SMOKESTACKS
CHAPTER | TWENTY-ONE
Somehow, and Savannah couldn't recall the moment that she agreed be satan's servant, Betty had roped her and Kevin into helping set up for the homecoming dance. And so, there she stood, perched atop a ladder whilst Kevin held it still, stringing up very large twinkle lights.
"This sucks." Savannah sighed as she twisted one of the lightbulbs, causing it to light up. "I should be doing literally anything but this."
"The faster you work, the faster we can go home." Kevin reminded from beneath her, his body resting against the ladder, making it more unstable than it was stable.
"Face it." Savannah insisted from above, moving down a step for each lightbulb that she would fit. "We're not getting out of here for a while yet."
"I hear you." Kevin sighed in agreement, straightening up and holding the ladder steady as she hopped to the ground. "How many more do we have to put up?"
Savannah glanced down at the box at her feet with a painful wince, "You don't wanna know."
"Polly?" They heard Betty ask from atop a ladder near them. "Thank god, what's going on?"
With a curious look exchanged between them, the two edged closer to their blonde friend in hopes of overhearing.
"And why are you running to be homecoming co-queen with Cheryl?"
Savannah looked to Kevin in disbelief, who shrugged. "What?"
"Cheryl says it's because Polly and Jason were going to be King and Queen." Kevin explained in a hushed voice. "Said it's the next best thing."
Savannah scoffed as they turned their attention back to Betty.
"Did you find something?" There was a pause as Polly replied, "Remember our deal. If you don't find anything by homecoming, it's over, you're coming home."
"Wait, so Polly's their spy?" Savannah asked Kevin, once more, who nodded. "How did I not know this?"
"You don't listen."
"Sounds about right."
"You're not putting yourself in any danger are you?" Betty asked her sister, worried. She then sighed and looked at her phone before sliding it into her pocket, implying that Polly had hung up. "You guys are terrible eavesdroppers."
"Shut up." Savannah cried in mock offense, "I'm better than Archie, come on!"
"I wouldn't say that's an achievement."
"Boo."
"Get back to your lights."
It was an hour later that Jughead appeared, carrying a box of lights toward Betty. The sight alone made Savannah's stomach churn with jealousy. She recalled their almost-kiss moment, which couldn't really be described as one since they hadn't even closed their eyes.
Savannah and Jughead hadn't really spoken since that night, going the first weekend since they had properly met without sending at least one text. She felt as if the isolation was suffocating her.
Kevin held a hand out to Savannah who took it and jumped down, the soles of her shoes banging against the wooden floor. Jughead and Betty looked in their direction, the former snapped his head back to the blonde quickly.
"Why didn't you tell me about the dinner?" Jughead asked Betty, who looked very confused. "Your mom basically tackled me in the hall to invite me and my dad over before the dance."
Savannah felt as if she was going to be sick at the excitement in his voice. He had insisted there was nothing between he and Betty, and maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe this was a parent-child bonding dinner between friends. Somehow though, she doubted it.
"You okay?" Kevin asked softly, his eyes alight with knowing.
"I'm fine." She insisted, gesturing for him to help move the ladder.
"I know you're not." Kevin huffed as they lifted the heavy object, moving it across a few feet. "It's obvious that there's something between you two, even Betty can see that. She's not going to intrude on your territory."
"Jughead is not my territory." Savannah hissed, starting to climb up the ladder so hastily that Kevin was preparing to catch her. "I said I'm fine, so I'm fine."
"If you say so."
Savannah returned home that night, ready to flop into bed and get the next day over with. She hadn't been looking forward to homecoming, she didn't enjoy school dances, not since the last year's semi-formal.
She had been dressed, ready in a deep blue dress that fell a few inches above her knees. Her mother had given her some pearls to wear with the dress, matching the detailing on her corsage that Piper had gotten her.
Stupid heels, Savannah had insisted, not blaming her father who had gotten angry at her attire.
That night, Savannah had been rushed to the hospital with a concusion and a deep cut to the back of her thigh. She'd fallen down the stairs and landed on one of her father's empty whiskey bottles, smashing it with the impact and imbedding a piece of glass into her skin.
