HEY EVERYONE! SORRY FOR THE DELAY. My car got trashed then a month later my new one did too. All because I parked in front of my house twice. Now I have to move out, I'm working overtime at work yatta yatta. I hope you all enjoy this chapter/episode.
Chapter 48: Brain Of Terror!
*Aria's POV*
Half way through April. Hard to believe right? Well, it was a lovely day outside. Perfect for doing outdoor activities. Except I wasn't outside. I was inside, on a Tuesday afternoon. I had helped Dilton this morning with his 'Thinking Cap' machine. That's what I call it anyhow. Now I was at work. I wasn't serving burgers though. Nope. Why? The A/C machine broke, which meant I had to go in the wall through a small ground vent in the back by the juke box. It felt worse than an oven in here. I had called Dilton and asked him to come help me, but instead of waiting I decided to give it a try. It was a bit slow today anyhow. Odd really. Still, I started screwing in a screw and looked in it.
*Ok. So it wasn't that. Maybe it's this?* I thought as I went to look through the wires.
"Hey Aria." I heard suddenly. I jumped and hit my head very hard on the machine. It was a loud thud too.
"Ouch!" I yelped out as I pulled out from the A/C. I saw Moose standing there.
"Gee, I'm sorry. Are you ok?" Moose asked me with concern.
"Hey Moose. Yeah. I think I'm ok." I said as I felt my head. I winced in pain.
"What are you doing?" He asked me.
"Fixing this machine. It's broken." I tell him.
"Aria! You ok?" Midge asked me as she came over.
"I'm ok. Thanks." I say as I smiled.
"I'll serve you two in a minute. I know I can get this fixed." I say with determination as I went back in. It was an odd machine I can almost crawl into in done right.
"Need help?" Moose asked me. I didn't notice he was holding the plug to the main temperature gauge above me.
"Not yet. I think I found the problem though." I say as I was touching wires and fixing the connection.
"Maybe this helps." Moose said.
"Wait Moose!" Midge yelled.
"Wha-Gyah!" I was starting to ask but then screeched as I got shocked. Well, slightly electrocuted is more like it. I pulled away and fell down. I heard the A/C working again.
"All fixed. Um. Aria?" Moose said before looking at me.
"Thanks Moose, but next time, wait until I'm not touching wires before plugging something in." I say as I stood up. I started fixing my staticy hair the best I could.
"Sorry about that." Midge apologized.
"It's cool. No harm done." I say as I stood up and dusted myself off.
"Guess I didn't need Dilton after all." I say as I brought them to a booth.
"Gee, I really didn't mean to do that." Moose said as he felt guilty.
"It's alright Moose. I'm not hurt, no one got hurt, the A/C's fixed, so we're good." I say cheerfully to him. Moose was a total sweetheart with a big heart. He was just…. Well… Slow.
"Date time?" I asked them.
"Yeah. Moose is failing some classes so Betty's going to tutor him." Midge explained. I nodded.
"So a salad with chicken and avocado for you and a double bacon cheese burger with very thin tomato slices and fries for Moose?" I asked them. That's their usual anyways.
"How'd ya know? Are you a Cyclops?" Moose asked me. I tried not to laugh.
"I think you mean psychic. And no, It's your usual that you two get almost every time." I say with a smile.
"Oh yeah. Psychic. Right." He said with a smile.
"Sounds perfect." Midge said to me.
"Oh Midge, that reminds me. I made a new vinaigrette you might like. Apple cherry Vinaigrette." I say to her.
"Oh yum. I'll have that on it." She said happily.
"Righty-O." I say as I skated off. I got the order ready and came out to see Reggie flirting with Midge. Right in front of Moose. I set the food down and grabbed Reggie's ear.
"Reginald Mantle! Sit down in another booth and leave Midge alone! She is happy with Moose and doesn't need you!" I say to him as I pulled him to a booth and sat him down.
"Ow ow ow. Alright alright. Sheesh. Jealous much Doll Face?" He asked me as he rubbed his ear.
"No. But I know right from wrong." I say as I pulled the note pad and pen out. I noticed his football uniform and figured Archie and Jughead would be here shortly.
"What do you want, and I swear if you say something stupid that's supposed to be a flirt, I'll kick you out." I threaten. He was going to say something but closed his mouth when I told him that. He folded his arms and pouted.
"A burger with cheese and fries please." He tells me. I smiled in satisfaction and wrote it down.
"Coming right up." I say cheerfully and skated off to tell Pops. He has yet to let me cook burgers. Why? Because of his secret recipe he has. Maybe one day I'll know it. I tried recreating his burgers….. I failed each time. I don't know how he does it. I looked and saw Midge wave me over. I skated over to her.
"Everything ok?" I asked her.
"This vinaigrette is amazing!" Midge told me. I smiled a very bright smile.
"Glad you like it. You're the 1st to try it." I say cheerfully.
"Wait…. You had me test something out that no one tried?" She asked me in shock.
"Sorry, but would you have tried it if I had told you?" I asked her. She thought about it.
"Maybe. Oh well, I like it never the less." She tells me. I smiled and made a note of it.
