Chapter 10: "May I Remind You…"
I fill your pillow case up with snakes
The man-eating kind
Though you call yourself a woman
I doubt it they would mind
Oh my, oh
Oh my
Drawing Board by George Ezra
"And how on earth did you sneak out without having your dad notice?"
Rosie and Archie strolled into the school, laughing about the redhead's parental grounding ordeal.
"Very carefully," said Archie, amused.
"Let me guess," joked Rosie dramatically, "you set up a state-of-the-art landing pad and chucked your guitar out the window, which fell softly and unharmed onto that pad. Then, you ninja-rolled out your window, leapt across the roof, and slid down the tree to safety – somehow avoiding all the branches and twigs. And then you snuck away, disappearing into the shadows; footsteps quieter than a sleeping mouse!"
Archie laughed again as Rosie chuckled. "Yep. That's definitely what I did."
"I thought so," she replied, grinning.
"How was Pop's with Jughead?" he asked, changing the subject.
Rosie's cheeks went slightly pink at her mind raced back to her conversation with the beanie-wearing boy about her relationship with Archie.
"Okay, okay. You're friends. But just as a warning – it will turn into something more. I know Archie. You're not going to stay 'just good friends' for long; not with that friend being someone like you."
She avoided eye contact as she responded. "It was fine. We got our project done."
There was a pause in the conversation. Archie glanced over at the brunette with an expression that could only be interpreted as unbelieving.
"Fine? Since when do you describe anything as fine, Ro?"
Rosie simply shrugged, still evading the Andrews boy's eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Archie stopped in his tracks, gaze trained on the back of her head.
The Green girl halted at his words. That was first time she had ever lied to him. Her stomach full of grilled cheese, fries, and milkshake churned uncomfortably. She hated lying to anyone, and it seemed to especially affect her when she tried to lie to Archie.
She spun on her heel to face him, backtracking so she was next to him again. She inhaled deeply.
"Jughead just suggested some things that made me feel...confused."
Archie's thick eyebrows scrunched together. "Confused? What do you mean?"
Rosie didn't want to get deep into the pool of feelings that was accumulating for the boy beside her; especially to him, of all people. Whatever she was feeling for him was rapidly turning into friendship – the best friendship she'd possibly ever had – but was also beginning to admire him for other reasons. It had been a long time since Rosie had had a crush on someone. And a crush on someone so obviously out of her league and too good for her? It chilled her to the bone thinking of the kind of rejection this possible crush would bring.
She decided that instead of telling Archie the depth to which Jughead's comments shook her, she would only tell him that the Jones boy had simply predicted their relationship furthering and that she was confused as to how he came to that notion.
"Well, he said that you and I seemed like more than friends to him," she relayed slowly, "and I'm just confused how he jumped to that conclusion or what we did, or what we do, that would make him think such a thing."
Little did Rosie know, Archie was also internally conflicted about his feelings for Rosie. He was still getting over Grundy, so throwing another girl into the mix was making his emotions swirl together like oil and water. He didn't know what to feel for Rosie and his heart still ached for the loss of Geraldine. She had really taken a hold on him, and to have taken it back so quickly still hurt. Deep down, he knew Jughead's prophesizing was spot on. But they weren't to that point yet. Archie wasn't sure they would ever to get to that point, but he hoped. And, at that moment in time, he was also confused, but didn't want to get rejected from something like a small crush. And a crush on Rosie was an entirely different experience than a crush on Grundy or any other girl from before. Rosie was too good for him, and he knew it.
So instead of admitting his emotional discombobulation, Archie nodded and agreed with Rosie. But inside, he felt slightly let down.
"Yeah, that's weird," he nodded. "But Ro, you don't need to feel confused. Jughead thinks I'm some kind of womanizer. You know, a crush every time a new girl walks in. We've talked about what we mean to each other. Don't feel confused. There's no need to. You're my best friend now. There's no changing that. Jug can think what he wants."
Rose smiled, feeling more reassured in her friendship. But, in the back of her mind, she was slightly disappointed. She knew that this possible crush could turn into a full blown, heart wrenching, desperate, one-sided love. So instead of letting it blossom into just that, she pushed it away and tried not to think of it for a very long time.
"Thanks, Archie. That makes me feel better," she told him, happy to take those words to heart.
"You know, it's funny," he said as they began to walk towards the music room again.
