Chapter 17: The Last Picture Show
"Polly!", Betty whispered loudly. "What are you doing here?"
"I escaped the Sisters of Quiet Mercy when I found the chance to", Polly said. "I knew my parents were trying to keep Jason and I apart. I couldn't handle it at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. The place is a literal hellhole."
"Well, it is an insane asylum", Betty said.
Polly hugged Betty. "I'm just glad that I got out of there. How is everything here?"
"Everything is okay", Betty lied. "Just a normal school year at Riverdale High."
"How's Archie?", Polly asked, grinning. "Do you still have feelings for him?"
Betty smiled. "No, we both agreed that it's time for me to move on. I became a woman, and I put away childish things."
"You clearly are becoming more mature", Polly said. "Probably even more than me."
Polly took a deep breath, then glanced at Betty for a few seconds.
"How's Jason?"
Betty feared that this question would come sooner or later. What could she say? If Polly found out Jason was dead, she would be heartbroken.
"The reason why I'm asking is because we both discovered that I'm pregnant", Polly said.
Now that was a discovery that Betty never quite expected. That made the situation even worse. Polly was pregnant, and the father of her unborn child was dead, murdered by an unknown assailant.
Polly then said, "Look, it's clear that you have a lot on your mind. Why don't you go to sleep and let me stay here for now? I'll come out when the time is right."
"Okay, then", Betty said. She wasn't sure what course of action to take now. Should she tell her parents? No, because then Polly would never forgive her. Should she tell Polly the truth? She feared the repercussions that could occur if she did that.
Ugh, there were so many things she wanted to do but knew she couldn't. This wasn't right.
Later, in the morning…
Archie Andrews and Reggie Mantle were both heading to school for early football practice.
"It was pretty insane what happened. You know, the situation with Chuck", Reggie said.
"I agree", Archie said.
"The other players on the team might be pissed temporarily that we did this, you know", Reggie said.
"They need to understand that actions have consequences", Archie said. "What Chuck did was disgusting. He shouldn't have been allowed to go off scot-free. The remaining players on the team will be upset for a while, but they hopefully will realize that as long as I'm captain, I won't tolerate that crap any longer."
"You know, in a week or two, maybe I'll ask Veronica out", Reggie said.
"You know what, Reggie, you should", Archie said. "You two would be happy together."
"Just like you and Cheryl."
"Yeah", Archie said. He had briefly texted Cheryl the night before. With the situation with Chuck resolved, Archie only hoped that nothing worse could happen.
Meanwhile…
Jughead Jones loved the drive-in theater. When his father had been drinking and the rest of the family endured hard times, he had often spent most of his spare time at the drive-in, watching any films that were available to show on-screen. Now, hardly anyone had attended the drive-in recently. Jughead had heard about a rumor that had been flying around about some anonymous buyer purchasing the drive-in theater. The land that the theater had occupied would soon be replaced by something completely different. Jughead didn't even want to think about it. The drive-in theater was one of his favorite places to go to since his childhood. It seemed ludicrous that it would soon be gone.
Jughead had walked around the drive-in for a few minutes, admiring the scenery. He had taken a few pictures of the theater, loving the view. He lamented over the fact that it would be demolished.
He continued walking around the drive-in, kicking a few stones in his path. There wasn't anything that he could do. It frustrated him that this debacle was beyond his control. He wished he could have more clarity on why this was happening. This wasn't right.
Jughead sighed heavily, wishing that he didn't have to deal with this situation.
As he stood there admiring the structure, someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around to see who it was.
It was Betty.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Then, Jughead broke the silence.
"Hey, Betty", he said. "Good to see you."
"I can honestly say the same."
Both of them fell silent for a few seconds.
"So, what's up?", Jughead asked.
"Just got a lot on my mind right now."
"Same here", Jughead said, chuckling. "I was just thinking about the changes that have occurred in our town the last few months. A kid in our school dies, then this theater is scheduled to be demolished. If I had to be honest, I really don't know why any of this is happening. Multiple changes, and I honestly don't like any of them."
"I don't have the answers, Jughead, I wish I did."
"There are so many things that are currently beyond my control. It seems surreal. How did things turn out this way in just a few months? How is any of this even possible?"