"Great! I'll tell Pops so we can keep it for the summer." I say happily and skated off. I let Pops know about the vinaigrette and he agreed to keep it on. I continued working and stopped when I saw Dilton. I skated over and hugged him from behind.
"I thought you were coming by earlier? I fixed the A/C already." I say and kissed his cheek.
"I know and I'm sorry. My work kept me." He said and showed me a box. It was small and black velvet. I tilted my head.
"What's this?" I asked curiously.
"A very late apology gift." He tells me. Now I was confused and I guess he realized that.
"You thought I was mad at you and I wanted to get you something to say how sorry I was. Dinner and a movie wasn't enough in my eyes." He suddenly tells me. I grabbed the box and looked at him.
"Aw~, Dilton. You didn't have to get me anything. I knew you were sorry." I tell him. He turned to me and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he blushed.
"I know, but still." He says as he got shy. He was so cute when he got like that. I smiled and opened the box up. I gasped at what was in front of me. They were diamond earrings of a music note, a treble clef actually, and they were gorgeous.
"Dilton. They're beautiful." I say softly to him.
"I got them instead of some parts I needed. You're worth more than that." He suddenly tells me. I looked up at him in shock, because his parts were usually expensive, and put two and two together.
"Dilton? Please tell me these are fake diamonds." I say softly to him. He shook his head no.
"Real diamonds and sterling silver." He tells me. I put the earrings in his hand.
"I can't take this. That's too much." I tell him. He put the box back in my hands and held them.
"Like I said earlier, you're worth it. Besides, they'd look better on you than me." He gently joked. I giggled at his joke before I hugged him.
"You're so sweet. Thank you so much." I say to him.
"Hey Aria, remember what we talked about?" Pops suddenly called out.
"Oh, right. How about you take a seat. I'll be back shortly." I tell him then skated to Pops. I'm not supposed to hug people on shift. I went up to him and showed Pops the earrings.
"Sorry Pops, but Dilton got me these lovely diamond earrings." I say to him. He looked at them and smiled.
"Well, I can see why you hugged him now. After Moose and Midge leave, you can leave for the day." He tells me.
"You sure?" I asked him.
"Well why not? It's surprisingly slow today." He tells me. I smiled a big wide smile.
"Thanks Pops." I say happily. I decided to wear my earrings and cleaned the tables. I checked on Midge and Moose.
"Ice cream?" I asked them.
"No thanks. So what did Dilton give you?" Midge asked me. I showed them the earrings.
"Real diamonds! He's so~ sweet." I say with a happy smile.
"Aww.~ That's so sweet." She tells me.
"He's so nice to you." Moose tells me.
"He tries his best. Jughead does too." I say to them.
"Hey Doll Face! Where's my refill?" I suddenly heard Reggie yell. My eye twitched before taking a deep breath.
"I shouldn't even be serving him. I'm still a bit mad at him." I say as I write up their bill.
"Why? What did he do?" Moose asked me.
"Probably something stupid." Midge said. I nodded.
"The article where we wrote about the pirate ghouls, well before all that happened, he upset me because… Because I have a nasty scar on my side, from when I was burned, and he saw it. He made a comment and upset me." I tell them.
"That's mean." Moose said.
"Yeah. But what made me even more mad was he walked in on my changing and saw my breasts." I say softly.
"He did what?!" Midge yelled out in shock. I jumped and tried to balance again. Once I did, I sighed in relief.
"Sorry." Midge said softly to me.
"It's ok. It was an accident. And him walking in on me was an accident too. But I'm still a bit mad." I said as I pulled the bill off for them.
"Want me to teach him to knock?" Moose asked. I smiled at his offer.
"No thanks Moose. I think he learned his lesson." I say sweetly to him.
"Today Doll Face!" Reggie ordered.
"Reggie! She's tending to other customers! She'll get to you in a minute!" Dilton suddenly scold. I smiled a bigger smile at Dilton defending me.
"So sweet he is." I say softly.
"Good luck with the studying Moose. I know you'll do well." I tell him before skating to Reggie. I got his refill and got Dilton a drink too. I skated over to where Moose and Midge sat and collected the money before cleaning up. I saw Pops carrying out an Ice cream as I clocked out. I skated to Dilton.
"I'll change so we ca-" I started saying but stopped when I saw the sundae in front of him.
"It's alright. You look nice as is. Let's enjoy our time together." He says as he gestured for me to sit with him. My heart fluttered as I sat with him.
"You sneak. I love it." I say as I kissed his cheek. He blushed a soft pink and offered me a spoon. I took it and we enjoyed the ice cream together. Archie and Jughead came in just as Reggie finished eating. They looked upset and I knew why.
"I wish we could help Moose out." I say softly to Dilton. I felt bad and tutoring him isn't easy.
"Dilton? Could we-" I started asking but he cut me off.
"No! It's bad enough he helped test out the Brain Gain machine, but it's not stable enough to make him smart for a day. Not yet." He tells me.
"I understand. I…. I just feel bad." I say to him.
"I do too, but a couple minutes versus a whole day is different. It could make him unstable or worse." He explains. I sighed.
