Chapter 14: Sticky Maple, Part 1
Archie knew Cheryl had every right to be angry.
Why shouldn't she be angry? Her twin brother had been murdered, and the person who committed this horrific act was still out there, somewhere. Archie wanted to do the best he could to help Cheryl, but he had to be careful. He had two different tasks to take care of at the moment. He had to not only find out who was responsible for Jason's death, but also help Cheryl with the emotional trauma she was feeling. The bowling teams for Riverdale High School might not have meant much, but Archie knew it would be a good distraction for Cheryl. If Cheryl channeled her negative energy into something positive, it could certainly be productive for her.
Archie decided to have everyone that had signed up for the bowling teams to meet him and Cheryl at Pop's. There, Archie hoped that the strategies they would be devising would be enough to take Cheryl's mind off of her stressful situation.
When everyone arrived, Archie introduced himself.
"Hello, everyone", he said. "Most of you know who I am. My name is Archie Andrews, and I am the captain of the Riverdale football team. Cheryl and I have called you all here to discuss the strategies for the two bowling teams. Since Riverdale High doesn't have a bowling team, I figure it's only fair that we started one. Give people more opportunities to participate in extracurriculars."
"Just a couple of questions", Reggie said. "How many players do we need for both teams?"
"Well, there's twenty-three of us here", Archie said. "Twelve for the guys and eleven for the girls. We'll just walk over to the bowling alley and test out our skills. We certainly have more than enough people here. This should be fun."
"Okay, then", Reggie said, shooting a knowing glance at Kevin.
"But before we do that, we have to discuss our plans and strategies", Archie said. "We need to talk about what kind of potential the teams from the other schools have. We also need to work on our own personal skills. Every single one of us needs to contribute in order to give our teams significant advantages."
"This might not be a problem for me", Kevin said. "I was the only freshman to be a starter on the Riverdale wrestling team last year. Lifting that bowling ball might not be a problem. I was lifting weights all the time last year."
"That's good, Kevin", Archie said. "What about you, Reggie?"
"Well, I've played football for two seasons. And I was in the starting lineup on the freshman varsity team. I came to the bowling alley all the time in seventh grade. I think I can handle this."
"All right", Archie said. "Let's head to the bowling alley for some practice. I think we can handle this. We shouldn't worry too much about it. Just have fun."
Cheryl winked at Archie as they walked to the bowling alley. Archie knew that they obviously couldn't hold hands at that very moment. But there was nothing stopping him from thinking about her.
They were the typical, stereotyped couple. The captain of the football team dating the head cheerleader. But Archie wasn't concerned about any of that. He just wanted Cheryl. Even if Cheryl wasn't a cheerleader or rich, Archie knew he would have pursued her anyway. She was a girl that felt broken and alone, and Archie would be the one to help her.
But now was not the time to worry about their relationship. Archie had to hope that the two bowling teams would be able to make a good impression. Someone had to be pleased. As captains, the task of watching out for their bowling season would be passed onto them. Archie had optimism that both he and Cheryl would have a good season for both of their respective teams.
Ten minutes later, the players were able to acquire two bowling lanes for themselves.
"Watch me, everyone", Reggie announced. He grabbed a Brunswick rhino ball and threw it down the bowling alley. Nine of the pins were knocked down.
"Not bad, Reggie", Archie said. "That's good. Let's see if you can knock down that one last pin for a spare."
Reggie rolled the ball down the alley and managed to knock down the last pin. He acquired a spare.
"Good job, Reggie", Archie said. "Kevin, let's see you give it a try."
Kevin took a deep breath, then rolled the bowling ball down the lane. Eight of the pins were knocked down.
"That's pretty good, Kevin", Archie said. "The only problem is that now the two remaining pins are the farthest from each other in this lane. This is commonly known as a 7-10 split."
Kevin sighed.
"There's almost no way I can get both pins knocked down on my next shot."
"Anything can happen", Cheryl said.
"Well, I'll try."
Kevin rolled the ball down the lane. He didn't knock down both of the pins, but the pin on the right was knocked down. At least he managed to get that pin knocked down.
"Okay, then", Archie said. "Moose, let's see you give it a shot."