"I feel the same way about my sister", Betty said. "She doesn't even know that Jason is dead. I know someone will have to break the news to her, eventually."
"How is Polly, anyway?", Jughead asked.
"That's none of your business!", Betty snapped at him.
Jughead glanced at her for a few seconds, clearly hurt. Betty immediately knew she made a mistake.
"I'm sorry, the whole situation is causing me a lot of stress right now."
"It's understandable", Jughead said, who was more than quick to forgive her. Everyone got stressed at some point. It was part of human nature.
"Jughead, can you keep a secret?", Betty asked.
"Sure."
"You have to promise not to tell anyone."
"I promise."
Betty took a deep breath.
"Polly was hiding in our attic", she said.
Jughead took a deep breath, not sure of what to say.
"And she's pregnant."
This revelation definitely hit home. Jughead was clearly shocked about this unexpected twist. No wonder Betty didn't want him telling anyone. For a few minutes, the both of them remained silent.
"No one else knows about this?", Jughead finally asked.
"Not a soul. Jughead, I don't know what to do."
Jughead glanced at Betty, trying to think of what to say in this situation. Then, it came to him.
"Betty, I can't even begin to imagine what this situation must be like for you. I know your sister has been through a lot. I wouldn't dream of giving any opprobrium in this scenario. No woman should ever have to go through something like this."
Jughead took a deep breath, then continued.
"Betty, you can trust me. We've known each other and we were friends since we were little kids. You can talk to me about anything, and I'm more than willing to help."
Jughead, without even thinking, leaned over and held Betty's hand with his. She seemed surprised at first, but didn't resist or pull her hand away.
"Betty, we've been close friends for a long time", Jughead said. "I know you've been through something hard. I truly care for your well-being. I'll do anything I can to help. You could always reach out to me."
Betty smiled at Jughead, then hugged him tightly.
The two friends briefly looked at each other. Then, Jughead leaned over and kissed her. Right on the lips.
Betty smiled, clearly not repulsed or uncomfortable. Then, she leaned over and kissed Jughead back.
"How do you feel now?", Jughead asked after a few minutes.
"Better", Betty said, smiling.
Later, in the morning…
It was quite an exhausting workout for the Riverdale Bulldogs, in Archie's opinion. With six of their players being dropped, Archie knew that the team would have to work much harder to improve their skills and durability. Regardless, he was feeling confident. Cheryl could certainly encourage him with her cheerleading skills.
Archie and Reggie were both heading to class when Archie noticed something on the noticeboard.
Riverdale High School Variety Show
Come show off your talent! All students from all four grades are welcome.
The flyer listed the date and the time in which the variety show would be taking place.
Archie had been practicing his music for quite a while. He was just waiting for the right opportunity to show what he had learned.
"You're thinking of participating in that?", Reggie asked.
"Absolutely", Archie said. "It would be a good chance to demonstrate the musical attributes that I have acquired. It certainly seems like fun."
"Then go for it", Reggie said. "Since you and Cheryl started dating, you've clearly gained a lot of confidence."
"The thing is, I still feel nervous about performing in public", Archie said. "I could use a partner, it might appease my trepidation. Hopefully."
Archie and Reggie stood there thinking silently for a few seconds.
Then Archie figured out the perfect partner.
Cheryl!
Meanwhile…
Kevin Keller was still feeling spooked and unnerved. When he had been sleeping, images of Jason haunted his dreams. Jason's head with a bullet wound seemed to be at the forefront of Kevin's mind recently for some reason. Kevin knew that discovering Jason's body would be a grotesque sight, so he couldn't really express much surprise that it would plague his thoughts.
It was clearly an injustice. What had he done to deserve this? He wasn't perfect and was no saint, but this clearly was too much. Kevin had read briefly about post-traumatic stress disorder during his freshman year of high school. Symptoms for PTSD would include nightmares or unwanted memories of the trauma. Kevin knew many war veterans suffered from this condition. He needed to focus on his schoolwork and wrestling. He did not want anxiety nor did he need depression.
Kevin knew he was in a tough situation. If he didn't get cured for his emotional trauma soon, he didn't want to think about what could happen.
