
"Distance works. But the most effective weapon the WTF bomb," Reggie stated, stepping up to the plate and getting into his stance. "You got to get some dirt on her," he elaborated, quickly shooting off a line drive hit. "something so bad, so crazy, that the next time Archie sees this chick, he will run for the hills."
Mickey stared at his best friend in disbelief. "Reggie, you're a genius."
"Yeah, bro. I know."
After talking to Reggie, Mickey went straight to Cooper house, urgently looking for the girl next door.
"Betty!" the blue-eyed twin quickly made his way into the blonde-haired girl's room, dressed in his leather jacket and a half open denim shirt.
The blonde-haired girl jumped as Mickey barged into his room, sitting up on her bed with a laptop in front of her, the blue-eyed twin giving her a desperate look.
"I need your help." the young baseball player quickly shut the door behind him and spoke in a low intense tone "I want to investigate Miss Grundy."
Betty gave her friend a surprised look. "Mickey."
"Just hear me out, okay? I know my brother cares about her," he acknowledged.
"Mickey," Betty repeated.
"But I also know how incredibly dangerous it is for him be with her," he reminded "Betty, she is a high school teacher preying on teenage boys. Who knows how many-,"
"Mickey!" Betty snapped, causing the blue-eyed twin to jump. "If you would stop talking for a minute and listen," she reprimanded "you'd know I've already started investigating her."
Mickey's face grew into a massive smile. "Bets, you are amazing. What do you got?"
"Nothing good," Betty's face morphed into a worried expression as her she picked up her computer. "There's not a whole lot about her on the web. All I could find was an email and a couple social media accounts."
Mickey sighed. No way that would scare Archie off.
"But here's the thing. All of her accounts were created a year ago," Betty revealed. "Right before she moved to Riverdale."
Mickey frowned. Grundy may've been a grown woman, but she was still a young one and a millennial. "She's hiding something. We need to find out what. But how?" he thought aloud. Mickey sighed as he started pacing around the bedroom "I mean, it's not like we can just ask her."
"Why not?" Betty's eyes lit up as she got an idea. "That's exactly what we're going to do."
Archie walked the halls of school with Jughead the next morning, the young writer handing out flyers for the final night of the Twilight Drive-In as his friend questioned him on the previous night. "How hard would it have been to give me a little head's up?" he asked.
Jughead rolled his eyes. "I am by nature a silent observer. Not saying anything to you or Betty was the moral, apathetic choice I could make."
"Jughead," Archie gave his best friend a worried look. "This isn't going to end up in the paper, is it?"
"Dude, seriously?" Jughead gave the brown-eyed twin a surprised look. "Think about what you're asking. If there was even iota of a chance that something would hurt you, Betty wouldn't do it."
"It's not Betty I'm worried about," Archie disputed "Look, I love my brother. But ever since he found out about me and Geraldine, he has treated her like some kind of threat," the young football player gave his best friend a worried look "and you know how Mickey gets when he sees threats."
Jughead grimaced as he saw the worried look on his friend's face, remembering how the two of them fought to keep Mickey Andrews from beating Dilton Doiley half to death, along with Reggie and Moose. "Yeah. I do." *
Mickey sat alone in the Blue & Gold offices during his free period, dressed in a green field jacket over a blue and white flannel shirt, jeans and brown work boots.
He was researching sexual assault cases. He didn't want Grundy stopped. He wanted her arrested. If he could find a way to do that without dragging Archie into the spotlight, all the better.
It made him sick to see how many girls were attacked each year. But he couldn't find much on male victims. Curious and desperate for answers and called the best lawyer he knew.
Mary Andrews answered the phone almost instantly. "Hello?"
"Hey, mom. It's me," Mickey greeted "Do you have a minute?"
"Of course, honey." Mary assured him "How can I help?"
"Betty and I are doing a PSA piece for the Blue & Gold," Mickey lied "and I've been looking into sexual assault victims. Why I can't I find anything on male victims?"
"Preconceived notions regarding sexual crimes and gender," Mary explained in a very lawyer-like tone. "Because so many assault victims are women, most people have a hard time believing anything that doesn't fit the cookie cutter."
Mickey paled. "So, if a guy says he's the victim of a sex crime, they won't believe it?"
"Afraid so, not in most cases," Mary confirmed in a heartbroken tone "But that doesn't mean it can't happen."
"Yeah," Mickey's voice began to tremble "yeah, you're right."
"Honey, are your okay?" Mary asked in a concerned tone "You sound upset."
"I'm fine," he managed "I'm just… a little shook up by all this research I've been doing." Mickey jumped as Betty Cooper walked in, back from her interview with Miss Grundy. "Mom, I'll call you back," he whispered, "I love you." The blue-eyed ran a tired hand over his face as he cleared his throat. "Hey." Mickey frowned as he saw the panicked look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"
"You would not believe what I just found out." *
"Cheryl."
The redheaded cheerleader turned around as a familiar voice called her, a flirty smile quickly spreading across his face. "Mickey Andrews. You are looking especially yummy today," she complimented.
"Thanks. You look great too," Mickey told her, trying not to blush "Listen, Betty and I are working on an article for the Blue & Gold. I was hoping I could ask you some questions?"
"But of course. You are the one who cleared my beloved brother of any involvement in Chuck Clayton's shameful scorebook," she reminded. "Although," Cheryl's eyes gleamed with a lustful fire as she placed her hand on Mickey's shoulder, running her fingers down his muscular arm. "I can think of other ways to show my appreciation," she said in a husky voice.
"Uh," Mickey's mind went blank as he struggled to speak, his face turning as red as his hair. "Betty said that Jason was taking private music lessons with Miss Grundy. Is that true?"
Cheryl frowned, a curious and confused look in her eye at the sound of his question. "Yes. He was," the redheaded girl made her way to class as she kept talking, the blue-eyed twin following her down the hall. "Jay-Jay played the piano," she confirmed in a saddened tone "He was a master behind the ivories." Cheryl smiled briefly as the memories ran through her mind. "He used to perform the loveliest concertos during the holidays."
Mickey gave the redheaded girl a sympathetic look as he saw the grieving look on her face. He hated bringing her brother up like this. It felt like he was ripping the stitches out of open wound. "Was Jason always into music?" he asked gently.
"Since he was four. Then one day, he stopped."
"Why?"