Moose Mason had been more than willing to join the Riverdale bowling team. Even though he was a star player on the Riverdale football team, his schedule was free enough so that he could bowl for Riverdale High as well. Archie was sure that Moose could handle the task easily.
Moose had chosen a polyester house ball. He rolled the ball down the lane. Archie watched as the ball rolled down the lane. All the pins were knocked down. A strike!
"So far, everything looks good", Cheryl said to Archie.
"Yeah, I'm really liking our chances", Archie said. "If we keep this up, we might actually be able to have a decent standing within the league. It sounds appealing."
Wendy Weatherbee, the niece of Principal Weatherbee, bowled next. Most of the boys at school feared of even talking to her because they were afraid of her uncle. Archie couldn't really fault Mr. Weatherbee for willing to be overprotective of his niece. You never turned your back on family. Archie knew that Jason had been protective over Cheryl. He sometimes wondered, what it would have been like to have a sibling of his own. Most of the other students at Riverdale High that he knew personally had at least one brother or sister, and most of them had more than that. Archie had strong feelings for Cheryl, but he had originally planned to act as a surrogate brother for Cheryl. He guessed he probably should have waited before asking Cheryl to be his girlfriend.
Archie gulped. He realized that he would have to be very careful not to break Cheryl's heart. He secretly couldn't help but wonder, that if he impressed Clifford Blossom or earned the latter's respect, somehow, maybe it would make his relationship with Cheryl easier if they ever planned to reveal their relationship to the public.
Practice continued for the next two hours. Archie could tell that some of the players showed real potential. The others, however, had room for improvement. Archie knew that with tutelage and practice their skills could be sharpened.
Archie and Cheryl walked home that night. They both made sure that no one else could see them.
"You know, Archie, it was a brilliant idea to create the bowling teams for the males and females. It will be a good distraction."
"Cheryl, I just want to help you. I will try my best to find out who was the person who hurt you so terribly. If I have anything to do with it, I will make sure that justice will be served."
Cheryl and Archie headed upstairs. In Cheryl's bedroom, Archie embraced her. She laid her head on his shoulder.
"Good night, Archiekins", she said once Archie had let her go.
"Night, Cheryl."
As Archie headed home, he was thinking about the situations he was in. He had to wonder how he was going to crack the case. Well, there had to be some way of figuring it out. Whoever killed Jason must have had something against him. As far as Archie knew, Jason was popular and respected by a bunch of people. He was the captain of a sports team. He seemed to be admired and venerated by a bunch of people from Riverdale High School and from the town of Riverdale itself. Of course, not everyone in Riverdale felt that way. The murder was clear evidence of that.
Archie would try his best to find out who had done this diabolical crime. He didn't know how, but he would think of something. He figured he would strategize with Betty and Jughead and start asking questions.
Archie decided to rule out more suspects. Dilton Doiley couldn't have been involved considering that he had found Cheryl at Sweetwater River. Of course, Archie had never suspected Doiley. Doiley had the highest grade-point average of everyone in their grade. That didn't mean that he was perfect, but Archie knew that Doiley could never have committed such a horrendous crime. Archie didn't even think Miss Grundy could have been involved. Even though Grundy had been having a forbidden "relationship" with Reggie, Archie didn't think Grundy would have any desire to kill Jason. True, Grundy was disgusting, but Archie just didn't see how she would benefit from slaughtering an innocent teenager.
Archie walked inside his house, clearly wishing he could do something about this investigation. His deductive reasoning hadn't given him much evidence. There had to be something that he needed to find out.
He sighed, clearly tired from the day's events. There would be much to do in the days to come.
Meanwhile…
Chuck Clayton had put his plan into action. This looked almost too easy. Veronica would have no clue what she would be dealing with. Chuck's plan would be simple. He would act charming and charismatic in order to get her to spend time with him. That's when she would fall right into his trap.
Chuck's plan would be to send Veronica messages in order to impress her. Then, he would make his move.
Chuck sent Veronica a message that said, Veronica, I must admit that you are quite ravishing.
VL: Who is this?
CC: Chuck Clayton. You know, we should get to know each other better. Since you're new in Riverdale, I figured I could show you around.
