Echo puts on a brave face. She had become passive aggressive ever since what took place with Izzy in the Andrews bathroom. She presses her lips to Izzy as soon as he comes into view of the lunchroom. She had agreed to be his girlfriend when he asked a week later. She played the strap of her backpack on her shoulder.
"When did you two become a couple?" Veronica is the first to ask Echo upon bearing witness to the kiss indoors. She is suspicious of their sudden relationship.
"We've been together since yesterday." Izzy spoke before Echo could reply.
Echo gingerly nods, interlocking her hand with his. She feel disgusted upon the touching. If she could be anywhere else than she would be.
"What he said." Echo said, heading outside with her new boyfriend in tow. She desired her space, but felt as if she couldn't reach out.
"There is no way. How can they accuse someone innocent of murder?" Betty poses the question to Archie. The girl seemed a bit off as if in a faraway distant. She didn't want to be where she currently was.
Jughead sends Echo a quizzical look. He knew his sister hadn't been herself even with returning to the trailer park. His gaze narrows into a scowl at the hand hold of Izzy and Echo.
"They can't with no proof." Izzy pipes up, eyeing the acoustic guitar in between Archie's lap and arm.
Archie found the new relationship status of Izzy and Echo peculiar like the rest.
Izzy sighs, releasing his grip on Echo. He was done sticking the side of his girlfriend. He didn't need to continue following her everywhere since he knew she wouldn't tell them anything. He left her alone with them.
Echo let her shoulders slump in defeat. She gains curious glances from the others.
"Echo, what's the truth?" Veronica had taken a seat after getting her tray of food. She wasn't buying what Izzy was telling them.
"You aren't passive aggressive. What gives, sis?" Jughead softly muses as Echo fights against revealing her truth to them.
"I'm not passive anything. I just don't want arguements flying about me. I agreed to date him to shut him the hell up. Alright?" Echo spouts off, picking up a green apple from her tray of food.
"Alright." Veronica said, not trying to force the issue at hand.
Jughead did not believe a lick of what she was saying. He rolled his eyes, knowing there was something more to Echo's story. He would press her about the topic wence it was them alone or she would go to great lengths to avoid him.
"So, is the plan still on? Echo gets to distract Cheryl and the rest of them while Jug and I sneak upstairs to find what we can about Polly." Betty voices from across from the ginger boy. She seems unusually pensive for somebody who should be beaming with happiness.
"I still say it's a bad idea." Archie put his two sense into the mix.
"Either way, we have to be sleathy." Veronica nods her head.
Echo is staring off in a daze. How could she have let things get so far? If her current boyfriend was on her arm; how would she be able to play the field in order to divert the Blossoms from the topic at hand? She chalked it up to being as stone cold as one possibly could be in order to kill two birds with one rock. She took one bite from her apple before setting it to rot on her tray.
Scooping up her backpack, she was preparing to lose herself in the rest of the day. She didn't get far whenever Jughead jogged over to the girl. She jerked as soon as his hand made contact with her shoulder.
"Echo, what is he doing to you?" Jughead lightly tugged Echo into a nearby yet empty classroom. His hands rested on either side of her shoulders. He made sure to close the door to block the slim glass of the door so Izzy wouldn't find them. His eyes searched hers with such intensity Echo held nothing back from her big brother.
"He took advantage of me. He heard our conversation, thinking I wanted him that way. I let him do what he wanted then let him claim me as his girlfriend. What can I say? I'm weak." Echo blabbered out, gaining a shaky sigh from Jughead.
Jughead had to sit down, bouncing his leg up and down. His gaze had darkened from what he just learned. He didn't know what to make of her struggle to passive aggressive to possible blackmail.
"Echo, you never should have caved. You are stronger than you think. You have to end things with him. You can't allow someone to control you for one dark hour of your life. Otherwise, I'm going to break his bones." Jughead angrily rattles off.
"I can't. He knows where I go. He's the adopted brother of Archie. Do you know how terrible it would be for me to expose him? I would catch all the blame for supposedly leading him on." Echo mumbles to her brother who mulls it over.
"Do you love him?" Jughead asks, knowing she didn't. He swore finding doubt was better than nothing. He saw the distant look in her eyes, confirming the truth for him.
"I don't, but I can't exactly tell him. Can I? Look, if I remain unhappy I'll willingly break it off. For now, let me handle things my way so things don't get worse. He has a bit of a split personality." Echo reveals, earning a look of concern from Jughead.
Jughead stoos up, striding over to his sister. He takes one of her hands gently into his, giving it a squeeze.
Echo could feel the comfort, and genuinity in the simple touch. She grinned for the first time in weeks at how understanding her brother could be. She didn't think she would be happy ever since Izzy forced her to be his girlfriend. Of course, even when she didn't want it- she would never cry rape for fear of it being her fault. Hadn't the whole mess been her fault from the beginning?
"If he puts his hands on you then don't keep it from me. I don't want to go to jail, but you're my best friend, Icky. Got it?" Jughead asked, scanning her eyes before pulling her into a long winded embrace.
Echo nods her head as her hair grazes his neck. She clings tightly to her brother, wanting to feel safe forever. The last time she felt so safe was when JD had been alive to hold tightly to her. "I'd stick a knife where the sun don't shine if he were to lay a hand on me. You don't have to worry about that."
Jughead chuckles, kissing the top of her head. He soon releases his grip on his sister. He decides to switch topics since Echo seemed to be slowly returning to her usual self. He'd keep a lookout on the girl to make sure she didn't do a retreat on them.
"Onto a rather serious topic, Betty has been asking for you. She said she wanted your help on something. She wouldn't tell me what." Jughead said, grinning as Echo eagerly nods.
"Oh, I have an inkling I know what she wants. I have this idea I've been partially discussing with her. It's going to be entertaining for us." Echo gingerly perks up at the memory of what she was planning with B and V.
Betty had talked Echo into it.
Echo did agree with Betty for the fact that they could use a bit of cheer to spruce up their broken lives. The small town of Riverdale which used to have pep- no longer remained unchanged.
Things seemed to be getting rather worse for wear.