"Alright. But if you change your mind or something bad happens, please tell me." I tell him.
"I will." He says as we finished the ice cream. Pops came over with a smile.
"On the house today since you didn't have a lunch break yet." Pops suddenly said.
"Thanks Pops." I say with a cheerful grin. We got up and started walking. I decided not to change.
"So Dilton? Need help wi-" I started asking but got interrupted. Again.
"Hey Aria! Wait up!" Dilton and I looked behind us to see Jughead running to us.
"Hey Jughead." I greeted.
"Greeting Jughead." Dilton greeted as well.
"Hey Dilton. Aria! I need help. I just found out about the history test tomorrow. Could you help me study?" He practically begged me. I sighed.
"Jughead. I reminded you of this test several times." I told him.
"I know, and I'm sorry. Please help me? I promise I'll make it up to you!" He begged. I looked over at Dilton.
"It's alright. I can handle the machine." Dilton tells me. I hugged him.
"Alright." I say and let him go. I looked at Jughead.
"Come on burger miser, let's study." I say to him. He hugged me happily.
"Thank you!" He says happily and starts guiding me to his house.
"Jughead? We're going to your house?" I asked him.
"Yeah. Why?" He asked me.
"No reason. We rarely go there is all." I say matter of factually to him. It was true. In reality, I've only been over there 12 times since I've been here in Riverdale. We usually hang out at Archie's or sometimes Betty's or outside like school, Pop Tate's, the park, arcade, movies ext.
"Well, I thought we'd change it up a bit." He tells me as he gives that small tone and look, you know the one, where it seems like he's hiding something.
"You left your books at home didn't you?" I ask him.
"What? Pft. No." He tells me. I raised my eyebrow at him. He sighed.
"Yeah. I did... Again." He admits with a sad tone.
"Mhm." Was all I could say to that. I didn't mind him not wanting to admit about the books, but still. We arrived at his place and I smiled as I saw Mrs. Jones.
"Hi Mrs. Jones. How do you feel?" I ask her kindly. She was due in two months and Jughead was excited to be a big brother.
"Hello Aria. Just fine actually. Jughead, I'm going to my doctor's appointment. You're father will be home late and, please, clean your room." She said and nearly begged about the last part.
"But it's clean mom." He tells her. She sighed and shook her head.
"You two be good. I left some goodies in the kitchen for you." She says and kisses the top of his head. Jughead lightly groaned as I giggled.
*He's lucky to have a mom who loves him that much.* I thought to myself before I suddenly got pulled into a hug. Mrs. Jones hugged me then let me go before patting my head.
"You're such a nice girl Aria. You're always welcome here." She tells me.
"Thank you Mrs. Jones. You and Jughead have been very kind." I tell her sweetly.
"Oh my. What lovely earrings." She said as she noted my earrings.
"Thank you. Dilton got them for me as an apology." I say as my cheeks went pink.
"That was very nice of him." She complimented. We failed to notice the look Jughead gave us. She waved us goodbye before leaving to go to her appointment. I smiled at Jughead.
"Why don't you set up and I'll bring in the snacks." I say kindly to him. He usually didn't mind but he shook his head no and started taking me to the couch.
"No way. You're my guest, so I'll get the snacks. Besides, you're so smart, you know what we need to study." He tells me. I look at him with a dumbfound look.
"Jughead? Are you feeling alright?" I asked him.
"Yeah. Why do ya ask?" He asked me.
"No reason. You just usually let me get the snacks and stuff. That's all." I say as I sat down and pulled out my book.
"No, I'm fine. I just want to be a good host since you're helping me out, that's all." He tells me with a smile. I smiled as I believed him.
"Alright. If you say so." I say and opened the page to where we needed to start studying. He came back with some snacks and drinks and we started studying.
"Ok, somethings wrong. What is it?" I ask as I finally had enough of the him being distracted.
"Nothing." He tells me.
"What a load of manure!" I say to him. He looked like he wanted to argue, but sighed in defeat.
"The earrings." He suddenly says in a low voice.
"What?" I ask softly in shock.
"Dilton got you real diamond earrings, and I can't afford anything like that for you." He tells me softly as he looked down. So that was it. Jealousy.
"Jughead!~ I don't need gifts for me to know you care, and Dilton knows this too with him. It was an apology gift, not an engagement ring. They're nice, yes, but spending time with the both of you and seeing you two happy is what I love the most." I say to him. He smiled weakly at me.
"I know, but it makes me feel bad." He tells me. I just chuckled.
"He gave me diamonds, you gave me a friend for life. Allegro." I comment to him. He chuckled as he felt better.
"You're right. I'll stop feeling sorry for myself and stop being petty too." He tells me.
"Ok, Casanova, lets study already. I want you to pass that test." I say with a smile. We studied until it got very late, so I skated home. I know I shouldn't, but I needed the alone time. As I was skating, a small wave of dread came over me. I felt, almost as if, something bad was going to happen. I decided to hurry, in case it had something to do with Vinnie, as the feeling soon left my body. I made it home and sighed happily as I entered the house.
'BAM!'