Cheryl shrugged as she stopped in front of her locker, putting in her combination and grabbing out a set of books. "He wouldn't say. Just that he and Grundy had a falling out."
"When was this?" Mickey asked.
Cheryl paused as she thought back to when her beloved twin was alive. "Around the start of second semester?" she guessed.
Mickey paled. "When Jason and Polly got together?"
"I guess so," Cheryl frowned as she saw the grim expression on his face. "is that important?"
Veronica Lodge sat in the office of the Blue & Gold later that afternoon, her mind reeling from the information she'd just learned. "Okay, let me see if I have this straight. You two," the New York native pointed a finger at Mickey Andrews and Betty Cooper. "think that Miss Grundy killed Jason Blossom?"
"It all adds up," Mickey stated. The blue-eyed leaned on the edge of his desk as he spoke, his jacket sitting on the back of a chair and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his forearms as he folded them across his chest, a grim look in his face. "According to Cheryl, Jason had been playing piano for years. Then after one semester with Grundy" he emphasized "he quits. Right around the time he and Polly got together. We know that Jason was running from something," Mickey reminded "maybe he was running from Grundy. Maybe Jason left her for Polly," he theorized "maybe Grundy mad a move on him and it scared Jason off."
"And Archie fits into this how?"
"Do you have any idea how many people thought us and the Blossoms were related as kids?" Mickey asked. "There are only three teenage redheads in town now that Jason's gone. Grundy's got a type."
"And you based this on what?" Veronica asked, "her affair with Archie?"
Mickey scowled as he heard the lighthearted tone in her voice, his blood slowly starting to boil. "This isn't a joke, Veronica. What Grundy is doing to my brother is sick and twisted and it needs to stop."
"I'm just saying," she replied with a shrug "It doesn't seem all that bad to me.
Mickey scoffed. "You wouldn't say that if it was girl," he murmured.
The New York native gave the blue-eyed twin a surprised and challenging look. "What did you say?"
"I said that if it was teenage girl sleeping with a teacher, you would be ready to full scorched Earth like with Chuck," Mickey accused "instead of making excuses."
"Oh my God."
Mickey and Veronica turned their eyes towards Betty as she spoke, the blonde-haired girl huddled over a computer with a shocked and frightened expression on her face.
The New York native and the blue-eyed twin stopped shooting daggers at each other as they walked over to Betty, their eyes widening as they saw the article on the computer screen. "Okay I now I am officially worried," Veronica announced.
Archie sat with Mickey, Betty and Veronica at Pop's after school, a concerned and confused look on her face.
"Miss Grundy showed up in Riverdale a year ago," Betty began "out of thin air. There is no record of her anywhere before that," she emphasized "Her Facebook, her LinkedIn account, they were all created a year ago."
"She's a ghost, Archie," Mickey stated in a firm but gentle voice.
"The only Geraldine Grundy we could find was a woman who died seven years ago," Betty revealed, pulling out an obituary article and pointing to the photo of an elderly woman in a polka dot dress.
Archie stayed silent for a moment as he glanced at the article, a shocked and confused expression on his face. "Where did you get this?"
"The dark web. The deep internet," Veronica responded in an exaggerated mysterious voice "JK. It's all online. Simple Google."
"And did you all decide to cyber-stalk Miss Grundy before or after you interviewed her for a fake article?" Archie questioned.
Betty looked away from she heard the judgmental tone in the brown-eyed twin's voice, a wave of guilt slowly washing over her.
"That was my idea," Mickey lied, earning a grateful look from Betty. He was going to kill Jughead.
"Guys, I'm not in any danger," Archie assured them.
"You don't know that/Yes you are," Betty and Mickey said together.
"I'm with her," Archie reminded "I know what we have. What we mean to each other."
Betty paused, an uneasy feeling fluttering in her stomach. "She taught Jason Blossom," she revealed "Did you know that?"
Archie shrugged. "She's taught a lot of people."
"Not for private lessons," Mickey disputed.
"Betty," the brown-eyed twin gave her a desperate look "let this go."
"Archie-,"
"If you're my friend," he stipulated sharply "you'll let this go."
Betty's mouth hung open as she stared at him, hurt by the thought that Archie would question how much he meant to her. "Okay. I'll stop digging."
"Archie."
The brown-eyed twin clenched his jaw as Mickey caught up with him in the parking lot.
"What is wrong with you?" Mickey demanded.
"Me?" Archie gave his brother an angry glare. "You're the one treating Geraldine like a criminal."
"Somebody's got to protect you from that witch."
"Stop it, Mickey," Archie snapped "Stop calling her that. Like it or not, I care about her."
"You don't know anything about her!" Mickey shot back "And now she's got you so messed up in the head, you can't even see what's right in front of you. Betty's had your back since day one," he reminded "Veronica hasn't taken her eyes off you since she got here. You could have either one of those girls at the drop of a hat," he insisted "But you're too busy doing anything you can to keep Grundy happy just so she can keep stringing you along!"
"Don't take it out on me just because Cheryl screwed you over!" Archie snapped.
Mickey gave his brother a look of disbelief, his painful accusation shaking him to the core.
"Now I am telling you for the last time," he warned. "Stay away from Geraldine."
Betty and Veronica watched from their booth as the Andrews brothers argued intensely in the parking lot, the brown-eyed twin saying something that left his brother's head spinning.
As Archie marched down the block, Mickey's shoulders heaved up and down as he stayed where he was, whipping around and swinging his fist through the empty air.
"What do you think that's about?" Veronica asked.
"Nothing good," Betty responded dreadfully.
The two girls quickly buried their heads in their menus as the Mickey made his way back into the diner, his eyes blazing with fury as he stood in front of their booth. "He won't listen," Mickey huffed as he ran a hand over his face. "We need more."
"More what?" Veronica questioned.
"Evidence. Proof," Mickey clarified "Anything that proves Grundy's dirty."
"Didn't Archiekins just ask us to but out?" the raven haired-girl reminded.
Mickey slammed his fist on the table. "I am not going to let Grundy get away with this. That little witch is abusing and brainwashing my brother and I'm going to put a stop to it," he vowed. "Now are you two going to help me or not?"
Veronica stayed silent for a moment, the boiling rage in Mickey's unsettling her more and more by the second.
Betty didn't hesitate. "We're with you, Mickey. One hundred percent."