"What is?"
"Usually, it's you giving me advice on something stupid I did…or might do."
"Friendships are give and take, Arch, not just give. It's nice to take after typically only giving. Thanks for giving."
"No problem, Ro."
As they entered the music room, the two occupants inside froze.
"Hey, it's wannabe Zoey Deschanel and Justin Gingerlake," said the girl on the right, smirking.
"Josie told us you'd be here," said the other girl.
"Melody and Valerie, right?" Archie asked, setting his guitar case down.
The two girls nodded.
"This is Rosie," he introduced. "I'm Archie."
"Oh, Rosie Green?" Melody questioned, pointing a drumstick at the brunette as she took a seat next to Archie.
Rosie frowned slightly, wondering how she had heard of her. "Yeah. Do you know my brother?"
"Oh, no, I've followed your SoundCloud since after you barged in on Pussycats rehearsal the first day of school," Melody replied. "You're incredible."
Before Rosie could respond, Valerie jumped in.
"Dang, you're Rosie Green? Mel showed me your stuff. Your lyrics are fire."
"Wow, thank you both," said Rosie graciously. "I appreciate it. And I have to say, I think you're really going to like what Archie brings to the table, too. You should definitely check out his SoundCloud."
"You do similar stuff to Rosie?" asked Valerie, leaning onto a stool and picking up a bass guitar.
"It's more of a folk-pop sound than Rosie's, but kind of," Archie replied.
"Was your page linked to hers at some point? You wrote The Song that Everyone Sings, right? The one that she produced?" Valerie wondered.
Archie's face lit up. "Yeah, that's the one. And you – you liked it?"
"Absolutely," Melody replied quickly.
"It was killer," Valerie agreed.
Valerie went back to tuning her bass, while Melody mimed drumming a beat in the air.
Archie took out his guitar while Rosie plunked a couple notebooks and several pens onto the music stand in front of her. She laid the stand flat like a desk so she could write lyric ideas in her notebook.
"So, Josie is the frontman of the band?" Rosie pondered, breaking the silence.
The two girls looked up from their instruments.
"She also plays lead guitar. Melody's our technique queen," Valerie gladly replied.
Archie and Rosie grinned as Melody gave them a flick of her drumstick.
"And you're the songwriter?" the ginger asked. Valerie nodded. "Rosie and I would love to…"
Before Archie could finish his sentence, the door flew open, then slammed closed, clicking into place. Josie had arrived.
"Love to what?" she questioned, almost suspiciously.
Rosie's eyebrows raised slightly as the two other band members went back to their own instruments, faces turned away from Josie. What kind of show did the lead singer run here? Was she unreasonable? Did she have control of this whole debacle? Why did the other girls look unwilling to hold their heads up high?
"That's the real question," she continued, setting her own things down by the door, her eyes trained directly on Archie. "What exactly you expect to get out of this experience."
"Short version. I just want to hear you guys play my songs. Making them better. Recording them," Archie replied immediately.
Josie quirked an eyebrow, turning her eyes on Rosie. "What about you? You seem experienced enough to know the industry from what I've heard. What do you expect to gain from this?"
"I need to expand my horizons," the Green girl replied confidently. "I have a distinct writing style. I know that. But I'm stuck. I've got some writer's block when it comes to new ideas. Your band's style is different than mine and I want to be able to learn from your writing. If I can help write music that's not my own and not Archie's, I think I'll be able to further my own style and even write for others someday. Maybe I can help write some of your songs, too."
Valerie and Melody nodded just enough to let the two others know that they understood them and liked what they had to say. But Josie's response was different and unexpected.
"So, the two of you feel qualified to write songs for the Pussycats?"
Rosie shrugged. "Why not?"
"Y-yeah, why not?" mirrored Archie, much more hesitantly.
"For divas of color?"
The two bandmembers looked at each other like they knew a storm was coming.
Rosie frowned, pausing. "Well, no."
"No…m-maybe? I don't know," Archie chimed in.
For the first time outside of her own house, Rosie felt unsure of herself. Her family were usually the people that made her feel inefficient and not worthy, but to feel it in school? It made her heart sink and her mood worsen.
"Look, this isn't LA or New York, this is Riverdale, and people's minds are opening up, but do you have any idea how much hate mail my mom got when she was elected mayor?" Josie scoffed.