On the floor again as Allegro bounced all over the place, licking my face, and making cute whimpering sounds like he missed me. I laughed as I snuggled up to him.
"My good boy." I say with a smile. He really was a good dog.
*I wonder what that bad feeling was though.* I thought before shrugging. I had no idea it had to do with the 'Thinking Cap'. I ate dinner, giving Allegro my brussels sprouts, yuck by the way, and hurried upstairs. I got dressed and laid on my bed.
*Morning Aria's POV*
I was at my desk, reviewing in my mind what I studied with Jughead, as the clock ticked. It was a few seconds after the bell rang and our history test would start shortly. I saw no signs of Moose and wondered if he wasn't going to show up. I had the test in front of me when the door opened. It was Moose. He apologized for being late and sat down. He seemed… Different somehow. He sat next to Jughead and diagonally away from me as he looked at his test paper.
*Since when does Moose wear glasses?* I thought suddenly. He never once wore them until today.
*Maybe he thinks it'll make him smart enough to pass his test.* I thought as I shrugged.
"Start." I heard Miss Grundy say as she started a timer. I breathed a low breath out as I flipped the test over and looked at it. I heard Reggie groan and pencils at work.
*World War 1 began in which year? Easy. 1914.* I thought as I circled the answer.
*Adolf Hitler was born in which country? Wow. That's tough. I hope no one said Germany because he was born in Austria.* I thought as I circled the correct answer.
*John F Kennedy was assassinated in _? Wait… That's not what we studied. Oh! I get it! She's testing us on old and new to see if we pay attention or not. Clever Miss Grundy. Very clever. Dallas Texas is the answer.* I thought. As I circled the answer though.
"Done." I suddenly heard Moose say. I looked up in shock.
*Done? Already? But how? Oh goodness, please tell me he didn't just answer randomly because he didn't know.* I thought as Miss Grundy looked it over. Moose was going to leave but Miss Grundy stopped him.
"Hold on a minute Moose." She called out.
"Yes Miss Grundy?" He asked politely. What she said next shocked me to no end.
"Congratulations Moose, you got every question correct." She said.
*What?! How?!* I thought in pure shock as my eyes widened and my jaw dropped.
"I smell a weird mystery." I said very softly to myself. I then inwardly groaned.
*Oh no! I am beginning to turn into Archie!* I gasped the thought in my head. I'd figure it out later. I have a test to finish right now. I looked down and continued my work.
*Question 25. The disease that ravaged and killed a third of Europe's population in the 14th century is known as? Aw that's easy peasy. The Bubonic plague.* I thought as I circled the answer. I had one more left. This was a written answer.
*Name at least 7 important events that occurred during the Revolutionary war.* It read suddenly. Oh cheese biscuits.
*Ok Aria. You know this. I know the Boston Massacre and the Boston tea party easily. After was… Battles of Lexington and Concord then the Battle of Bunker Hill. Um… Capture of… Something came next….. Fort Ticonderoga! That's it! Then Battles of Saratoga then the Treaty of Paris! Okay! Done! Only took...* I looked at the clock and sighed.
*25 minutes. Not bad really.* I thought as I got up. I handed my test to Miss Grundy and waited.
*I'm sure I missed a question or two. Wouldn't surprise me.* I thought to myself.
"Congratulations Aria. A perfect score! I expected nothing less from you though." She tells me as she seemed to be beaming with pride. I smiled a sheepish grin as she excused me.
*Time skip at Chock'lit Shoppe Aria's POV*
I was serving food, as usual, and was having a good day. I told Pops about my perfect score.
"No surprise there. You and Betty are the smartest girls I know." He had complimented. Don't get me wrong, Betty and I are the two smartest girls in the whole school, but I don't always get perfect scores like that. Anyhow, Archie, Reggie and Jughead were sitting together, waiting for food and discussing how Moose aced his test, when I rolled up and gave them their drinks.
"Archie, I don't want to say it, but I definitely smell a weird mystery about Moose and him acing his test." I say to him and the others.
"I agree." Archie says back.
"Why does everything have to be a weird mystery with you two? The important thing is, Moose is still on the team." Reggie tells us.
"Yeah, I guess." Archie says quietly, and possibly a bit sad and/or worried.
"But, you don't think he-" Archie started but I stopped him.
"Moose wouldn't cheat Archie. I was behind him. He had nothing on him nor around him to help him cheat." I say with a small scold. Just then, Betty showed up and I was gone. I didn't want to hear her rant. I needed to work anyhow. I came back and set the food down just to hear Moose talk about the speed of light and how fast it travels. I dropped the empty tray in pure shock.
*How in Einstein did he know that?* I thought in pure shock.
"You okay Aria?" I heard a voice. I jolted out of it and looked at the voice. It was Archie.
"Yeah, just shocked he knew that." I tell him.
"So am I." Archie replies. Weird mystery it was. We just didn't know how weird it would get.
*One week later Aria's POV*
Weird had now hit past the high meter. Moose was definitely not himself. He passed the math test, that was extremely hard because Reggie and Archie barely passed, was reading books of high knowledge from the library, reading during practice and, with the few tests we have had lately, he has passed them all. I was with Archie, Jughead and Betty in the computer room, to help fix the printer again, and got it working. I looked at the papers printed and read. I had tuned out Archie and went deep into thought.