After the talk with Archie at Pop's, Mickey went straight to the library. He wanted to make sure whatever dirt they dug up on Grundy stuck. He buried himself in every sexual crime case he could find, looking for something, anything, that would help him protect Archie.
That night, Mickey started to understand why his mother was so passionate about her legal career. For years, Mary Andrews had been a paralegal for a small clinic in Riverdale. But she always dreamed of going back to school for her degree. She and Fred had gotten married and during their final year at college. And when Mary learned she was pregnant the following summer, she decided to put off law school and be a mother to her children. Until two years ago, when she and Fred separated. Mickey didn't know the whole story as to why his parents had split up, but he had a feeling that had something to do with it.
He couldn't really blame her. Mary was good at her job, and with sexual assault cases happening as often as they did, the world needed as many good-hearted lawyers as it could get.
It made Mickey sick to see how many girls were attacked every year. And the boys… one in every sixteen on college campuses? No wonder Mary spent so many late nights at the office. Shaken up, but still determined, Mickey kept searching through a mountain of legal cases, looking for anything that could be remotely applied to Miss Grundy and Archie. He knew there was a term for what she was doing to his brother. Statutory…. something. If Mickey could figure that out, he'd know what he'd have to find to get a conviction against Miss Grundy. And then, Archie would be safe.
Timing was the most important thing. Most sexual assault victims waited months, sometimes years, before coming forward. By then there was next to no evidence left, so the cases boiled down to he-said-she-said. Assuming they could even get Archie to testify.
After three hours of research and two cans of energy drinks, Mickey finally found what he was looking for.
Betty and Veronica walked side-by-side in the middle of the night, silently approaching Miss Grundy's car under the cover of darkness.
The New York native's eyes widened in shock and surprise as she watched the girl-next-door begin to pick the lock to the car door. "How do you know how to do this?"
"Me and my dad work on cars together all the time," Betty explained, not looking up from her work "It's a good thing Miss Grundy's car is old." As the lock came undone with a pop, Betty's face broke into a proud grin.
The two girls quickly checked to make coast was clear, jumping into the car and closing the doors behind them.
"Okay, before going any farther in committing a felony, I have to ask," Veronica announced "Does any of this have to do with your feelings for Archie?"
Betty stayed silent for a moment, a look of uncertainty creeping into her soft green eyes. Truth be told, it did hurt to learn that Archie would rather be with Miss Grundy than be with her. But that didn't mean that the music teacher wasn't dangerous. "This has nothing to do with me and Archie," she disputed. "Grundy has Archie under some sort of… sexual spell and we need to get him to listen to reason. Before Mickey does something he can't come back from," she murmured.
Veronica frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'm never seen him like this V. Every time he mentions Miss Grundy, he looks like he's about to explode," Betty's voice overflowed with worry and dread "If we don't get him some real evidence on her soon…,"
Veronica's eyes widened. "You think he'll go Mad Dog? On Grundy?"
"I don't know, Veronica. I hope not," Betty answered uncertainly "Bottom line, Mickey and Archie need our help."
"Okay. So, what exactly are we looking for?" the New York native asked.
"Anything that will prove that Miss Grundy isn't as clean as she says," Betty told her. The blonde-haired girl quickly got to work rummaging through the car, her eyes widening as she found a small grey lockbox in the back seat. "Bobby pin," she demanded.
Veronica rolled her eyes. "Yes, Miss Giver," she quipped sarcastically.
The blonde-haired girl took the pin and quickly got to work picking the lock, opening the box in a matter of seconds. Betty grinned. "I learned that from the Nancy Drew detective books."
The two girls quickly started looking through the box, where they found a Minnesota ID with Miss Grundy's picture and a different name.
"Jennifer Gibson?" Veronica read aloud "Who is Jennifer Gibson?"
"That's not all there is." Betty's eyes widened in shock and horror as she pulled out another object from the box: a gun. *
After the library, Mickey went straight home, desperately needing a good night's sleep. As the blue-eyed twin rounded the corner to his home, he spotted Betty and Veronica standing at the edge of his porch. "Please tell me you found something," Mickey begged. After that gruesome research at the library, he needed some good news.
"Oh, we found plenty," Veronica assured him.
"Guys," Betty drew the others attention to a familiar face walking down the street. Archie Andrews.
"Oh God," the brown-eyed twin murmured. "Please tell me you're not still on this crazy witch hunt."
"It's not a witch hunt," Betty disputed "and it's not crazy. We were in Grundy's car-,"
"You what?" Archie's eyes widened as he gave his friends a shocked expression "You broke into her car?"
"Yeah. And thank God we did," Veronica defend shamelessly "we found a gun."
"What?" the Andrews brothers both gave the girls a shocked look.
"And an ID under the name Jennifer Gibson," Betty added "This proves Miss Grundy isn't who she says she is."
"T-then, then who is she?" Archie asked nervously.
"Obviously, some sketch queen named Jennifer Gibson," Veronica commented.
"Archie, what if she had something to do with Jason Blossom's murder?" Betty questioned.
"Archie," Mickey quickly grabbed his brother's shoulder as he looked him in the eye, speaking in a desperate tone "listen to them. Please. You have to stay away from her, okay? She's dangerous."
"No. No, you're wrong," Archie disputed in an uncertain tone "Geraldine, Jennifer, she wouldn't do something like that."
"Wake up, Archie," Veronica insisted. "Everything about her is a bold-faced question mark."
"She taught Jason last year," Mickey reminded "she showed up in town out of nowhere, she took on the name of a dead woman to cover her tracks. And she has a gun."
"You didn't ask her did you, Archie?" Betty asked "About her name? Or why there isn't any record of her anywhere?" Archie silence was all the answer she needed "Why not?"
Archie just stood there for a moment, his face locked in a shocked expression as his warm brown orbs overflowed with worry and confusion. Then, without saying a word, he turned around and went inside.
"Archie," Mickey called as his brother closed the door "Archie!" The blue-eyed twin ran a hand through his hair, his heart beating rapidly.
At that moment, Mickey started to boil. His hands balled into tight fists. His eyes saw nothing but red.
"Mickey?" Betty did not like the look on her fiend's face. "Are you alright?"
Mickey said nothing, his face locked in a murderous expression, as he clenched his jaw and marched into the backyard.
"Looks like the Mad Dog's off his leash," Veronica commented.
The girl next door and the New York native quickly followed the blue-eyed twin as he walked into the garage, where Mickey was grabbed a large tool off the back wall: A four-foot-long, twenty-pound sledgehammer.