The brunette merely shook her head, adjusting her glasses as she went.
"I campaigned for your mom. I get it," Archie spoke up.
"No, no, no, baby, you don't," she shut him down. "I mean, do you know why we're called the Pussycats? Because we have to claw our way into the same rooms that you can just waltz into. Now, Zoey Deschanel here knows more about this than you do. And it's similar to what she'll have to deal with, too. But even you, Zoey, will have an easier time than me and my girls. So, if you two think you can write my experience…"
"Josie?" Valerie cut her off, obviously feeling that the frontman was taking things too far.
"It's okay, Valerie," Archie said. "She's right."
"100%," Rosie chimed in.
"Good," nodded Josie, content with the responses. "Now, I need your real name, Zoey. I can't keep calling you Zoey."
"I'm Rosie," the glasses-wearing girl replied warmly. "Nice to finally meet you."
Josie seemed to recognize the name. "Oh, Rosie Green? I know your brother."
Rosie's mood sunk just a little more. She tried to not sound bitter. "Spectacular."
"Between you and me, he's a bit of kiss ass," Josie told her bluntly.
Rosie found herself laughing. "A bit? He's an A-list kiss ass and everyone knows it."
The rest of the band and Archie laughed with her.
"You can say that again," Archie chuckled, nudging Rosie with his elbow.
Rosie just shook her head at him playfully and turned back to the Pussycats.
"Right," Josie began, "tonight's agenda. We've been asked by my mom to play at the Taste of Riverdale in the community center this Thursday night, and we need new material. People are getting tired of our old sets. We need to write at least one new song this week if not more."
"Is Dilton doing sound this weekend? He'll need to be here on Thursday for tech run-throughs if he is," Valerie asked.
Josie groaned. "No, he said he's too busy with his Adventure Scouts."
"What about Rosie?" Melody suggested, gesturing to the Green girl.
"You did do a good job at the pep rally," Josie considered. "And you'll already be here with Archie all week. You in?"
Rosie was slightly taken aback. "You really want me to do sound for you guys?"
"It helps having another musician with a good ear balancing everything out on our sound boards," Valerie told her.
"That it does," Josie agreed.
"Well, then I can't say no, can I?" she smiled. "Sure, I'll do it."
"Perfect! Dilton always made the cymbals a little too loud for my liking, anyways," Josie said. "Alright, moving on. I've already put together a set list. Let's practice the ones we know well first and then get to writing new songs."
The band got in their places, ready to play.
"One, two, three, four…"
Archie studied Rosie carefully as she watched the Pussycats, a small smile gracing her lips. He turned away, shoving his feelings down and trying to forget them. He knew that Jughead was right. This could very easily turn into something more than friendship, but he wasn't ready for that yet, and wasn't sure Rosie would ever be.
Meanwhile, in Rosie's mind, she knew that someday, she would be ready to let her own feelings roam free.
But not now. Not anytime soon.
Someday…when everything was right with the world.
Little did either of them know, nothing would ever be right in the world – at least in Riverdale.
The next night, Josie, the Pussycats, Archie, and Rosie sat around in the music room, poring over possible lyrics for the band's new song.
While the third and second verses and the chorus had been written and edited to perfection, there was a struggle with the first.
"Val, you are such a poet, but these lyrics? They don't make sense. What is the hook? I mean, I need a line that catches," Josie retorted, frustrated.
"I hear that," Valerie agreed, nodding.
Rosie tugged on her oversized, dark orange sweater sleeves, ruffling the fabric as her eyes scanned the sheets. The lyrics replayed over and over again her mind, repeating on a cycle.
"I've been struggling," the bassist adds.
"What about 'paintings in the wind?'" suggested Melody, trying to be helpful.
Josie, Valerie, and Rosie considered the line, mulling it over for a moment.
Suddenly, Archie jumped in. "How about 'paintings on her skin?'"
"I kinda dig that," Val nodded, looking over at Josie for approval.
Rosie immediately had an idea, Archie's proposal instantly sparking up in her mind.
"And instead of 'colors in the air,' it's 'colors in her hair?'" she said quickly, searching over the verse on her paper. "It fits in better with that and it adds to the physical description of 'paintings on her skin' while still rhyming with the next stanza when it ends with 'stop and stare.'"