"Sav." A voice roused her from her thoughts. Kyle was sitting in the living room with the lights off and a movie on. She didn't recognise the film and it didn't look like he had been watching it.
"Hey." Savannah moved into the room, taking her jacket off and tossing it on the couch, taking a seat next to him. "How you doing?"
"Better, I guess." Kyle told her with a sigh.
She had told him that Ryan was a girl and he said he knew that. He and Piper had been arguing over their relationship for weeks, and not because he was angry that she kissed someone else, but because he was encouraging her to go and figure out her life.
Piper had accused him of pushing her away, that he made a mistake into a bigger deal than it needed to be. But Savannah was proud of her brother for being selfless and looking out for his girlfriend before himself. She was a friend first.
Savannah moved closer to her brother and snuggled into his side, settling in to watch the movie.
"I got you a corsage for tomorrow." Kyle said suddenly, twenty minutes later.
"Thanks." Savannah replied with a smile that he couldn't see, "I don't know if I'm going though."
"Because of dad?"
Savannah didn't respond.
The two had barely spoken of their father since he died. They didn't talk of the injuries he caused them and the truth of his death, protecting their mother from the harsh light of the police and reality.
"You can't let him stop you from living your life." Kyle encouraged his sister, "He's dead, you're free of him."
"Am I?" Savannah scoffed, pulling away from him to stand up quickly. "The scars that he left on me say otherwise."
"So, are you going?" Kyle asked from the doorway of Savannah's bedroom. "You're going to be late."
"Why are you so interested?" Savannah snapped back, sitting at her desk, a mirror propped up against the wall, her makeup spread out in front of her.
"I don't want you to miss out on what I did."
"I'm not going to drop out of school, don't worry."
"I am worried, about you."
Savannah didn't respond as she picked up her mascara and started applying it to her lashes, stalling to see how late she could turn up to the dance. Every part of her screamed to stay home and binge Stranger Things, but she'd promised Betty.
Her phone vibrated on the table, Jughead's name popping up as he send her a text, wondering where she was.
"I can give you a ride in."
"Can you just get out, please?" Savannah asked, growing irritated with her brother. "If I'm going, I'll let you know, okay?"
"Okay." Kyle held his hands up in surrender and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Savannah unlocked her phone to open the text, the first once since before that stupid party at Archie's house.
Are you coming? Veronica and Archie are performing and Betty looked furious. - Jughead.
The girl threw her phone down onto her bed where the same blue dress lay, the one that she'd been unable to wear years before. It seemed such a simple dress, and yet her father thought it was too inappropriate.
"Change your clothes right now, young lady!"
"It's just a dress, Charles, calm down!"
"Don't you tell me to calm down, woman!"
Savannah flinched at the memory that seemed far too fresh. She thought of her brother and Piper and how the girl would be all alone at the dance, without Ryan there to keep her company.
With a sigh, Savannah stood from her desk, not bothering with any lipstick, and approached the dress on the bed as if it were an animal. The fabric was soft under her fingertips, as if it were brand new, never washed.
Yet it had been, doused with cold water to get the blood from her glass wound out.
It still fit her, so well, after a year. It was a royal blue skater dress, flowing out around her hands that couldn't help but grasp the fabric, ensuring it stayed down. It felt vulnerable, as if she could be risking flashing everyone her underwear.
"You look great." Kyle had reappeared, smiling at his sister with the corsage in his hand. "Come on, you're already late."
"Okay." Savannah nodded, picking up her flats from the door and a silver clutch. "Thanks."
"Anytime."
Archie and Veronica were fantastic singers, close friends and partners in crime - however that last part went unknown to their friends, although not for long. As Savannah stepped into the hall, she couldn't help but think that Veronica was standing much too close to Archie.
She saw Betty and Jughead at the back of the hall, the former standing closer to the stage than the latter, who was staring at his phone as if expecting something.
"Hey." Savannah greeted with a half-smile, approaching Betty first.
"You came!" Betty cried, her eyes still locked on Veronica and Archie. "You look great."
Savannah frowned but laughed lightly, "Uh, thanks. You too." Even though she knew that Betty hadn't even glanced in her direction the whole time.
She moved past Betty, who had returned to glowering at the stage, toward Jughead, who hadn't looked up from his phone.