Betty paled. "What are you going to do with that?"
Mickey stayed silent, a dark and violent fire in his eyes as he hefted the hammer in his hands and headed towards the door.
"Mickey," Betty placed both hands on his chest as she and Veronica stood between him and the door. "Stop."
"Get out of my way Bets," he demanded in a low, intense voice.
"I know you're upset about Grundy," Veronica acknowledged "But that doesn't give you the right to all… Ginger Thor on her."
"Stay out of this, New York!" Mickey snapped.
"Mickey listen to yourself," Betty pleaded "You're talking about attacking Miss Grundy. A woman half your size."
"Do you have any idea what the law calls an adult sleep with a minor?" Mickey asked. "Rape. Statutory rape. Not a scandal or an affair," he corrected, glaring at Veronica "Grundy is raping my brother!" he shouted. Mickey's eyes swelled with tears the words escaped his lips, his pale blue orbs full of fear and heartache. "My brother. Who always looks for the best in people. Who cried every night for two weeks after our Mom left us. He thinks Grundy actually cares about him," he reminded "So, he keeps running back more." Mickey let out a strangled breath as he collapsed into an old chair in the corner, dropping the sledgehammer on the floor. "Like a drug addict who keeps shooting up no matter how sick he gets. Even if we tell people she's done, even if we could get Archie to see it for what it is, no one would believe him" he scoffed "because the whole world thinks that guys are just a bunch of sex-crazed pigs who'll take it any way we can get it." Mickey silently chocked back a sob, wiping the tears from his eyes as he croaked out "I don't want to hurt Grundy, Bets," he told her "I don't. But she is hurting my brother, and I am running out of options. So, tell me," he demanded in a desperate voice "What am I supposed to do?" *
Mickey sat in Fred's office early the next morning, his piercing blue eyes surrounded by dark circles from a sleepless night. Every time he closed his eyes, he was afraid that Archie might sneak out again. To see Grundy. Add to that all the sex crime cases still rattling around in his head, and sleep wasn't even an option last night. The young construction worker was dressed in a blue and green flannel shirt, along with a grey t-shirt, dark jeans and brown work boots, silently sipping on a large cup of coffee, while Jughead tried to negotiate with Fred.
For the past week, the young novelist had been fighting to save the Twilight Drive-In, his job and home away from home. "Mayor McCoy said that you two have the contract to tear down the Drive-In?" he asked.
Fred sighed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "We did. Look, I'm sorry Jug. I know how much you love the Twilight," he acknowledged "So do I."
"Same," Mickey added. He remembered all the weekends he'd spent there with his friends over the years: Archie, Polly, Reggie, Jughead, Betty. He even had hopes of taking Cheryl on the date there some day.
"Guys, just give one week," Jughead pleaded "to track down whoever bought the land and convince them not to tear down a palace of cinema."
"You're joking, right?" As much as Mickey hated to say goodbye to the Drive-In, he couldn't wait to get started on this project. When news of the contract got out, he practically had to bend over backwards to get his father to try and get the job. Now that they had it, nothing short of a natural disaster would keep Mickey from risking this job.
"This is a big contract for us, Jug," Fred reminded "and our guys. Whatever the build once the Drive-In's gone could mean a lot more jobs for the town."
Jughead scoffed. "You already put one Jones out of work. And now you're going to do it again."
Mickey frowned. "Dad, what's he talking about?"
"Over the summer, I caught FP stealing materials from one of our job sites," Fred revealed "So I let him go."
"What?" Mickey shot up from his seat in disbelief, giving Jughead a hurt and angry look. "First your old man stabs us in the back and now you want us to blow one of the biggest jobs we've had in years?"
"Right. Because all the Jones care about is ourselves," Jughead scoffed sarcastically. "I'm out of here."
"Jug," Fred tried to stop him, but before he could even get out of his seat, Jughead marched out of the office and slammed the door behind him.
Mickey blinked slowly, mentally kicking himself for losing his temper. He wasn't that mad at Jughead. He was just tired and stressed about Grundy. After the loss Jason Blossom, the people of Riverdale needed to come together. Not fall apart.
"An abusive ex?"
Mickey sat with Archie in their room early that afternoon, the brown-eyed twin having just learned the true origin of Miss Grundy.
The young musician nodded. "The Minnesota ID is the only thing she kept from her old life. And the gun's for her protection."
Mickey stayed silent, crossing his arms with a suspecting look on his face.
Archie frowned. "You don't believe her."
"That woman has done nothing but lie to this entire town since she got here," he reminded "Why should I trust her now?"
"Yeah well, I believe her."
"Of course, you do. Because you're a good guy," Mickey praised "And any halfway decent guy with a conscious would believe a story like that. I would believe it," he stated, "if it came from anyone else but her."
"She's not a monster Mickey," Archie disputed "She's scared and alone and right now, I'm all she's got."
Mickey sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth between their beds. "Let's say you're right," he humored "Let's say Grundy had a husband that like to beat her up. That doesn't make it any safer for you to be with her."
"Mickey, come on-,"
"If her husband was willing to put her in the hospital, what do you think he'll do to you?" Mickey snapped "Do you think a maniac like that is just going to let his wife walk out on him like that? I went to anger management with people like that Archie," he reminded "and they don't always get help. What if this guy followed Grundy here?" he questioned "What if he saw you two together? What if he spotted Jason Blossom, the only other redheaded teenager in town last summer," he reminded "and killed him for sleeping with his wife?" Mickey's eyes overflowed with terror as he asked his brother a final question "What happens when he finds out that he got the wrong guy?"
Archie walked side-by-side with Betty later that day, sharing what he had learned about Miss Grundy. "That's why she has a gun," he concluded "and why she has a fake ID."
"It still doesn't make what she did to you okay," Betty protested.
"She didn't do anything to me, Betty," Archie disputed. "You have to accept that."
She didn't. Not after finding that gun, not after seeing the terror in Mickey's eyes last night. "You're in over your head, Arch. You're in this… relationship with a person who's making you cut everyone else in your life. Mickey and I barely heard from you over the summer. Jughead thought you two weren't friends anymore." The blonde-haired girl reached over and took the young musician's hand, forcing his warm brown eyes to meet her soft green orbs. "Just think about what you're doing, Archie," she pleaded "Not just for your sake, but Miss Grundy's too. Is this really what's best for her?" she asked.