Meanwhile…
Fred Andrews was at the construction site, working on bills and filing papers that had been sitting idly in his mailbox. He had taken over the family business since his father's death and had worked as hard as possible for himself and his family. Fred and Mary still cared about each other, even though the two had separated. Fred had talked with Hermione multiple times since she and Veronica had arrived in Riverdale from New York. He often wondered what life would have been like, if Hermione hadn't broken up with him to go out with and eventually marry Hiram. Fred chuckled to himself, silently acknowledging that he and Hermione would have made a wonderful married couple. But if that had happened, Archie would have never been born. Fred also wondered what would have happened if his father had survived his illness and if he kept playing baseball. Fred smiled at the memory of the Riverdale High baseball team winning two consecutive state championships, mostly thanks to him. Fred thought about his older brother, Oscar, and about how strong he was. Fred remembered a number of the times that he and Oscar wrestled on the floor of their home. Those were such good times.
As nice and wonderful as those memories were, Fred also knew that he currently had a purpose in Riverdale at that point. He couldn't think just about himself. He had a family to take care of. His son was playing football and his construction business was currently doing great. His son was also dating the richest girl in school. Fred knew he had to focus on the present and help other people when able to.
Just then, someone knocked on the trailer door. Fred ran to grab open the door and saw that it was Hermione.
"Hermione? I wasn't expecting you. How is everything?"
"Everything is good", Hermione said, smiling. "I just wanted to talk about old times."
She winked and smirked at Fred jokingly.
"I've been doing some thinking about the old times as well", Fred said. "I've been thinking about my father and my older brother. About the high school baseball team. If it weren't for life's circumstances, things could have been different."
Hermione laughed. "No point thinking about what could have been. We both made our choices."
"How is Veronica?", Fred asked. "I know she just experienced something traumatic at Riverdale High. Poor girl. She didn't deserve this."
"The boy who did that horrible thing to her has been punished", Hermione said.
"That's good to hear, at least."
Fred had walked over to his desk and sat down. Hermione then walked over and laid her hands on his shoulder.
"Don't worry", Hermione said. "Forget about all of this stuff for a moment. Maybe I could help. Maybe I could pose…as a distraction."
Hermione then moved her hand down Fred's chest. She leaned over and kissed Fred on the cheek. Fred then kissed her on the lips. For the next few minutes, Hermione and Fred continued kissing each other, not even thinking about what could be going on outside.
But unbeknownst to both of them, someone had been watching everything that had occurred in the trailer. This person watched with horror and mortification.
And this person was angry when seeing what they saw.
The next morning…
Archie Andrews never thought he would be doing what he was doing now.
Even when he and Cheryl were dating, Archie had thought they would minimize and reduce all of their private activities. Despite the fact that he kept trying to think of excuses for them to hang out without making it too obvious what they were up to, he was sure that they were playing it safe. Private tutoring and bowling were activities that were beneficial for their respective student lives and had to be done. That was why no one would have gotten suspicious of their plans.
But the variety show was strictly voluntary. It wasn't mandatory by any means. If a student wanted to get involved with the show, it would be an optional agreement. A choice. Archie thought that the variety show would be a good scheme to draw attention to his music. But getting Cheryl involved without giving anyone else any hints on what could be going on would have to be done in a discreet manner. Archie didn't want other people knowing about his relationship just yet. He wanted to keep the secret going just a little bit longer, until he was absolutely sure that neither he nor Cheryl would suffer any backlash for revealing their relationship to the public.
But it was possible that maybe Cheryl would enjoy doing this. It didn't seem like Cheryl was taking advantage of Archie, simply using him to grieve over her brother. It seemed clear that Cheryl loved Archie, just like Archie loved Cheryl. It was true love to anyone with half a brain. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Cheryl and Archie were made for each other. Archie could only hope that Cheryl would willingly agree to participate in the variety show. It seemed she would be willing to do almost anything to have an excuse to spend more time with Archie.
Archie smiled at Cheryl. "Cheryl, could we talk for a minute? Alone?"
"Sure. What is it, Archie?"
"I'll discuss it in the music room."
Archie led Cheryl to the music room. Once the two of them were alone, Archie asked her.
"Cheryl, the variety show is coming up. And I was wondering if maybe…you wanted to work with me on a song? I know the idea seems like madness, but…"
"It's not madness at all!", Cheryl exclaimed. "Lots of different musicians collaborated together on certain songs. I'm just wondering, why?"