"It's kind of perfect," Melody smirks. "Josie?"
Josie leaned against the edge of the drum kit, eyes skimming over the two outsiders. She held a skeptical expression on her face, but walked forward, cleared her throat, and said, "All right. Let's, uh, take it from the top. One, two, one, two, three..."
"Paintings on her skin,
colors in her hair.
Come around the corner,
make you stop and stare.
She don't pay no mind
cause she don't really care
what you think about her,
think about her."
The grins on Rosie and Archie's faces grew exponentially as their new lyrics were sung.
"I don't care what you want me to be.
Cause it ain't for you,
No, it's all for me."
Rosie laughed, so excited to hear all their hard work finally pay off. The verse was very successful.
Archie leaned back in his chair, an earsplitting grin on his face. "That was…that was so good."
"The dream team strikes again," joked Rosie, high-fiving the boy next to her.
Valerie and Melody smiled, too. Even Josie looked pleased with how well the lyrics worked in the song.
"What else you got?" smirked the front man.
Archie and Rosie snapped back to the lyrics in front of them.
"Uh, I was thinking maybe we could invert the second verse," he suggested.
"And the third," the brunette added, tapping the paper with a pencil. The ginger nodded.
"And the third," he confirmed.
"You guys are quite the songwriting duo," Josie said slyly, quirking an eyebrow at the two. "But I like it. Nice work."
Archie and Rosie trudged back to the Andrews house together, adrenaline pumping from a very fruitful writing session.
"We crushed it, Ro," he laughed.
"We definitely crushed it, Arch," she replied, equally as overjoyed as they entered his garage. "I thought Josie was going to stomp on our heads and our brains would gush out because she's that terrifying and controlling. But that was spectacular! Honestly, super spectacular!"
The two froze when they realized that they weren't the only people in the garage. Fred Andrews stood by the back door, a look of disappointment etched onto his face.
The positive feeling Rosie had immediately plummeted. She knew they were about to get in a boatload of trouble.
She and Archie shared a worried expression.
"Welcome home, Ferris. I see you've brought Sloane with you," said Fred, voice firm.
The Ferris Bueller reference only made Rosie feel worse.
"Sneaking out, breaking curfew, getting into fights…revamping my garage into a music studio? When did this happen? And where the hell did you get all of this equipment?"
Rosie winced. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"Dad, don't freak out, okay. Rosie and I were helping Josie and the Pussycats with a song they're doing at that Taste of Riverdale thing," Archie explained quickly.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Andrews," she blurted out. "This is my recording equipment. Archie and I have been using it to record our music. More importantly, Archie offered to let me store it here in your garage. My mom refused to let me have it in the house."
Fred's face softened at the mention of Rosie's home life. He exhaled slowly. "You two could have asked me if you could set up in here."
"We're sorry, Dad," Archie apologized. "You know how Rosie's mom can be."
"I do," he nodded. He turned to the Green girl and told her politely, "Rosie, Archie and I need to talk. Why don't you head home? Do you need me to drive you?"
Rosie slowly shook her head, her braid whipping over her shoulder. "No, I'm okay. Thank you, Mr. Andrews. Have a good night. See you tomorrow, Archie."
She patted his arm gently, then turned and exited the garage.
Her eyes widened as she rapidly started on her route back to her house. She couldn't shake the awkwardness that radiated from the situation in Archie's garage.
Meanwhile, Archie and his father argued.
There was a moment of silence after the door clicked closed behind Rosie.
"You should be grateful I didn't chew you out while she was still in here," Fred told him decisively. "She helped you sneak out. I don't know how happy I am with you two being friends right now."
"She's alone in the world, Dad," Archie cut in defensively. "I am one of the only people she feels comfortable around. We confide in each other about everything. Rosie hasn't done anything wrong. She didn't help me sneak out. I convinced her to come with me. We always met at the school, not here, not her house. It's all my fault. Please don't be mad at her."
Fred watched his son with a narrowed gaze. "What has she told you, son?"
"I don't know if I can tell you," Archie said warily. "It's not my story to share."
"If she's being abused, I need to know," retorted Fred instantly. "I know she's not cared for, but if she's being physically abused, we can get her out of that situation."
"Not that I know of," Archie shook his head. "But honestly, Dad, we were just helping write that song. And I was hoping you'd let me go to the Taste of Riverdale so I can help Rosie with the soundboard and hear the song we helped write."