Betty was right. If their relationship ever got out, Geraldine could lose her job or go to jail.
"Betty, I am going to deal with this," Archie promised "But on my terms. Not yours or Mickey's."
The blonde-haired girl sighed as the mention of the blue-eyed twin with the short temper. "You need to talk to him Archie," she advised "He's terrified that Miss Grundy is hurting you."
"She's not."
"Okay. But, not everyone in your position's that lucky." After Mickey's breakdown last night, Betty did her own research on male assault victims. She cried for over an hour. "Most of the guys in a relationship like this, they're either manipulated or abused. And when they finally get the courage to speak up, nobody believes them."
"But that's not me." Archie sighed "I don't know why Mickey's so paranoid."
"Jason's dead, Archie," Betty reminded "I haven't spoken to Polly in months. Jughead's mom packed up Jellybean and left town."
"Wait, what?" Archie gave Betty a shocked look as she nodded, confirming how little he knew about his best friend.
"You two are the only siblings who haven't been split up. So yeah, maybe Mickey's being overprotective," Betty admitted "Or maybe he's just scared of losing his brother."
Mickey walked into Pop's diner that afternoon, dressed in a green field jacket, a dark grey t-shirt, dark jeans and brown boots, scanning the bright red booths as he spotted Veronica Lodge sitting by herself, dressed in a in a sleeveless black turtleneck, a dark plaid skirt and heels, her trademark pearls around her neck.
"Hey," The New York gave the blue-eyed twin a small smile as he sat down next to her. "Thanks for meeting me."
"No problem. So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to apologize," Veronica informed "For how I acted about this whole Grundy situation. You were right. If it had been a girl sleeping with a teacher, I would've done anything it took to stop it," she admitted "I thought about what you said last night, and I did some digging. The number of boys that get attacked each year," the raven haired-girl shuddered "it's horrible."
Mickey grimaced. "Yeah."
"I shouldn't have acted like this wasn't a big deal just because Archie's a boy. This is a serious issue every story needs to be taken seriously," she acknowledged."and I'm sorry if acted otherwise."
Mickey gave the raven-haired girl a small smile. "It's alright, New York. I know how much you big city types love your juicy gossip," he quipped earning a brief laugh from the two of them.
"Archie's lucky to have you, you know," Veronica commented "Part of me has always wanted a brother or sister, especially since my dad got arrested."
"Well, you've got one now," Mickey offered "Kevin always said I'm the big brother of our group. What's one more sister to look out for?" he chuckled.
"Well, in the spirit of friendship, how would my surrogate big brother like to come with me and Kevin to the Drive-In tonight?" Veronica requested "keep us safe from the big, bad, Serpents?"
Mickey chuckled. "Something tells me that you could take the whole gang by yourself if you wanted to."
"You know it."
Mickey sat with Veronica and Kevin in the back of his truck, New York native snuggling up to the son of the sheriff while the young construction worker struggled to focus on the movie. He'd been trying to get a hold of Archie for hours. After his talk with Betty, the brown-eyed twin grabbed one of his guitars and took off, not saying where he was going or when he'd be back.
As the blue-eyed twin sent his brother another text, Mickey and the others spotted familiar red convertible pull up, with Cheryl Blossom behind the wheel.
Kevin straightened up as he gave Veronica a curious look. "Did you invite her?" he asked.
The New York native shook her head. "What do you think she wants?"
Mickey sighed. "Me."
The redheaded girl stepped out of her car and walked over to the truck, an uninterested look in her eye as she glanced at the raven-haired girl and the son of the sheriff. "Make some room, outcasts."
Mickey and Veronica scooted over as Cheryl forced her way into the bed of the truck, the blue-eyed twin quickly fixing his hair in the process.
The redheaded cheerleader gave him a flirty smile. "Hi, Mickey."
"Hey, Cheryl," he greeted. Why did he always blush when she was around?"
"Disregard that outcast comment," she told him "I clearly wasn't talking about you." Mickey's heart went into overdrive as Cheryl snuggled up to him under the blankets, her wandering hands making their way to his massive bicep and giving it a squeeze. "Have you been working out?" she asked.
"A little," Mickey cleared his throat as he struggled to speak, his brain quickly turning to mush at Cheryl's touch. "I've uh, I've been my dad out helping my dad out at the construction site."
"Is that Andrews family secret to hotness? Laying brick and pouring concrete? Hmm," Cheryl gave the blue-eyed twin a curious look as she felt in his rigid shoulders. "You seem tense."
"It's a been a rough week," Mickey admitted, touched by Cheryl's concern.
The redheaded girl gave him a mischievous grin. "I can help with that."
Mickey jumped as Cheryl reached under the blanket and grabbed his thigh, the blue-eyed twin gripping the edge of the truck as he struggled to remain calm.
Veronica leaned over and gave the young baseball player a concerned look. "You alright, Mickey?"
"Peachy," he managed as his face turned bright red.
Cheryl grinned naughtily as Mickey squirmed under her touch, loving how easy it was for her get him hot and bothered. The redheaded girl had her eyes on him from the minute he got back from Chicago and she was not one to take no for an answer. "Did you want to take me here on a date Mickey?" she whispered lustfully into his ear "Did you want to get me alone in a car and makeout under the stars?"
Mickey struggled to breathe as Cheryl continued to tease him, looking anywhere but in the scarlet bombshell's direction.
"It can still happen, you know. My car's right over there," she reminded.
Mickey stayed silent as he bit down on his fist, his heart and body literally at war with each other.
"You can't play hard-to-get forever, Baby Boo," Cheryl told him with a sly smile "I know how bad you want me."
Mickey felt a shiver down his spine as Cheryl blew into his ear, a cunning smile on her lips as she leaned back and helped herself to Veronica's popcorn. Mickey took in a much-needed breath. This woman was going to be the death of him.
The four teenagers sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying the movie when a heartbroken look spreading over her face as she blurted out. "Jason always loved the Drive-In."
Mickey gave the redheaded girl a sympathetic look, reaching underneath the blankets and taking her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Cheryl gave him a surprised look, a small appreciative smile spreading across her face.
At that moment, a large group of bikers sitting in the back of the lot, the Southside Serpents, became particularly rowdy, laughing and hollering as they chugged beers and threw popcorn at each other, drowning out the movie as it continued to play.
Kevin scoffed. "Southside trash."