*It's not the glasses like I thought. Doctor Beaumont didn't sell glasses recently, and they had broke during practice and then fixed later, so they weren't cursed nor enchanted. What is going on?* I thought as something occurred to me.
Dilton.
"Aria! Earth to Aria!" I heard Archie say. I jolted out of my thoughts and looked at him.
"Hm? Yeah?" I asked.
"I was asking if you'd help me investigate this mystery." He says to me.
"Already ahead of you cuz. I thought the glasses were doing it, but it was a dead end just like your theory of alien crab people following you." I said to him.
"You can't prove otherwise and neither can anyone else." He says as he folds his arms and pouts. I laughed.
"Sure sure. Ok. I'll help. You follow him for the day, I have a different theory I'd like to look into." I say to him before leaving him alone. I have a feeling this has something to do with Dilton. I tried looking for him but saw no signs of him.
*Not in the lab, maybe home?* I thought as I started walking. After a long trip, realizing half way I had my skates in my bag and skated the rest of the way there, I knocked on Dilton's door. His father answered.
"Yes? How may I help you?" He says as he gives me a somewhat hard look.
*Guess he still doesn't like me.* I thought to myself.
"Hello Mr. Doiley, is Dilton here?" I asked sweetly.
"Yes, but he can't talk now. He's very busy today." He tells me sternly. I flinched at his sternness but tried to not look hurt.
"Ok. I'm sorry to disturb you then. I just had something important to ask him, but I suppose I could, perhaps, wait until tomorrow." I say in a kind tone of voice.
"That's fine then. Have a nice day." He says and shuts the door. I sighed and looked down. I started skating home as the sun started setting. It was Wednesday and I had the day off.
'Think of it as a reward for doing well on your exams. It's a paid day off.'
He had told me and knew I had been working very hard. I was getting ready to pass the movie theater, but stopped when I saw Midge looking at her watch with sadness.
*Moose is late? He's never this late and never misses date night with Midge.* I thought worriedly. I went to her.
"Midge! Hey, you ok?" I asked her as I stopped next to her.
"Oh, hi Aria. I'm ok. I'm just worried about Moosey. He's never forgotten our date." She says sadly to me. I felt bad.
"Well, how about we see a movie then? I might not be Moose, but a friend to comfort you is better than loneliness." I say wisely.
"Well… Sure. Why not? I already have the tickets anyways. Best not to let them go to waste." She says as she smiles. I took my skates off and followed her.
"I'm sure Moose didn't mean to forget. To be honest, I think, no I know, it's a weird mystery and Archie and I will solve it." I comfort her.
*Next day Aria's POV*
Archie had told me he saw Moose in Dilton's lab and my wheels were turning into overdrive.
"If he was in Dilton's lab, then he's using-" I started saying, but then saw Midge go to Moose. I saw the look on her face as he left her alone and frowned. I rushed over without finishing talking to Archie and checked on Midge. I saw her crying and immediately comforted her.
"What did he say?" I asked as I hugged her. Right now, the mystery is on hold. Friendship came 1st.
"Moosey broke up with me because I'm not smart enough." She said and cried on my shoulder. I hugged her and rubbed her back gently.
"It's ok Midge. I'm here, no worries. We'll solve this mystery and get the old Moose back." I comfort her.
"Do you know what's wrong with him?" She asked me.
"I think I do." I say as I walked her inside.
*Later on Aria's POV*
Science class with Professor Flutesnoot. I was next to Dilton. While everyone was at Betty's presentation I looked at him.
"I think Moose is using your thinking cap and it's not going well." I flat out told him.
"What? But you know it only helps with memory." He tells me.
"Yes, I know, but what's stopping him? Dilton, did he threaten you? I mean, I know it's not like Moose, but-" I started saying but we were interrupted.
"What do you two have today?" Professor Flutesnoot asked us. I let Dilton explain half of it while I explained the rest in simplicity. We were congratulated but soon interrupted by Moose's invention. I pulled Dilton aside.
"What did you do?! What did he do?! Dilton tell me!" I whisper to him. I was getting annoyed now. Archie showed up and I know he wants answers too. Dilton got nervous.
"I don't kno-" He started but I interrupted him.
"Dilton! Don't lie to me! Me! Your girlfriend!" I scold him.
"Dilton, did Moose use it?" Archie asked.
"Alright alright! He talked me into it! But I only gave him a little dose and made him promise not to use it again." He says in a panic as he hid behind the helmet. Archie face palmed as I sighed.
"Archie told me he saw Moose in here last night. Dilton, he broke his promise. He broke it and it's costing him and Midge as well. We need to reverse this before it's too late Dilton." I tell him sternly.
"Destroy it before he gets his paws on it again." Archie told him as he put the cap on Dilton and spun the propeller.
"Destroy it? But it's taken me years to-" Dilton tried to defend but was interrupted.
"No buts Dilton. I'm gonna keep an eye on Moose." Archie says then leaves. I look at Dilton and knew what he was thinking.