This time, it was Fred shaking his head. "No, Archie. You don't get to go wherever you want, whenever you want, and damn what anyone else says – even if you're also supporting one of your friends."
Archie groaned. "Dad, this is the first time a song I worked on is gonna be performed in front of people. On stage. Please, let me go to this, and then ground me for the next six months, a year."
"We're not haggling over your punishment, end of story!"
"Fine, but you have to own it."
Archie whirled around, reaching for the handle of the garage door.
"Own what?"
The redhead reeled, sputtering as he turned back to his father. "Okay, if I had a football game tomorrow night, would you stop me from going?"
Fred stammered, unsure of his answer.
"No," Archie continued, "because you understand, you respect. But my music, since I told you about it, you don't care. You don't take it seriously. If you press enter, you'll hear my latest song produced by Rosie. If you just listened, you'd understand why this is so important to me."
"This is not about my behavior. This is about your behavior. We're done here."
Archie inhaled sharply and decided to say nothing. He left quickly, doing his best not to slam the door on the way out.
Fred sighed, his hands running over his face. He contemplated what Archie had said. His latest song was just a keyboard away.
Despite his better judgement, he pressed the enter button on the laptop's keyboard.
The Song that Everyone Sings began to play softly through the portable speakers.
Maybe there was some truth to Archie's words. But Fred didn't think about that. He just listened.
The next day at school, Rosie caught up with Betty and Veronica about their findings from the night before.
The girls gathered in the Blue & Gold headquarters. Betty sat behind the editor's desk, while Veronica and Rosie sat in front of her.
"You have to see this, Ro," Veronica told her as Betty handed the brunette her phone. "We have all the proof we need to write a cutting-edge exposé."
Rosie gasped as she flicked through the few frames Betty had captured. There it was. Plain as day. Chuck Clayton and his posse were guilty. Stone cold, light as the sun, in your face guilty. And there was no denying that his gang of clowns were just as sinful as he was.
"There it is," she said quietly. "Everything we need to take him down."
Betty and Veronica shared a smile as Rosie handed back the cell.
"So, what's next?"
The blonde and raven-haired girls shared another look, this one more suspicious than the last.
"What?" Rosie wondered. "Is there something that you aren't telling me?"
"Yes," Veronica replied slowly. "Betty has a plan. Absolutely full dark, no stars."
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that."
"We didn't think you would," Betty told her. "But it has to be done. Chuck needs to know that no girl at Riverdale High, or anywhere, can be treated the way he treated Veronica, me, and you."
Rosie sighed. "What is this full dark, no stars scheme of yours then?"
"We set a trap, Chuck fell for it hook, line, and sinker. We're getting him to confess. Tonight," Betty explained.
"It might be better if you don't know the juicy details," said Veronica.
Rosie nodded in understanding. "If you get in trouble, then my name won't come up and I won't be roped in. Got it. But seriously, let me know if something happens. I can always vouch for you. I'm not the best liar on planet Earth, but I'll do my best."
Betty smiled. "Thanks, Ro. Tell us, how have rehearsals with the Pussycats been going?"
"Honestly, they've been incredible," the brunette responded quickly. "Archie and I helped them write a song for the Taste of Riverdale tonight. I'm running the soundboard for them, too."
"I'm glad you're finding your niche," said Veronica.
"What about you? What's your niche, Ronnie?" Rosie asked.
"River Vixen, assistant detective to the Blue & Gold editor. But I'm sure there's more I've yet to discover."
Rosie smiled. "Well, it looks like the two new girls at Riverdale High are more normal than the student body originally thought."
Betty chuckled. "New students show up and everyone acts like Martians have taken over the town."
"How do they know we're not?" joked Rosie. "For all they know, we've simply hidden our tentacles and antenna with a cloaking device."
All three laughed.
Rosie's mind rewound back to the night before. Her face fell. The other two noticed.
"Are you okay?" wondered the blonde.
This statement made the Green girl chuckle slightly. "I certainly get asked that question a lot. I've just got a lot on my mind. I think Mr. Andrews is upset with me."