"I feel nervous", Archie said. "I played music all the time in my room after Jason's death, even before we started dating. But that was when I was all by myself. No one else was there, not even my father. But in front of that crowd of so many people, I know I can't do it alone. You're the love of my life, Cheryl. I'm not asking for much. Just please work with me this one time. I won't bother you again if you help me out this one time for this one show."
"Archie, it's not a bother. I want to help you. You helped me grieve my brother. You convinced Reggie to give his report to the police about the gunshot. You did all of that for me. Of course, I want to help you."
Cheryl then glanced at Archie. "What kind of songs have you worked on?"
"Well, there's this one song I've been working on for quite a while. I wrote it after Jason's death. But I don't think it's very good, it could use some enhancement."
"Well, just show it to me and I could help you."
Archie and Cheryl headed to the student lounge, with Archie carrying his acoustic guitar.
So, for the next twenty minutes, Cheryl and Archie practiced the song that the captain of the football team had wrote, called I'll Try. Despite Archie's modesty, Cheryl didn't think the song was that bad. In fact, the song seemed fine. Cheryl agreed that Archie needed to enhance the song. But once Cheryl and Archie improved the quality of the song, they were sure that everyone else would love their song.
Last year, Cheryl never would have guessed that she and Archie would even spend more time together, let alone write and work on a song together. Yet, it was all happening right in front of her own eyes. And neither she nor Archie disagreed with fate's choice.
Anyway, Cheryl and Archie were working on the song when Veronica stormed into the student lounge, clearly incensed.
What now? Archie thought as Veronica stood in front of the two of them, clearly fuming.
"Hello, Veronica", Archie said. "How may I help…"
"Don't give me that, Archie", Veronica said. "Don't like you didn't know."
Archie glanced at Cheryl. "What are you talking about?"
"My mother was kissing your father!", Veronica shouted. "I saw them together!"
Archie's heart pounded slightly. He had no idea about the kiss between Fred and Hermione, as he was just informed about it now. Archie didn't see the problem with it, however. Fred and Mary had been separated ever since the former's DUI, and as for Hiram…
"Can't you just be happy for them, and whatever it is they're doing together?", Archie asked. "My parents are separated. And isn't your father incarcerated?"
Veronica glared at Archie. "Don't you dare speak of my father that way, you red-haired Judas. Don't act cute."
She then glanced at Cheryl. "And what exactly are you two doing together, anyway?"
"We're working on a song together", Archie said.
Veronica looked at the red-headed couple disdainfully for a few more seconds before storming off.
"What's her problem?", Cheryl asked.
"In a way, I guess I can understand her frustration", Archie said. "But I won't allow her to disrespect my father."
Archie and Cheryl then went back to the song.
A few minutes later…
Reggie Mantle honestly felt attracted to Veronica Lodge.
He didn't have the courage to directly ask out Veronica yet. The pair had talked quite a handful of times since Chuck had been suspended and removed from the football team. Reggie had to admit that he and Veronica did have quite a number of characteristics in common. Reggie and Veronica both had volatile tempers. That wasn't really a beneficial quality at a consistent manner, but it did give them both courage and confidence, as well as the impression on other people that they were not people to callously disrespect. Reggie was certainly not appreciative of what Chuck did to Veronica.
When Reggie had heard about Veronica snapping at Archie and Cheryl, he figured it was up to him to find out what was going on. If anyone could help Veronica at the moment, it should be him.
Reggie saw Veronica sitting by herself in an empty classroom in the back of the school.
"Veronica", Reggie said. "Can we talk?"
She nodded her head slightly. Reggie then sat down at a nearby desk.
"So, what happened? I heard about what happened with Archie. What's up? If he hurt you, in any way…"
"He didn't hurt me, Reggie", Veronica said. "I'll admit that I was out of line. But I'll tell you what happened."
"Tell me."
"I was walking over to the Andrews Construction site to speak with my mother. Then I saw her kissing Mr. Andrews. I saw it through the window. It just pissed me off that my mother would do that with my father incarcerated."
Reggie sighed and thought of his own father. How many times they had disagreed? How many times had they fought with each other? Reggie knew that at the end of the day, deep down, he loved his father. He only wished his father wasn't so hard on him. He would be just as angry if his own father had been disrespected in the same manner.
