"Echo!" Jughead Jones called, searching the woods nearby sweetwater river in a frantic manner.
"Echo!" Betty Cooper called as soon as the news had come from Izzy that the girl had been shot.
Izzy came to them with blood, covering his shirt. He hid a devious grin behind a false sense of concern for his former best friend. He led them all the way to where the events took place, "She claimed she was going to kill herself on behalf of JD."
Jughead knew in that moment the blue eyed boy was lying. He read the journal entries his sister wrote to help her overcome the loss of her former love.
"Isaiah Andrews, what the fuck did you do to my sister?" Jughead angrily snatched the boy by the tee shirt.
Veronica and Archie had rushed ahead since the ginger boy had more muscle power.
Betty remained with Jughead as the mask fell from the bright eyed boy. She held in a gasp from what was about to transpire.
"You caught me. I raped, shot, and threw the bitch into the lake. I also killed James Dean for his lies of not loving me. What did you fuckers expect?" Izzy said, lifting up his palms to show his surrender.
Betty whipped out her phone to call the police with an ambulance on the way. She couldn't believe Echo Jones would end up at the bottom of the river.
Jughead would have killed Izzy, but it would do him no good. If his sister so happens to be dead than what could beating Izzy to a pulp do? He didn't think Izzy would run so he chose to forget about the boy. He took off running to find the body of his sister.
Izzy wasn't about to stick around, and get caught. He popped the blonde girl when she wasn't looking before scurrying off on foot. All the years of growing up had proved him to be a mastermind.
Betty didn't stay down for too long before she stood, massaging the back of her head from where she had been hit. She didn't see the likes of Izzy Andrews anywhere so she took off towards the water.
Archie had been the one to rescue the cold, limb body of Echo Jones from the river.
Jughead jerked off his jacket, wrapping it around the girl in the ginger's buff arms. He thought all hope was lost as he frantically searched for a pulse on Echo. He refused to lose one of his best friends.
"Icky, you cannot die on me." Jughead breathed as he took the body of his sister from the ginger lad.
"The ambulance won't make it on time. Keep pressure on the gunshot wound in her abdomen. I'm driving her to the hospital." Archie said as the others nodded while saying nothing else on the subject matter.
Jughead clung to Echo for dear life. He kept mumbling incoherent words silently to himself. He wouldn't let anyone else touch the body of his sister until they arrived at the hospital. Sighing, he had to get a grip for when Echo came through it. His head were in his hands as his leg bounced anxiously in it's place. He stayed while the others promised to come visit once they got word of Echo and her recovery.
Betty remained on Jughead's arm, offering her shoulder for comfort to go along with moral support.
"I'm so sorry, Jug." Betty whispers gently in his ear.
Jughead has tears, trailing down his cheeks. "I never should have trusted Izzy with her. I knew something wasn't right about him. It's all my fault."
"It is not." Betty stressed, reaching out to caress his hand. She clings to the beanie wearing boy who happens to cling to her with as much need. "You did everything you could to protect Echo."
"Did I? She's laying on her death in a hospital. If I had stuck by my little sister more than she wouldn't be in this mess. I left her in his company, thinking he was on her team the entire time. It was all a facade." Jughead sobbed, breaking down for the first time since Betty had known him.
Betty did her best to cheer the boy up.
...
Echo Jones recovered from her ordeal. The fourteen year old had been hanging on by a slim thread. She got her feet back in time to be able to attend the jubilee at the town hall. She couldn't miss the disaster she knew it would turn into. Her brown curls with blue highlights were straightened using a hair straightener to flatten the mess.
She smoothed the crinkles of a black, strapless dress with frills on the darned thing. She didn't mind as she wore black converse sneakers. Her socks were long black and blue shocks making people automatically think of a witch upon seeing them.
"Oh my Echo! I've never been happier to see another girl in my entire life!" Jughead happily chirps in a playful manner as his arms wrap around Echo in a hug.
"Jughead, good to see you." Echo beams, gripping him reluctantly by the shoulders. She still wasn't ready to get all touchy feely with those around her. Her eyes snap to the girl in a baby pink dress standing next to her brother.
"Echo, are you alright?" Betty asks with her blonde hair befalling all about her shoulders.
"Can't we get this over with?" Echo asks as they arrive to the town hall. She had been asked by Veronica if she would like to join said Lodge girl and her boyfriend to go as dates to the darned thing. She refused to agree to such a tyranny.
"How do you think tonight with go my Echo?" Jughead chuckles, ruffling her neat, flattened hair.
"It is going to be a weird night." Echo says, shaking her head at how they convinced her to sing with Archie.
Of course, Veronica made the claim she didn't mind if the Jones girl sang with the ginger boy. The girl with neat raven hair might have fancied Archie, but she didn't view Echo as any sort of threat. She hardly ever saw them interact which when they did was what you would expect of a sibling like relationship.
"You and Archie get to perform an original song together. I get to give the speech. I'm fairly certain the night is going to be splendid, E." Betty said, linking her arm up with the brunette girl.
Echo nervously grinned. She wasn't sure being in front of her classmates and their parents were about to do her a bit of good. If anything she felt her anxiety increase. Once word got back to her of Izzy on the run, hiding magic only knows where- she was freaked that he might show up to finish what he started.
"Echo, Izzy is gone. We believe for good. The boy genuinely believed you were dead before leading us to you then rushing off." Jughead said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Echo frowns, hoping Izzy gets the help he needs at some point. She still blamed herself for all the bad that had occurred to her. One could only look back on another if they were responsible in around about way.
"He had some good in him. At least, I believe he did. Otherwise, why lead you guys to me?" Echo brings up the topic as they enter.
Jughead scoffs not buying her words, "He wanted to torment us. It is why the devil incarnate led us to you. It's not because he had sympathy for doing what he did to you nor did he love you like he claimed."
Echo furrows her eyebrows, digesting his harsh words as Betty sends Jughead a glare to shut him up. "It's alright you guys. Don't argue you over me. It's pointless."
Little did the small town of Riverdale know it was forever changed. In more ways than one, the town was changed, but not for the better. Things were about to get a lot worse which meant the story of Echo Jones was just beginning.