Veronica frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Archie's been grounded, and he's been sneaking out to meet with me for the Pussycats' rehearsals. Last night, we went back to his garage to drop off our guitars and his dad was there. He was just waiting there for us. He'd discovered all my recording equipment and figured out that it must have been me and Archie that did it. He wasn't happy with Archie when we walked through the door. Archie defended me, though, and Mr. Andrews was kind enough to not yell at him in front of me. But he did say that he wasn't fond of us being friends at the moment."
"Rosie, I'm sure Mr. Andrews isn't angry with you," Betty reassured her.
"Yeah, from the smallest snippet I've heard about Fred Andrews, he seems rational and probably was just worried about Archie," Veronica chimed in.
Rosie nodded, smiling. "Thanks, guys. I'm just a little worried."
"If there's any parent you need to worry about, it's mine. She can be a bit, uh…overbearing," replied Betty.
"She's not happy with me, either, is she?"
Betty cleared her throat. "Not exactly."
"Is going to be at the Taste of Riverdale, too?"
The Cooper girl nodded slowly.
Rosie exhaled. Veronica was amused.
"Misconceptions have their consequences," Veronica added.
Rosie and Betty giggled a little, entertained with the idea that the whole Rosie-and-Archie-in-the-closet situation still hadn't blown over with Alice Cooper, even if everyone actually involved was fine and dandy.
"I think Kevin said he was going," Veronica continued. "I'm sure he'd love a friend to stick with."
Sure enough, as Rosie lugged in sound equipment with Josie and the Pussycats, Kevin arrived.
"Rosie!" he called with a smile.
The glasses-clad girl carefully lowered the speaker onto the stage as the Keller boy approached. She straightened her oversized, gray sweater which had bunched up as she heaved the heavy speaker into the community center.
"What's up, Kev?" she grinned, happy to see him.
"I feel like I haven't seen you in days," he replied. "Been holed up with Archie doing…stuff?" There was a strange, yet hopeful glint in his eye.
Rosie chuckled. "If by 'stuff' you mean writing songs with the Pussycats, then yes, we've been doing…'stuff.'"
"You know, I'm starting to doubt this 'Barchie' stuff," he said, leaning against the edge of the stage.
"'Barchie?'"
"You know, Betty and Archie? 'Barchie?' It's their ship name. But you have converted me into a 'Rarchie' shipper."
"Wait, hold your horses. You've got a ship name for me and Archie?" Rosie stammered.
"Maybe 'Rorchie' is better? Hmmm, no, I think 'Rarchie' is where it's at. Yep, I ship Rarchie."
Rosie laughed. "I don't understand this town at all. First Jughead, now you? Why do people think we should get together?"
"Look, this is a small town. We get bored! There's not much else for us to do," Kevin explained.
"The depth of thinking in this town is amazing," she joked. "Constantly asking yourselves, 'which high school kids should we try to stick together now?' and 'how many coffee shops can we open before all the citizens are in the hospital dying of heart attacks because of all the caffeine?'"
She moved around him to grab more equipment as he chuckled.
"Ha ha, very funny, Ro. But you're not off very far with the coffee thing…" Kevin pondered.
"But seriously, Kev, Archie and I are friends and nothing more."
The Keller boy sighed dramatically. "Come on, how can you say no to that face and those abs?"
Rosie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Is that all you think about? Archie Andrews' abs?"
He shrugged defensively. "What's wrong with that?"
"Maybe because the boy actually has brains?" said the Green girl obviously, crouching to pick up three coils of wire.
Kevin rolled his eyes and scoffed, begrudgingly picked up a cardboard box and trudged after her.
"But who needs brains when you have brawn?" he continued to suggest.
Rosie laughed again. "Kevin, I appreciate your love for beautifully sculpted men, but I prefer getting to know someone's personality before I start finding them completely attractive."
Kevin's eyes lit up. "So you admit that you find a guy – or girl – ,"
"A guy," Rosie chuckled. "But I like the inclusion."
"Fine, I was trying not to assume anything," Kevin sighed again dramatically, "so you admit that you do find guys attractive based solely off their physical features?"
"Well, of course. I'm not blind. But before I find someone completely and utterly attractive, I need to see how beautiful their personality is, too."
Kevin groaned as they paced into the community center and through the halls to the main event hall.
"So? Archie is a great guy."
At this point, Rosie was tired of the constant questioning. "Kev, can we talk about something else? I know you've got my best interests in mind when it comes to my sad love life, but I feel like I've been interrogated by Jughead enough already."