"They've been doing that since the opening credits," Veronica complained.
Kevin craned his neck over the bed of the truck and shushed the bikers, only for them to start back up again as Kevin whipped his head back around, a frightened look on the young man's face.
Mickey scowled. His hands balled into tight fists. His blood began to boil like lava. It wasn't just the Serpents. Mickey had been trying to get a hold of Archie all day and still, nothing. The more time went by, he became worried. The more worried Mickey got, the angrier he got. After hours of nerve-wracking silence, Mickey was at the breaking point. He needed to hit something.
"I'll be right back," the blue-eyed twin quickly hoped out of the truck, giving the others a stern look as he ordered. "Stay here."
With a pounding heart, Mickey tightened his fists and marched over to the Southside Serpents, a bold and daring look in his piercing blue eyes. "Hey."
The Southside Serpents gave the young construction worker curious look, surprised to see one of the North side face them all alone.
"You guys want to keep it down?" Mickey suggested in a less than friendly tone.
"Run along, Northsider."
Mickey glanced down as one of the Serpents spoke up, a young man with long dark hair and pale blue eyes, sitting in a lawn chair as he ate his popcorn. "This is Serpent territory," the young man said in a calm, uninterested voice.
"Some of us are trying to watch the movie." Mickey reminded coldly "the least you could is keep it down. Especially since you and your boys are the reason this place is getting shut down."
At that moment, a tense silence fell over the group, as each of the Serpents gave Mickey a cold, murderous look.
The young Serpent quickly got up from his seat, giving the young baseball player an angry challenging look. "What did you just say?"
Mickey knew he should stay quiet, that he should just walk away and go back to the truck with Cheryl and the others. But he didn't. His heart was racing, and his blood was burning. He needed to hurt someone. Anyone. And who better than a Southside Serpent? They attacked women in the dead of night, sold poison to children and terrorized small businesses when they wouldn't pay protection money. They made Mickey so sick. The Serpents had plagued Riverdale for years and yet, they always found a way to avoid a jail sentence. They deserved to suffer. "I said, if you and your thugs hadn't turn this place into a one stop drug shop, then maybe the mayor wouldn't have sold it."
The young Serpent let out a low, dark chuckle, an impressed yet antagonized gleam in his cold blue eyes. "Big talk, Northsider. You better watch your mouth before you get hurt."
Mickey felt a hint of doubt as he looked around, as each of the Southside Serpents looked ready to tear him apart at a moment's notice. Mickey was strong, but even he couldn't take on all them at by himself. But as for the one in front of him, the Serpent with long hair and blue eyes... "By who? You and your boys?" he goaded "a real man fights his own battles."
The young Serpent's eye's blazed with anger, giving Mickey a challenging look. "You think I can't take you by myself?"
Mickey smirked. He and the Serpent may have been the same height, but Mickey had ten pounds on him easy. Add his boiling rage, and this little thug didn't have a chance. "I know you can't."
"Mickey."
The young baseball player's eyes went as he saw a sight that made him sick to his stomach: Cheryl Blossom walking towards them.
"There you are," she greeted with a smile "I've been looking all over for you."
Mickey quickly rushed over to her, confused and angry look on his face. What was she doing here? Before the blue-eyed twin could even say a word, Cheryl grabbed Mickey by the face and gave him a fiery kiss, earning an unexpecting look from the Serpents.
"Hmm," Cheryl ran her thumb over Mickey's lips, the blue-eyed twin giving her a shocked and stunned look. "Seems like someone's had too much to drink."
Now Mickey was really confused. He hadn't had a drink since the last summer.
"Please excuse my date," Cheryl apologized to the Serpents "He gets macho when's drunk. Come on, baby. Let's go." The redheaded girl smiled as she linked her arm with his, leading Mickey away from the gang as he and the Serpent glared at each other.
Once they were out of sight, Mickey whipped his arm out of Cheryl's grasp. "I told you to stay in the truck."
Cheryl's friendly smile faded, an equally fiery glare in her eye. "If I had, those Serpents would've turned you into roadkill."
"I didn't ask for your help, Cheryl!" Mickey snapped. Enraged, the blue-eyed twin spun around on his heels and marched off.
Cheryl gave him shocked look, watching him as he headed off into the night. "And just where do you think you're going?" *
Mickey stood alone behind the concessions stand, his hands resting on the wall as he struggled to regain control of himself.
He was just so angry. At everything. Angry at Cheryl for interfering. Angry at the Serpents for ruining the Drive-In. Angry at Grundy for taking advantage of Archie.
He couldn't stop thinking about it: Grundy seducing Archie over the summer. Manipulating him. Raping him. He could see it so clearly, Mickey had to squeeze his eyes shut.
His blood burned like fire. His body trembled in agony. His lungs screamed for air. His heart pounded so loudly, he could almost hear nothing else.
"Mickey?" Cheryl found the blue-eyed twin alone in the back alley of the Drive-In, his shoulders heaving as he gasped for air. "Are you alright?"
"Go away Cheryl," Mickey told her with a ragged breath.
The redheaded girl stared at him for a moment, watching the blue-eyed twin as he fought to keep the Mad Dog inside. "Not until you tell me what's going on with you."
"I said GO!" Mickey balled his fists and slammed them against the wall, mentally scolding himself immediately after. He swore that he would never let Cheryl see the monster inside, and yet here he was, barely able to keep it together. "Please," he asked her in a broken voice "Just go."
But Cheryl didn't leave. She had never seen Mickey light this before. So raw and vulnerable. Silently, the scarlet cheerleader walked over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She could feel his body trembling. Hear him gasping for air. See the pain and terror in his eyes. "You're having a panic attack," she told him gently "You need to relax."
"I'm trying."
"Just take a deep breath," Cheryl advised "in through your nose, out through your mouth."
Mickey kept his eyes shut as he let out heavy sigh, his heart slowing down slightly as he exhaled.
"Good," Cheryl smiled softly, gently rubbing circles between Mickey's shoulders as his muscles started to relax "Try again. Deeper this time."
Mickey nodded silently as repeated the act, letting out a deep breath as his racing heart continued to slow down. After a few minutes, Mickey's heart rate trickled down to a steady pace, his head and heart starting to clear.
"Better?" Cheryl asked, giving him a concerned look.
Mickey nodded. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now what is going on with you?"