VL: Tell me more.
Chuck smirked. Everything seemed to be going so well.
That Friday, at school…
Archie and Cheryl had briefly texted each other before they both headed to bed. Archie was certain that Cheryl might be feeling better at that moment. What happened to her was terrible and traumatizing, but he at least hoped that he could help her through her pain.
Archie headed to school, feeling determined about his current task. He would have to find answers from the right person.
He saw Veronica in the lounge, happily texting someone.
"Who are you texting?", Archie asked Veronica. He didn't want to sound like he was meddling into her problems, he was just simply curious.
"A football player that goes to this school", Veronica said. "His name is Chuck Clayton."
Archie had a bad feeling about this. Even though Archie and Chuck both played on the Riverdale High football team, the two boys weren't exactly friendly with each other, even though they were acquaintances. In fact, Archie and Chuck had clashed on multiple occasions. Archie remembered a fight that broke out between him and Chuck when they were both ten years old and playing for the Riverdale Community football league, a football league specifically designed for elementary school children within that vicinity. Even back then, Chuck had been a dirty player. He had deliberately fouled him when the referees weren't watching during a crucial game in that particular season. Archie had wanted to be polite and therefore didn't snitch on him. Archie wasn't the type of person to tattle on someone else to get them into trouble. He just wanted to be amiable and friendly towards everyone around him.
Now, Archie wondered what would have happened if he had snitched. He guessed there were situations in which a person could be too polite and non-confrontational. There was nothing wrong with being courteous towards other people, but he knew now that he had to be careful not to allow other people to take advantage of his friendly attitude. Not everyone in Riverdale deserved to be treated with respect. That was clear and evident after the fate that Jason endured.
Archie had wanted to help others and show people that he cared about them. Now, he knew that there were limits to show empathy towards someone else. Archie knew that Jason's killer had gone past the point of politeness. If he truly loved Cheryl, he would have to find this person and bring him to justice. He needed to put and end to this charade.
Being the captain of the Riverdale football team, Archie wanted to do things differently. He wanted to take a different approach in how he was a leader. He didn't just want to be the captain of the football team, he wanted to empathize with the other players and the school. What happened to Jason was inexcusable and never should have happened. It should have been Jason trying to encourage the rest of the team and lead them to victory. Archie was surprised as anyone else could be that he had been chosen as captain. The least he could do was try to be as committed as possible to carrying out his tasks and duties. Archie knew that the role of a good captain would be to keep the other players in line, not just on the field.
Archie never really trusted Chuck for obvious reasons. The son of Coach Clayton didn't really have a good reputation for treating girls very well. Archie figured that as Veronica's friend, he should tell her that going on a date with Chuck was a bad idea. On the other hand, Archie and Veronica didn't really spend much time together. They were friendly with each other, but most of the time they interacted together was when Betty was with them. Archie thought that maybe Betty should be the one to tell Veronica that she could be making a mistake. She was closer to Veronica, so it made sense.
So, Archie just tried to act casual, like nothing was wrong.
"Oh, that's nice", Archie said, not wanting to discuss this any further.
But Veronica seemed curious. "What's Chuck like?"
Archie sighed. "Chuck's a good football player. He's clearly committed to this team." That last statement was too polite on Archie's part. He knew that Chuck wanted to win football games, but it was only for his own benefit. Chuck knew that scouts from numerous colleges around the country had checked out their games on a few occasions. Archie knew this, as well. Archie also knew that Chuck didn't really care that much about teamwork. Archie knew that Chuck was a star player, but he was also hotheaded at times and cocky.
Still, Archie almost always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. He always had a positive thing to say about everyone, regardless of whom they were or what they had done. Archie knew that making mistakes was part of human nature, but there was a line drawn when mistakes became bad habits or dangerous tendencies.
"What do you think about Chuck?", Veronica asked.
Now Archie wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to lie to Veronica, but he also didn't want to say too many negative things about Chuck. He would look jealous, when he clearly wasn't. Why would he be? He was already dating Cheryl, although that was a secret.
"I'm not really sure", Archie said. "We've hung out on a few occasions, but we're not really that close. You'd better ask Betty for her opinion, maybe she could give you better answers."