"Hide it. Hide it in your locker. We'll lie to Archie and get it tonight. I have a feeling we can reverse it and Trick Moose into using it." I say softly to him. Dilton looked at me in shock before smiling.
"I like that rebel mind of yours." Dilton tells me.
"We'll meet here after school, I don't have to work, so we can hurry back." I say to him.
"Right. And… I'm sorry for lying." He tells me.
"I understand why, but I wish you wouldn't with me." I tell him. He nods his head. Once class, and school was over, Dilton hid the helmet and we were now looking over his notes and plans to try and reverse it.
"I'll be back Dilton." I say and left to use the bathroom. What? Girls have to go too ya know. After I finished, I bumped into Moose.
"Oof." I said as I fell down.
*What hit me?* I thought as I looked up. I saw Moose.
"Sorry Moose. I didn't see you." I say kindly as I started getting up.
"Not a problem. I was looking for you anyhow." He says to me.
"Really?" I asked.
*What is he up to?* I thought as I had no idea about his psychic powers.
"Wanna go on a date?" He asked me suddenly.
*Is he joking?!* I thought in shock.
"I'm not joking at all by the way." He says suddenly to me.
*Is he… No… No! He couldn't be reading my mind.* I thought.
"Why me? I'm with Dilton and Jughead. Why not Midge? She loves you Moose." I say to him.
"Midge isn't smart enough for me. You and Betty Cooper are. You're both nice and kind as well. I want to date both of you, but mostly you because you're strong as well." He tells me.
*Ok. This isn't a joke. What do I do? Why me?* I thought and whined a little in my head.
"Listen, Moose, you're nice and all, but I see you as a friend. Maybe even a brother. Midge is the one that cares about you." I say calmly and explained nicely.
*You broke her heart! I had to be the shoulder she cried on! You're acting like a jerk because you think you're smart!* I suddenly thought. I couldn't help it. I saw Moose suddenly get mad.
*Why do I have a bad feeling?* I thought in slight fear.
"You shouldn't have said that. It's not nice calling someone a jerk." He tells me. My heart sank and my eyes widened. He read my mind. I went to bolt but his psychic powers stopped me. Next thing I knew, I hit the lockers really hard and was thrown. I hit the fountain, heard a crack, then blacked out.
*Moose's POV*
I was furious! I had just destroyed Dilton's lab before searching for him. I had used my powers to find out where he put that helmet. It was in his locker. I didn't care who I hurt, I wanted to keep being smart and powerful. No one would stop me. I went into the boy's locker room and used my new powers to open the locker. I saw the helmet and smiled as I pulled it out. I walked back to Dilton's lab and put it on. I turned it on and lights flashed along with some pain. There was always pain. I didn't care though. Now I am the smartest in the world. I saw Archie bust down the door, but he was too late.
"Woah. That's the ticket." I said happily.
"Oh no." Dilton mumbled and covered his face. I was now holding the helmet and looked at Dilton.
"I gotta hand it to you Dilton, This is the greatest invention since the coo-coo clock." I say as I glared at Archie next then Midge.
*Why is she here? It doesn't matter. I don't need her.* I thought as Aria's words and thoughts tried to haunt me.
"Come on Moose, give me the helmet. I'm not going to do anything." Dilton told me. He sounded convincing, but I read his thoughts.
"Yes you will. I can read your thoughts. You want to rewire it to take away my brain power." I scold him.
"Darn." Dilton muttered as he snapped his fingers.
"Hey, isn't that Noah Chompsky?" Dilton suddenly asked. I turned my head to look but saw no one.
*I was tricked?!* I thought in anger. I heard footsteps. I looked and saw Archie and Dilton running at me.
"No!~" I screamed and used my psychic powers to send them flying into the ground. Midge gasped in shock and fear as I looked at Archie and Dilton. Dilton had bruises and so did Archie but that was all. Archie suddenly stood up.
"Come on Moose, you don't need that." He tells me softly.
"Yes I do! Without it, I don't know anything, but with it I'm a genius." I say matter of factly to them.
"No… You're not." We all heard. I looked and saw Aria, holding her left arm close to her as she looked up at me with red delirious eyes and a bloody nose. She was hurt badly because of me.
*Aria's POV*
I was now looking at an angry, big brained Moose. My arm felt broken and I wasn't feeling well, not to mention my nose was bleeding a bit. I was too nauseous and in pain to be mad.
"You're not a genius Moose." I say in a low tone.
"Of course I am! For instance, did yo-" He started but I stopped him.
"Moose! Think about what you're going to tell me and tell me if you understand it, if you know what it means." I say calmly to him. My anger had to be low and my intelligence and compassion high.
"Well… No. I don't know what it means." He tells me suddenly.
"Moose. That machine, it doesn't make you smarter. It gives you a photographic memory. In a way, it just helps you remember, not learn." I explain to him.
"But..." He was starting to say but lost the words.
"Face it Moose! You're just… A novelty act! Like one of those guys who reads backwards!" Archie said as he approached Moose.