Mickey stayed silent for a moment, the young baseball player's pale blue eyes full of fear and uncertainty. "It's Archie. He's in trouble. He got mixed with this…girl," Mickey ran a panicked hand through his hair, the very mention of Miss Grundy making his blood pressure rise. "she was with him at Sweetwater River on July 4th. I think she had something your brother's death," he added, earning a shocked look from Cheryl "I keep trying to warn him. But he just won't," Mickey took in a shaky breath as faced the wall, his voice cracking as he said "She's going to get him killed."
Cheryl watched as Mickey rested his head on the wall, the fear quickly overtaking him again. "What about your dad?"
Mickey glanced at her. "What?"
"Your dad." She repeated "does he know about this girl your brother's so dangerously infatuated with?"
Mickey shook his head. "If I tell him, there's a good chance the whole town will find out," he told her. "Archie will be humiliated."
"Who cares?" Cheryl scoffed, earning a surprised look from Mickey. "When Jason asked me to help him fake his death, I never questioned his reasons," she admitted shamefully "not for one second. I was so focused on giving my brother what he wanted that I forgot my most important job as his sister: To protect my brother," Cheryl stepped forward as the Mickey started at her, the two redheads now standing less than a foot away from each other, as the scarlet cheerleader spoke in a desperate voice. "Protect your brother, Mickey. No matter what the cost."
"This takes me back." Fred sat with Hermione Lodge in his truck that night, the construction worker letting out a light chuckle as he asked. "Remember sophomore year? When we saw Candyman? God," Fred groaned as the memories ran through his head. "I hated Candyman."
Hermione laughed. "You picked it. You thought I'd get scared and jump into your arms," she teased "like a damsel in distress."
"You did kiss me," Fred reminded coyly.
Still smiling, Hermione glanced down at her phone as it went off, a worried look spreading across her face.
"Everything alright?" Fred asked in a concerned manner.
"Yeah," Hermione assured him with a forced smile. "I'm just a little hungry. I'm gong to get some popcorn."
"I'll go," Fred offered, reaching for the door.
"No. That's okay," Hermione responded quickly yet politely "I want to powder my nose. I'll be right back."
As the New York socialite walked off, Fed sat alone in the truck, silently watching the movie as his mind started to wander. Never a million years did he think he would be back at the Drive-In with Hermione. There was a time where she was his whole world. But that was a long time ago. Before…-,
"Dad!"
Fred jumped as his blue-eyed son barged into his truck. Mickey, what?"
"I need to talk to you," the younger Andrews told his father "It's about Archie. I should've told you sooner but I-,"
The two Andrews men jumped as a blonde-haired woman banged on her flashlight on the window, shining the light right in their faces.
Fred gasped. "Alice? What in God's name-?"
"You need to come with me," she ordered "now. It's about the kids."
With fear and worry in their eyes, Fred and Mickey got out of the truck and followed Alice Cooper to her car. "This have anything to do with what you wanted to talk about?" Fred asked Mickey.
"I hope not. Betty," Mickey frowned as he climbed into the back of the Cooper's car, the blonde-haired girl's face twisted up in guilt and pain. "What's wrong?"
Betty's response was heartbroken whisper. "She knows." *
Throughout the entire drive to the school, Mickey kept texting Archie. To call him. To run. To get as far away from Miss Grundy as humanly possible. But it was all for nothing.
The brown-eyed twin stood with music teacher in her classroom, the two of them locked in a warm embrace as Alice came barging in, with Mickey, Fred and Betty following behind her.
"Well, well, well," Alice stated, taking in a dark sense of satisfaction "there they are, just like I told."
Archie's heart stopped, his face turning as pale as a ghost as his worst nightmares became a reality.
"C-Can someone explain what's going on here?" Miss Grundy asked, trying to stay calm.
"Yes. Archie," Alice gave the brown eyed twin a cold, judgmental glare "would you care to share you two have been doing during your 'music lesson'?" she asked "and please don't leave out any of the lurid details. Because Betty keeps a very meticulous diary," she stated, causing her daughter to squirm in guilt and sorrow "and I would be more than happy to fill in the details."
Archie's eyes drifted over to his best friend, the blonde-haired girl on the verge of tears as she mouthed a simple sentence: "I'm sorry."
"That's enough, Mrs. Cooper," Mickey told her in a protective voice. As much as he hated Miss Grundy, the last thing he wanted was for Alice Cooper, the biggest gossip in all of Riverdale to get a hold of such a scandal. Especially with her unreasoned hatred towards his brother.
But Alice was just getting started. "I never thought I would live to see the day." The blonde-journalist marched over to Miss Grundy, a disgusted and murderous look in her cold green eyes. "I thought the one thing we could keep Riverdale safe from was child predators."
"Miss Grundy isn't a predator," Archie disputed fiercely "she's a good person."
"That's debatable," Mickey scoffed.
"You don't have to defend me Archie," Miss Grundy told him, in a low intense voice.
"No," Fred agreed, a protective fire in his eyes. "he doesn't."
"Well, they're certainly not denying it, are they? They are clearly guilty," Alice confirmed. "I say we take this to Sherriff Keller."
"Dad," Archie gave his father a pleading look. "You can't let that happen."
"Son…it's complicated," he managed, still trying to fully process the situation.
"She didn't force me to do anything!" Archie disputed "I went after her. Everything that happened, I wanted to happen."
"Well, there's no surprise there," Alice commented.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Mickey questioned, his blue eyes blazing with fury.
"Why are you doing this, Mom?" Betty asked in a heartbroken voice "putting Miss Grundy on trial?"
"This isn't just about her," Alice whipped around and jabbed a judgmental finger in the brown-eyed twin's face. "This is about him. I want you to see what kind of person Archie truly is."
At that moment, Mickey began to see red. The blue-eyed twin quickly stepped between the reporter and his brother, a protective fire in his eyes as he snarled. "Keep your hands off my brother."
"That is what this about?" Fred realized in shocked and sickened voice "Your crazy grudge against my teenage son?"
Before Alice could say another word, Betty grabbed her mother by the arm, her eyes blazing with a protective fire "I am never going to stop being friends with Archie, mom," she vowed fiercely "ever."
"My bother is not a monster," Mickey disputed, jabbing a finger at Miss Grundy "the monster is her."
"That's enough. We're done here," Fred decided "Boys, let's go."
"No," Mickey snarled, his blue eyes boiling with rage as he stared at the music teacher huddled in the corner. "She does not get away with this."