"Oh", Veronica said. "Well, thank you, Archie."
"Glad I could help."
Archie walked off to his next class, winking at Cheryl when they passed each other. He hoped he could pay attention in class and not get too distracted.
Meanwhile…
Veronica and Betty were walking through the hallways together after second period. Veronica had told Betty about her recent activities.
"I was texting one of the players on the Riverdale football team, Chuck Clayton", Veronica said.
The smile on Betty's face disappeared.
"Is something wrong?", Veronica asked.
"Veronica, I've known Chuck since elementary school", Betty said. "Back then, he used to be a slightly nice kid. But, during our last year in middle school, his personality changed. Veronica, he uses girls and takes advantage of them. He believes women are inferior and men are superior."
"He can't be that bad", Veronica said. "The texts he sent me looked so sweet."
"I'd be careful if I were you", Betty said. "Personally, I don't trust him."
"I still think you're wrong about Chuck", Veronica said. "Look, I'll accept his offer and see what happens."
"I'm just trying to help you, V", Betty said.
Meanwhile…
Archie was walking through the hallways when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Reggie!", Archie exclaimed, slapping hands. "How have you been?"
"Good. How is everything?"
"Fine", Reggie said. "How's everyone else on the football team?"
"Well, Chuck Clayton asked Veronica Lodge on a date", Archie said.
Reggie's smile disappeared.
"Did she say yes?"
"She was considering it, but I can't say for sure. Why do you ask?"
Reggie sighed and looked at the ground.
"You like her, don't you? Veronica?"
"Well, if I had to be honest, yeah", Reggie said. "But we didn't have much interaction together. Veronica's spent most of her time with Betty. I've wanted to speak to her several times after my fling with Grundy ended, but I never really had a chance. The most interaction we've had together was when we were kissing in that closet during Cheryl's party."
"Dude, you shouldn't worry about talking to Veronica. If you like her, you should simply go up to her and talk to her. Just be yourself. At least give it a shot. The worst she can say to you is no."
Reggie nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Look, I know I'm probably the last person to be giving relationship advice. But I've clearly grown and matured during my relationship with Cheryl. This is stuff that I'm still new with, but I think I'm understanding it more. I'm learning by doing. And I can say with 100 percent certainty that if you do pursue a relationship with Veronica, if it happens, it will be much healthier than your relationship with Grundy."
Reggie chuckled. "Well, yeah, that's true."
"Ready for tutoring in the library with Cheryl?", Archie asked. "I've studied some of the vocabulary words for English. I think we got this."
Reggie smiled at Archie as the two boys headed to their next class.
That night…
Veronica Lodge wore a black dress when she was getting ready to meet Chuck Clayton. She couldn't help but feel excited. She hadn't been in Riverdale for very long, and already a boy was interested in her.
In New York, there were numerous boys that Veronica felt attracted to, but she was never actually able to pursue a romantic relationship with any of them. Her father, Hiram Lodge, was strangely overprotective of her. No boy would dare to even talk or wave at her without facing his concern. Hiram made many terrible and inexcusable mistakes, but he was not a man anyone would dare to offend or question. Veronica could understand why her father would not want any of the boys in New York to bother her.
"Have a good night, mija", Hermione said to Veronica.
"Thanks, Mom."
Smithers drove Veronica to Pop's. She was so filled with excitement that she wasn't afraid in the slightest about anything that could go wrong. Why would she be? Didn't Chuck say all those nice things about her?
Chuck grinned when he saw Veronica. For 45 minutes, the two of them were laughing and talking. To Veronica, it seemed like Chuck had an amiable and humorous personality. No wonder he was so popular on the football team.
"Veronica, let's take a selfie", Chuck said.
Veronica obliged, not suspecting anything. It seemed like Chuck was taking a harmless picture of the two of them. What could go wrong?
Veronica went home, feeling happy and full from the date and from all the food that she had consumed.
Little did she know of what would happen the next day.
The next morning…
Cheryl Blossom woke up. She still missed Jason and wished she could talk to him. He would have woken her up for school and tried to make her feel energized.
Cheryl opened the Instagram app on her phone and gasped when she saw a ghastly image. It looked so malicious.