"Been stood up?" Savannah joked, crossing her arms - which was slightly more difficult with a large clutch involved.
"Savannah." Jughead blurted out, sliding his phone quickly into his pocket. "I was sure you weren't going to turn up."
"I wasn't." She confessed with a sheepish smile. "But then Kyle got me a corsage and I thought, better not waste it."
"You look nice." He told her, "I'm sorry we haven't really talked, the last couple of days have been weird."
"Don't worry about it." Savannah waved him off, "I can imagine that your birthday was slightly traumatic, no sweat."
"Thanks." Jughead murmured, his eyes taking in her appearance. She looked like she'd stopped getting ready half-way, but somehow managed to pull it off. Typical lazy and indecisive Savannah.
Veronica and Archie finished their song and rushed off the stage, Betty scurrying over to meet them. She looked outraged, pointing to the hallway, storming ahead of the two, who looked very afraid of the blonde.
"Is Betty okay?" Savannah asked with concern, "I mean, she looks pretty anrgy."
"She's been on edge since dinner, her mom interrogated my dad." He told her, adjusting his beanie. "Missed out on the peach pie."
"That sucks." Savannah teased, mocking his pout. "We know how much you love your food."
"More than life itself."
Savannah frowned as she saw Betty yelling at their friends through the hallway doors. "Let's go see if Betty's okay. She might need backup."
The two made their way through the crowd which was easier than when Veronica and Archie were singing. Most of the students were on the dance floor, a slow song was playing and all the couples were taking advantage of that.
"What's going on?" Jughead asked as they reached their friends, who had suddenly fell silent at their arrival.
"Why does it feel like we're being left out?" Savannah accused, her arms moving to wrap around her waist.
Betty turned to look at Jughead with somber eyes, "Do you want to tell him, or should I?" She asked her two friends, who both looked extremely guilty.
It didn't involve her, once more. Savannah couldn't help but feel like she didn't fit into the close knitted group, that she was like Kevin or Ethel, just appearing at certain times, on the outside looking in, but never fully in the loop.
"Tell me what?"
"We went to your dad's trailer to -" Archie broke off.
"To search it, Jughead." Veronica filled in for Archie, her eyes big and round and worried.
"Why would you guys do that?"
"My mom put them up to it." Betty broke in, looking close to tears. "She was convinced that he was hiding something about Jason."
"We were wrong." Veronica assured him, quickly. "All of us. We didn't find anything."
"We were only doing it to prove that -"
"That my dad wasn't a murderer?" Jughead finished for him, harshly. He looked so utterly betrayed by his best friend, unable to comprehend what he'd done. "You went behind my back, Archie?"
"Jug..."
"How did you - When did you guys know to go to my dad's trailer?"
"Oh my god." Savannah gasped, her hands shooting to her mouth. "That's why your mom asked Jughead and his dad over for dinner, isn't it?" She asked Betty, "Isn't it?" She repeated, louder.
"Yes." Betty breathed, her voice laced with sorrow and regret.
"Unbelievable." Jughead scoffed, moving down the hallway and running his hands through his hair in distress, before turning back to look at Betty.
"I didn't know what they were doing!" She pleaded with him, moving closer to her friend. "I tried to stop her."
Jughead suddenly turned his attention to Savannah, "What about you, huh? Is that why you were so late, did you have something to do with this?"
"What?" Savannah demanded, not quite believing that he would turn this on her. "No! I defended you, Jughead, I'm on your side!"
"I don't know who I can trust anymore." Jughead held his hands up in disbelief, stepping backwards.
"There they are!" Kevin cried from the other side of the hallway, a band of parents came running around the corner, seeking them out.
"Betty, there you are!"
"Not now."
"You have to listen, all of you."
"My dad just told Mayor McCoy about your dad, Jughead." Kevin started, Alice Cooper on one side and Hermione Lodge on the other.
"What about my dad?"
"He was just arrested." It was Fred Andrews that spoke from behind Kevin, from beside Archie's mother. "For the murder of Jason Blossom."
They were out of the school in seconds, them all chasing after their friend who wanted to leave them behind, who couldn't trust his friends to have his back.
The boy who ran down the street in search of a father who wasn't coming back.