Fred Andrews was a good person, and Reggie was certain that he had good intentions and wasn't trying to hurt anyone. Still, having an affair with someone else's wife was petty and despicable. Then again, no one was perfect.
"Veronica, I'm sorry this happened to you", Reggie said. "I wished I could say something to appease this situation. I'm sure that neither your mom nor Mr. Andrews meant to hurt you. Granted, what they did was still stupid and inexcusable, but I think their intentions were good. It's clear that Fred cares for Hermione, even though she's married. But we all mistakes that we regret. No one is perfect."
"It honestly didn't seem like Mr. Andrews regretted his decisions", Veronica said. "Just because my father is in prison doesn't mean my mother should be having an affair behind his back."
"Maybe you should talk to your mom about it", Reggie said. "Maybe if you told her what you thought, maybe that would resolve the issue."
"Maybe."
"Veronica, I don't want to see you get hurt", Reggie said. "I want what's best for you. I know throughout my life I've had a mostly self-centered attitude, but with your help and influence, I could change my ways. I've made stupid mistakes, but I don't want those mistakes to define me."
"I understand."
"I'll do everything I can to help", Reggie said. "If you want me to tell Fred Andrews to stop, that'll be fine."
"Reggie, that won't be necessary", Veronica said. "I'll tell my mom about what I think. Thank you, though."
Reggie smiled at Veronica. "I'll see you later, Ronnie."
"Ronnie?"
"Sorry, it's just a nickname."
"Ronnie is fine, don't worry about it."
Later…
Cheryl and Archie were in the garage in the Andrews household, still practicing the song. Cheryl thought that their singing was improving, as well as the structure and rhythm of the song. However, she thought they needed to practice just a little bit longer.
As for Archie, he was having a good feeling about the show. He was sure he would nail it. He was still slightly upset about his argument with Veronica, but he mostly tried not to think about it. He had no intentions of speaking to Veronica unless she came to apologize to him.
Archie sang the lyrics,
Can you hear me?
Am I drowned out in the crowd? Are you listening?
Or is everyone else too loud for you to hear anything?
Are you just going to walk away?
Cause there are so many things I can do but instead I'll say
I'll try
I'll try
To let it roll off my back
Yes, oh I'll try
I'll try
To let it go, let it go and never look back this way
As Archie sang, Cheryl sat there in admiration. For someone that had been only playing music for a few months, he certainly seemed to have talent and skill. Cheryl couldn't wait to see how Archie would perform.
After Archie finished singing, he turned to Cheryl.
"So, what do you think?", he asked.
"I think it was beautiful", Cheryl said.
"I'll sign us both up tomorrow", Archie said. "What will you wear for the show?"
"My red dress", Cheryl said. "It makes sense, because red is my favorite color."
"I thought pink was your favorite color."
"No, red is my favorite color. Pink is my second-favorite color."
Archie nodded, knowing that he would have to avoid making mistakes like that in the future.
Meanwhile…
Betty and Jughead were sitting in the former's bedroom in the Cooper household, talking about their studies and extra circular activities.
"So, do you have any more clues on who could have killed Jason Blossom?", Jughead asked.
"I still am trying to figure it out", Betty said. "I honestly have to admit, I'm stumped. This killer, whoever he is, certainly has covered a lot of his tracks. We can only try to figure it out based on what we know."
"We'll figure something out, I'm sure of it", Jughead said.
He kissed Betty on her forehead.
Later…
Archie and Cheryl both headed over to the noticeboard and signed up for the variety show. Archie knew this would cause people to get suspicious, but Archie didn't care about that at the moment. He knew he would have gotten extremely nervous if he went out on to that stage alone. With Cheryl, it would be a lot easier.
Archie knew that he couldn't keep this relationship a secret forever. He didn't choose his social status or financial background. However, he did choose Cheryl as his girlfriend, just like Cheryl had voluntarily chosen Archie as her boyfriend. In other words, Cheryl had put her trust in Archie. If Archie didn't eventually confess his love for Cheryl, not only would he be a coward, but he would also be a bad person. And betraying Cheryl after everything she had been through, would be rotten and despicable.
One day I will tell everyone, Cheryl, Archie silently promised. One day.