"Stop. STOP!" Archie shouted, causing a nervous silence to fall over the room. "You're right about me, Mrs. Cooper," he admitted, earning a surprised look from the reporter "I'm selfish. And stupid," he self-reprimanded. He never should've let things with Geraldine get this far. If he'd used his head from the beginning, none of this would've happened. "And I don't deserve to be your daughter's friend."
You're wrong. Mickey thought You're the best guy I know. All you've ever done is try to help the people you care about. The blue-eyed twin gave Miss Grundy a cold, murderous glare Even when they don't deserve you.
"But please," Archie begged "don't hurt Miss Grundy because you want to hurt me."
"This isn't about hurting anyone Archie," Alice disputed in a stoic, self-righteous tone "this is about doing what's right."
"Bull," Mickey snapped "You don't care about what's right. All you care about is tearing people to shreds with that gossip rag you call a newspaper."
Alice gave the blue-eyed a shocked and angry look. "Excuse me?"
"Alice, I swear to God," Fred threatened in a low, intense voice "if you say one word about this, I will-,"
"Print one word about this Mom," Betty threatened a surprisingly dark voice "and I'll tell everyone that I broke into Miss Grundy's car."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Betty-,"
"That I robbed her," she continued "and made up the story of their affair. It'll be like…. I finally snapped," Betty described "like Polly."
Alice gave her daughter a shocked look as she heard the seriousness in her voice.
"It'll prove what everyone already thinks about us," she went on "Crazy runs in that family," the blonde-haired girl stepped towards her mother, a dark challenging look in her green eyes as she whispered, "Like mother, like daughter."
Archie started at his best friend as she defended him, a single question running through his mind: Why? After everything she'd learned, after everything he'd put her through, why would Betty fight for him so fiercely?
"I'll quit."
At that moment, all eyes turned to Miss Grundy, the once silent music finally speaking up from the corner of the room. "I'll quit my job," she repeated, standing up "will that satisfy you?"
Mickey scoffed as he lunged at her, the music backing away frightfully Fred fought to hold his son back. "You are not getting off that easy," he snarled.
"Son, calm down." Fred told him firmly.
"She has to leave town," Alice stipulated, a firm fire in her eyes as she remained locked in a staring match with her daughter.
"No," Archie disputed instantly. "No way."
"Son," Fred spoke to his son in a calm, soothing voice "don't fight this."
"Why does she need to leave town?" Archie demanded.
"Because it's what's best," Fred explained cryptically "and because Alice will keep her word."
"I will," the reporter confirmed in an unsatisfied tone.
"I'll pack my things," Miss Grundy announced as she headed for the door, grabbing her new bow with her head facing the floor "I'll be gone by morning."
"Dad, you can't be serious," Mickey insisted, the blue-eyed twin both baffled and outraged.
"Son, this is the best option," Fred insisted gently.
"Best for who?" Mickey shouted.
"For your brother."
At that moment, Mickey turned his eyes towards his brother and the music teacher, watching the two of them share a heartbroken, departing glance. Mickey's heart broke as he saw the pain in Archie's eyes, his dark brown orbs begging Miss Grundy not to leave. Fred was right. Mickey was so blinded by his rage, so desperate to see Miss Grundy suffer, he'd forgotten that the one who'd suffer the most from a public trial, was Archie.
Reluctantly, Mickey allowed Miss Grundy leave, the music teacher giving Archie a silent look as she turned around and disappeared into the night.
Betty sat alone in her room later that night, wiping the unshed tears from her eyes as her mother walked out. She was so tired of Alice. Tired of her trying to paint her friends as monsters. Tired of her trying fit her impossible cookie-cutter box of perfection. Tired of her acting like she was another Polly in the making.
Letting out a sigh, Betty looked out her window towards the house across the street, the brown-eyed twin sitting alone in his room, a heart broken look on his face. It killed her to see him like that. It reminded her of when his mother first left. So alone and full of agony. Desperate to ease his pain in anyway, the blonde-haired girl pulled out her phone and sent the brown-eyed twin a simple text: "I'm sorry."
Archie glanced down at his phone as it went off, looking at Betty through the window as he sent her a message back: "It's okay. U were trying to help"
Betty gave the young musician a small as she read his text, sending another message right back: "You're wrong, u know. You're not selfish or stupid."
Archie gave the young reporter a guilty look as he read her message. "I don't know about that," he texted back.
"I do," Betty disputed "U were going to end things with Miss Grundy tonight."
Archie frowned as he read the latest message from Betty "How did u know?"
"Because I know u," Betty texted back "It was the only way to keep her safe without losing her. That's not safe or stupid."
Archie gave the blonde-haired girl a surprised expression. "Does that mean u don't hate me?" he asked.
Betty gave the brown-eyed twin a soft, comforting look. "There is nothing on Earth that could make me hate U."
Mickey sat alone in the living room of his home, staring at his phone as he dialed in a familiar number.
"Hello?" Cheryl asked as she answered the phone.
"It's me, "Mickey responded "I took your advice. I told my dad."
"How'd it go?"
"Mickey sighed. "Archie's heartbroken. But he's safe."
"That's all that matters. Cherish your brother Mickey," Cheryl advised in a solemn voice "He's the only one you've got."
"Careful, Baby Doll," Mickey warned in a teasing voice "You're starting to sound like you care about me."
"Who said I didn't?"
Mickey stood in the doorway to his room, watching his brother as he sat on the edge of his bed, a heartbroken, shattered look in Archie's dark brown orbs.
'I know this isn't what you wanted," Mickey acknowledged in a melancholy voice "I know you wanted me to back off. I know that you might hate me right now," he managed in a cracking voice "But everything I did-,"
"I don't hate you, Mickey," Archie interrupted in a hollow voice. The brown-eyed twin rose from and walked over to brother, his dark brown orbs red and bloodshot from tears. "I am mad that you were a part of this," he admitted "but you're my brother. I know you were just trying to protect me."
"But that doesn't make it hurt any less," Mickey assumed "does it?"
Archie shook his head, his dark brown orbs full of anguish as they swelled with tears.
Mickey recognized that look. His brother had worn it many times after Mary left. "Do you want to be alone?"
Archie shook his head, pulling his brother close as let out a shaky breath and cried.
"I've got you, brother," Mickey whispered, hugging Archie as tightly as he could "I've got you."