"No!" Moose yelled ans used his powers again. Archie went flying and landed on his head as he hit the floor.
"Midge. Talk to him. The real Moose is in there, but is lost. Talk to him, please." I say as I weakly went to Archie.
"What are you doing Moosey?" She asked Moose as she was worried. Moose looked down in shame before looking up.
"I don't know! I'm so confused!" He says in a panic. This wasn't good. Those volts were too much and were going to make his head explode if not careful.
"Think Moose, think. Think about what's important to you. You're friends, you're family, football." She says as she gets closer to him. Moose was rubbing his head in pain. Archie got up and was ok so I decided to sneak over to try and get the helmet while he was distracted.
"I can't think! I don't know how!" He says as he looked at Midge with fright. Suddenly, the ground shook, glass beakers were breaking, the ceiling was crumbling. Moose was loosing control.
"You know more than you think Moose and I know something too! I know I want my Moosey back!" She tells him as she covers her head. I tried not to puke as I held onto a desk. Midge was reaching for Moose when he suddenly backed up and screamed in pain. His psychic waves were happening again, almost like tremors, and everything shook more. I saw what was happening and grabbed Midge just as we were sent flying. We hit the floor with a thud. I, and maybe Midge, heard a crack and I cried out in pain. I opened my watery eyes and saw Midge was ok. I took most of the blow for her, but I saw Archie and Dilton were hit with pieces of ceiling and glass, though the desks protected them from most of the damage, as everything suddenly stopped.
"Midge!~" Moose yelled as I heard him run over. Moose helped Midge off me and held her close.
"Funny, Moose wasn't concerned about us when he was trashing the place." Dilton said somewhat quietly. I sat up and held my arm.
"The power of love." I say with a smile. I heard footsteps and then Archie and Dilton were next to me.
"You ok?" Archie asked me.
"Yeah, had a run in with Moose earlier but I'll live." I say softly. Dilton took out a Handkerchief and carefully cleaned the blood off me.
"You seem to be holding your arm. Is it broken?" He asked as he went to look.
"If it wasn't before, it is now." I say softly before wincing. He touched my arm.
"The machine!" Archie suddenly gasped and went to get it.
"Go help him Dilton. I'm ok." I lie to him.
"No. You need me right now." He tells me sternly.
"I love that you rode up in a white horse to help me, but be a hero and help Moose before the effects worsen and kill him." I say as I cradle my arm again. Man, did it hurt. Dilton wanted to fight me but I stopped him.
"Dilton, fix your mess now." I say to him. He nods and runs off.
"Midge, speak to me!" He said as fear and worry filled his voice. I looked and saw him smile before Midge reached up and hugged him.
"Oh Moosey! I knew you were in there somewhere." She says happily as relief sounded in her voice. I only sat and watch as Dilton tried to fix the helmet.
"Dilton! Try switching the wires!" I say to him as I tried to hide my pain.
"Oh! Aria, are you alright?!" Midge asked me.
"I'll live. Are you hurt?" I asked her. She shook her head no.
"You took most of the damage, but I heard a crack." She tells me.
"Yeah.~ That was my arm….Breaking." I told her. She gasped but I shook my head.
"When I hit the fountain, I either broke it or slightly fractured it. Now I know it's busted." I say to her. I looked and saw Moose working on the machine then used it on himself to go back to normal. Right when Moose turned it on, everything shook and beams of light shot out and broke a window.
"Everyone! Behind the desk!" Archie yelled as he came over to help Midge bring me there. We all took cover as this was happening. Then it stopped. We looked up and saw Moose take the helmet off. I tried not to laugh at what I saw. His hair was frizzed out, almost like Archie's was the night we we're investigating the sewers and he electrocuted himself. Moose was Dizzy and sat down.
"Moose! You ok!" Midge asked as everyone went to check on him.
"Woah! That's the ticket." He said and looked at everyone with a smile.
"Moosey!" Midge cried out happily. I was feeling tired so I closed my eyes a bit to try and keep my mind off the pain.
"You we're right Aria. We just… Needed to switch the wires." Dilton said sheepishly as he sat next to me.
"Told you." I say softly.
"How did you know?" He asked me.
"To be honest, I didn't really. I just thought some things are easier then they appear." I say as I smiled, still keeping my eyes shut. We heard a crunch and I knew Moose destroyed the helmet.
"Hey guys! I don't wanna ruin the moment, but my arm is broken, so can we go get it fixed please?" I ask as I felt sick from the pain. I then felt myself get picked up and gasped in shock. It was Moose. He picked me up and then started carrying me to Archie's car.
"Gee, I'm sorry about earlier Aria." He tells me as he was himself again.
"It's ok Moose. I'm not mad. I know you didn't mean it. You weren't yourself. I'm just glad you're back to normal and no one else was severely hurt." I say with a kind smile.
"You're a good friend Aria." He says sweetly. He really was a gentle giant. He set me in the car and we all took off to the hospital. Archie and Dilton had a few bandages put on, while I had a couple bandages and a cast. My arm was in a sling too to help it rest better. Aunt Mary and Uncle Fred weren't going to be happy about this. I was right. They came to the hospital, since the doctor called them and the Doiley's, and started scolding us while hugging us. Suddenly Mr. Doiley came over.
