The weather shifted with a permanent chill in the air, as the leaves browned and furled into themselves. And despite his promise, Sage hadn't heard from Jughead in weeks. But there was more than enough to keep her occupied. Things had been fairly dull on the Southside, but just on the opposite side of town, the Northside was making up for it.

Finally, a formal funeral was held for Jason Blossom. Although Sage only had a brief interaction with him, she caught herself thinking of him often that day and wished him peace as he was finally laid to rest.

Aside from the funeral, his ex-girlfriend, who overnight became the main suspect in his open murder investigation, had gone missing. Search parties scattered about Evergreen Forest to find the new suspect.

The town was divided yet again. Some publicly begged her to come home safely, while others wanted blood for blood. That is until the missing girl's parents announced she was pregnant with the Blossom boy's baby.
It seemed so peculiar to Sage that two young people, whose lives had only just begun, could cause so much division and chaos. Even though it wasn't happening on her turf, the news, gossip, and speculation exploded everywhere.

As if that wasn't enough to keep Sage busy, she felt troubled and consumed by the surprise she found in FP's trailer. There was a gnawing dread in her gut, feeding off all the unanswered questions in her head. Why did FP have Jason's jacket? What did he mean when he called it insurance? How was the waitress fit into this? Did FP have something to do with the missing girl?

There seemed to be no answers, only more questions that lead her down a rabbit hole of confusion. She needed to confide in someone. She was driving herself crazy.

Sweet Pea and Sage sat together at the bar. Toni recently picked up hours working behind the bar with Hog Eye and when it wasn't busy, they liked to keep her company and occasionally benefit from a few free drinks.

"Where's Joaquin been?" Toni asked as she poured a beer for a wiry woman nearby named Byrdie. She slid it over to her and turned her attention back to the group.

"You haven't heard?" Sweet Pea feigned surprise. "He's been with his new boy toy, Kevin."

"Kevin?"

"The sheriff's kid from the drive-in, remember?"

Sage's head shot up. "Oh really?"

"Yea, and if he's not with his boyfriend, he's with FP," Sweet Pea added, bitterly. There was a note of jealousy in his voice.

Ah, and the plot thickens, thought Sage to herself, abandoning her math book.

"Whatcha working on Sage?" Sweet Pea asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Homework," she answered, begrudgingly.

He peeked over her shoulder. "That one is wrong," he pointed out.

She shot him a glare.

"What! Oh, and that one, that's wrong too."

She pursed her lips tightly and slid the sheet of paper over to him. He gave her his signature grin and plucked the pencil from her hand as he bent over the sheet, erasing furiously. Sage turned her attention back to Toni.

"Something's definitely up," Sage whispered to Toni.

"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning in.

"I don't know. I had to go to meet FP and I saw something I don't think I should have. Toni, he had Jason Blossom's jacket in his closet."

Toni's eyes lit up, placing a bottle of whiskey down and leaning in close. "What?"

"It doesn't make much sense. Blossom helped FP do a run for quick money, then he ends up dead. Now, his girlfriend winds up missing?" Sage licked her bottom lip.

"Not to mention pregnant," interjected Toni.

"Remember the final night at the drive-in? There was a woman FP met that night."

Toni leaned in, even more, eyes as wide as saucer plates, drinking up every word.

"What if she paid FP to kill Blossom?" Sage speculated in a hushed voice.

"But why?"

"Why would anyone want to kill a high school kid? I have no idea. But I know that it all has to be connected." Her brow furrowed down. "Right?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. But I'll keep my eyes and ears open around here for you."
"Thanks," Sage smiled as Sweet Pea slid her paper back over.

"Here," he said. "Don't tell anyone that I'm actually a math whiz."

"Your secret is safe... until I need something, then I'm using it as blackmail."

Things became even more complicated.

The missing girl had been found and had also gone public with her story, including how Jason had taken a job with the Serpents to make money so they could run away together. The police, the Blossoms, and the town, now turned their focus on the Serpents.

The assumption was an obvious one. If Jason was doing a job for the Serpents and it went sour, as often things revolving around the Serpents do, they clearly must have killed him. But where exactly did it go wrong? What was the motive?

Sage laid on her bed, trying to concentrate on a passage for her English literature class. Her eyes skimmed over the same paragraph again and again but she couldn't seem to retain anything from the jumbled up letters. She was debating if she should keep trying or give up altogether when she heard two male voices arguing in hushed voices outside her door.

"What on God's earth has FP done now?" the first voice said, clearly agitated.

"He telling people it's to keep tabs on everything, but the man's losing it. Taking a job with Andrew's Construction? After what Fred did to him?" the second voice gruffed.

"He's been letting stuff slip through his fingers for some time now anyway."

"At least he finally took care of that damn car."

Sage tossed her English book off to the side and crept slowly and quietly over to the door so she could hear better.

"He didn't though. Not on time anyways. His kid and Alice's daughter found it first. They took pictures and ran off to Keller and that's when FP torched the evidence, " the first man rebutted.

The second man cursed loudly. "That damn drunk. His priorities are all wrong. This could really screw us over."

There was silence for a few moments. Sage pressed her ear to the door. She realized she was holding her breath when her lung began to burn in protest.

"...Or it could end up helping us in the long run, if we play our cards right." the second voice mused.

"FP could finally be out finally," the first voice said thoughtfully.

"Speak of the devil, he's calling me. I've got to go meet him. We'll revisit this later. Meet me at the motel later."

Sage waited till she was sure the footsteps were departing before flinging open her door. Still, on her hands and knees, she peered from around the door frame to try to catch a glimpse of the men. One was already out of sight but she definitely knew who the other was.

"Whoa," she whispered out loud. "Holy shit."