As placed the boxes down at the sound booth, Kevin's face twisted into a small smirk.
"Jughead's been talking to you about Archie?" There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
Rosie narrowed her eyes as him as she began to place wires and cords around the booth. Her suspicion grew.
"What kind of look is that?"
The Keller boy shrugged innocently. "What look?"
"Kev, you're a terrible liar."
"And so are you. You obviously find Archie attractive."
She ignored that statement, no matter how true it may be. "Is Jughead's involvement in this a positive or negative thing?"
Kevin raised his shoulders up and down for a second time,
Rosie decided to drop it. It was clear she wasn't getting any answers out of the sheriff's son. Instead, she laughed. "Whatever, Kev."
Both teens knew the subject had been worn out and continued with setting up the sound booth for Josie and the Pussycats.
As they chit-chatted over hooking up the soundboard and speakers onstage, a fuming Ms. Grundy stomped over.
"Mr. Keller," she greeted. Her tone tightened as she laid her eyes on Rosie. "Ms. Green."
"Hi, Ms. Grundy," Kevin replied, confusion lacing his voice.
"Kevin, I was wondering if I could talk to Rosie privately."
The two teens' eyes flickered to teach other skeptically.
"Um, sure," said Rosie uncomfortably.
"I'll go see if Pop needs any help setting up his booth," said Kevin. He shot Rosie another worried glance, then smiled politely at the music teacher as he strode away.
"Is everything okay, Ms. Grundy?" Rosie attempted to brighten up the conversation.
Grundy's eyebrows lowered, her eyes narrowing and jaw clenching. Her voice lowered to a rasp whisper. "What. The. Hell do you think you're doing with Archie Andrews?"
To this, Rosie chuckled nervously. "What do you mean, Ms. Grundy? We're friends." She realized that she needed Grundy to believe she knew nothing of the previous relationship between her and Archie.
"You bitch," the teacher spat.
Rosie inhaled sharply. She did her best to keep her emotions in check. Her heartbeat began to pound like a drum in her ears. "Excuse me? Aren't you a teacher? You shouldn't be calling students bitches to their face, Ms. Grundy. Besides, it's no business of yours who Archie is friends with."
Grundy's voice dipped further into a deep whisper. "You told Archie to end our relationship, didn't you?"
Rosie squared her shoulders. "Lots of people told him to end it. You do realize what could have happened if you were caught?"
"I don't care about what ifs at the moment, Ms. Green. You are the reason our relationship is over."
"I thought you were an adult, Ms. Grundy. You should be more mature than this. Archie is still a teenager and legally a child. You have no idea how much you've messed with his head." She was as calm as could be, even though Grundy was not only angering her, but also making her somewhat terrified.
"We were in love!"
"I believe what Archie was feeling is called Stockholm Syndrome."
"You're unbelievable!"
"And, may I remind you, Ms. Grundy, that you are a teacher."
"Which means, may I remind you, that I can make your life a living hell."
"My life doesn't revolve around your choir."
"But it does revolve around Archie."
Rosie scoffed. "Actually, Ms. Grundy, my life revolves around music. Unlike you, I don't need a man – or in your case, a little boy – to feel complete."
"Just stay away from Archie," Grundy spit back.
"You have no control over who I hang out with, Ms. Grundy," Rosie retorted. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got to finish this set up for Josie and the Pussycats."
And with that, the Green girl turned her back on the teacher and walked back out of the community center. She pretended that there was more equipment she needed to grab, but instead, she hurried out the doors and leaned against a large tree.
She gasped for air, heart continuing to beat faster and faster. She braced herself against the bark, hands scraping against the trunk.
Kevin came rushing through the double doors, heading whipping around.
"Rosie!" he called. He put a hand on her shoulder. "What the hell did Grundy say?"
The brunette glanced up, eyes cloudy. "She threatened me, Kev. She legitimately threatened me."
"No. Way," he breathed.
"Way."
"What are you going to do?"
Wow! It's been a hot minute since I've updated this story! I'm so sorry I haven't been actively updating. I do have a good excuse – I just finished up my university degree! I'm working on doing some extra stuff so I can get a job somewhat soon, so I won't be updating again for a little while, but I'll do my best to continue working on it.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you SO much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. I am BLOWN AWAY by your amazing reviews and love for this story. Thank all so much! :)