"This is your fault. This is your niece's fault that my son got hurt! I know it is. She's nothing but trouble!" He says as he accused me.
"You're wrong! My niece wouldn't have caused trouble!" My uncle said in an upset tone as he defended me.
"He always gets hurt or into trouble when she's around!" Mr. Doiley said sternly.
"Dad! Stop! She did nothing!" He defended.
"It was my fault! I stole Dilton's invention that Aria helped with and I gained psychic powers and lost control." Moose said as he tried to defend us.
"Her arm broke because she cushioned my fall!" Midge added.
"The invention was mine dad! Aria might've helped, but I made it and I didn't tell her I let Moose sample it a second time. If she would've known, then she could've stopped Moose sooner!" Dilton tells his father.
"Why do you dislike me? I'm nothing but respectful! I care for Dilton a lot! If one or both of us is hurt, it's either on accident or from someone else!" I tell him as I was so upset and confused why he acted out towards me.
"Come on Dilton. Let's go home." Mr. Doiley says as he pushed his son out the door. I teared up from sadness. Uncle fred took me to his car while Archie drove his mom.
"You ok kiddo?" He asked me. I teared up and shook my head.
"No." I said as my voice cracked. He sighed as I felt him stop at the stop light.
"Why does Mr. Doiley hate me?" I asked him quietly. Uncle Fred knew I was polite to him but he still resents me being around Dilton.
"Because he thinks you're like everyone else. Someone taking advantage of him." He explained to me.
"But I'm not." I say softly in defence.
"And I believe you. It's just hard for him to believe. That's all. He's the same to Archie." He explained to me. I then felt him take a turn. I looked up and saw Pop's. I was confused.
"Come on. I know what'll cheer you up." He says as he helped me out of the car. I curiously followed him inside. We both sat at a booth just as Pops showed up.
"Well hello Fred. Good to see you around!" He greeted.
"Same to you Pops. How about an old fashion triple chocolate Milkshake with a hint of peanut butter and whip cream with chocolate sprinkles on top. Just the way we used to have them. Two actually." He asked as he mentioned the good old days.
"Sure thing. And how are yo-oh my! What happened?" Pops suddenly asked as he stopped mid greeting to me.
"Lab accident." I say and shrug. He didn't need the details.
"Oh. Well, sorry to hear that." Pops said with a hint of sadness.
"Stuff happens." I say simply.
"Dilton's dad blames her and keeps treating her badly." Uncle Fred explained.
"Well, I understand why, but Aria's a sweetheart." Pops said. I smiled sweetly.
"Thanks Pops. And, I'll still be in tomorrow to work. So no babying me." I say jokingly. Pops laughed and smiled.
"No problem. I'll get those milkshakes ready now." He says then leaves. I smiled. At Pop Tates I was loved. I was loved through most of Riverdale. I might be different, but I'm still human.
"You always did use Milkshakes to cheer me and Archie up." I say softly to him. I really did look up to Uncle Fred. He was like the father I wish I had, nothing like the one I have now.
"I'm glad some things don't change." He says with a kind smile. Pops gave us the shakes and left us be. I drank a little bit and my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Wowzers! This tastes incredible!" I gasped out happily.
"Indeed. This was one of my favorite shakes growing up." He tells me as he drinks some.
"I can see why." I say and drink more.
"Easy now. Don't get a brain freeze." He tells me. I drank it all down quickly and then held my head.
"Ow. Minor brain freeze." I say softly. Uncle Fred sighed and shook his head with a small smile.
"I warned you." He says then chuckles.
"Yeah, but it was worth it." I say and chuckle with him. We stayed and talked for a while before he paid and took me home to rest. I'd rest later though. Right now, I was going to help Archie with the weird Mystery column. I got up there just in time to see Archie done with his half. I sat down and told him my side of the story.
"It didn't take a genius to know that the Thinking Cap had to be destroyed and it sure is nice having the old Moose back. ~Archie. Yes, but I'm glad i had Dilton not listen to you right away. Otherwise, Moose wouldn't be better. ~Aria. True. Now Moose is getting smarter. ~Archie. Only now, he's taking the time to study for real. As a result, the grade point average is a little higher. ~Aria. ...In a little town called Riverdale! ~Archie and Aria!"
"I'm glad that's done and overwith." I say happily. Archie then hugged me.
"You gonna be ok?" He asked me.
"Geeze Arch, you act like I'm dying! I'm fine alright? How about you though?" I asked him.
"Nothing too bad. I'm good enough for football." He tells me.
"I'd rather you sit this one game out. After getting knocked in the head like that, another blow could lead to a concussion." I tell him flat out.
"I'll be alright." He tells me. "Is that how I sound when I'm stubborn?" I suddenly ask. Archie nods his head. I sighed.
"Fine. Go ahead. Just be extra careful ok?" I say softly to him. He was my cousin, my family I cared for, so of course I'm gonna worry.
"I will. You should rest though." He tells me. I smile and nod my head before I go down to my room. I eventually fall asleep.